Yeong-sik, tense and on edge, sighed as he washed his face.

"Haah."

He thought he would be terrified when the mid-boss known as the Blue Specter flew into the sky with the help of support-type awakeners.

Bang—

"Ugh!"

The crystal spear he shot struck the aircraft directly.

It was the first time Hyperion had allowed an attack; it had never been hit before.

However, there was no mercy before Hyperion's onslaught.

The Blue Specter had nearly become the Red Specter, having barely escaped thanks to the plasma-focused cutter.

[Interesting.]

"!!"

This was the first time Yeong-sik had heard Hyperion express such interest since hearing about the calamity called ‘Wave.’

He felt a flicker of jealousy.

Just like when he used to feed the cat in his past life, who pretended to be aloof but showed particular interest in his annoying little brother.

Moreover, wasn’t that guy known as the Blue Specter a scoundrel?

He was the mastermind behind the term "Slaughter." In a world where surviving zombies was urgent, he committed all sorts of misdeeds. Not only did he act alone, but he also encouraged and organized a group that indulged in pleasure and violence.

Was Hyperion interested in such a being?

[He seems to be quite useful. Heh.]

"…?"

There was a slightly ambiguous tone in that voice.

[I need to collect him without any injuries.]

The trivial thoughts he had before vanished at Hyperion’s words. The term “collect” didn’t sound very reassuring.

What’s going on? This is scary.

From then on, it was Hyperion’s solo performance. With just the upgrades from Levels 1 to 12, there was no opponent in sight. Aside from the Blue Specter, who had barely managed a valid hit, Hyperion was truly invincible.

Hyperion stopped its relentless barrage and began high-speed flight.

Rapid acceleration, sudden stops, direction changes, and S-curves.

Displaying various flying techniques, it wreaked havoc on the Slaughters.

The Slaughters tried to buy time, using hostages as shields, but they couldn’t keep up with Hyperion's high-speed maneuvers. The moment Hyperion found an angle, it mercilessly shot through the target's head.

The Slaughters likely thought that hiding behind hostages would protect them, but it couldn’t provide perfect cover. If a gap appeared, Hyperion would strike through it, and if their stance broke, it would pierce through them with the vacuum-compressed bullet cannon.

Yeong-sik watched as Hyperion effortlessly dealt with the Slaughters, as if toying with them. While a few deranged Slaughters choked their hostages, the others remained unharmed. The remaining Slaughters hesitated to kill their hostages completely.

Before long, only the Blue Specter was left.

"I don’t know who’s riding in there, but I will definitely crush your skull!"

Um… that wasn’t me. You might not believe it, but it’s Hyperion…

"I’ll chew on your intestines and show you what a life of endless suffering looks like for you and everyone you know!!"

He was unleashing a torrent of curses in a fit of rage.

No, I’m saying it’s not me!

"!%@&@##%!%@^#!"

The vile curses continued, enough to make one’s hands and feet tremble just from hearing them.

"Th-that… Hyper—"

[It seems ‘education’ is necessary.]

There was a hint of barely contained anger in that voice.

[Only I can insult the butler.]

Now, who is getting insulted because of whom… oh, no.

Either way, the words sounded a bit strange, but Yeong-sik felt a strangely ticklish sensation from deep in his chest.

Ah…! Yes! He remembered that the cat he raised once returned to him after getting fed by his little brother.

[Starting ‘education’.]

After that, merciless retribution ensued.

High-temperature rays focused solely on that guy. Hyperion intentionally lowered its altitude to taunt him, continuously firing beams. As the 128 beams concentrated on him, the Blue Specter’s body, transformed into crystal, began to glow red.

At least as Yeong-sik felt it, Hyperion seemed to be deliberately attacking in a way that wouldn’t kill him.

"Ugh!"

Eventually, perhaps due to the limits of his abilities, when the Blue Specter began to feel pain and was on the verge of losing control, Hyperion ceased its attack and waited calmly in midair.

Once the Blue Specter recovered, it would strike again. After another recovery, it would strike again. Whenever he recovered, Hyperion would reduce its output just enough to ensure he felt pain.

His screams never ceased. Adjusting the trajectory so he couldn’t escape until his sanity shattered, Hyperion continually tormented him.

Ultimately, perhaps due to overexerting his abilities, the Blue Specter lost consciousness.

Hyperion continued to torment him even after he lost consciousness, sending a small flying robot to collect him.

[To think a human can ‘produce’ metal just by being alive.]
[The photon cannon BRX-2A is a low-grade miniature optical weapon, but seeing that it could withstand an attack for a while, it’s excellent metal. It will be quite useful.]

Thus, the Blue Specter was destined to become a mine extracting metal until he died, imprisoned by Hyperion.

Yeong-sik shook his head and asked Hyperion to transfer the captured individuals to a nearby shelter before departing calmly.

***

Yoon Seung-ah was dumbfounded.

"No way…."

She was sure it had been an aircraft the size of a large car when it left…

"Haha. You’re surprised."

It returned as large as a warship.

"…."

Yeong-sik scratched his head sheepishly, looking somewhat proud.

Though the size had increased, many aspects felt similar, giving off the impression that it was the same model.

"Come on aboard. To our space battleship."

Space… what? A space battleship?

And "our"? Who else is there? Well, it would be odd to operate such a large machine alone…

[New butler candidate?]

Startled by the sudden voice, Seung-ah jumped. However, it didn’t sound again after that.

"A maid… Hyperion, even that is…."

Yeong-sik was mumbling something incomprehensible.

"Anyway, hurry up. We recently upgraded to Level 2, so basic amenities are equipped, and it shouldn’t be bad to live here."

Whether it was a space battleship or whatever, Yoon Seung-ah couldn’t close her mouth after stepping inside.

The stability felt nothing like being in the air. There was no noise at all. Moreover, the place Yeong-sik took her felt like staying in a decent hotel room.

There was everything from bathrooms and showers to dining rooms and laundry facilities.

Most surprisingly, just because the names of the facilities were the same didn’t mean everything was identical. The technology was on a level far beyond modern hotels.

In the shower, she stepped in like an automatic car wash and emerged dry in just three seconds. As for the laundry facilities? Clothes went in and came out perfectly ironed. Even though meals were replaced with a single pill, the level of technology was astounding.

Could this even be simply called technology? Wasn’t it magic? It was natural to think so. It was that shocking.

"At this level, it’s nothing? It’s just the level of lower-middle-class citizens…."

From what she heard, Yeong-sik had been barely scraping by all this time. It was possible only because he had encountered excellent experience sources.

She couldn’t understand his words at all.

Was he perhaps injured after being expelled from the shelter?

No wonder he was talking to himself or mumbling nonsensical things, and he even seemed to plead with the walls of the ship as he walked normally.

In many ways, he seemed just a bit insane.

"Anyway, just rest for now. I’ll take you there in a few days."

"Is… is that okay?"

"Um…."

She worried about her mother, who was in the shelter. After all, Yeong-sik had warned her about the ominous signs of the calamity known as ‘Wave.’

While waiting for Yeong-sik, she had observed zombies moving in groups rather than attacking humans, as if they were receiving some sort of orders.

It was chilling. Something was off.

For humans, who were dying in droves even to brainless zombies, the organized actions of the undead were truly a calamity.

Awakeners might have it a bit easier, but considering evolved entities, they couldn’t let their guard down. Currently, even A-rank awakeners were unable to handle certain beings. There were also entities that even S-rank ones couldn’t dare approach.

But if those evolved beings gathered all at once…?

It would be a terrible calamity. If it were up to her, she would want to dash back to the shelter right away.

"I want to help you, but I also have things I need to do before the Wave hits."

"…."

She felt anxious about her mother in the shelter. It wasn’t unfounded, as the signs of the impending disaster had already been reported.

Yeong-sik had warned of the 'Wave' calamity, and now it seemed the signs of that calamity were upon them.

While waiting for Yeong-sik, she noticed that the zombies seemed to be moving in groups instead of attacking individuals, as if they were following some sort of command.

It was a chilling thought. It felt wrong.

For the

 many humans who were dying at the hands of brainless zombies, the organized actions of the undead were truly a calamity in itself.

Awakeners might have slightly better odds, but given the evolved entities, she couldn’t feel secure. Currently, even A-rank awakeners had difficulty against certain beings, and there were also entities that S-rank ones couldn’t approach.

But what if those evolved beings all came together at once…?

It would be nothing short of a horrific disaster. She wished she could rush back to the shelter immediately if she could.

"I want to help you, but there are things I must do here before the Wave strikes."

“….”

"Still, you don’t have to worry. The capabilities of the shelter aren’t that simple. It will be able to hold out until we arrive."

After all, she felt a sense of guilt. Yeong-sik had faced all kinds of disdain and neglect at the shelter. Didn’t he end up being expelled? And now she was asking him to save the shelter.

Technically, she was asking him to save her mother, but it would feel the same to Yeong-sik.

As she spoke, she felt sorry for Yeong-sik. However, her mother kept occupying her thoughts, compelling her to press on.

She felt anxious but decided to wait patiently.

Being in a hurry wouldn’t solve anything.

Honestly… she knew that returning to the shelter alone wouldn’t yield any answers.

And exactly three hours later, she realized her choice had not been wrong.

Within less than three hours, witnessing the massacre of over a million zombies, she could think of nothing else.

‘What on earth am I riding in?’

Days later, she finally beheld the shelter on the brink of collapse.

Despite her anxious heart, Yeong-sik could hear Hyperion's voice.

[Starting selective elimination.] [Opening all weapons.]

Countless beams of light shot down to the ground from Hyperion's 37 types of optical weapons and 2048 gun barrels, now evolved into a Dreadnought-class battleship.