Hikaru's heart hadn't even started racing yet when Glowworm casually sidestepped the attack.
To her, a mere level 20 Abyssal light cruiser was just too slow!
The Abyssal didn't panic—it wouldn't. These things were mindless puppets driven only by combat instinct. After its first miss, it switched tactics. The twin steel beasts mounted on it opened up like machine guns, spraying a chain of shells, and silently slipped a torpedo into the water.
Glowworm had faced enemies like this countless times. In fact, it had been a long while since she'd seen something this weak. Only during her earliest days at the naval base had she ever worried about rookies like this. In the nearly 3,000 sorties since, only the big ones ever made her fight seriously.
She dodged the barrage with ease—it didn't even look like evasion, more like the shells were always half a step behind her, hopelessly chasing her shadow across the water.
By the time she closed in, close enough to make out the pale textures of the Abyssal's skin, Glowworm took a deep breath. Her three auxiliary armor plates morphed in front of her into a terrifying ram.
She raised her magic wand and struck a heroic pose. "Whirlwind Charge Tornado Smash!"
The ram spun like a cyclone and shot forward like a bullet, crashing into the Abyssal with a thunderous crack.
The steel beasts twisted and shattered on impact. The Abyssal cruiser didn't even have time to flee before it was torn to shreds by the blow.
Standing tall in the spray of her own destruction, Glowworm beamed and raised her wand proudly. "Tch! Pathetic. Not even worth one exchange of blows!"
Elizabeth glanced at Hikaru and shrugged. "What the heck are you teaching your shipgirl, anyway?"
Hikaru spread his hands. "It's a fight. Gotta keep the energy up. But seriously—shipgirls are incredible. I think I'll just mooch off them for the rest of my life."
"Every admiral mooches off their girls. That's nothing new." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Alright, you've had your sortie. Can we go back now?"
"Not so fast." Hikaru shook his head. "One sortie isn't enough."
"How many more do you want?"
In Hikaru's mind, the [First Sortie] mission was already complete. He was now able to begin construction and summon a new destroyer.
And a new mission had just unlocked:
Newbie Mission: Stranger in a Strange Land — Defeat 100 Abyssal enemies.
Reward: 1 Emergency Repair Fairy. Summon rights for USS Lexington (Lexington-class).
Just like the game—complete the early mission, and Lexington joins your fleet.
In real history, the aircraft carrier Lexington had once powered a city of 100,000 people for a month. She was considered a kind, lady-like figure, which earned her the nickname Lady Lex. Admirals often affectionately referred to her as "the wife."
Lexington had also been Hikaru's first wedding ship. Beautiful, gentle, powerful—what wasn't to love?
As for the Emergency Repair Fairy, that was something else Hikaru wanted badly. Its description:
Prevents one fatal attack against a shipgirl, fully restores HP, and grants a 24-hour invincibility shield (duration shortened when taking damage).
No exaggeration—it was an extra life. Unlike the game, there were no mechanics like "damage protection" in real combat. The Repair Fairy was worth more than gold.
Hikaru's eyes gleamed as he held up a finger to Elizabeth. "Let's say... a hundred sorties, for now."
On the beach of a small island in the Black Sea, Elizabeth trudged back from the local naval station and threw a box onto the sand with a dull thud.
"I must be insane," she grumbled. "Out here roasting in the sun... should've stayed back at the academy slacking off. Here—your damn resources."
Along with her came a sunny young man in a white admiral's uniform and a round-faced little girl. The man grinned, "A newbie? First time I've met someone who insists on building a destroyer. Heh, you even used the light ship formula—only once, too. Are you confident, or just crazy?"
Hikaru shook his hand. "Newbie. Kuramoto Hikaru."
"Haha, I'm Yuji. Looks like I'm your upperclassman."
Yuji laughed... until his eyes drifted to the ID tag on Hikaru's chest. Then his jaw dropped.
"Level 143!? You messing with me?!"
It took a lot of explaining, but Yuji eventually bought the bugged-ID story. His loli companion was introduced too—she was Braine, a 1-star white-class destroyer shipgirl he'd just built a few days ago. She was adorable, and Yuji took her everywhere.
"Think of this box of resources as a welcome gift from your senpai. Don't argue—I've got plenty."
Yuji waved it off, though the box easily contained tens of thousands' worth of materials by market value.
Hikaru didn't want to owe a favor and insisted on paying, but Elizabeth finally stepped in, marked it down as an academy expense, and settled the issue.
These island naval stations existed to support passing shipgirls and admirals. The Naval Headquarters and the human government would reimburse the expenses—usually generously.
Hikaru opened the box and checked the resources carefully, then sat cross-legged on the sand and placed a hand on the steel—starting his meditation.
Elizabeth pulled Glowworm a little ways away to avoid disturbing him. Yuji, holding Braine's hand, chatted idly.
"His formula can build nearly any destroyer—feels like he's not aiming for a specific one. Weird, huh?"
"I know, right? Maybe he just likes all destroyers."
Yuji chuckled. "No way. Even if you love them, who doesn't dream of pulling a battleship? Uh, no offense, Braine."
In construction practice, the 999x4 universal formula was known to potentially yield any buildable shipgirl.
But right now, everyone thought Hikaru was acting strangely.
Shipgirl construction required minimum thresholds. A 30-all formula wouldn't even build a sub. Battleships needed tons of oil and steel, carriers needed over 300 aluminum just to get started.
Hikaru's formula was:
Oil 130, Ammo 30, Steel 130, Aluminum 30
This could yield most destroyers, light cruisers, and subs—but nothing heavier...