Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 134: When the Server Boss Becomes Your Pet

"Woah!"

Just as I got a little distracted, the Void Dragon cub suddenly leapt out of my hand and landed squarely on top of my head.

Did it think my hair was some kind of nest?

Without a care in the world, it curled up and began snoozing, like this was the most natural place in the universe to rest.

"Well... babies do need a lot of sleep to grow..."

Nyssra sighed, shaking her head with a defeated expression. Her voice carried a tinge of disappointed resignation.

"Growth, huh..."

Though it's no bigger than my palm right now, a fully grown Void Dragon has the power to devour entire universes. Entire universes. Just imagine the scale of such a being when it reaches adulthood.

Even back in the game, a Void Dragon's appearance was treated like a server-wide boss encounter, prompting emergency battle alerts and rallying hundreds of thousands of ships and players in seconds. But even then, those massive swarms of leviathan-class battleships ended up looking like a bunch of fleas when compared to the sheer immensity of the creature.

Am I really going to take care of this thing until it gets that big?

'Nope. No way. I'm pushing this little monster onto Mercy or Major Terrence. That's the plan now. Let's try that first.'

"So, what are you naming her?" Nyssra asked out of nowhere, her voice chipper as she tried to stroke the little Void Dragon's head. "You've already thought of a name, haven't you?"

I turned to her in disbelief, then shook my head adamantly. "No. I'm not keeping it. I'm handing it over to someone else. This thing isn't supposed to be my problem."

The egg hatching wasn't part of any plan—not even buried deep in the backup of contingency plans for the contingency plans.

"Oh, that'd be impossible."

"...What?"

Her words stopped me cold.

"The Void Dragon, like many egg-born creatures, treats the first living being it sees after hatching as its parent. That's a basic biological trait—imprinting, I think it's called?" she explained calmly. "And since it saw your face first, well..."

"...I'm now its fucking birth mother?!"

Damn it! I completely forgot something so basic!

But wait—Void Dragons are supposed to be intelligent creatures, right? They're not supposed to be as dumb as chickens or baby ducks.

If I just explain things logically, I'm sure it'll understand that I'm not its—

Suddenly, a faint glow radiated from my body.

It lasted only a moment, but was bright enough to leave a ghostly afterimage lingering in my vision. And then I realized—that wasn't even the most surprising part.

"My injuries..."

The pain in my ribs, the swelling, the broken bones—

Every single injury I had sustained from Eden's Pilot just moments ago... was gone. Healed completely.

"Oh~! Looks like I was right. It's already treating you as its parent—just look at how it healed you!" Nyssra clapped her hands together, watching the spectacle with a mix of admiration and unmistakable envy.

I tried looking upward, but I couldn't see the little dragon at all. It had nestled itself right at the top of my head, completely out of view.

No matter how much I tilted or twisted my neck, it didn't so much as budge. It was like the damn thing was glued to my scalp.

"...Any chance I can get rid of it?" I asked weakly, already halfway to accepting defeat.

"Impossible," Nyssra replied with a flat tone, shaking her head. "Even after your death, it would still consider you—and only you—its one and only parent. You might as well accept your new role and resign to fate."

"Ugh..."

What a rotten, absurd fate...

After that, Nyssra and I—along with the newly hatched Void Dragon clinging to my head—relocated to another place. Priorities came first, so we set our course for the Mercenary Union.

Any talk about stealing the Primula would have to wait until later.

It took about thirty minutes of walking and navigating the bustling streets before we finally arrived at the commercial hub. The lively hustle and bustle of various alien races and travelers filled the air, but for some reason, I just couldn't calm down.

Was it the strange stares I was getting from people?

No... It wasn't me they were looking at.

Rather, it was what was on top of my head. Dragons were rare, after all. Especially this kind.

I picked up the pace, determined to get to the Mercenary Union faster. Thankfully, this time around, Mercy's reception counter was vacant. Wasting no time, I strode over and leaned in to greet her.

"Miss receptionist, it's been a while."

Mercy looked up from her monitor, and upon seeing my face, her sharp elven ears twitched like a pair of wings. "Oh, Mr. Arthur! It really has been quite a while. What brings you here this time...?"

As she spoke, her voice trailed off. Her eyes slowly lifted, focusing above my head.

"That is...!" she gasped. "Excuse me, but... P-Please follow me!"

It looked like she had several questions ready to fire off, but quickly realized we were in a public space.

Clearing her throat, she gestured toward the back rooms—the same private area we used for discreet discussions before.

Her steps were brisk, almost frantic with urgency. Thankfully, I had no problem keeping up.

My strides were naturally longer, after all.

Once we reached the private room, Mercy immediately shut and locked the door behind us, then pressed a discreet button on the wall. A soft tone rang out as the noise suppression system activated—ensuring our conversation could not be overheard by any means.

"Mr. Arthur, is that... a Void Dragon?!"

Mercy gasped, grabbing the collar of my shirt and pulling it down abruptly—as if she were about to kiss me right then and there. Though her face was close, her eyes weren't on mine. They were locked onto the little creature perched on top of my head.

"Well, is this proof enough?"

Feeling awkward, I quickly fished out the eggshell the little bugger hatched from. The mysterious markings etched across its surface still glowed faintly, proving its authenticity beyond doubt.

"I knew it...!" Mercy exclaimed, her lips curling into a wild, delighted grin. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

She let go of my collar and immediately snatched my hand, holding it steady. Her eyes locked onto the fragments, treating them as if they were sacred relics. Oddly, she seemed hesitant to touch them directly.

"It really is..." she whispered in awe. "But this coordinate... No, I need to double-check it first!"

"Miss Mercy?"

Seeing her completely lost in thought, I called her name. For the first time since entering the room, her gaze shifted and locked with mine.

"Mr. Arthur, I know this is rather bold of me but... may I ask for all the Void Dragon's eggshells? To Space Elves, the coordinates encoded in the patterns of a Void Dragon's egg hold great importance!"

Here it is. The second leg of the main quest!

Luckily, I had taken the time to carefully gather every single fragment before coming here. With the current tech level, it shouldn't be too hard to reconstruct the egg digitally and analyze the patterns encoded in it, just like she said.

"Of course," I said with a nod, smiling calmly.

"Then please, place all the eggshells into this tray! In the meantime, I'll go call someone better suited to speak with you!"

Handing me a tray with trembling hands, Mercy darted out of the room like a woman possessed. She must've been so overwhelmed that she completely forgot the soundproofing would deactivate the moment the door opened.

A few minutes later, just as I finished laying out the last fragment, I heard hurried footsteps echoing down the hall.

"Sir Arthur, is it true?! A real Void Dragon egg?!"

The first to arrive was a striking man with the same green hair as Mercy. A familiar face—Major Terrence.

"It's been a while, Major," I greeted with a light smile. "But before anything else, please come in and turn the soundproofing back on."

"Oh, of course!"

Clearly caught up in the excitement, he had forgotten basic protocol. Just like his daughter, who entered the room mere seconds later.

Major Terrence shut the door behind him and quickly activated the soundproofing feature. He even tapped a few commands into his personal terminal—likely extra security layers, just in case.

"Alright, now it's safe to talk," he said, wiping away the sheen of nervous sweat on his brow. "So then, Sir Arthur. Is it really true that..."

"Well, you can see for yourself."

I shrugged, gesturing casually toward the small figure on my head. At first, Major Terrence tilted his head in confusion—until realization struck.

"I-Is that an actual Void Dragon cub?! I thought it was a hat or some kind of accessory!" he blurted in shock.

"Yes, it is, Father!" Mercy added with a breathless excitement. "And he even brought the eggshells! With this, we can finally... for our race...!"

"..."

I was already completely lost watching these two bounce off each other with excitement.

Sure, I expected them to be stunned and maybe even grateful, but this level of fervor? This intensity? It was definitely beyond what I had imagined. Still, it was following the same path as the quest's progression, so everything should be fine.

After a bit more back-and-forth, Mercy carefully picked up the tray and left the room, leaving me alone with Major Terrence.

"You've no idea how much help you've given us, Sir Arthur," he said, his voice calmer now, more composed. "As a reward, please ask for anything. If it's within my power, I'll grant it without hesitation."

"Thank you, Major," I said with a respectful smile. "But I really only want one thing."

"Is it my daughter? I noticed how you looked at her. Like a man in love. If that's what you want, I'll gladly let you have her. It's a small price to pay."

"...What?" What in the doting father nonsense did I just hear?

"Wait, no no no," I said quickly, shaking my head. "I was hoping you could just involve my mercenary group for upcoming operations related to the egg. Like if you need assistance with exploration or recovery missions—you know, things like that..."

This part of the quest was supposed to be where he offers a contract to my mercenary group, drawing me deeper into the unfolding plot. Not... this daughter business. Though, to be fair, Mercy wouldn't be a bad reward—but progressing the quest took priority.

"What? Are you saying my daughter's not good enough for you?"

Major Terrence raised a brow, suspicion painted across his face.

"No, no, it's not that at all..." I chuckled awkwardly. "She's a remarkable woman, truly. But I don't think someone like me is worthy to stand at her side. I'm just a mercenary, after all."

"Says the heir to the largest conglomerate in the known universe..."

"...!"

Crap. I forgot. Major Terrence does know about that side of me.

If this keeps up, I might end up with Mercy whether I want to or not!

"Ah, would you look at the time!" I said quickly, shooting to my feet and glancing at the digital clock near the wall.

"I've got an urgent appointment. Please excuse me, Major! Oh, and if you want my help, be sure to issue a request through the Union!"

And with that—I ran.

Thankfully, it wasn't a lie. I did have something scheduled.

"You're late."

Right outside the Mercenary Union, Nyssra stood with her arms folded, an annoyed scowl on her face.

Yep... my hectic day was far from over.