Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 126: One Year, One Hope

He blinked at me, confused, then chuckled softly. "You want to help with my research? That's kind of you, but I've been working on incurable diseases my entire life. I don't think your little help would change much."

He… probably thought I was joking. Honestly, if someone without any medical background told me something like that—even if I knew they were the heir to the wealthiest conglomerate—I'd have the same reaction.

But I had something more valuable than credentials. I had knowledge of five years' from now—from the future timeline of the game. Especially the flavor texts tied to the cure.

"Emerald Skin Disease isn't actually rooted in the skin tissues—it's embedded deep within the muscles,"

I began, spouting whatever critical details I could recall from the game.

The virus integrates itself inside the myofibers—particularly around high-tension areas like the deltoids, calves, and lower back—then starts producing a crystalline precipitate as a replication byproduct. The scales forming on the skin are not the disease itself, but rather the body's reaction: dermal tissues calcify around the crystallized intruders, essentially trying to contain them.

I paused briefly, then added, "That's why the scales feel lifeless—like stone. But beneath those hardened layers, the virus keeps spreading. It feeds on microtears in the muscle fibers, accelerating both damage and mutation. In some cases, it even grants victims temporary abnormal strength before complete degeneration begins."

"T-This...!"

Just from hearing that brief explanation, Doctor Kraka's eight tentacles sprang out, stiffening as if struck by lightning. It was almost comedic—like he'd gone into intellectual rigor mortis. As expected, even a handful of details was enough for him to begin identifying flaws in the prevailing medical understanding.

"Amazing! This explains the muscle fiber decay in late-stage patients! Mr. Grail, this… this is a breakthrough!"

He practically roared the last word.

However, I gave a modest shake of my head.

"This is all I know of ESD. From here on out, I'll leave it to actual professionals like you. With this much of a head start, curing it should only be a matter of time, right? A few years, maybe?"

"A few years?" Doctor Kraka's eyes sparkled, and then he laughed. "With this much insight? Forget years—I can find the cure in months! Leave it to me!"

"That's reassuring..." I let out a sigh of relief. "So... how about I tell you what I know about VND next?"

At that, the doctor froze momentarily, then scrambled through his pockets with sudden urgency.

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

"W-Wait a moment! I need to record this—yes, this has to be documented! The entire medical field will turn upside down after this moment...!"

Just like that, we spent ten solid minutes exchanging information. Afterward, we also talked about how to break the news gently to Eva and her mother. In the end, we agreed on telling them that her disease was simply an ESD variant.

It was far less threatening than introducing another terminal illness, and psychologically, it would be easier for them to endure.

I gave the doctor a subtle wink, signaling him to begin our little rehearsed performance.

"Ahem… Actually, I've made some recent progress on ESD research," he said, smiling rather awkwardly—clearly not cut out for acting.

"But for the next stage, I require a specific mineral. It's called Herticalcium—a rare compound found only in asteroids that meet a very unique set of conditions. With that, I believe a true cure is within reach."

"I'll get it for you. Where can I find this mineral?"

As predicted, Eva jumped on the bait without hesitation. However, she had no idea just how difficult it would be to find Herticalcium.

After all, Herticalcium is only found in asteroids that are at least 5 billion years old. It's incredibly rare to find one that managed to survive that long without being pulled into a star, devoured by a black hole, or crashing into a planet and burning away into dust.

Of course, the story about Herticalcium being needed for a cure was complete nonsense. Total fabrication. Still, since it's a rare calcium-based mineral with a variety of high-grade medical applications, it wasn't entirely a lie either.

When Eva finished hearing where the mineral could be found, she clasped her mother's hand tightly and closed her eyes in prayer.

"Mother, just a bit more… The cure is just a stone's throw away!"

'So please don't give up!'

Even though she never voiced those words aloud, they echoed in the room, heard by everyone through the weight of her emotions. Her mother must have sensed them too, because she reached out and gently patted Eva's head one last time.

"Of course. I will fight this illness as long as there is life within me. I'll be waiting, Eva dear."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Beastol."

But then, Cassandra suddenly stepped forward, confidently raising her chin with a noble gleam in her eyes.

"With the full might of the Meyers Star System, we will find the legendary Herticalcium for you within a week!"

"Oh! How reassuring! Thank you, young lady…"

Eva's mother smiled warmly, her gratitude sincere—completely unaware that the person in front of her was the reigning Queen of that very star system.

"..."

I… should've involved Cassandra in this story from the start.

Suddenly, the script had gotten out of hand.

---

After that moment, Eva's mother was transferred into the most advanced medical preservation pod available anywhere in the known universe.

Thanks to Doctor Kraka's deep expertise with terminal diseases, the medical fluid used was enhanced and optimized to drastically slow down the ESD progression, even with the complications VND introduced.

Still, despite all his skill, even Doctor Kraka's solution could only buy her one more year at most. This reality pressed down on Eva's shoulders like a mountain, plain to see in the way her expression hardened.

"Let's go!"

The moment her mother was fully submerged and sealed inside the preservation pod, Eva spun on her heels and ran. She was desperate now—determined to hunt down the rare mineral that might "save" her mother.

Of course, we already had a location picked out.

A star system older than five billion years, formed by countless asteroids clustering and binding into one massive celestial body—Kariki System!

And no, this part wasn't a bluff. Herticalcium genuinely existed there. Though, in truth, that wasn't the main reason I had chosen that system as our next destination.

"Since we're heading there anyway, we might as well grab the Egg at the core while we're at it!"

The "Egg"—the crucial item required to push forward the next phase of the main questline.

With the way our timeline was being pushed forward by current events, we couldn't afford to fall behind. If we didn't pick up the pace, we wouldn't be able to stop the looming "bad end."

After a short sprint back to the Range Falcon, the three of us got back into our seats and strapped in tightly.

"Navigation systems all online. Waypoint set—"

"Wait." But just as Eva got to work, performing her usual role as navigator, I interrupted her. "You… weren't actually thinking of jumping straight to Kariki Star System without any preparation, right?"

If we warped directly into the system—which we technically could thanks to the Warp Nexus Module—we'd be obliterated in seconds by Kariki's advanced defense grid. At best, we'd be smoking debris floating in space.

"I was." But Eva's eyes were clouded, her mind clearly overwhelmed.

Her fingers kept typing across the interface at a frantic pace, refusing to pause. I sighed, a dull ache forming in my temples.

"Calm down," I said, shaking my head with concern. "Warping straight there would get us killed. Let's head to the system's outer edge first. Percy, pull up our travel logs and lock onto the farthest coordinates we've recorded inside Kariki Star System."

That should lead us back to the spot we ended up in after fleeing from Cassandra's brother. Not exactly a memory I cherished.

[Command received. Locking coordinates… Complete.]

Soon after, Percy confirmed the target and began aligning the Warp Nexus Module to initiate travel. After two successful uses, we already knew the warp process was stable, so we skipped activating the Wormhole Protection Modules this time.

Moments later, a swirling blue portal expanded before us—a gateway leading directly to the set coordinates Percy had locked in.

Upon arrival, after the shaking of the ship faded, I immediately activated the stealth modules, rendering us invisible to both radar and visual detection. But that wasn't all we needed.

"Cassandra, prepare the key."

This time, stealth is key!