Releasing an area of augmented Gravity around him, Rowan spread a stream of frosty wind out of the tip of his spear. The last monsters alive, a dozen mechanical spiders, slowed, froze, and fell, breaking into pieces. Who would have thought Gravity and Cold worked together perfectly and fitted him like a glove?

  Dungeon Wing 1: Floor 16-19 cleared: 400/400 Targets killed. You have received 0 XP and 3 AP. 59/100 sections cleared on the Main Deck.

  Elemental damage is so cool…

  After an hour of experimenting with Elemental Damage and three more hours of grinding, Rowan had arrived at the Boss’s room, the twentieth floor. He had split the previous—from the seventh to the nineteenth— into four groups, resting in between to return to full health. It had been a slow but rewarding march; he had obtained nine more free APs, and his skills had progressed in leaps and bounds. His total of unallocated points was forty-four, probably enough for the most ambitious build.

  Opening the door, he peeped inside with his eyes and the Mana Sense, then closed the door back. That was a neat common sense trick: look in the next room, make a plan, and only then charge in. The Boss’s Lair was a large storage unit with a giant mecha inside.

  A robot… Probably immune to poison, bleeds, and the sorts, and weak to electricity… Let’s see.

  |Dismissing the spear into storage and taking his shotgun in hand, Rowan loaded it with a few modified techno bullets. As soon he entered the Lair, there was a notification.

  You have entered the Mad Scientist’s Lair. Once a great physicist and chemist, the owner of this lab went nuts and transferred his consciousness into a Mecha Frame in his quest for immortality. If not defeated within a 10-minute timeline, the Mad Scientist will destroy all oxygen in the lab (Deoxygenation), creating Nitrogen Dioxide, by exposing the room to high temperatures and toxic fumes.

  At the same time, the Mecha raised and came at him, awkwardly aiming a sort of combined fumigator and flamethrower. Rowan shot it twice in the head, preparing to kite around, releasing Cold and increasing Gravity. It proved unnecessary.

  Your EMP attack has slain Mecha Frame, Boss Lvl. 20. You have cleared Dungeon Wing 1. No XP granted, no AP granted. 60/100 sections cleared on the Main Deck.

  Well, nerds go down easy; what can I say. I could have taken him out with the others and gained an extra point, but there was no way to know…

  The last airlock opened on another corridor, going to the right and left. On the floor and the walls, there were scorch marks.

  “Say, FAQ, if I go outside, can you answer me? And will I be able to get back in?”

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: I’m confined to the Dungeon Wing 1. Once you exit, you can re-enter this section and leave the ship by backtracking on your steps, but I won’t answer more requests. My energy is depleted.

  “Oh… too bad. Mind if I eat here?”

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: This software cannot mind anything; it is non-sentient. Please don’t litter.

  Rowan sat down and searched his spatial inventory for a sandwich and a water bottle. Ten minutes later, he wrapped the paper and put it back, along with the bottle. “Say, do you have a map of the ship?”

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: Negative. I only have information that the other Dungeon Wings are similar to this one. Here is a simulation of how the Traipenent should look.

  “This is better,” Rowan nodded.

  The map Cory had provided was a diagram with lines marking the shortest path. Now, he could take in the image of the real spaceship. It was round, a mile in diameter, and divided into triangles: the Wings, exactly like pizza slices. Those triangles were split into Floors and had their tips cut. On top of that, there was a huge round space in the middle. Maybe the control room.

  “Thanks, FAQ. You have been a great help, but it’s time to go.”

  Rowan exited the Lair. Across the exit was another door, large and round, looking thick, with many strange devices attached. Lots of dials and gauges.

  MAIN QUEST update: Solve the Puzzle and open the door to achieve your Main Objective.

  Do you expect me to push buttons? Nope. I’ll explore first.

  The corridor stretched to the right and left and had a curvature, following the round space supposedly to be in the middle of the ship.

  With an enhanced riot shield and his shotgun at the ready, he started to jog to the right. Three hundred yards farther, where the next Dungeon Wing Exit should have been, the airlock was absent. A huge hole was blown in the wall, and it continued on the other side. Like the Death Star’s laser beam had passed through to say hi.

  He entered the hole on his right, finishing the exploration in less than a minute; the remains of the Dungeon Wing were empty and all but destroyed.

  I guess that’s why some floors are considered cleared…

  On the left, the hole allowed another space to be seen, and chances were it was the middle of the ship. Taking his time to look for possible dangers, Rowan passed through the aperture.

  Secondary Objective 1 update: You have reached the Engine Room. Break through the defenses and claim the Ship Core.

  Now, the purpose of the middle space was clear. The Engine Room had a sphere of light in the middle, protecting a smaller sphere that looked like a crystal scrying ball wrapped in a metallic contraption. An Inspect showed a tag on the outer sphere:

  Forcefield Lvl. 50 HP 50%

  There was a description of the smaller object, too.

  Damaged Ship Core.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The round space of the Engine Room went upward, the walls meeting into a vast cupola, a dome, the light of the forcefield strong enough to reach that high. That made Rowan realize the Traipenent had a convex lens shape, at least in its upper part. To the right, another hole like the one he had passed through. Debris of all kinds littered the floor underneath. This time, it looked like the explosion had come from the inside.

  “What the fuck could have done so much damage?”

  There was no point in dwelling on that, so he inspected the rest of the room. To the left, a sort of balcony emerged from the wall, exactly where the door to the control room had been. It was made of dark glass or a material resembling it.

  That’s the bridge.

  Below was a giant shelf with dozens of round indentations and a mechanical arm with three prongs on a rail. Meant to take something from the shelf and put it in another place. Rowan followed the rail with his eyes and observed five pedestals set in regular places.

  I bet that’s where the Dungeon Cores were activated. OK. Time to get back and solve the puzzle. Or…

  The timer showed he had under seven hours left to unlock the Bridge, and here was a defenseless forcefield at his mercy. Sure, the risk was he’d level too much too fast. He had to crunch some numbers first.

  So, if I take down that shield, will I level from a fight or just a little, like from the boring quests? Pff… where are you, Cory, when I need you? OK, let’s do it; here goes nothing.

  Approaching the forcefield, Rowan changed the shotgun with a plain but reliable gun, a gift from Isla, loaded with armor-piercing bullets. He covered his body with the riot shield and released a shot from a safe distance at an angle suited to avoid ricochets, if any.

  The bullet bounced up, yet from the center of the forcefield, a beam of light shot straight at Rowan, hitting him with such force he was thrown back, hitting the wall and sliding down like a fly on a windshield. He felt his skin and his insides burnt and crushed.

  “Fuuuuck…”

  Dex Perk 1, Autopilot, has activated 3 Healing Potions in a row. Warning: You suffer from Severe Potion Sickness: Mental and Physical Exhaustion; Natural Regeneration reduced by 78.5%.

  The Forcefield has reflected the damage taken x10. Forcefield’s health: 45%. Your Health: 15%. The Forcefield’s Level has been lowered to 45.

  He fainted.

  “Wake up, Rowan! Wake up!”

  There was a voice screaming in his head, a loud one. It was a dream, maybe. He gasped, opened his eyes, and remembered.

  Your HP is back to full.

  Albeit healed, Rowan felt depressed. How stupid could he be? What quest would give ten APs if it was easy?

  Main Quest update: You have been unconscious for 6 hours and 35 minutes. You have five more minutes to complete the Main Quest. Failure will result in the Bridge being melted in a controlled fusion reaction and the entity known as Cory destroyed.

  “What the fuck, System?” he yelled. “You downloaded her in the ship?”

  He ran toward the hole in the wall, throwing his backpack ahead to move faster. The shield and gun were nowhere, or maybe dust in the air, and the armor and his helmet fell apart, broken.

  Which way was it? Shit, I can’t remember, and if I take the wrong turn… Right… It must be right.

  Rowan arrived at the Bridge’s door three minutes before the deadline. His heartbeats were so strong he could hear them in his ears.

  What the hell do these dials do?

  He tried moving one to the right and the second to the left to match similar signs, although it made no sense to him…. He pulled the lever, sure it would open the door, and nothing. The door didn’t budge. Two more tries later, a timer appeared.

  59…58…

  “Noooo…” Rowan pulled on his hair. “This is not fair, you shitty System,” he yelled, banging on the door. An echo replied, and the timer continued.

  49… 48 …

  There was this instinct to cry and curl in a ball. He had enough points to raise INT to fifty, the second threshold, or WIL to the max. Instinctively, he pushed points into INT.

  The second INT threshold was detected. Choose between:

  1: Karmic Inspiration. Transcending simple logic, your instincts will know what to do in the direst situations.

  There was no time to read the second option. “Inspiration! Please, hurry! I have to help Cory!”

  He remembered. With feverish hands, he grabbed the magical cigarette butt from his spatial inventory, lit it, and inhaled avidly. The world around turned gray and somehow semi-transparent. He tried not to exhale and dashed forward, hoping he wouldn’t smash his head against the bulwark. And he went through. Only then did he breathe out the plume of smoke in his lungs, allowing the world to return to normal.

  10… 9… You have completed the Main Quest. The self-destructing sequence was deactivated. Bridge unlocked.

  “You came for me!”

  “Ouch!”

  A shadow jumped at him, and Rowan hit the back of his head on the door so hard he saw stars and then slid down, landing on his buttocks. The attacker was a monster of sorts; it had fangs and claws. He tried to push it away, but it kept throwing hits at him at a speed his DEX couldn’t cope with. Yet the hits had a strange pattern, trying to avoid his arms and go around his midriff... He stopped struggling for a second.

  "Bwaaaaah!” the unknown monster screamed, crying and hugging him, its head pressed on Rowan’s chest. “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault!”

  He patted the creature’s head by instinct. An alien had been stuck on the bridge; that was clear.

  “Here, here… all’s good…”

  At the same time, he still worried about the AI.

  Cory? Are you OK?

  There was no answer.

  “Cory!” he became alarmed. “Are you OK?”

  “Yes, I’m OK now,” the alien said. Rowan pushed the alien away at arms’ length. The creature in front of him lowered its eyes.

  “Nice to finally meet you, Rowan.”

  How did the alien know his name? “No way… C-Cory?”

  “Yes!” the alien clapped its hands together, grinning ears wide.

  “You built yourself an avatar?”

  “No… this is the real me…”

  “Gah…. ” he choked.

  You have received the Main Quest’s rewards.

  Surprise: This is Cora, a female Nekojin. Next time, think twice before trusting the voices in your head. +5 free APs.

  “What the fuck…” he finally exhaled a few words in a stupor.

  “I’ll explain everything.”

  The alien squatted in front of Rowan, and he scrutinized her in the faint light around. She was a human with a few cat details. The eyes were so large… reminding him of Animes. A pretty human face and furry catlike ears. Again, without thinking, he patted the creature’s head. And she purred, pushing it into his hand.

  “You lied to us?” he asked with burgeoning anger. The alien had manipulated him, and he almost lost his life twice that day. And he had for whom to live. Grace, Lizzie, and all his friends.

  “I didn’t mean to… I was stuck on the bridge, waiting for a reply to the distress signal. I helped you and the town to keep busy and hang on to my sanity.”

  “Why pretending to be an AI?” he raised his hands upward.

  “Sure it makes. What would you’ve done if I’d told you I’m from the ship?”

  “Yeah…” Rowan said slowly, rubbing the nape of his head. “Telling me you’re an alien speaking in my head would have freaked me out.”

  The girl nodded. “It was simpler to play the AI part. A week ago, I received this.”

  Cora waved a hand through the air, making a text appear.

  Dear Miss Cora Shemeaows,

  We regret to inform you that your rescue request has been denied.

  An expedition into uncharted territory is dangerous, even more so when carrying the risk of System infection. You know the rule: Don’t risk the many for the sake of the few.

  An autodestruction command has been sent to the Traipenent’s bridge as an attachment to this mail. It allows you twelve hours to sort out your businesses. Don’t try to ask the locals for help. Doing that or detecting an alien’s presence on the ship will initiate the self-destruct immediately.

  Sincerely yours,

  AI entity Vvewbpjpg.zh 6819819+ They/Them

  “Then… err… ch, ch…” she choked and coughed. “Ch… ch…”

  I hope she won’t vomit a furr ball on me, Rowan frowned.

  The cat girl cleared her throat and continued. “The System took pity on me and altered the autodestruct procedures, issuing a quest.”

  “Why not cancel it directly?”

  “Things are not so simple… The signal was sent by a senior branch of the System. It had precedence. Are you angry with me?”

  She had such big, sad puppy eyes and heart-shaped puckering lips that Rowan couldn’t help but pat her hair anew. “I guess this explains things,” he half-shrugged. “Sorry I took so long to save you. I had no idea—”

  “It’s OK,” she smiled at him, but tears crept into her eyes. “The important thing is you saved me in the end.”

  “Is there any way to exit the room?”

  “The door has been unlocked when you completed the Main Quest.”

  “Show the way,” he said, forwarding a hand so she could help him get up.