"So, Martin's gone, huh?"
On the bridge of the Gyanland, I was recounting the battle against the Beowulfs to Vindel.
"Yeah. He took the hit for me," I said.
"Did he go out satisfied?" Vindel asked.
"Who knows? But at the very least, he told me he enjoyed being under my command in the end. I'd like to think it wasn't a bad way to go."
"Understood. Take tomorrow off, Axel. Recharge."
"You sure that's okay?"
"Yeah. You may have taken a loss, but fortunately, the other units are holding their own. Plus, Lemon's report says the Grow Savior's overhaul will be done by tomorrow. I bet you're sick of hitting the battlefield without it, right?"
"Damn right. Alright, I'll take the day."
With Vindel's approval, I left the bridge and headed back to my quarters.
"Man, I'm beat."
I collapsed onto the bed, the weight of the day pressing down on me.
Lying there in silence, Martin's face flashed in my mind—his final moments shielding me. If I fell asleep now, that battle would likely haunt me as a nightmare. I sat up, abandoning the idea of rest. Touching my face, I was startled by the sweat beading on my skin. Seems this hit me harder than I thought.
To shake it off, I grabbed a sports drink from the mini-fridge and chugged it down.
"Ugh, too cold, too fast," I muttered, wincing as a headache pulsed.
It hurt, but the distraction helped. Still, I knew sleep would only bring bad dreams, so I decided to check my status for the first time in a while.
Pulling up the display, the numbers were predictably insane. No surprise there—since the rebellion kicked off, I'd been tearing through battles, racking up kills. And now, finally—or maybe inevitably—my kill count had passed fifty, earning me an Ace Bonus.
"SP Boost?" I read aloud.
The name suggested it was related to the SP skills in my roster, but the description—"Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance"—hinted it was something distinct.
"Might as well test it."
I extended a single Slime tentacle from the spatial storage, speaking the command aloud. "…Wait, how do I even use SP Boost? Like a Spirit Command? Just say it?"
"SP Boost!"
The moment I focused and spoke the words, I felt something drain from my body. Not unfamiliar—more like the sensation of using a Spirit Command. Checking the status display, my SP was indeed dropping, and fast. Unlike Spirit Commands, which consume a fixed amount, SP Boost seemed to burn through SP continuously while active. The more I leaned into it, the faster it drained, suggesting the Slime's performance scaled with SP consumption. When I stopped focusing, the drain halted, giving me some control.
Testing its effects, I found the Slime's abilities—absorption, weapon deployment speed, everything—were boosted by about 20-30%. The Slime's mass hadn't changed, so it was likely using SP like nitro in a car, juicing performance. To confirm, I cranked the consumption to 5 SP per second instead of the usual 1. The result? A 50% performance boost compared to the baseline Slime.
I hadn't used it much in combat yet, but with my SP reserves overflowing, this Ace Bonus could be a game-changer.
"Alright, that's enough on the Ace Bonus. Next up, PP and skills."
My status showed 240 PP—way too much stockpiled. As usual, I dumped points into Gunfight, raising it smoothly from Level 5 to 8. Level 9 was just 10 PP short, though. Tempted to grab In-Fight to Level 2 with the remaining 50 PP, I held back. Committing now would delay Gunfight Level 9 by too long, and I could feel it was within reach.
With Gunfight nearly maxed, In-Fight was the next obvious choice. Lately, I'd been leaning on the Adaman Halberd for close-quarters combat, and In-Fight's bonuses to melee and mobility would be juicy. Still, Spirit Limit Break, which could push my max Spirit from 150 to 170, boosting attack and defense in the long run, was also tempting.
In-Fight for close-range dominance or Spirit Limit Break for overall power? I'd decide once I had more points.
"Alright, that's enough for now."
Done with the status check, I flopped back onto the bed, letting sleep finally claim me.
A knock and Echidna's voice snapped me awake.
"Captain, you up?"
"Ngh… yeah, just woke up. What's up?"
"Vindel's calling for you."
"Vindel? Got it. I'm on my way."
I swapped into a spare uniform, got ready, and headed to the bridge.
"Vindel, what's the deal?"
"Axel. Emergency transmission from Blackbird Squad. They've been nearly wiped out in combat. Klar's death has been confirmed."
"Blackbird Squad!?"
Blackbird's primary role was intel-gathering, but they were equipped with mass-produced Gespenst Mk-IIs and the Trilobite-class ship Arcland for backup. They weren't cutting-edge El Eins units, but the squad was full of skilled veterans. Getting taken out like that didn't add up.
"Who were they up against?"
"Bad luck on their end. Survivors say it was the Federation Space Force's elite Troye Unit."
"The Space Force's Troye Unit!? Why the hell is the Space Force fighting on the ground?"
"Who knows? I don't have the full picture. The Space Force is crawling with corrupt brass and politicians—maybe they saw us as a threat and sent Troye to deal with us."
Troye Unit. If this follows the original timeline, Yuria's the commander. We used to exchange messages, but I hadn't seen her in person since graduating from the academy. Once the rebellion started, I cut contact deliberately—any ties to me could've put her in danger.
"So, Axel, can I count on you to handle Troye?"
"Yeah, no problem. How many can I take with me?"
"W17's out—repairs aren't done yet."
Fair point. Anjurg's built for long-range combat, but Echidna's Landgriz is even more specialized for it. In the fight with the Beowulfs, Anjurg took the brunt as the vanguard, soaking heavy damage. Landgriz, sticking to support fire, got off lighter—helped that the Gespenst Mk-III's only ranged weapon was a triple machine cannon.
"Got it. So, W16 and how many mass-produced Ws?"
"Sorry, but just the usual three. We're stretched thin here. That's why I'm counting on you and the Grow Savior's Phantom gear for crowd control."
True, Phantom could shred regular enemies, but Troye's no joke. Still, if we're short on forces, there's no choice.
"Fine. Nebuland's good to go, right?"
"Yeah, it's ready. The ship's already loaded. You can deploy as soon as you're in. Oh, and I almost forgot—Lemon's ASRS prototype is installed on the Grow Savior. It's too expensive for mass production, but she built it for you. A gift from your lover. Make good use of it."
Too costly for mass production, huh? Still, if she made one for me, that's good enough.
"Understood. Let's see what the Space Force's so-called elite Troye Unit's got. Oh, and one more thing—dig up intel on the unit I lost to. Their commander's Kyosuke Nanbu, from the ATX Team, I think. Focus on their strength and roster."
"Got it. Losing Blackbird's intel-gathering hurts, though."
And so, I was set to face Yuria on the battlefield once again.
Character Stats: Axel Almer
Level: 23
PP: 50
Melee: 198
Ranged: 216
Skill: 208
Defense: 205
Evasion: 233
Accuracy: 255
SP: 326
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder/Special
Terrain Adaptability: Air: S Land: S Sea: B Space:
A Spirit Commands: Accelerate (SP 4) Effort (SP 8) Focus (SP 16) Direct Hit (SP 20) ??? ???
Skills: EXP Up SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recovery & Focus) Psychokinesis Lv.7 Attacker Gunfight Lv.8 ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
Kill Count: 75