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

Although we already completed one lap, the other racers were still stuck inside the asteroid field.

Perhaps due to the sudden dropout of two ships, their movements had grown noticeably more cautious, which in turn delayed them considerably.

We, of course, had no intention of easing up despite that.

The initial stretch from the starting line to the first U-Turn was covered even faster than before—7.83 seconds on the clock. Right after that, the loops were executed roughly the same as in the previous lap, clocking in at 10.55 seconds.

At this point, Mr. and Ms. Announcer had gone completely silent. No wonder—our performance was far beyond anything their minds could comprehend.

"Asteroid field!" Cassandra shouted again.

But unlike last time, something had changed.

This time, the other racers were still inside it! This sector usually takes a full six minutes to traverse, after all. In short, the lead group was just now reaching the halfway point.

By the way, the shattered wreckage of the crashed ships remained where they'd been obliterated, now drifting through space like extra debris added for difficulty. With their current trajectories, they should exit the track in about five minutes.

As for the pilots of the destroyed ships—they'd already been recovered by the emergency medical units stationed just outside the course boundary.

Because of that, there was no need to worry about colliding with a loose pilot and painting the ship's bridge in blood.

Still, it wasn't safe to speed through a danger zone filled with metal fragments and shards. We had to slow down slightly, weaving carefully through that chaotic patch, before flooring the thrusters again the moment we were clear.

Ten, twenty, thirty! After sixty seconds, right as we twisted around another large asteroid, a bright new sight came into view—burning blue thrusters from the ship currently ranked last, just a few hundred meters ahead.

{Don't joke with me!!!}

The pilot of said ship cried loudly the moment he spotted us gaining on him. Not that I had any intentions of letting him stay in front for long.

He veered his ship into our path, as though attempting to stall us. It was a desperate move, one that said he wasn't ready to give up his position so easily—until the next asteroid obstacle loomed into view.

Like any ordinary pilot, he adjusted course and chose the widest part of the path, slowing down to maneuver safely. But we weren't ordinary. The instant he moved out of our direct line, I shoved the lever forward, steering us into the tighter gap opposite of his path. Narrow, but manageable.

{Shit! Fuck you, you bitch...!}

The pilot cursed repeatedly as he watched us dart through the tighter space and emerge ahead of him. I couldn't help but chuckle as I responded with smug satisfaction.

"Oh, sorry, we don't have time to listen to the loser's whining. We're in a hurry. You know, champion's trophy is waiting for us, after all~!"

{YOU...!}

I didn't catch the rest. Once we broke the 100-meter communication radius, his voice was cut off—leaving him behind in silence.

Of course, after overtaking him, there were still thirteen ships left between us and the front.

But without much resistance—just the usual barrage of frustrated curses over comms—we blew past the 13th through 6th place ships.

Now only five opponents stood ahead. Two ships from Astoria Conglomerate, one from Lightspeed Tech, one belonging to FTL Travels and Tours, and finally...

"Eden..."

That distasteful golden ship was in front of us, just barely keeping pace with the others. Apparently, their pilot also noticed our approach, as a transmission request pinged the moment we entered range.

{Bitch!!! Don't think you can easily overtake me!}

"What?" I gasped in mock surprise. "Is that even a question? Of course I can."

{Try me!!!}

But they didn't sound amused.

Their ship abruptly shifted into our path, slowing down just enough to block us. Each time I moved to pass, they adjusted accordingly, keeping themselves between us and any opening.

"..."

It was irritating. But our opportunity soon arrived. The next asteroid loomed just 2 kilometers ahead. If Eden's pilot didn't start dodging it now, it'd be too late. Then it began—a chicken race.

The Eden ship showed no signs of backing down, continuing to block us with increasing aggression. Like some rogue driver hell-bent on dragging others into their madness, they stayed firm.

The asteroid drew closer, so I moved toward an alternate gap—a narrower one, but still within maneuverable range...

{Got you!!!}

As if anticipating this, the Eden ship surged ahead slightly, repositioning directly above us, sliding into the precise gap we were aiming for. They locked into place, sealing off our route to the narrow passage with surgical precision. Only 1 kilometer remained.

"No choice...!"

I gritted my teeth, slammed the brakes, and pulled downward toward a wider space beneath the field.

{HAHAHA! I DID IT!}

The Eden pilot's laugh was loud and triumphant as they sailed through the narrow slit, gaining distance.

{Serves you right! Hahaha!} He mocked again—

*BOOM!*

—only for his ship's wing to explode without warning.

{W-What the fuck?!}

His voice rang out in confusion over the open comm, echoing briefly before cutting out entirely. As we sailed past the aftermath, my lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

"Serves you right. Heh!"

Right from the start, I could already tell how that bastard planned to delay us—by hijacking the path we were aiming to take. So, I used that intention against him instead, flipping the trap into a trick of my own.

The narrow gap I "pretended" to head toward was indeed a shortcut, one that would have allowed us to advance cleanly without needing to reduce speed. But despite its appeal, I had no plans to actually go through it.

Our sensors had already flagged the upper section of that asteroid as dangerously volatile—it was laced with a highly active magnetic field. One strong enough to severely disrupt a ship's systems. And that, unfortunately for them, is exactly what happened to Eden's ship.

The intense magnetic field, compounded with their speed, induced a surge of current throughout the ship's internal systems. It triggered a malfunction.

From the way their wing exploded, I can only guess that one of the thrusters misfired while the opening was still sealed, causing an implosive backlash that ripped the wing apart.

It wasn't fatal damage by any means, so they might still be able to return to the race after an emergency pit stop—but first, they had to get there. With some of their control thrusters out of commission, maintaining full speed was out of the question. They'd probably need over 10 minutes just to limp back to the pit.

'It's not enough to eliminate him completely, but I suppose it'll do. I'll have more fun once he returns anyway.' I smirked at the thought.

Regardless, the pesky fly was now swatted out of our path. Only the four top-performing ships remained between us and the lead.

Around three-fourths of the way through the asteroid field, we closed in on the next target. It was the Undergods—Astoria Conglomerate's second-string team.

As we approached, their ship tried to block the way, aiming to slow us down with typical positioning tactics. But unlike Eden's idiocy, they took the wider path like sensible pilots. Because of that, overtaking them was child's play.

In just the next few seconds, we overtook FTL and Lightspeed Tech as well. The two were locked side by side, refusing to give ground to one another.

"Excuse me, passing through~!"

But my casual quip sparked something unexpected.

Rather than continuing their fight, they suddenly shifted focus—toward me! Wait, don't tell me… they teamed up?! How terrifying...

They began mirroring my trajectory, trying to copy the path I took—but that was a terrible idea. I chose a risky maneuver through a mobile asteroid's edge, and when they tried to follow, they ran out of space.

Both teams were forced to swerve off-course and ended up going out of bounds.

As a result, each of them incurred a 5-second penalty!

"Hehe~!"

I let out a mischievous giggle as I left them behind, not particularly interested in listening to whatever colorful curses they were hurling into the comms.

Not long after, another ship appeared on the radar. Sleek and ominous, painted in absolute black, almost invisible against the shimmering starry void—Grand Hellsing.

As we closed the distance, I couldn't help but admire their finesse. "Oh, they're quite decent..."

Their piloting was tight and methodical, maintaining a large safety margin without sacrificing much speed or efficiency. Even so, their maneuvers remained "safe," almost conservative.

As long as they didn't try to mimic our riskier techniques, it was practically impossible for them to overtake us.

'But their lap time...' I narrowed my eyes. 'It's quicker than I anticipated. They need to slow down a bit.'

We had just exited the asteroid field—around 70% of the course completed on their end—and they had done it in under six minutes. If they kept this up, they might actually put my time prediction for the bet in jeopardy.

"Sorry, buddy..." I murmured over the radio, addressing their pilot casually. "But you should really take it easy. No need to hurry—the winner's already decided, anyway~!"

Just as we reached the first corner of the zigzag segment, I moved our ship above theirs. Mirroring their trajectory, I matched their banking angle as we drifted into the turn, cleanly avoiding the EMP Mine ahead—but I wasn't done yet.

"...!"

I deliberately loosened my grip on the lever for a second, causing the ship to "slip" outward just slightly. The Grand Hellsing pilot reacted quickly—exactly as expected—pulling back to avoid a possible collision. They braked slightly, creating some space.

"Enjoy~!"

But that small correction came at a cost—their ship slid right into the EMP Mine's proximity range, triggering a short burst that interrupted their systems for a full second.

With no control, their ship veered off the track and into open space before they regained control and darted back in.

That tiny misstep, leaving them 1.5 seconds outside of the track, earned them a 10-second penalty!

{D-Dirty! What a dirty play by the Knights of Camelot! They pushed the champion off-track!!!}

{Damn... Was that really necessary? They're already a full lap ahead, for crying out loud!}

The commentators, who had been zoning out earlier, suddenly let loose with full-blown outrage. Yet the roars of the audience bleeding through their mics told a different story—the crowd was loving it.

Without a doubt, it was the first time they'd ever witnessed a race with this kind of sheer dominance.

One lap ahead!

An overwhelming lead!

It was practically a public humiliation for every other racer still on the track!