Chapter 19 - Off This Planet!

Having already tested it beforehand, the Paru wasted no time placing himself in the corner of the control room, before using his Spiderweb Production Skill, creating a web to lock him in place and to the walls and ground.

'I don't know if this will be enough but…!'

There was no other choice. 

The seatbelts used by the crew didn't seem special, so Rei assumed that some otherworldly technology was at play inside the room.

'I've already tested it, but it'll cause trouble later! Gotta focus on the now though!'

Indeed, the Paru had tested his Spiderweb Production while Invisibility was active. The result was as he wanted it to be. 

The produced webs will be invisible, as long as they are not cut off or separated from his body.

In other words, a thick protective web needed to be made with a single thread, without cutting off from the exit point on his body. 

Since producing and shooting the webs felt the same as spitting, this made keeping the thread linked to his body uncomfortable. Still,

'It'll probably be just at first. The acceleration is what I need to-'

"WE'RE TAKING OFF!!" Roka shouted. "BRACE YOURSELVES!"

The Paru did just that. 

On the numerous screens that filled the room, certain areas around the spaceship could be seen.

The ground shook and trembled. Smoke covered the whole area. The rocks below the spaceship started shining brightly. 

'We're off the ground!'

The spaceship took to the air, leaving the earth below cracked, and close to melting.

'Different than a plane. The acceleration will be forward after we're off the ground. Let's hope this…'

Following the crew right away wasn't the best decision.

Had the Paru been in another room, the noise of him being knocked around probably wouldn't have been a problem.

'We stopped. That means…'

The forward acceleration was coming. The Paru hurriedly used the time in which the spaceship wasn't in motion to make the thread much longer and, therefore, the web holding him in place thicker.

The Paru thought that, after him leaving the control room, such a thick spider web being left behind and, to the crew, appearing out of nowhere would startle them. 

As the thread got longer and the web thicker, Rei thought that eating the spiderweb while the crew wasn't looking would be the best course of action for later.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" 

This time, it was the navigator shouting. 

'The moment of truth!'

The Paru immediately took a deep breath in. Worrying wouldn't help.

If the webs were to tear away and his body to be thrown and knocked around the room by the force, a calm mind would be necessary to choose the best course of action. 

'Something getting knocked around isn't impossible. There's no reason to immediately think that there is something with them… Well, they might get suspicious since they know about the Airo's Invisibility, but still! At worst, I'll use the Ornidon's mist, making it seem like one of these pipes leaked or something… I'll find a way.'

Despite the navigator's shout, the spaceship was motionless.

Rei's eyes widened, as he noticed that two of the large screens weren't screens, but windows. 

Dancing stars, flying meteorites, and shining nebulas were all that could be seen in front of them.

The vibrant nebulas painted the empty space with countless shades and hues that mixed and intertwined.

The Paru could feel its heartbeat go at a faster and faster pace.

This acceleration, this place, this journey. What it would lead to… This life given to him… The possibilities were endless, and Rei quickly found himself lost in thought.

It was while the Paru was lost in thought that the spaceship accelerated. The navigator needed to wait for the right time to pass through the shower of meteorites previously barring the way.

The Paru…

'Oh.'

Barely noticed the acceleration.

'This spaceship is amazing in more ways than one…' The Paru thought as it looked around the room.

"Good." The Commander, Roka, took off her seatbelt and pushed herself off her seat. "Rea, make sure we don't deviate from our trajectory. Kris, look for anything you can find about our target. Raya, you do the same."

"Yes, Commander!"

'That guy doesn't seem too happy.' Rei noted internally. 'Wonder if it's because she told someone to assist him.'

The Paru thought about moving around, but decided not to for now.

The crew was made up of seven people. Colliding with any one of them would be a huge problem.

'I should just focus on not getting a Game Over. As long as I don't die… Or that they die…'

Rei clicked his tongue internally, thinking about the possibility of the crew dying and him being left alone inside a spaceship he could not operate in the middle of nowhere.

'I'd be drifting around the void for a while… Ah! Reminds me of the time when I was dead. Let's try not to get a repeat so soon-'

[Congratulations!]

[You have cleared the Quest "Off This Planet"!]

[You have obtained 1 Skill Point!]

'Right. Let's see…'

[Skill(s):

Devour - Enhanced Devouring - Invisibility - Night Vision - Thermal Vision - Heat Resistance Lv.2 - Venomous Fangs - Infectious Cut - Spiderweb production - Burning Mist Production - Burning Mist Expulsion - Regeneration. ]

'How do Skill Points work exactly?'

[They can be used to make your Skills stronger.]

'Right… But that can also mean making them more efficient, right? Like making Invisibility cost less Endurance Points per second.'

[Correct, it is a possibility.]

'Mm. In that case…'