Fated to Die to the Player, I’ll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was the endless expanse of stars.

"This place is…" I blinked and turned my head, scanning the surroundings.

The room was dim and unwelcoming. A thick, eerie silence pressed down on me. The faint glow of light from distant stars and glowing gas clouds filtered through the windshield, barely illuminating the space. A few scattered dots of light blinked from nearby machines and monitors, but beyond that, darkness reigned.

Even in the low light, I recognized the place instantly. Metal-plated floors. Walls that gleamed with utility. A large, high-backed seat beneath me. This wasn't just any room—it was the bridge of a spaceship.

"Did I log into TSO?" I muttered, frowning.

My mind raced as I tried to make sense of the situation. I distinctly remembered falling asleep in my bed.

But even if that's so, this bridge? This wasn't the one from my ship—Leviathan. The one in my beloved spaceship was far more advanced than this. Judging by the layout, this was a smaller vessel—maybe a battleship-tier at best.

I sighed, slowly exhaling. "Then it's a dream. That explains it."

Dreams always followed strange logic—too much detail in some places, too little in others. But still… Trinity Star Online? Was playing sixteen hours a day not enough that my subconscious decided to drag me into the game while I slept?

"Hello?" I asked, testing the air. "Did my dream include the AI support for this ship? Anyone there?" Without much delay, an answer came.

[Welcome back, Captain Gerard. Percy Version 4.5.101 is at your service. How may I assist you?]

A synthetic female voice echoed through the bridge, confident and clear. I leaned back in the captain's chair, a grin tugging at my lips. "Ah, Percy Version 4.5.101... from the Beta Test phase, right? Takes me back..."

But I suddenly paused, a flicker of uncertainty passing through me. Gerard? The AI had just called me Gerard, right?

That name struck a chord, but I couldn't put a finger on it. Trinity Star Online was massive. I was one of the top ten ranked players in the Open World leaderboard, so remembering every little detail of it was nearly impossible. Still, I couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong.

And then, just as my eyes fell on the black-and-silver metallic space suit I was wearing, it hit me.

"Wait… Gerard? As in Gerard Astoria?" My stomach dropped. "The petty villain from Chapter 1's Secret Side Story?"

Gerard Astoria—the son and sole heir of a powerful figure in the Astoria Conglomerate. In the main story, his name barely appeared. But if you complete the Secret Side Story, you will unlock his prized possession: the Unique SSS-Class Battleship, Range Falcon.

"So… this must be the Range Falcon then?" I muttered, scanning the bridge anew.

The ship's design was subtle and elegant, but clearly less advanced than Leviathan. Still, the familiarity made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I looked around in wonder. Where is the crew?

Normally, a ship this size requires at least a dozen crew members to operate properly. Without them, key systems—like weapons or thrusters—either locked up entirely or shifted to AI control. What an inconvenient dream...

But of course, for someone like me, managing a ship solo wouldn't be a problem. But Gerard? Could that numbskull pull it off?

I shook my head. "And why leave Gerard stranded out here, alone, in the middle of nowhere?"

Sighing, I shrugged. "Whatever, it's a dream. No point overthinking it. Percy, switch on the power systems. Prepare the ship for cruising."

If it was a dream, there was no harm in enjoying it while it lasted.

[Command received. Generators starting up. Life Support Systems are back online. Activating Thrusters 1 to 16... Success. Entering Cruising Speed of 500 m/s.]

"Life Support was off?" I muttered as my eyebrows furrowed.

What a weird dream. Had I not turned it on, would I have suffocated from lack of oxygen? Or worse, would the radiation have fried me without the ship's shielding? My stomach twisted at the thought. Dying in a dream didn't sound like a good idea.

The Range Falcon drifted through the dark expanse of space. The view wasn't breathtaking—after spending tens of thousands of hours in TSO, this was just another Tuesday for me. Still, drifting aimlessly through space felt… wrong.

"Let's head to the closest station and check it out," I muttered, searching for the Star Map. "Percy, show me the Star Map for this sector."

[Command received. Displaying current Star Map and present location.]

A holographic screen materialized in front of me, glowing faintly in the dim bridge. Dots, lines, and circles filled the map—combined to depict stars, planets, and stations.

But none of the names matched anything I remembered. To make it worse, the screen flickered oddly for a moment, which definitely shouldn't have happened. "What a buggy dream."

The layout was still familiar, though. Hauntingly close enough. Shrugging, I selected the closest star system.

"Alright. Percy, activate Jump Drives. The target location is the Garreth Sector's Calumet Star System... For now."

[Command received. Waypoint set to Calumet Star System, Narlia Commercial Hub. Starting Jump Drives...]

I leaned back in the chair, watching the unchanging view of space as the Jump Drives powered up.

The hum of the engines was nostalgic, soothing—almost hypnotic. This ship wasn't just any ship in TSO. It was the one that had carried me through so many battles and victories. It felt like my second home.

I smirked. "Man, the Range Falcon, huh? I remember unlocking it during the Beta. Three days of grinding for a ship that completely changed the game. This baby carried me through every fleet war, every raid… even that Astoria Orbital Assault on Chapter 9 that everyone said was impossible."

The memories flooded back. The thrill of the battles. The adrenaline of outsmarting opponents. I'd spent so much time with this ship I almost became it.

But maybe, just maybe, I'd been playing so much because I missed feeling that alive. After all, real life... nevermind.

Just as the nostalgia was about to swallow me, a flicker on the radar snapped me back to reality. First the map, now the radar?

"Percy, did you see that? The radar's glitching."

A brief pause spread between us before Percy's voice rang.

[Scanning complete. Sensors detect no anomalies. All systems are normal.]

Something felt off, though. The silence within the bridge got thicker, more oppressive. It was as if the space around me was holding its breath, waiting for something.

I started to let it go, thinking it was just another weird dream bug. But then Percy's voice cut through again.

[Error. Jump Drives failed to start. Troubleshooting… Detected usage of Jump Drive Jammers in the vicinity.]

A frown creased my forehead. "A Jammer? Out here?"

There were only a few reasons why a Jump Drive Jammer would be active. And the most common one was…

{Hehe! Sorry, buddy. Looks like today's the day your luck ran out!}

The voice was raspy, grating—mocking, and full of glee. It cut through the static like a ragged blade.

{We're the Hammerhead Pirates! Disable your shields and weapons, and maybe, just maybe, we won't leave you behind as space dust!}

For a moment, I was frozen. Surprised. Then a grin spread slowly across my face. The enemy's weapons had already locked onto the ship, their targeting systems lighting up the screen in a cascade of crimson warnings.

A pirate's clichéd threats, the familiar setup—I'd seen this scenario play out a hundred thousand times! Before I reveled in the excitement, I spoke to the pirates.

"I should probably apologize too," I muttered, my grin sharpening. "You guys picked on the wrong ship."

This dream... just got a whole lot more interesting.