Back aboard the Daedalus Command Carrier, the atmosphere had become considerably more organized.
Mostly because Yuuki had fled.
Specifically—
He had fled from Akagi.
Again.
The fox carrier was still protesting somewhere several decks below.
Kaga had eventually dragged her away.
Not because Akagi had given up.
But because she was already planning the next attempt.
Yuuki chose not to think about it.
For the sake of his sanity.
Instead, everyone assembled inside one of the carrier's briefing halls.
Shipgirls.
Nikkes.
Arisa.
Even the fairies.
The newly integrated members sat together while holographic displays illuminated the room.
Yuu occupied a nearby seat.
Already drinking coffee.
Already looking like she intended to let Yuuki do all the explaining.
A wise decision.
The commander folded his arms.
"Alright."
The room quieted.
Several status windows disappeared.
Everyone focused on him.
"Right now, Daily Missions are locked."
A collective groan followed.
Yuuki ignored it.
"Mission Mode is locked."
Another groan.
"Quest Mode is locked."
Even louder groans.
Anis immediately raised her hand.
"Why?"
"Because you're Level 1."
The room fell silent.
A fair point.
The commander enlarged a holographic display.
Several sections appeared.
Daily Missions — Locked
Mission Mode — Locked
Quest System — Locked
Several girls stared.
That was a lot of locks.
Yuuki pointed toward the requirements.
"You need to reach Level 20 before Daily Missions unlock."
Another point.
"Level 20 for Mission Mode."
Another.
"Level 20 for Quest Mode."
The room became thoughtful.
The system wasn't simply handing everything over immediately.
Progression existed.
Growth mattered.
The commander nodded.
"You earn the features."
The room accepted that surprisingly well.
Mostly because leveling sounded fun.
Then Yuuki continued.
"The Shop becomes available at Level 30."
That immediately got attention.
Akashi's ears perked up.
Anis sat upright.
Neon looked interested.
Yuu took a sip of coffee.
The commander enlarged another display.
"JARVIS is currently integrating recovered Azur Lane technology into the marketplace."
Several shipgirls blinked.
"Our equipment?"
"Some of it."
Yuuki nodded.
"The scientists managed to crack a large portion of the archived systems."
Another display appeared.
Equipment.
Consumables.
Materials.
Upgrade components.
Various recovered technologies.
The list continued.
"The shop will eventually stock these items."
Several girls immediately looked interested.
Very interested.
Akashi looked particularly interested.
Which worried everyone.
Then Yuuki raised a finger.
"However."
The room collectively sighed.
There was always a however.
"The Shop only functions inside GDI infrastructure."
Several displays highlighted.
Bases and forward bases.
Platforms.
Carriers.
Installations.
Citadel.
The commander pointed toward them.
"If you're outside the network."
Another point.
"No access."
The room nodded.
That seemed reasonable.
Yuu immediately added.
"Otherwise Anis would order snacks from the middle of an active battlefield."
Anis gasped.
"You know me so well."
"That's the problem."
The room laughed.
Then suddenly—
Several girls noticed something.
"Huh?"
Yorktown blinked.
Her status panel had changed.
Specifically—
One number.
The carrier looked surprised.
"My credits."
Several others checked.
Then immediately froze.
The room erupted into confused chatter.
"Five thousand?"
"I have five thousand too."
"So do I."
"Me too."
Anis looked delighted.
"WE'RE RICH!"
Rapi immediately corrected her.
"No."
The Nikke pointed.
"We're employed."
The room laughed.
Yuuki nodded.
"Correct."
The commander folded his arms.
"Consider it your first salary."
The room immediately became quiet.
Salary.
A simple word.
Yet surprisingly meaningful.
Especially for many shipgirls.
Many of whom had never really been paid before.
Not properly.
Not personally.
The commander continued.
"Five thousand credits."
Another display appeared.
"Equivalent to meeting your monthly quota."
Several girls nodded.
The system made sense.
Work.
Service.
Compensation.
Straightforward.
"So next salary?"
Enterprise asked.
"End of every month."
The commander nodded.
"Bonuses depend on performance."
That immediately got attention.
"Performance?"
"Objectives."
Another point.
"Missions."
Another.
"Achievements."
Another.
"Special operations."
"Quests."
Anis immediately started calculating.
Neon looked equally interested.
The room suddenly felt very motivated.
Yuu noticed.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You just introduced salaries."
The scientist pointed toward the assembled girls.
"They're going to min-max employment."
The room laughed.
Yuuki wasn't entirely convinced she was joking.
Then another display appeared.
Credit Usage
The commander enlarged it.
"Credits are accepted throughout this world's territories."
Several locations appeared.
The Citadel.
Aqua.
The Ark.
Various faction cities.
Trade zones.
Market hubs.
The economic network continued growing.
The room looked impressed.
Then Yuuki pointed directly at everyone.
A rare serious expression appearing.
"Do not waste your credits."
The room straightened.
Especially after seeing that look.
Several girls suddenly became nervous.
"Gambling is prohibited."
The statement echoed through the room.
Then all eyes slowly turned toward certain individuals.
Akashi immediately looked away.
San Diego whistled innocently.
Anis pretended to be studying the ceiling.
Yuu snorted into her coffee.
The commander sighed.
"Exactly."
The room laughed.
Then Yuuki enlarged one final section.
A list appeared.
Specifically—
The Bulins.
Every Bulin in the fleet.
The room immediately understood where this was going.
"I've made a decision."
The Bulins collectively froze.
Several looked nervous.
Very nervous.
Yuuki pointed toward Houshou.
Then toward Yorktown.
"Your allowances will be managed by them."
The room exploded.
Several Bulins immediately protested.
"Unfair!"
"Rights violation!"
"We demand freedom!"
Yorktown immediately looked overwhelmed.
Houshou simply smiled.
The kind smile of someone who already knew she was winning.
Yuuki folded his arms.
"Denied."
Several Bulins dramatically collapsed.
The commander pointed.
"You would spend everything on candy."
The room fell silent.
Several Bulins looked guilty.
Very guilty.
Even the other shipgirls nodded.
Because everyone knew it was true.
Houshou smiled warmly.
"We shall make sure they receive proper allowances. They still going to be paid salaries but, I can't trust them with managing them until they properly can spend better."
Yorktown sighed.
"I already know this is going to be a lot of work."
The carrier looked toward the assembled Bulins.
The Bulins looked back.
Several were already plotting.
Yorktown immediately regretted accepting the responsibility.
The room erupted into laughter.
Meanwhile Yuuki looked around at everyone.
The new shipgirls.
The new Nikkes.
The newly integrated members of the GDI.
Level 1.
Five thousand credits.
Countless possibilities ahead.
The commander wasn't finished.
Several girls were already examining their interfaces.
Scrolling.
Comparing.
Planning.
Especially Akashi.
The repair ship had somehow produced a calculator.
Nobody knew from where.
Yuuki immediately became concerned.
"Before anyone starts planning economic domination."
Akashi quickly hid the calculator.
The room laughed.
Then a new display appeared.
SHOP PREVIEW MODE
The room immediately quieted.
Several eyes widened.
"You can't purchase anything yet."
A collective groan followed.
Yuuki ignored it.
"But JARVIS has unlocked Preview Mode."
The display expanded.
Thousands of entries appeared.
Equipment.
Weapons.
Upgrade materials.
Skill books.
Enhancement modules.
Rigging upgrades.
Power cores.
Armor components.
Specialized ammunition.
The list continued.
And continued.
And continued.
The girls stared.
Somewhere in the room, a Bulin made a distressed sound.
Too many choices.
Far too many choices.
Yuuki pointed toward another section.
"Every level grants rewards."
Several status windows opened.
Level Reward
• 1 Talent Point
• 1 Upgrade Point
• Status Upgrade
The room became interested immediately.
Yorktown raised a hand.
"Difference?"
"Talent Points improve talents."
The commander enlarged a skill tree.
Branches spread outward.
Different paths.
Different specializations.
Different builds.
"You can customize your early growth. Eventually, with enough levels and progression, you'll be able to unlock everything. But your early points matter, so choose your initial path carefully and build toward what you need first."
Several girls nodded.
That made sense.
Then another tree appeared.
The Upgrade Tree.
"Upgrade Points improve core attributes."
Another display appeared.
Strength.
Agility.
Defense.
Various specialized statistics.
And unlike Talent Points, leveling up also directly improved their base stats. Every level gained increased overall performance, making them stronger, faster, tougher, and more capable even before spending any Upgrade Points.
The Nikkes immediately paid attention.
Especially when their weapon trees appeared.
Rapi's eyes narrowed.
Neon's eyes sparkled.
Anis immediately began theorycrafting.
"For Nikkes."
Yuuki pointed.
"Your primary weapons also possess upgrade paths."
The room became excited again.
Rapi enlarged her Militaria interface.
Additional modifications appeared.
Weapon stability.
Rate of fire.
Magazine enhancements.
Energy conversion systems.
Advanced ammunition.
The possibilities seemed endless.
And not just for their standard equipment.
JARVIS expanded another section.
Weapon Compatibility Upgrades
Several girls blinked.
Yuuki pointed toward it.
"Your upgrade trees don't only affect your default weapons."
That immediately got everyone's attention.
"If you purchase new weapons from the Shop later, applicable upgrades will affect those weapons as well."
The room became noticeably more interested.
Rapi checked her interface again.
Weapon handling bonuses.
Accuracy enhancements.
Recoil reduction.
Energy efficiency.
All of them listed as transferable effects.
Neon's eyes widened.
"Wait."
She pointed at the screen.
"So if I buy a stronger weapon later—"
"The upgrades still apply."
Yuuki nodded.
The room erupted into excited chatter.
That changed everything.
Investing in weapon upgrades wasn't just improving current equipment.
It was improving future equipment too.
Anis immediately looked impressed.
"Okay, that's actually amazing."
Even the shipgirls seemed interested now.
Long-term growth.
Future-proof upgrades.
The possibilities seemed endless.
Neon looked as though Christmas had arrived early.
"MORE FIREPOWER."
The room immediately expected that response.
Then Kaguya casually raised a hand.
Several magical windows appeared beside her interface.
The room froze.
Again.
Because Kaguya possessed something nobody else had.
Magic Tree
The fox woman smiled.
Very smugly.
The smile of someone who knew she had exclusive content.
Yuuki pointed.
"Kaguya is a special case."
"Indeed."
Kaguya agreed immediately.
The room groaned.
The commander ignored her.
"Because she possesses three progression trees."
Several displays appeared.
Talent Tree
Upgrade Tree
Magic Tree
The room stared.
Then stared some more.
Anis pointed.
"That's unfair."
Neon nodded.
"Extremely unfair."
Kaguya looked delighted.
The fox woman folded her arms.
"This wife accepts these compliments."
"They weren't compliments."
"They sounded like compliments."
The room laughed.
Yuu enlarged the Magic Tree.
Even she looked interested.
Several magical paths appeared.
Arcane amplification.
Mana regeneration.
Spell efficiency.
Dimensional manipulation.
Metal affinity enhancement.
The list continued.
Kaguya's tails swayed happily.
She was already planning.
Very dangerous.
Very ambitious plans.
Then Yuuki looked directly at her.
"You also need more points than everyone else."
The fox woman paused.
"...Explain."
The commander smiled.
"You have three trees."
The room immediately understood.
Kaguya did not.
Then realization struck.
Her smile vanished.
Slowly.
Painfully.
"Oh."
Anis immediately laughed.
"You have three times the grinding."
Neon pointed dramatically.
"BALANCE!"
The room erupted into laughter.
Even Yuu nearly spilled her coffee.
Kaguya looked betrayed.
Utterly betrayed.
Meanwhile—
One person was looking at the shop for an entirely different reason.
Akashi.
The repair ship's eyes glittered.
Not because of the equipment.
Not because of the upgrades.
Not because of the talent trees.
Credits.
Lots and lots of credits.
The future flashed before her eyes.
Autumn Isle.
A growing population.
Shipgirls.
Nikkes.
Future adventurers.
Future customers.
Future profits.
Her ears twitched.
The calculator returned.
Nobody noticed.
Except Yuuki.
Which worried him.
A lot.
Akashi's grin slowly widened.
Shiranui wasn't even revived yet.
And she was already planning storefronts.
Supply chains.
Trade routes.
Equipment exchanges.
Upgrade markets.
Future businesses.
The possibilities were endless.
Yuu glanced at her.
Then immediately looked at Yuuki.
"Chief."
"What?"
"I think she's planning capitalism."
Akashi pointed proudly at herself.
"Correct, nyaa."
The room exploded into laughter.
Yuuki buried his face in his hand.
Because somehow—
Among all the powerful shipgirls, magical foxes, advanced Nikkes, and reality-breaking scientists—
The person most likely to become absurdly wealthy was still Akashi.
Some things never changed.
The room was still busy exploring their interfaces when Yuuki raised a hand.
Immediately, the chatter quieted.
Mostly.
Neon still whispered "firepower" under her breath.
The commander chose to ignore it.
"For your first practical exercise..."
Several girls straightened.
A holographic image appeared.
A desert landscape.
Ruined highways.
Collapsed buildings.
Rocky canyons.
A fortified base at its center.
The image rotated slowly.
Yuuki smiled.
"We're going on a field trip."
The room immediately became interested.
Anis raised a hand.
"Please tell me this isn't another lecture."
"It isn't."
The Nikke fist pumped.
"YES!"
The commander enlarged the image.
A large designation appeared.
GDI LEVELLING DIMENSION
THREAT RATING: E-RANK
The room leaned forward.
"This is a controlled training pocket dimension."
Several red markers appeared.
Mutated creatures.
Spawn locations.
Resource sites.
Supply points.
Safe zones.
"The environment is stable."
Another display appeared.
"The local creatures are relatively weak."
The girls visibly relaxed.
Then Yuuki pointed toward the creature list.
Mutated Cockroaches.
Mutated Ants.
Radscorpions.
The room immediately became less relaxed.
Akashi looked horrified.
"Mutated cockroaches?"
The room collectively shuddered.
Even Kaguya looked disturbed.
"That is far more terrifying than Sirens."
Several girls immediately agreed.
Yuuki ignored the complaints.
"Every kill grants experience."
The room became interested again.
"Every objective grants experience."
Another display appeared.
"Exploration grants experience."
Another.
"Resource gathering grants experience."
The girls immediately began calculating.
Then Yuuki pointed toward the central structure.
A heavily fortified installation.
Turrets.
Defensive walls.
Drones.
Supply depots.
"This."
The image enlarged.
"Is your safe zone."
The GDI base expanded across the display.
The room studied it carefully.
"If something stronger appears."
The commander folded his arms.
"Fight as a group."
The display highlighted several tactical routes.
"If you're overwhelmed."
Another route.
"Fall back."
Another.
"Return to base."
The room nodded.
That was straightforward.
Then Yuuki pointed toward their status interfaces.
"You now possess cubic storage."
Several inventory windows appeared.
The girls immediately remembered.
One cubic meter of storage.
A surprisingly large amount.
"Use it."
Several supply crates appeared on the display.
"Ammunition."
Another.
"Medical supplies."
Another.
"Food."
Another.
"Water."
The room nodded.
Preparation mattered.
The commander smiled.
"Stock up."
The display changed again.
A countdown timer appeared.
Training Duration: Until Dinner
Several girls blinked.
"Dinner?"
"That's all day."
"Correct."
Yuuki nodded.
Then pointed at the level requirement.
Target Level: 20
The room immediately became excited.
Because they finally understood.
This wasn't simply training.
This was their first grind.
Their first real progression.
Their first opportunity to unlock Daily Missions.
Mission Mode.
Quest Mode.
Everything.
The commander folded his arms.
"I'm dropping all of you into the dimension."
The room grinned.
"You will remain there until you reach Level 20."
Anis immediately looked energized.
Neon looked ready for war.
Akashi was somehow already calculating profit margins from monster materials.
That worried everyone.
Meanwhile Kaguya looked thoughtful.
"Can we return to base whenever we wish?"
"Of course."
Yuuki nodded.
The display highlighted the central base.
"Use it to rest."
Another point.
"Restock ammunition."
Another.
"Test your Echo Suit."
Another.
"Experiment with your skills."
The commander smiled.
"This is a training environment."
Several girls nodded.
That made sense.
Then Yuu enlarged another display.
SKIRMISH MODE ENABLED
The room became curious.
The scientist pointed toward them.
"You've spent the morning unlocking systems."
Another point.
"Learning interfaces."
Another.
"Exploring upgrades."
Another.
"Testing equipment."
Yuu smiled.
"Now it's time to actually use them."
The room grinned.
Even Yorktown looked eager.
Even Rapi looked motivated.
Even Belfast looked curious.
Then Yuuki looked toward everyone.
Shipgirls.
Nikkes.
The newest members of the GDI.
Most of them Level 1.
Most of them completely inexperienced with the system.
Yet all of them eager.
Ready.
Excited.
The commander smiled.
"After lunch."
The room immediately paid attention.
"We move out."
Several girls cheered.
Neon immediately stood.
"FIREPOWER TRAINING!"
Anis pointed.
"LEVEL GRINDING!"
Akashi raised her paw.
"LOOT!"
The room erupted into laughter.
Yuuki exchanged a glance with Yuu.
The scientist sighed.
"They're going to turn a training exercise into a competition."
The commander looked around the room.
At the increasingly excited shipgirls and Nikkes.
Then smiled.
"Too late."
Because it already was.
============
Lunch arrived much faster than anyone expected.
Mostly because nobody could focus on lunch.
The dining hall was packed.
Shipgirls.
Nikkes.
Fairies.
Everyone had gathered before deployment.
Yet instead of conversations filling the room—
Most of them were staring at floating interfaces.
Status windows hovered above tables.
Talent trees rotated in the air.
Upgrade paths expanded and collapsed repeatedly.
Equipment previews appeared every few seconds.
The girls couldn't stop looking.
Yuuki had seen this before.
The first day after unlocking a progression system was always the same.
Nobody could resist.
Yorktown was comparing her future rigging upgrades.
Enterprise was silently studying optimization paths.
Rapi was examining weapon progression.
Anis had somehow already planned three different builds.
Neon continued searching exclusively for anything related to firepower.
No one was surprised.
Meanwhile—
Akashi had completely stopped pretending.
The repair ship sat in a corner.
Calculator in one paw.
Status screen in another.
Several business projections floating around her.
The numbers kept increasing.
Which worried everyone.
A lot.
Yuuki pointed.
"She's doing it again."
Yuu glanced over.
The scientist sighed.
"She's calculating profits."
"How can you tell?"
"Because every graph says credits."
The room laughed.
Akashi didn't even deny it.
Instead—
"Nyaa."
Her grin somehow widened.
That made it worse.
Much worse.
"If monster materials can be sold..."
The repair ship's eyes sparkled.
"Then hunting monsters creates credits."
Another calculation appeared.
"Then credits create businesses."
Another.
"Businesses create more credits."
The room watched.
Horrified.
Then Akashi reached the final conclusion.
"Then credits create infinite credits."
The room immediately decided to stop listening.
Meanwhile—
Belfast appeared perfectly composed.
As always.
Elegant.
Refined.
Proper.
The ideal maid.
She sat quietly drinking tea.
Not a single unnecessary movement.
Not a single outward sign of excitement.
Unfortunately—
Yuuki knew better.
The commander pointed.
"Belfast."
The maid looked up.
"Yes, Master?"
"You've been staring at your Talent Tree for fifteen minutes."
The room immediately looked at her.
Belfast paused.
Just briefly.
Then lowered her teacup.
"...Perhaps."
The room erupted into laughter.
Even Belfast smiled slightly.
A tiny smile.
The smile of someone already planning her entire progression route.
The Royal Maid was no different from everyone else.
She was simply better at hiding it.
Nearby—
Houshou was helping several Bulins understand their interfaces.
Yorktown and Rapi were comparing progression paths.
Hipper and Eugen were studying their talent trees with unusual focus. New talents meant new abilities, and new abilities meant entirely new ways to fight. By default, they only possessed three skills, but the talent system promised far more. Each branch offered opportunities to unlock additional skills, enhance existing ones, and customize their combat styles beyond anything they had before.
Kaguya was studying her Magic Tree.
Very intensely.
The fox woman occasionally smiled.
Then frowned.
Then smiled again.
Three progression trees.
Three times the possibilities.
Three times the headaches.
Balance had struck swiftly.
Meanwhile—
At another table.
Yuu and Yuuki were finally eating.
For once.
Without interruptions.
Without emergencies.
Without dimensional catastrophes.
Without Akagi.
The last one was particularly important. Across the room, Akagi and Kaga were quietly chuckling to themselves, already discussing efficient ways to eliminate every pest they could find once they arrived in the skirmish pocket dimension.
Both looked exhausted.
The kind of exhaustion that only came from introducing an entirely new system to dozens of enthusiastic users.
Then two small figures landed on the table.
Esche.
And Oberis.
The fairies carried tiny portions of fruit.
Barely larger than themselves.
Yet somehow looked completely satisfied.
Their small bodies required very little food.
Something Yuu envied greatly.
The scientist watched them nibble on berries.
Then looked at her own meal.
Then looked back.
"Not fair."
Esche tilted her head.
"What isn't?"
"You two eat the equivalent of half a strawberry and call it lunch."
The fairy proudly nodded.
"Correct."
Yuu looked defeated.
The room laughed.
Oberis meanwhile sat upon a small cup and happily consumed a slice of fruit nearly the size of her torso.
The sight was surprisingly adorable.
Even Kaguya smiled.
The fox woman carefully offered another piece.
Oberis accepted it happily.
The atmosphere felt light.
Relaxed.
Comfortable.
Yet beneath the calm—
Excitement remained.
Everyone knew what came next.
The deployment.
Their first leveling session.
Their first real adventure using the system.
Every few minutes another girl checked the clock.
Or her interface.
Or both.
Eventually Yuuki noticed.
The commander sighed.
Then looked around the room.
Nobody was actually focused on lunch anymore.
Not really.
They were eating quickly.
Finishing meals early.
Preparing equipment.
Checking inventories.
Reviewing upgrades.
Even the usually composed Belfast had finished her tea faster than normal.
That alone spoke volumes.
Yuu noticed it too.
The scientist leaned back.
Coffee in hand.
Then looked toward the increasingly restless room.
"They're not going to taste any of that food."
"No."
Yuuki nodded.
"They aren't."
Another glance around the dining hall.
At eager shipgirls.
Excited Nikkes.
Future adventurers.
Future headaches.
Then the commander smiled.
Because for the first time in a very long time—
They weren't preparing for war.
They were preparing for growth.
And judging by the excitement in the room—
Dinner was going to be very interesting indeed.
=============
Lunch ended far faster than expected.
Not because the food wasn't good.
But because nobody could sit still.
The moment trays were cleared away, the shipgirls and Nikkes practically launched themselves out of their seats.
Status windows continued floating around them.
Equipment previews.
Talent trees.
Weapon upgrades.
Everyone wanted to get started.
Yuuki exchanged a glance with Yuu.
The scientist simply sighed.
"They're worse than children before a school trip."
"Much worse."
The commander agreed.
A few minutes later, the entire group arrived at one of the Daedalus Command Carrier's lower decks.
The Teleportation Hall.
The room itself was enormous.
Circular.
Layered with glowing Chronosphere conduits.
Massive energy pylons lined the walls.
Blue streams of chronometric energy flowed through transparent channels embedded into the floor.
The center platform alone was large enough to deploy an entire battalion.
Several girls immediately stopped to stare.
Even the Nikkes looked impressed.
Anis whistled.
"This thing teleports people?"
Yuu nodded.
"And vehicles."
Another point.
"Aircraft."
Another.
"Entire armies."
The room became noticeably quieter.
The scale was difficult to comprehend.
Yuuki stepped onto the central platform.
A holographic display appeared behind him.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Then thousands.
Images of different environments rotated behind him.
Deserts.
Forests.
Frozen wastelands.
Urban ruins.
Toxic swamps.
Volcanic regions.
Several girls blinked.
"Those are all training dimensions?"
Yorktown asked.
"Some of them."
Yuuki nodded.
The display continued rotating.
"Over the years, GDI created countless Chrono Pocket Dimensions."
Another image appeared.
A ruined city overrun by mutants.
Another.
An alien jungle.
Another.
A world covered entirely in snow.
The room watched.
Fascinated.
"E-Rank."
Another.
"D-Rank."
Another.
"C-Rank."
Another.
"All the way to S-Rank."
The room stared.
Then Yuuki enlarged another section.
Several worlds appeared.
One looked suspiciously like a survival game.
Another resembled a zombie apocalypse.
Another looked like a fantasy world.
The commander smiled.
"Some are specialized."
Anis pointed.
"Specialized how?"
"Survival simulations."
Another.
"Siege defense."
Another.
"Resource gathering."
Another.
"Monster hunting."
Another.
"Endurance trials."
The room immediately became excited.
Far more excited than before.
Because now they understood.
Leveling wasn't just killing monsters.
Entire adventures waited inside those dimensions.
Yuu folded her arms.
"You girls won't be seeing those for a while."
A collective groan followed.
The scientist ignored it.
"You survive E-Rank first."
The room reluctantly accepted the logic.
Then Yuuki activated another display.
A familiar image appeared.
The E-Rank Levelling Dimension.
"Alright everyone."
The commander looked around.
"Equip your Echo Suit Mark II."
Immediately dozens of status windows appeared.
Several girls pressed commands.
Echo cores activated.
Golden hexagonal light spread across the room.
Armor assembled around bodies.
Combat suits materialized.
Protective systems activated.
The transformation sequence repeated across the entire hall.
Shipgirls.
Nikkes.
One after another.
The sight was impressive.
Even Yorktown smiled.
The GDI crest gleamed proudly on every shoulder.
Yuuki nodded.
"Good."
Then his expression became serious.
"I need everyone Level 20."
The room immediately paid attention.
"By dinner."
Several girls blinked.
"Dinner?"
"Level 20?"
The commander nodded.
"Mother Whale attacks tomorrow."
The room became quiet.
Immediately.
The excitement remained.
But now there was purpose behind it.
This wasn't merely training.
This was preparation.
Preparation for a real battle.
A dangerous one.
Rapi folded her arms.
"We'll get there."
Yorktown nodded.
"So will we."
Several shipgirls agreed.
The determination in the room visibly increased.
Yuuki smiled.
"That's what I wanted to hear."
Then the massive Chronosphere began activating.
Energy surged through the chamber.
Blue light flooded the room.
Chronometric rings rotated around the platform.
The familiar hum of dimensional travel filled the air.
JARVIS spoke.
"Chronoshift destination locked."
The platform illuminated.
"Pocket Dimension E-01."
Another pulse.
"Base of Beginnings."
Several girls exchanged looks.
The name sounded simple.
Appropriate.
For Level 1 recruits.
Yuu stepped beside Yuuki.
Coffee still somehow in hand.
Nobody questioned it anymore.
"Ready?"
The room answered together.
"YES!"
The Chronosphere activated.
The world vanished.
The transition lasted only seconds.
Then reality returned.
Blue light faded.
The shipgirls blinked.
The Nikkes looked around.
And the entire group found themselves standing inside a fortified compound.
The Base of Beginnings.
Silence fell.
Several girls slowly looked around.
The base wasn't impressive.
Not compared to Daedalus.
Not compared to Autumn Isle.
Not compared to GDI Prime.
It was intentionally simple.
Practical.
Built for survival.
Directly ahead stood a Construction Yard.
The heart of the installation.
Surrounding it stood tall defensive walls.
Watchtowers occupied each corner.
Searchlights slowly rotated overhead.
Nearby sat four Power Plants.
Their generators hummed steadily.
Providing energy to the base.
A Barracks occupied one side.
An Armory sat nearby.
A modest Command Center stood near the middle of the compound.
Functional.
Efficient.
No unnecessary luxury.
A single Airfield stretched along the eastern side.
A lone War Factory occupied the west.
Further away stood several Ore Silos.
Connected to a solitary Ore Refinery processing local resources.
The entire installation looked like something straight out of an early GDI frontier outpost.
A place built to survive.
Not to impress.
Anis looked around.
Then pointed.
"This is it?"
Yuuki nodded.
"This is it."
Neon immediately grinned.
"I love it."
Of course she did.
There were defenses everywhere.
Yorktown slowly surveyed the walls.
Rapi examined the command center.
Akashi immediately located the refinery.
Which worried everyone.
Meanwhile Yuuki looked toward the massive gate leading outside.
Beyond it—
The wilderness.
The monsters.
The experience points.
The beginning of their journey.
The commander smiled.
Then pointed toward the gate.
"Alright recruits."
The massive doors slowly began opening.
Sunlight poured into the base.
The wasteland beyond became visible.
And countless status windows immediately lit up.
================
SKIRMISH MODE ACTIVE
LEVELING DIMENSION E-01
GOOD LUCK
================
The adventure had officially begun.
Before anyone could rush out the gates, two familiar figures appeared in flashes of silver and gold light.
Esche and Oberis floated into existence beside Yuuki.
The fairies had no need for Chronoshift transportation anymore.
Their connection to Yuuki allowed them to travel freely between GDI facilities and controlled dimensions.
Oberis immediately landed on his shoulder.
Esche floated beside Yuu.
The scientist absentmindedly fed her a berry.
Then Yuuki clapped his hands.
The room quieted.
Mostly.
Neon was still staring at a Laser Chain Gun.
"Listen up."
Immediately, holographic maps appeared above the Command Center.
The entire Base of Beginnings expanded before them.
Several routes lit up.
Four massive gates.
North.
South.
East.
West.
Each leading into different sectors of the training dimension.
"There are four gates."
The display highlighted them.
"I want you working in pairs or groups."
Several girls nodded.
"Solo exploration is not authorized until Level 10."
That immediately caused some disappointment.
Especially from Enterprise.
Takao.
Rapi.
And a few others.
Yuuki noticed.
"I know some of you can handle yourselves."
The commander folded his arms.
"But right now you're Level 1."
A fair point.
Nobody argued.
"Deploy your Nikke Modes."
Several Nikkes immediately nodded.
"Deploy your riggings."
Several shipgirls followed.
"Use your abilities."
Another point.
"Use your skills."
Another.
"Use your Echo Suits."
The room listened carefully.
The commander enlarged the base map.
"This installation is heavily protected."
The walls highlighted.
Turrets highlighted.
Defensive batteries highlighted.
The gun towers surrounding the perimeter immediately drew attention.
Massive.
Armored.
Intimidating.
"They'll shred anything that approaches the walls."
The room visibly relaxed.
Good.
Because panic was the last thing he wanted.
Then Yuuki pointed toward another structure.
The Armory.
The room immediately became interested.
Especially Neon.
"Before leaving."
The commander smiled.
"Go nuts."
The room blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"Take whatever weapons you want."
Silence.
Then absolute chaos.
The armory icon expanded.
Hundreds of weapons appeared.
Laser Rifles.
Laser Chain Guns.
Volt Auto Rifles.
Ramjet Rifles.
AR-17 Raptor Automatic Rifle.
R59 Pierce Sniper Rifle.
The Szakolczay 66mm Type R12 Locust automatic rocket launcher.
Personal Ion Cannon.
Flechette Guns.
The N72 Rocket and Missile Launcher.
Multiple mode single grenade type.
C4 Explosives and Timed Explosives.
The ones they trained in the Skirmish mode.
Including new ones.
Shotguns.
Grenade Launchers.
Chemical Auto Rifles.
Flamethrowers.
Chemical Sprayer.
Chain Guns or Miniguns.
Neon looked as though she had reached heaven.
"Commander..."
Her voice trembled.
"Yes?"
"I think I love this place."
The room laughed.
Yuuki pointed toward the inventory.
"The weapons from the Skirmish Tutorial."
Another point.
"The ones you practiced with."
Another.
"And several new models."
The room immediately became excited.
Rapi was already examining rifle specifications.
Anis looked interested in explosives.
Enterprise studied long-range weaponry.
Then Yuuki enlarged another display.
Enemy profiles.
Mutated Roaches.
Mutated Ants.
Radscorpions.
Bloatflies.
Ghouls.
The room studied the images.
Several looked disgusted.
Especially the giant insects.
Akashi looked ready to cry.
"Nyaa..."
Even Kaguya looked disturbed.
"I would rather fight Sirens."
Several girls agreed.
Immediately.
Yuuki ignored the complaints.
"The enemies range from Level 1 to Level 20."
Status displays appeared beside each creature.
Several girls noticed the numbers.
"Your Leveling System now identifies enemy levels automatically."
The room nodded.
Useful.
Very useful.
Then another display appeared.
Damage modifiers.
Weapon scaling.
Stat scaling.
"As your levels increase."
The commander pointed toward the chart.
"So will your combat effectiveness and the power of the weapons."
Several girls immediately looked excited.
The progression was tangible.
Visible.
Real.
Then Yuuki enlarged the area outside the base.
The room became quiet.
Because now they saw the world.
A ruined city.
Collapsed highways.
Destroyed apartment blocks.
Abandoned factories.
Crumbling suburbs.
Beyond that—
Wilderness.
Dead forests.
Rock formations.
Radioactive zones.
The entire landscape looked post-apocalyptic.
A civilization that had lost.
Long ago.
Anis whistled.
"Looks cheerful."
"It gets worse."
Yuuki answered.
The room laughed.
Then someone noticed the ghoul profile.
Yorktown raised an eyebrow.
"Our first skirmish is against ghouls?"
The commander nodded.
"Among other things."
Another image appeared.
A massive Radscorpion.
Then a Bloatfly.
Then a mutated Radroach.
Then something that looked particularly unpleasant.
The room collectively decided not to ask.
Then Yuuki folded his arms.
The commander smiled.
A dangerous smile.
The kind that usually preceded explosions.
"Your mission is simple."
The room listened.
"Level up."
Another point.
"Experiment."
Another.
"Learn."
Another.
"Fight."
Then his smile widened.
"And most importantly."
The room leaned forward.
Yuuki pointed toward the wasteland.
"Blow the living hell out of everything."
The room froze.
Then exploded into cheers.
Neon nearly ascended.
"YES!"
Anis laughed.
Enterprise smiled.
Even Belfast looked amused.
The commander continued.
"I mean everything."
Another point.
"Tear the place apart."
Another.
"If you run out of ammunition."
He pointed toward the base.
"Come back."
Another point.
"Restock."
Another.
"Reload."
Another.
"And go again."
The room erupted into excited chatter.
The training exercise had officially transformed into a hunting expedition.
Yuu sighed.
"You're encouraging them."
"Absolutely."
The commander grinned.
Then he stepped aside.
"Me, Arisa, Yuu, Nayuta, Esche, and Oberis will remain here."
The room looked surprised.
"No babysitting?"
Anis asked.
"No babysitting."
Yuuki shook his head.
"You girls need to learn."
A pause.
"And honestly."
He looked toward the gates.
"I want to see what you can do."
The giant gates began opening.
Sunlight poured into the compound.
Beyond them—
The wasteland waited.
Monsters.
Experience.
Levels.
Upgrades.
Adventure.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Neon grabbed a Laser Chain Gun.
Anis picked up explosives.
Rapi loaded her rifle.
Yorktown activated her rigging.
Enterprise smiled.
Akashi prepared loot bags.
And Kaguya's tails swayed excitedly.
The recruits of the Global Defense Initiative charged toward the four gates.
Like children released into the world's most dangerous playground.
And Yuuki had a feeling dinner was going to involve a lot of stories.
And a lot of levels.
The last of the shipgirls and Nikkes disappeared through the gates.
Almost immediately—
Distant explosions echoed across the wasteland.
Neon had apparently located something.
Or everything.
The result was the same.
Yuuki watched the dust clouds rising beyond the walls.
Then slowly shook his head.
"They lasted thirty seconds."
Yuu glanced at her tablet.
"Twenty-eight."
"That's worse."
"It really is."
The scientist nodded.
Nearby, the gun towers continued rotating methodically while base drones conducted routine patrols.
For the first time all day, things were relatively peaceful.
Relatively.
"'Tis a shame I cannot join."
Nayuta sighed dramatically.
The Pilgrim sat atop a crate while watching the status markers move across the tactical map.
Dozens of friendly signals.
Rapidly spreading.
Rapidly causing trouble.
Yuuki chuckled.
"Pff."
He leaned back against a supply container.
"Once your original receives the Leveling System, she'll probably reach Level 20 in under an hour."
Nayuta stared at him.
Then burst out laughing.
"Under an hour?"
The clone pointed at herself.
"Thou seemest to forget something."
Yuuki already knew where this was going.
"Your clones."
"Precisely."
A smug grin appeared.
"If mine original gaineth the system, every clone becometh an extension of her progression."
The smile widened.
"One Nayuta leveleth normally."
Another grin.
"A hundred Nayutas level absurdly."
Yuu looked up from her tablet.
"A thousand Nayutas would be horrifying."
"I thank thee."
Nayuta accepted the compliment immediately.
"It wasn't a compliment."
"It sounded like one."
The room laughed.
Esche floated nearby.
"How many clones can you make?"
The fairy asked innocently.
Nayuta looked thoughtful.
Then smiled.
The answer immediately worried everyone.
"Enough."
Yuuki sighed.
"See? That's the kind of answer villains give."
"I have been called far worse."
The Pilgrim crossed her arms.
"Besides."
She gestured toward the wasteland.
"Grant them a head start."
Yuuki nodded.
"Exactly."
Then he pointed at her.
"Tomorrow."
The clone looked over.
"I'll give you the Leveling Syringe."
Another point.
"You find your original."
Another.
"Inject her."
Another.
"And then level by slaughtering Raptures during the Mother Whale operation."
Nayuta blinked.
Then blinked again.
The plan was actually sound.
Very sound.
Disturbingly sound.
Because Mother Whale wasn't exactly lacking in enemies.
The battlefield would practically be an experience farm.
The clone slowly grinned.
"Oh."
Another grin.
"Oh, that is delightfully wicked."
Yuuki shrugged.
"I'm a problem solver."
Yuu immediately snorted.
"A professional problem creator."
"A creator and solver."
"That's even worse."
The room laughed.
Nayuta pointed dramatically toward him.
"A most excellent suggestion, Great Hero."
Yuuki accepted the title with all the dignity he could manage.
Which wasn't much.
Then he glanced toward the tactical display.
Several friendly markers were already moving deeper into the city.
A few level-up notifications had begun appearing.
Apparently somebody had found the local wildlife.
Or the local wildlife had found Neon.
Again, the result was probably the same.
The commander smiled.
Tomorrow would be the Mother Whale.
Tomorrow would be war.
But today—
Today was for growth.
And judging by the amount of explosions already occurring outside the walls—
The girls were taking that responsibility very seriously.
==============
The ruined streets outside the eastern gate quickly became the first battlefield.
Takao moved first.
The heavy blade flashed.
A Level 2 Radscorpion lunged from behind a wrecked transport vehicle.
Its massive claws slammed into the pavement.
Too slow.
Takao's sword cut through the creature's carapace in a single clean arc.
The mutated monster split apart.
A blue notification immediately appeared before her eyes.
+45 XP
The swordswoman blinked.
"That was easier than expected."
Beside her, Maya laughed.
"You're forgetting we're shipgirls."
Another Radscorpion burst from beneath a collapsed building.
This one larger.
Level 3.
Maya immediately intercepted.
Her rigging fired.
Shells exploded against the creature's armored body.
The blast staggered it.
Takao appeared beside it moments later.
A second slash ended the fight.
More experience notifications appeared.
+50 XP
+50 XP
Across another street, Atago and Choukai had chosen a different approach.
Specifically—
Firepower.
Lots of firepower.
Atago smiled as she aimed her Laser Rifle.
A beam of red energy punched through a charging Radscorpion.
The creature collapsed immediately.
Choukai whistled.
"These weapons are incredible."
Another Level 2 Radscorpion emerged.
Choukai fired.
The laser beam struck the creature directly between the eyes.
The result was immediate.
The monster dropped without even reaching them.
+45 XP
Several moments later—
A hidden Radscorpion burst from beneath a ruined roadway.
Its tail shot forward.
The stinger aimed directly at Atago.
Too fast to dodge.
The creature's tail struck.
Then—
A golden hexagonal barrier exploded into existence.
The Echo Suit's shield system activated automatically.
The stinger bounced harmlessly away.
Atago blinked.
The shield vanished.
The fox shipgirl looked impressed.
"Oh."
Another attack.
Another shield activation.
The system responded instantly.
Protecting her before she even reacted.
Choukai grinned.
"Useful."
"Very."
Atago immediately fired back.
The Laser Rifle vaporized the creature's head.
The fight continued.
Street by street.
Block by block.
Radscorpions.
Mutated insects.
Occasional ghouls.
Nothing particularly dangerous.
But enough.
Enough experience.
Enough combat.
Enough learning.
The girls gradually became more comfortable.
More aggressive.
More confident.
Then—
The familiar sound appeared.
A soft chime.
Takao froze.
Maya stopped firing.
Atago blinked.
Choukai looked at her interface.
Several notifications appeared simultaneously.
LEVEL UP
LEVEL 2 ACHIEVED
The four shipgirls stopped.
Immediately.
The difference hit them.
Not slowly.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
Takao widened her eyes.
The sword in her hand suddenly felt lighter.
Much lighter.
Her movements felt smoother.
Sharper.
Faster.
Maya felt it too.
Power flowed through her body.
Her rigging seemed more responsive.
The weapons easier to control.
The armor lighter.
The shipgirls looked at each other.
Then their status windows.
Strength Increased
Agility Increased
Defense Increased
Atago clenched her fist.
The increase was absurd.
Not five percent.
Not ten percent.
The jump felt enormous.
Like becoming an entirely different person.
Choukai flexed her fingers.
Then looked shocked.
"I feel..."
A pause.
"...twice as strong."
The others immediately nodded.
Because that was exactly how it felt.
The system wasn't offering tiny improvements.
Level 1 represented complete beginners.
Level 2 represented the first step beyond that.
And the difference was immediately noticeable.
Takao smiled.
A rare smile.
Then slowly raised her sword.
The weapon suddenly felt more natural.
More familiar.
Like an extension of herself.
Nearby—
A group of ghouls emerged from a ruined storefront.
Level 3.
Level 4.
Level 3.
The creatures snarled.
The shipgirls looked toward them.
Then looked back at one another.
Atago smiled.
A dangerous smile.
The same smile Akagi usually wore before causing trouble.
"Again?"
Takao nodded.
Maya loaded another shell.
Choukai raised her rifle.
The four shipgirls charged forward.
Far more eagerly than before.
Because they had just experienced their first level up.
And suddenly—
Dinner felt very far away.
==============
Meanwhile, several blocks away, the northern sector had devolved into complete chaos.
Which was hardly surprising.
Neon was present.
"FIREPOWER!"
A Laser Chain Gun roared.
Red energy bolts tore through a crowd of approaching ghouls.
Limbs flew.
Bodies collapsed.
Dust exploded everywhere.
The unfortunate ghouls never even reached melee range.
A familiar chime echoed.
LEVEL UP
LEVEL 2 ACHIEVED
Neon's eyes widened.
Then widened even further.
The grin that followed worried everyone nearby.
"MORE FIREPOWER!"
The Nikke immediately started shooting harder.
Which shouldn't have been possible.
Yet somehow it was.
"N-Neon!"
Nimi ducked behind a ruined wall.
"Be quiet!"
The silver-haired destroyer fired her rifle.
Several mutated Radroaches attempting to ambush them from a shattered convenience store were cut down instantly.
+30 XP
+30 XP
+30 XP
Nimi glanced around.
"Where's our support?"
A pause.
Then she looked upward.
"Laffey."
Another pause.
"Laffey!"
The rabbit destroyer was asleep.
Again.
Specifically—
On top of a wrecked car.
Several meters above the battlefield.
Using her rigging as a pillow.
The explosions apparently weren't loud enough.
Nimi stared.
Then sighed.
The sigh of someone already accustomed to disappointment.
Meanwhile—
Javelin had no such issues.
The cheerful destroyer laughed as her rigging cannons fired.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Three ghouls disappeared beneath explosions.
+40 XP
+40 XP
+40 XP
"That counts!"
Javelin cheered.
A nearby ghoul immediately disagreed.
Its opinion ceased to matter after another shell landed.
Elsewhere—
A panicked scream echoed across the ruined street.
"HELP!"
Everyone turned.
San Diego.
Running.
Very quickly.
Several Bloatflies chased her.
The mutated creatures buzzed angrily through the air.
The cruiser looked absolutely horrified.
"WHY DO THEY FLY?!"
Nobody answered.
Mostly because everyone already knew the answer.
Bloatflies flew.
It was literally in the name.
The creatures continued pursuing her.
San Diego continued running.
Neither side seemed willing to compromise.
Then—
WHACK!
A massive wrench smashed a Radroach into the pavement.
The insect immediately became several smaller insects.
All equally dead.
"Bulin!"
The yellow repair ship proudly raised her wrench.
Several Level 2 Radroaches immediately regretted existing.
Another swing.
Another flattened insect.
+25 XP
+25 XP
The Bulin looked pleased.
Very pleased.
Nearby—
The ground suddenly exploded.
BRRTTTT!
Concrete erupted upward.
Several ghouls were launched into the air.
A spinning drill burst from beneath the street.
The unfortunate monsters barely had time to scream.
"Purin!"
Purin emerged triumphantly.
Twin drills spinning.
Dust flying everywhere.
The little Bulin looked like a construction disaster given physical form.
Several ghouls immediately learned why underground ambushes worked both ways.
+35 XP
+35 XP
+35 XP
A second later—
A massive hammer descended from above.
BOOM!
The street cracked.
Several more ghouls disappeared beneath the impact.
"Kurin!"
The energetic Bulin proudly posed atop the crater.
Hammer resting on her shoulder.
The surviving ghouls collectively decided this area was no longer safe.
Unfortunately—
Nobody informed the Bulins.
The tiny repair ships charged forward.
With terrifying enthusiasm.
The battlefield quickly turned into a disaster zone.
For the monsters.
Not the girls.
Nimi watched another ghoul get launched through a building by Purin's drills.
Then watched Kurin flatten a Radroach with enough force to create a crater.
Then watched Neon vaporize something in the distance.
Then watched San Diego continue running from Bloatflies.
The destroyer sighed.
The entire operation had been active for less than an hour.
And somehow—
Everything had already descended into madness.
Another notification appeared.
LEVEL UP
LEVEL 3 ACHIEVED
Neon's excited scream echoed across half the city.
Nimi immediately groaned.
The day was going to be very long.
Very loud.
And judging by the increasing number of level-up notifications appearing across everyone's interfaces—
They were having the time of their lives.
While the destroyers and Nikkes turned the northern district into a warzone, another group had adopted a far more methodical approach.
High above a ruined office building.
Yorktown lowered herself onto one knee.
The long barrel of a Ramjet Rifle rested against a broken concrete ledge.
Beside her—
Enterprise.
Belfast.
Houshou.
And Illustrious.
The five had effectively turned the rooftop into a sniper nest.
Or perhaps an artillery observation post.
The distinction became increasingly difficult to make.
Yorktown looked through her scope.
A Level 5 Ghoul staggered into an open intersection.
Three streets away.
The carrier squeezed the trigger.
CRACK!
The Ramjet round crossed the distance almost instantly.
The ghoul's head disappeared.
+65 XP
Yorktown blinked.
"That's a lot of experience."
Enterprise fired next.
Her shot punched through two approaching Radroaches.
The creatures collapsed immediately.
+30 XP
+30 XP
"The weapon's penetration is impressive."
The grey ghost calmly chambered another round.
Nearby, Belfast looked entirely too comfortable with the rifle.
The maid fired.
A distant Bloatfly exploded into pieces.
Another shot.
Another creature fell.
Another.
And another.
The Royal Maid appeared to have discovered a hidden talent.
Houshou watched her.
Then smiled.
"Lady Belfast is rather frightening when armed."
"Thank you."
Belfast replied without missing her next shot.
The Ramjet Rifle barked again.
A charging ghoul collapsed.
Several blocks away.
The maid politely lowered her weapon.
As though she hadn't just erased something from existence.
Illustrious giggled.
Then fired her own rifle.
The resulting shot demolished a Radscorpion attempting to ambush Takao's group.
The creature never realized it had been targeted.
+70 XP
The five women continued providing long-range support.
Covering streets.
Intersections.
Collapsed highways.
The entire sector.
Then—
Yorktown smiled.
Because another companion landed on her shoulder.
The black eagle tilted its head.
Mechanical eyes glowing softly.
The android eagle Yuuki had gifted her.
Yorktown gently stroked its feathers.
"I think you need a name."
The eagle chirped.
Several girls glanced over.
"Already?"
Enterprise asked.
Yorktown nodded.
Then smiled.
"Grim."
The eagle immediately spread its wings.
As if approving the choice.
The carrier laughed softly.
"Welcome aboard, Grim."
The mechanical eagle launched itself skyward.
Its sensors immediately activating.
Moments later—
Yorktown's interface lit up.
A tactical map expanded.
Then expanded further.
Enemy markers appeared.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
The eagle was transmitting reconnaissance data directly into her system.
The carrier's eyes widened.
"Oh."
Enterprise leaned closer.
The map continued updating in real time.
Enemy positions.
Movement patterns.
Threat levels.
Building layouts.
Everything.
Yorktown immediately opened squad communications.
"Attention everyone."
Several voices answered at once.
"What?"
"Firepower!"
"Nimi speaking."
"Akashi here, nyaa."
Yorktown enlarged the tactical feed.
"Enemy locations uploaded."
The map appeared across every friendly interface.
Red dots filled entire city blocks.
Several girls immediately stopped to stare.
"That's useful."
Takao admitted.
"Amazing."
Maya agreed.
Enterprise smiled.
"Looks like you've become our scout."
Yorktown blushed slightly.
The title felt oddly appropriate.
Especially with Grim circling overhead.
Meanwhile—
The northern squad suddenly received the updated map.
Nimi's eyes widened.
"Oh."
Another cluster of enemies appeared.
Then another.
Then another.
"That's incredibly useful."
The destroyer immediately altered course.
Then she noticed another marker.
A friendly one.
Approaching rapidly.
Unicorn.
The little destroyer finally caught up with them.
Slightly out of breath.
Rigging deployed.
Staff glowing softly.
"Sorry!"
She waved.
"I got distracted."
Nobody asked how.
Because it was Unicorn.
The answer was usually obvious.
Javelin smiled.
"Perfect timing."
Neon pointed toward a street packed with ghouls.
"More firepower!"
"Less shouting."
Nimi immediately answered.
Then looked toward Laffey.
Who was somehow still asleep.
Even while moving.
Nobody questioned it anymore.
The destroyer squad quickly regrouped.
Unicorn.
Nimi.
Laffey.
Neon.
Javelin.
Five friends.
Five growing adventurers.
All armed with new equipment.
New powers.
And a growing number of levels.
Across the city.
Yorktown watched Grim circle above the ruins.
Enemy markers continued appearing.
Squads continued moving.
Experience continued flowing.
And for the first time since joining the GDI—
The carrier felt like she was truly part of something larger.
Not simply a shipgirl.
Not simply a survivor.
But a commander on the battlefield.
Helping guide her friends toward victory.
One target marker at a time.
Several hours into the training exercise, the difference between the groups was beginning to show.
Not in skill.
Not in determination.
But in levels.
The Leveling System was proving just how quickly combat experience translated into growth.
High above the city.
Yorktown lowered her Ramjet Rifle after another successful shot.
A distant ghoul collapsed several streets away.
At nearly the same moment, Enterprise eliminated a Level 6 Radscorpion attempting to ambush Takao's squad.
Their interfaces chimed.
Simultaneously.
LEVEL UP
LEVEL 4 ACHIEVED
The two carriers froze.
Again.
Because the sensation had become even stronger.
Yorktown slowly lowered her rifle.
Then clenched her fist.
The increase wasn't subtle.
Not even close.
Every level felt transformative.
Her senses were sharper.
Her body lighter.
Her reaction speed faster.
Even her rigging felt stronger.
Enterprise looked equally stunned.
The grey ghost rarely showed surprise.
Yet even she couldn't hide it now.
"Four levels."
She looked at her hand.
Then at the ruined city below.
"It feels impossible."
Yorktown nodded.
The carrier understood exactly what she meant.
Only a few hours ago they had entered this dimension at Level 1.
Now—
Level 4.
And the difference was staggering.
"I feel four times stronger."
Yorktown admitted.
Enterprise was silent for several moments.
Then slowly nodded.
"So do I."
The realization was terrifying.
And exciting.
Because if this continued—
Level 20 would be absurd.
Nearby, Houshou lowered her own rifle.
Still Level 3.
But not far behind.
Illustrious and Belfast had also reached Level 3.
The three women exchanged glances.
Then looked toward the two carriers.
Belfast smiled politely.
"It would appear Lady Yorktown and Lady Enterprise have become rather motivated."
Yorktown immediately looked away.
The slight blush betrayed her.
Meanwhile Enterprise simply chambered another round.
"We should continue."
Everyone understood.
That was Enterprise-speak for:
I want more experience.
==========================
Elsewhere.
Near the river sector.
The landscape changed dramatically.
The ruined city gave way to flooded streets.
Marshland.
Collapsed bridges.
Murky waters.
And creatures emerging from them.
Large armored shells surfaced.
Mutated crustaceans.
Mirelurks.
Level 4.
Level 5.
Level 6.
The riverbank exploded.
Eugen's rigging opened fire.
Heavy shells slammed into a Mirelurk's armored body.
The creature stumbled.
Only for Hipper's guns to finish the job.
+85 XP
+85 XP
The sisters continued strolling along the riverbank.
Almost leisurely.
Almost.
A massive Mirelurk suddenly emerged from beneath the water.
The creature shrieked.
Its claws raised.
Then Eugen's rigging vaporized half its face.
The shriek ended immediately.
Hipper sighed.
"Show off."
"Naturally."
Eugen smiled.
Then glanced sideways.
"Keep up, sis."
Hipper narrowed her eyes.
"I am keeping up."
"Good."
The heavy cruiser grinned.
"Teddy bear would love it if you're Level 20."
Hipper nearly tripped.
"Eugen!"
The room would have laughed.
If there had been a room.
Instead there was only a river.
And Mirelurks.
Who unfortunately became collateral damage.
Eugen's grin widened.
"I, however, intend to reach Level 20 first."
Another grin.
"And then make him kiss me later."
A nearby Mirelurk chose that exact moment to emerge from the water.
Hipper immediately shot it.
Twice.
Perhaps three times.
The creature died instantly.
"Eugen."
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
The elder sister laughed.
Completely unrepentant.
Meanwhile.
Back at the Base of Beginnings.
The armory doors opened.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Three familiar Nikkes entered.
Ade.
Soda.
And Cocoa.
Covered in dust.
Ammunition nearly depleted.
Experience notifications still floating around them.
The three looked exhausted.
And excited.
Very excited.
A status notification hovered before them.
LEVEL 4 ACHIEVED
Soda stared at the display.
Then at her hand.
Then back at the display.
"I feel amazing."
Ade nodded.
The increase was impossible to ignore.
Everything felt easier.
Faster.
Stronger.
Cocoa immediately headed for the ammunition racks.
"We need more bullets."
"Again?"
Soda asked.
"Always."
The maid replied confidently.
Nearby, the quartermaster drones immediately began restocking their equipment.
Laser magazines.
Energy cells.
Additional grenades.
The trio quickly prepared for another deployment.
Because now they understood.
The faster they fought—
The stronger they became.
And every single group throughout the training dimension was beginning to realize the same thing.
The race to Level 20 had truly begun.
=======================
"BOOM!"
A sphere of anti-gravity erupted in the middle of a ruined intersection.
Twenty ghouls suddenly found themselves ripped from the ground.
Their limbs flailed helplessly as they floated several meters into the air.
Anis grinned.
Her Heroic Mode was active.
Golden energy flowed across her Echo Suit.
The Leveling System amplified her abilities while the suit fed additional power into her chain gun.
"NOW THIS IS FIREPOWER!"
She pulled the trigger.
The streets lit up.
Explosions.
Tracer fire.
Energy rounds.
The airborne ghouls never even reached the ground.
+35 XP
+35 XP
+35 XP
+35 XP
The notifications flooded her vision.
Anis laughed.
"Oh, this is addicting."
Nearby—
Rapi was handling things differently.
More efficiently.
The Nikke sprinted through the streets.
Deliberately attracting attention.
One group of ghouls.
Then another.
Then another.
The undead creatures followed her.
Soon dozens were chasing her through the city.
Anis stared.
"What are you doing?"
"Gathering."
"What?"
"Targets."
The ghoul horde rounded a corner.
Directly into an abandoned parking lot.
Rapi stopped.
Turned.
And calmly pulled a grenade from her belt.
A multi-function grenade.
Gifted by Yuuki.
Rapi had activated its smart function.
Probably dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The grenade landed in the center of the horde.
A brief flash.
Then—
BOOM!
The parking lot disappeared.
The resulting explosion launched debris in every direction.
The ghoul horde ceased existing.
+400 XP
+420 XP
+380 XP
Rapi's interface exploded with notifications.
Anis stared.
"...I need more grenades."
Nearby—
Blue lightning suddenly illuminated the battlefield.
Eldridge floated calmly behind them.
Electricity danced around her rigging.
Ten ghouls charged.
Ten ghouls immediately regretted their decision.
A wave of lightning swept across the street.
The creatures seized up.
Then collapsed.
Smoking.
+40 XP
+40 XP
+40 XP
Eldridge blinked.
"Convenient."
The destroyer quietly continued electrocuting everything nearby.
As one did.
Several kilometers away.
Near a dried river basin.
Mary.
Pepper.
Wales.
And Avrora.
Had stopped fighting.
Not because they were tired.
Not because they were injured.
But because they had discovered something.
The four women stood at the edge of a massive crater.
Looking downward.
Very carefully.
Very nervously.
Inside the crater—
Something moved.
Large.
Extremely large.
Pepper swallowed.
Mary adjusted her glasses.
Wales narrowed her eyes.
Avrora looked concerned.
The creature slowly emerged from beneath the rubble.
Massive claws.
Powerful limbs.
Brown hide.
Prominent horns.
Predatory yellow eyes.
The ground cracked beneath each step.
The four women immediately opened communications.
"Commander?"
Back at the Base of Beginnings.
Yuuki looked up from the tactical display.
"Yes?"
A pause.
Then Mary's voice returned.
"Umm..."
Another pause.
"What are those things?"
The commander enlarged the camera feed.
The image appeared on the main screen.
Yuu immediately whistled.
"Oh."
The room became quiet.
Very quiet.
Because there were three of them.
Three enormous creatures.
Slowly prowling the crater floor.
Yuuki folded his arms.
"Oh, those."
The casual answer worried everyone.
The commander pointed at the display.
"Deathclaws."
The four women froze.
"Death... what?"
Yuuki enlarged the image.
The monstrous creature became even more intimidating.
"Male Deathclaws that have reached sexual maturity."
The explanation somehow made them even more terrifying.
The commander continued.
"Brown skin."
Another point.
"Fully developed horns."
Another.
"Extremely aggressive."
Another.
"Extremely durable."
Another.
"Extremely fast."
Another.
"Capable of killing almost anything unfortunate enough to fight one unprepared."
Silence.
Pepper slowly pointed.
"You're joking."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
The four women stared at the crater.
Then at the creatures.
Then back at the creatures.
One of the Deathclaws suddenly smashed a concrete pillar apart with a single swipe.
Nobody said anything.
For several seconds.
Finally—
Wales looked at the creature's status display.
Then froze.
"Level..."
A pause.
"...Level 10."
The others immediately checked.
The answer remained unchanged.
Deathclaw
Level 10
The group was currently Level 4.
The gap was significant.
Yuuki nodded.
"I recommend getting stronger first."
A Deathclaw suddenly roared.
The sound echoed across the wasteland.
Pepper immediately took a step backward.
"Agreed."
Mary nodded.
"Very agreed."
Avrora had already started backing away.
Wales remained calm.
Mostly.
"Retreat?"
"Retreat."
Everyone agreed.
Very quickly.
The four women slowly withdrew from the crater.
None of them willing to test what a Level 10 Deathclaw could do.
Not yet.
Back at the base, Yuu zoomed in on the tactical display.
Then grinned.
"They found the first mini-boss."
Yuuki nodded.
"Good."
The scientist looked over.
"You planned that?"
The commander smiled.
"Maybe."
Somewhere in the distance—
A Deathclaw roared again.
And suddenly every squad in the training dimension became a lot more interested in reaching Level 10.
====================
Several kilometers away from the city center—
The sky was on fire.
Literally.
Explosions rained from above.
Collapsed buildings vanished beneath bombardments.
Entire packs of ghouls disappeared under waves of magical artillery.
At the center of it all—
Kaguya.
The Arcane of the East floated high above the battlefield.
Her massive tails spread behind her.
Golden magical circles rotated beneath her feet.
Every few seconds another barrage descended.
BOOM!
A cluster of ghouls vanished.
BOOM!
A Radscorpion ceased existing.
BOOM!
Half a ruined street disappeared.
Notifications flooded her interface.
LEVEL UP
LEVEL 7 ACHIEVED
The fox woman smiled proudly.
The increase was noticeable.
Very noticeable.
Her mana pool had expanded.
Her spellcasting felt smoother.
More natural.
More efficient.
The Magic Tree was already proving useful.
Then—
"HEY!"
A familiar voice echoed from below.
Kaguya looked downward.
Akagi.
Several blocks away.
Pointing upward dramatically.
"That was mine!"
Another explosion.
Another group of ghouls vanished.
Kaguya tilted her head.
"What was?"
"The experience!"
Akagi pointed accusingly.
The fox carrier looked utterly betrayed.
Several ghouls she had been chasing had suddenly exploded before reaching her.
The culprit was obvious.
Kaguya smiled.
Entirely unapologetic.
"This wife saw enemies."
Another explosion.
"This wife removed enemies."
Akagi's tails puffed up.
"That is not the issue!"
Nearby, Kaga sighed.
The carrier had long since accepted that her sister was impossible.
The two fox carriers had reached Level 5.
Respectable.
Very respectable.
Unfortunately—
Kaguya was already Level 7.
Which somehow made Akagi even more competitive.
The fox carrier immediately pointed toward another group of ghouls.
"They're mine!"
Kaguya looked.
A magical circle appeared.
Akagi screamed.
Kaga buried her face in her hand.
The resulting explosion could be seen from several city blocks away.
Meanwhile—
Elsewhere.
Near the western ruins.
Two entirely different individuals had discovered an unexpectedly effective leveling strategy.
Red lightning.
Lots of red lightning.
Vestal raised her Gizmo Beam.
A crimson bolt erupted forward.
Six ghouls immediately disintegrated.
The resulting experience notifications appeared.
Beside her, Akashi unleashed another beam.
The repair ship giggled.
The beam carved through a ruined street.
Everything unfortunate enough to stand there ceased existing.
LEVEL UP
LEVEL 5 ACHIEVED
Akashi's ears perked up.
"Nyaa!"
The repair ship jumped.
"Level 5!"
Another notification appeared.
Vestal had reached the same level.
The hospital ship looked equally surprised.
The growth rate was absurd.
The two women examined their interfaces.
Everything felt stronger.
Faster.
More responsive.
Akashi immediately puffed out her chest.
"Nyaa! Akashi is powerful!"
Vestal looked at her.
Then raised an eyebrow.
"You're forgetting something."
Akashi froze.
The hospital ship smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"You were running away from ghouls earlier."
Silence.
Several nearby drones immediately stopped moving.
As though they also wished to hear the answer.
Akashi pointed dramatically.
"That was tactical repositioning!"
"You screamed."
"It was a tactical scream."
"You climbed a building."
"Tactical elevation."
"You hid behind me."
Akashi immediately looked away.
The room would have laughed.
If there had been one.
Instead there was only the ruined wasteland.
And Vestal.
Who clearly intended to remember this forever.
Akashi huffed.
Then fired another red lightning beam into a crowd of approaching ghouls.
The resulting explosion leveled half the street.
The repair ship crossed her arms proudly.
"Level 5."
Vestal nodded.
"Level 5."
A pause.
Then the hospital ship smiled.
"You still ran."
Akashi's horrified scream echoed across the wasteland.
Somewhere nearby—
A ghoul was vaporized by pure embarrassment.
============
Two hours later—
The gates of the Base of Beginnings opened once more.
One squad after another returned.
Covered in dust.
Dirt.
Monster remains.
And enough exhaustion to collapse where they stood.
The training dimension suddenly became much quieter.
Mostly because everyone was too tired to make noise.
Almost everyone.
"FIREPOWER!"
Neon shouted anyway.
Several people groaned.
Rapi immediately covered her face.
Some things truly never changed.
Yuuki stood near the command center alongside Arisa, Yuu, Nayuta, Esche, and Oberis.
The commander had expected progress.
Good progress.
Maybe Level 6.
Level 7 if they performed exceptionally well.
Instead—
He stared at the results.
Then checked again.
Then checked a third time.
The numbers remained unchanged.
Level 10.
Level 10.
Level 10.
Level 10.
Shipgirls and Nikkes.
Even the Bulins.
Even San Diego.
Even Laffey.
The commander blinked.
Slowly.
Then looked toward Nimi.
The destroyer looked exhausted.
More exhausted than everyone else.
Yuuki immediately understood.
"Laffey."
The sleepy destroyer looked up.
"Mm?"
"How did you reach Level 10?"
Laffey pointed beside herself.
Nimi looked away.
Immediately.
The answer became obvious.
"You forced her."
Nimi sighed.
"Someone had to."
The room laughed.
Laffey nodded sleepily.
"Nimi carried me."
"I did not."
"You carried me emotionally."
Nimi froze.
Several girls immediately burst out laughing.
The destroyer looked ready to surrender.
Meanwhile—
A large shadow descended from above.
Kaguya landed gracefully inside the compound.
The Arcane shipgirl looked perfectly fine.
Of course she did.
The fox woman was carrying three people.
Akagi.
Kaga.
And somehow Vestal.
Akashi was hanging onto one of her tails.
The repair ship looked completely exhausted.
"Nyaa..."
The complaint lacked energy.
Which worried everyone.
Kaguya lowered them carefully.
The fox woman remained Level 10.
Like everyone else.
The difference was that Kaguya's route to Level 10 had apparently involved deleting entire city blocks.
Yuu had stopped counting after the fourth district.
Akagi immediately staggered forward.
Then collapsed onto a supply crate.
Kaga sat beside her.
Both looked completely spent.
Yuuki raised an eyebrow.
"You two?"
Akagi pointed upward.
"Kaguya."
Another point.
"Stole."
Another point.
"My kills."
Kaguya smiled.
The smile of someone who felt absolutely no guilt.
"This wife merely leveled efficiently."
Akagi groaned.
The argument lacked its usual energy.
The fox carrier was too tired.
Nearby, Vestal sat on the ground.
The hospital ship looked equally exhausted.
Akashi immediately flopped onto her back.
The repair ship stared at the sky.
"Too much leveling."
Vestal nodded.
"Too much running."
Akashi immediately pointed.
"I wasn't running."
The room laughed.
Again.
The joke would never die.
Just like Akashi's reputation.
Meanwhile—
Yuuki opened the tactical report.
The statistics appeared.
The commander stared.
Then stared harder.
Then slowly looked up.
"Five thousand."
The room blinked.
Yuu checked the report.
Then nearly dropped her tablet.
"Five thousand?"
The commander nodded.
The display enlarged.
HOSTILES ELIMINATED
5,327
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then—
Anis pointed.
"We might have gotten carried away."
"Might?"
Rapi looked unconvinced.
The room laughed.
Several girls suddenly looked embarrassed.
Only several.
Neon looked proud.
Very proud.
The commander folded his arms.
Then smiled.
A genuine smile.
One filled with pride.
Because what he saw wasn't merely levels.
Not merely statistics.
Not merely progression.
They had worked together.
Learned together.
Fought together.
Improved together.
And the results showed.
"Wow."
The room quieted.
Yuuki looked around.
At every shipgirl.
Every Nikke.
Every exhausted face.
Every proud smile.
"Level 10 in two hours."
A pause.
Then the commander laughed.
"You girls are something else."
The room erupted into cheers.
Even exhausted as they were.
Because hearing those words from him somehow made all the fighting worthwhile.
Yorktown smiled.
Rapi smiled.
Enterprise nodded quietly.
Even Belfast looked pleased.
The Bulins celebrated.
San Diego celebrated.
Neon celebrated extremely loudly.
The base suddenly felt alive.
For the first time since arriving.
Not because they had reached Level 10.
But because they had done it together.
"Okay, now that everyone is Level 10