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Chapter 01
I once had a strange friend.
One day, he asked me,
“Don’t you think it’s boring?”
“What is?”
“That the world only moves with four forces: gravity, electromagnetism, strong force, and weak force.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
There were more things needed to explain the world—laws of thermodynamics, relativity, and so on—but I didn’t bother correcting him.
I knew that wasn’t what he was trying to say.
“Nothing changes. No miracles. No romance. What a filthy world!”
As I got older, I began to relate to his words more and more.
The world changed quickly, but my life didn’t.
For an ordinary nobody like me, the world felt as cold as absolute zero.
“Let’s just play games.”
While everyone else was enjoying their golden weekend, calling it “Friday night,” I sat alone, sipping a can of beer and turned on my game.
Because inside games, there were things that easily ignored all the rules of this world.
And so, while drinking and playing, I fell asleep.
“Young master!! Young master!!”
I opened my eyes at the sensation of my body being shaken.
A smooth gray ceiling with a metallic texture.
A futuristic bed that gleamed.
A person with green skin and antennae.
“Ah… it’s a dream.”
I closed my eyes again.
“Young master, please wake up!”
The voice came again, even clearer.
“Is this a lucid dream?”
“What are you talking about? An unidentified fleet has appeared. The vice-captain told me to bring you immediately.”
An unfamiliar environment.
Words like fleet and vice-captain.
I quickly understood the genre of this dream.
“Star War.”
A game I’d played since childhood.
Space setting. Various alien races. Interstellar travel. Abilities like magic or supernatural powers.
A mix of impossible elements.
Maybe that’s why I liked it.
‘I must’ve gone a bit overboard drinking yesterday.’
Sometimes I dreamed of the Star War setting.
But today felt especially realistic.
“This is fun.”
“Sir, this is a serious situation. Please sober up first!”
How could it not be fun?
I was dreaming about my favorite game.
‘An enemy… what kind of situation is this?’
The most basic rule of battle is information.
Sun Tzu once said: know yourself and know your enemy.
“Scale?”
“About twenty ships, sir.”
“My species?”
I touched my head.
Hair. No antennae. Skin tone normal.
“Human, sir.”
Humans. The species whose name meant “earth.”
“Fleet size?”
“Five ships including the flagship…”
So, a patrol unit.
A standard patrol formation was five ships.
I began to piece together the situation.
“Where are we stationed?”
“The Humildas General Command, sir. Why are you asking such strange questions?”
His head tilted in confusion, but my thoughts were already organizing.
‘Early game.’
The Humildas command was known to be weak in the early stages.
“Here, please drink this and sober up.”
He handed me a cup filled with a golden, viscous liquid.
“What is this?”
“Honey water, sir. You always ask for it after drinking.”
I took a sip.
“…Huh?”
Sweetness exploded in my mouth like fireworks.
It was the most luxurious sweetness I had ever experienced.
“I want more.”
“I’ll tell the kitchen. Please go to the situation room.”
He urged me impatiently.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
I stood up.
My body swayed.
My head spun.
“Careful!”
The antennaed man quickly supported me.
For reference, this man’s species was Picol.
A hybrid born from the mixing of noble lineage and other races.
Mostly used as attendants or assistants.
“You should really drink less.”
As I walked, the world tilted slightly.
The corridor was noisy with clattering footsteps.
But it was cluttered with junk everywhere.
“Why is it so messy?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why is there so much trash?”
“You said it was a waste of money to buy cleaning robots.”
The man grumbled and opened the door to the situation room.
Click.
All eyes turned toward me.
No one saluted—except one person.
“Captain! Please decide our escape route!”
The vice-captain.
An elf, judging by her pointed ears and striking appearance.
‘Ridiculously pretty.’
My thoughts briefly drifted.
But this wasn’t that kind of genre.
“Enemy position and scale?”
At my question, everyone looked away with contempt.
“Captain, trying to tax a fleet of twenty ships with only five is reckless.”
I already knew that.
“But you still need information. Fighting is luck, but retreat is art.”
The elf looked slightly flustered.
“Ensign Doby, zoom the enemy fleet.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The display enlarged.
About twenty warships.
“Tch. Too late to run. This is hell difficulty.”
The elf looked confused.
“What do you mean, Captain? We still have distance to escape.”
“This world doesn’t rely on radar. Ships are hard to detect due to dark matter interference.”
She nodded slowly.
“But something is off about that fleet.”
“Like what?”
“No designated signals. No markings. No names. Probably pirates.”
“Then their goal is plundering colonies.”
“Would they really scout so carelessly?”
Silence fell.
“And look at their formation. It’s strange.”
“Pirates are usually disorganized…”
“Yes, but where are their fast ships?”
“…Ah.”
She finally realized.
“They’re already behind us.”
The atmosphere froze.
“Retreat is already impossible.”
I sat down in the captain’s seat.
Soft. Comfortable.
Like floating on clouds.
“Would they spare us if we surrender?”
“Probably for ransom.”
“Do you really think so?”
I opened the tactical map.
“Those aren’t simple pirates. Look at their armor. Too well maintained.”
“Then… they’re military ships disguised as pirates?”
“Exactly. Probably a reconnaissance fleet in disguise.”
A name came to mind.
“Imperium Grand Marshal.”
The vice-captain’s face went pale.
So it was them.
Out of all possible enemies, of course it had to be Imperium.
Still…
“It’s unfair. Why does even my dream follow the story?”
At least there were advantages.
It was early game.
And I knew this map well.
“Transmit order: wedge formation.”
“Captain! You’re planning to charge?!”
The mood in the room shifted instantly.
A mutiny wouldn’t be strange here.
Early game naval mutinies were common.
