Chapter 614 - Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

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Chapter 614: An Unusual Customer (4)

—R-ramming…? You mean ramming?

What kind of ship uses ramming as a tactic?

Faced with a technique name he had never heard of nor even imagined, Unsaek tilted his head in confusion.

Yeongwoo, who had been about to excitedly elaborate, barely managed to stop himself.

There was no reason to expose his full capabilities here.

The ramming attack that used stellar collision scars would someday become one of Earthship’s signature maneuvers—but it was still far too early to reveal it.

“Uh… it’s still in the research phase, but something like that exists. More importantly, what we need right now is ship-mounted artillery.”

As he spoke, Yeongwoo waved his hand through the air.

“Let’s take a look at the legendary cannons first.”

Unsaek, wearing a clearly skeptical expression, manipulated the booklet.

Piaaaat!

—These are the legendary cannons I most strongly recommend.

With that, the specifications of the first legendary cannon appeared above the booklet.

「Raider」 – Legendary Cannon

【Output : 1800】

【Maximum Ammo : 2】

【Firing Time : 1.5 seconds】

【Required Energy : 1200】

【Manufacturer : Toma】

*Price : 5.6 billion Karma

As the specs were displayed, Unsaek cleared his throat and began explaining.

—The first cannon is Raider. As its name suggests, its defining feature is an extremely fast firing time relative to its output.

“1.5 seconds… That’s insanely fast. Even the Planet Hunter takes 3 seconds to fire. For a legendary cannon, that’s incredible.”

—Indeed. Among legendary cannons, those with high output typically have firing times exceeding 15 seconds.

“With an output of 1,800… what kind of destructive power does that translate to in real combat?”

Unsaek puffed out his chest proudly.

—Most large-class ships cannot survive a direct hit. Medium-class ships, if they fail to fully evade, are almost certainly destroyed. If used for ground bombardment, it can completely annihilate the central district of a city.

“Then the downside is… the ammunition count.”

Max Loaded Shots: 2

Although it could fire in just 1.5 seconds, it could only be loaded with two rounds.

In short, it was a cannon specialized for short, decisive engagements.

‘Of course, if I could plaster an entire planet ship with these, that’d be a different story…’

In the end, it was a matter of money.

If the budget were unlimited, wouldn’t it be possible to spend hundreds of billions and densely pack the ship with Raiders?

“If I had more money, I’d love to buy a bunch of these.”

Unsaek gave a strange smile.

—Most ship captains have strict limits on their cannon slots, so they never even consider such an idea.

But a planet ship is different.

You can practically use a significant portion of the planet’s surface as artillery placement. The only real question is how much more money you’re willing to spend.

For a ship owner, it was practically a luxurious dilemma.

Of course, Yeongwoo—new to space and a novice ship owner—had no real sense of that yet.

—In theory, deploying countless Raiders and dividing fire appropriately would be an extremely effective tactic. It all depends on the captain’s judgment.

“I have complete faith in our captain’s judgment. I just wish my wallet were thicker.”

As Yeongwoo clicked his tongue, Koatu tilted his head.

—Check the next one. It probably has lower output, but a much higher ammo capacity. Mixing the two would be smart.

Unsaek nodded.

—You’re exactly right. The next product is a balanced type.

With a snap of his fingers, a new set of specs appeared—this time with a different distribution of values.

「Hemstitch」 – Legendary Cannon

【Output : 750】

【Maximum Ammo : 22】

【Firing Time : 3 seconds】

【Required Energy : 320】

【Manufacturer : Toma】

*Price : 5.1 billion Karma

“Hemstitch? As in… sewing?”

The familiar word made Yeongwoo tilt his head again, and Unsaek explained.

—Correct. It’s a cannon designed for medium- to long-term engagements, continuously firing sufficiently powerful shots.

“An output of 750 feels a bit low, doesn’t it?”

—Medium-class ships suffer critical damage even from a single hit, and large-class ships experience severe functional failure if struck directly. With consecutive hits… sinking is inevitable.

“This is clearly meant for fleet engagements.”

Yeongwoo realized it instantly.

The Raider and Hemstitch had to be used together.

‘Twenty-two shots per magazine. One shot every three seconds—that’s sustained bombardment for 66 seconds.’

As Yeongwoo imagined Hemstitch unleashing a barrage of fire, Unsaek added more context.

—Raider’s firing time of 1.5 seconds is extremely fast. There’s barely enough time for the enemy to detect it on radar and initiate evasive maneuvers.

“So with Hemstitch’s 3-second firing time… enemies have more chances to dodge, right?”

—Correct. However, since 21 more shots follow after the first, the longer the engagement lasts, the higher the probability that effective hits will land.

From the enemy’s perspective, evading Raider just once greatly reduces the threat—but Hemstitch is a different story.

Sooner or later, some of those shots will connect.

—That’s why Raiders are typically used against high-value large-class ships, while anything below quasi-large class is suppressed with Hemstitch.

“Even a layman like me can see why.”

For some reason, Yeongwoo felt his heart pounding.

Just imagining enemy fleets showing up confidently—only to be utterly annihilated by these cannons—made him giddy.

‘Shirach… Twelve Sword Council… Salzeo… Kardal… you bastards…’

As Yeongwoo silently recited the names of his enemies, Unsaek spoke again.

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—Normally, energy requirements are a major constraint when deploying cannons… but for you, Shipmaster, that won’t be an issue.

“Right. Normal ships draw energy for weapons from their engines, don’t they?”

—You could put it that way. Since a ship’s internal power source must handle both propulsion and weapon systems, some ships can’t even fill all their cannon slots.

“Hah. So a fleet is basically a collection of half-handicapped ships? That’s… underwhelming.”

Either way, it was time to choose.

What ratio of Raiders to Hemstitches should he go with?

“There aren’t any other legendary cannons worth considering, are there?”

—There is one more I’d recommend, but its use case is rather… unique. Would you like to see it?

“Unique? No harm in looking.”

At Yeongwoo’s nod, Unsaek displayed the final legendary cannon.

Paaaat!

「Volcano」 – Legendary Cannon

【Output : 2000】

【Maximum Ammo : 1】

【Firing Time : 2 seconds】

【Required Energy : 2300】

【Special : Explosive Round】

【Manufacturer : Toma】

*Price : 6.0 billion Karma

“What the—? One shot only…?”

Yeongwoo gaped, and Unsaek hurriedly explained.

—Despite having only one loaded shot, it boasts enough output to sink a large-class ship, along with a fast firing time.

“So from the enemy’s perspective, it’s an attack they absolutely have to dodge.”

—Exactly. It’s often used to temporarily force key enemy ships out of formation.

“Force them out?”

—You see the special function: Explosive Round.

“Yes?”

—Upon impact, it triggers an explosion proportional to the target’s mass.

“…What?”

In other words, successfully hitting a large-class ship would cause a massive explosion at that location, engulfing nearby vessels as well.

“So it’s kind of a gamble weapon…”

With only one shot, a successful dodge means you’ve wasted an extremely expensive cannon. But if it hits, it could trigger chain explosions throughout the fleet.

“What happens if you fire this at a planet?”

—Well… we’ve never tested that, but if it’s a very small planet, an explosive phenomenon would likely occur.

“So large planets wouldn’t be destroyed in one hit, meaning no explosion?”

—That would be my assumption.

Toma had never dared to fire such a weapon at a precious planet.

Yeongwoo felt a twinge of disappointment, but he already had the Planet Hunter for anti-planet purposes.

“For fleet battles, though… having at least one Volcano seems worth it.”

As Yeongwoo muttered and looked at Koatu, the latter shrugged.

—I’m not sure Mantero would enthusiastically approve such a brute-force weapon, but even I find it appealing.

Then Yeongwoo asked something that had been bothering him.

“By the way—if it only loads one shot, can’t you just reload it quickly?”

Unsaek stared at Volcano’s specs before answering.

—Even low-output weapons typically take close to 60 seconds to reload. High-output cannons… depending on the model, some take as long as five minutes.

“Ah. So that’s why ammo capacity matters.”

In essence, a cannon’s ammo count and firing time defined the length of a single combat “breath.”

“That makes balanced deployment even more important.”

High-output cannons that strike hard and fast, instantly stripping enemy power.

Rapid-fire cannons that intercept fighters and deal meaningful damage to medium and quasi-large ships.

And finally, a ship capable of using these weapons appropriately to extend the battle rhythm as long as possible.

“…Wait. One more thing.”

—Yes?

“Even a short combat breath lasts a minute, and longer ones go on for several minutes, right? Especially if you pace your shots.”

—That’s correct. Battle duration varies greatly depending on the captain’s judgment and temperament.

“Then during that time…”

—…?

“There’s only one of us—the planet ship—but the enemy has a fleet. While we’re firing in all directions, won’t they be firing back? Do we just… tank everything with the planet ship?”

Yeongwoo had already assumed that was the case—and that it was one of the planet ship’s advantages.

But part of Earthship was residential.

And ultimately, the plan was to convert nearly the entire planet into residential zones and sell them.

Surprisingly, Unsaek nodded calmly.

—A miraculous durability capable of withstanding an entire fleet’s assault alone. That is precisely what makes a planet ship so terrifying.

“But… even if the enemy isn’t a planet-class threat, they’ll have cannons capable of city-level destruction. If we take all those hits, won’t the surface be completely wrecked?”

—Being able to fight a fleet solo is already—

“No, no. That’s not the point. If we don’t want to get hit—planet ships are huge, so isn’t there some way to avoid that?”

At this, Unsaek glanced at the device on his wrist, which had begun to glow faintly, then smiled brightly at Yeongwoo.

—That method can be created using Selulite.

“…What?”

—Our engineers are arriving shortly. And what you’re seeing outside right now is the sales branch of our Yueta Division.

As Unsaek finished speaking, the ship carrying Yeongwoo began descending through the atmosphere of the Toma sales complex.

Kwahhhhhh—!

Moments later, a steel city reminiscent of Metal Seoul in Dogo Special City came into view outside the window.

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