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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 480: Beyond the Orbit (6)
KWA-AAANG…!
At last, they were out of orbit.
As Earthship and the entire new planetary system entered the relay tunnel, the view outside the control room was completely overtaken by a multicolored holographic display.
And then, for Earth, who was the main agent of this movement—
〈Orbit deviation has occurred.〉
〈Orbit deviation has occurred.〉
〈Orbit deviation has occurred.〉
The warning messages flooded the view, repeating like a navigation system scolding a car for veering off course.
Red warning lights continuously flashed on the edges of their vision.
『…….』
But Earth showed not the slightest hint of surprise.
Because breaking out of orbit wasn’t just about transcending physical limitations as a celestial body—it was also an act of defiance against the universe itself.
Natural orbit is a duty and mission bestowed upon all celestial bodies by the cosmos.
So seeing these warnings was something Earth had fully anticipated.
Moreover—
『Hmm.』
Even now, both Moro the Sun and Princess Parina, who were surely seeing the same warnings, remained calm in their seats.
All celestial bodies in this planetary system had made their own resolves long ago.
KUGUGUGU!
Next came a jarring vibration, strong enough to make one feel as though space itself was shaking violently up and down.
“Uh, uh… What about the others? Are they okay?”
Jeonggu was the first among the group to voice concern for the civilians.
At that, Earth, who had been right next to the navigation device, turned its head toward Jeonggu.
『Most should be fine.』
“…Most?”
『There’s significant vibration, but not enough to cause physical changes to the planet’s surface.』
Still, Earth added that depending on the situation, some people might stumble or fall.
At that, Jiseon raised her upper body from her seat and asked,
—Wait, Earth, does this mean we’ll feel these vibrations every time we fly?
『For now… yes. If we reinforce the shield outside the atmosphere, the vibrations will lessen, but it’s very expensive.』
After all, it had already cost a fortune to upgrade the propulsion system and install the docking module.
Reinforcing the shield that enveloped the entire planet-ship would surely be even more costly.
『We’ll be arriving at Proxima of Centauri soon.』
As Earth spoke, the holograms that filled the window began to fade.
This signaled that they were reaching the end of the relay tunnel.
『Centauri is probably the only safe zone. No other clans are there, and Proxima is your father-in-law.』
“So we do our final maintenance here and move out?”
『At the very least, we need to purchase the docking module and relay zone entry permits here.』
“What about propulsion upgrades? Weren’t those essential too?”
Propulsion enhancement.
This referred to maintenance for rapid acceleration of the planet-ship.
Like when under fire while docked or during an emergency that required a quick relocation.
『It would be ideal to complete the propulsion upgrade here too, but once we begin, it’ll take quite a bit of time.』
“How long?”
『Well… At least two hours, I’d say.』
At Earth’s reply, Yeongwoo let out a relieved sigh, as it was shorter than he expected.
“Then let’s get that done here and move right after.”
『But this is your father-in-law’s territory.』
“So?”
『If someone is chasing us, this will be one of the first places they check. So I don’t recommend staying here long.』
“You think Shirach is already after us? Seems unlikely.”
It was a valid point, but the celestial bodies saw it differently.
『We’re not afraid of Shirach.』
“…Then who?”
『Our orbital deviation has caused a shift in the galaxy. So even at the galactic level, something will be dispatched to investigate.』
“You think something will be dispatched? Sounds like speculation.”
『I prefer to call it unpredictability.』
Something unpredictable.
At this point, all the celestial bodies, including Earth, wore expressions of genuine fear.
Unlike Yeongwoo, who belonged to a clan-based society, they were part of the society of celestial bodies.
Which is why the higher-ranked cosmic entities were far more terrifying to them than Shirach.
“So basically, we can’t stay long in Centauri. The propulsion upgrade takes time.”
『Exactly. And until the propulsion upgrade is complete, emergency movement won’t be possible. We’ll only be able to enter relay zones.』
In simpler terms, it was like in a game: you could move to another map, but couldn’t move around within that map until certain conditions were met.
“Geez… How do the other folks even operate their ships? This is such a hassle.”
Of course, Yeongwoo didn’t dwell on the thought for long.
Because he had something he could rely on.
“Let’s just start the propulsion upgrade right away, buy interstellar travel rights, and head to Doatel as fast as we can.”
『Doatel? Even if it’s a space relief zone… it’s still clan territory. That’s dangerous.』
Earth voiced opposition.
Earth fundamentally didn’t trust clan-based groups.
Which made sense—after all, the clans they’d encountered so far were the Renaissance and those that had come to suppress it from the lower parts of the galaxy.
So Yeongwoo disregarded Earth’s opinion.
“As the shipowner and captain, this is my decision. Doatel is safe, at least. They’re so stupidly loyal that they’d protect us even if their planet were collapsing.”
His overwhelming trust in Prince Aldo was, ironically, something only possible because Yeongwoo himself was a karmic offender.
He knew better than anyone that you couldn’t live as a virtuous person in such a brutal world without an enormously large vessel—metaphorically speaking.
SHIIIIING!
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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And just then, the holograms outside the window suddenly vanished, revealing the dark void of space once more.
“Huh? Are we here?”
But contrary to expectations, no bright celestial body appeared in view, and Yeongwoo felt a twinge of disappointment.
‘This was my chance to see my father-in-law in person.’
At that moment, Earth let go of the navigation device it was holding with both arms and looked outside.
『Don’t forget—we’re sailing with an entire planetary system in tow. We’re in the outskirts of Proxima.』
“Oh, so if we get too close to another planet or star, it could be a problem?”
『We’re a full-fledged “planet-ship” now, so we have a certain level of correction, but there’s still a very small chance part of our celestial body might collide with another. So yes, we do need to be careful.』
“But it’s a bit disappointing that I can’t meet my father-in-law in person. Isn’t that kind of rude?”
Just as Yeongwoo cracked a joke, his field of vision suddenly filled with golden light.
Fwaaah!
“Whoa?!”
He flinched enough to lift his body from the command seat, but quickly regained his composure.
‘Oh, this is…’
It was a familiar color and a familiar sensation.
This phenomenon was none other than a new achievement notification from the achievement system.
Beeeep!
[Achievement Unlocked: Major Incident]
| Achievement Grade: Cosmic
| Achievement Rank: #14
「Took a planetary system out of its natural orbit.」
‘What… Major incident?’
No one knew who named these achievements, but one thing was certain—this reflected the universe’s official position.
If the system called something a "misdeed," then by cosmic standards, it was a misdeed.
If it called someone a “lunatic,” then that person was a lunatic by universal definition.
In other words, if the system labeled a celestial body leaving its natural orbit as a “major incident,” then...
‘It really is a major incident. I mean, the rank is 14.’
Considering that the “Star Desecrator” achievement was ranked #92, a rank of 14 was truly extraordinary.
It meant that, in all of cosmic history, only 14 such events—including this one—had occurred.
‘Huh? Then again, that also seems like… kind of a lot?’
Unlike other achievements, the reward for this one was granted immediately.
「As a reward for the ‘Major Incident’ achievement, you have received a Galaxy Exit Permit.」
“Huh?”
Yeongwoo made a startled noise, prompting Earth to approach him.
『What? What’s wrong?』
“There’s something called a ‘Galaxy Exit Permit’? Were we originally not allowed to leave the galaxy?”
『I-I don’t know? No one’s ever left the galaxy before.』
“Then I guess… we’re going to be the first.”
Why would the universe reward someone who caused a major incident with permission to leave the galaxy?
Yeongwoo couldn’t even begin to guess the reason.
And this reward was only the beginning of what the universe would bestow upon the one who created the controversial entity known as a planet-ship.
Beeeep!
That familiar notification sound rang out again.
“What now…”
[Achievement Unlocked: Moving Celestial Body]
| Achievement Grade: Cosmic
| Achievement Rank: #10
「Possession of a planet-ship.」
“Oh!”
The moment had come.
“Planet-ship…!”
But Yeongwoo couldn’t even finish saying the word “possession”—his mouth just hung open as he stared at the rank of the new achievement.
“Ten?”
That meant there were nine other planet-ships besides Earth.
Even if the record spanned all of cosmic history, this was terrifying information to Yeongwoo.
‘Wait… That means there are nine others out there who can dodge our cannons?’
Of course, the universe was vast and treacherous.
It was unclear how many of those nine planet-ships were still in existence.
Regardless, the important thing was—
‘I never thought we were the first… but still, there are ten of us including me? That’s unexpected.’
Somewhere out there in the universe, other planet-ships existed.
“Hey, Earth.”
『……?』
“Is there no way for planet-ships to communicate with each other? Or like… some kind of gathering? You know how celestial bodies occasionally hold summits?”
Earth tilted its head.
『Planet-ships are built to avoid universal tracking. Why would they have something like that?』
Then it hesitantly added,
『Even if they did… I wouldn’t know. I’ve only just become a planet-ship, after all.』
“So, you can’t say for sure they don’t exist.”
『True enough. But come on—just attempting to make a planet-ship is the kind of thing only maniacs would do… it’s hard to make definitive statements about anything involving them.』
In other words, the behavior of planet-ship captains was completely unpredictable.
Just like Jung Yeongwoo.
So it wouldn’t be surprising if one of them had taken the absurd risk of establishing a communication channel.
“If any of those captains are still alive… they must be unimaginably powerful, right?”
Just as Yeongwoo said that, as if to answer him, a new system message appeared.
「Due to a cosmic feat, the barriers of status collapse.」
“What?”
「Brace yourself for an existential shock.」
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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