Chapter 71: Hyperstellar Radiation

He had been thinking about Alice and his plans for the future, yet the journey was already nearly complete. Before he could give the matter any further thought, the three seconds passed in a blur, and the fabric of space-time in front of the IDOM-05 folded once again.

The surrounding space appeared to bend toward a single point as the spacecraft crossed the remaining distance, leaving behind the region of the space-time fabric it had occupied moments earlier.

In an instant, the IDOM-05 emerged into open space at a completely different set of coordinates. Neolan looked forward, toward the massive star shining several light-years away, and his eyes widened, ’Whoa...’

Awe filled his entire being as he saw the blazing blue star, its immense heat pressing down on the nearest stars and planets. The deep-blue radiance surrounding it was unlike anything he had witnessed before, and its sheer size was so enormous that the Sun couldn’t even compare.

Its outer layers shone with an intense blue light, while the vast volume of stellar material within it produced an extraordinary amount of energy. Even from their current distance, the star dominated the view ahead of the spacecraft, making the celestial bodies around it appear insignificant.

The star’s intense blue light spread through the surrounding space, making its presence impossible to ignore even from their current distance. Unlike the ordinary stars whose appearances varied according to their size, temperature, and stage of development, this celestial body possessed an unusual combination of immense scale and extreme energy output.

Its radiation was not merely a by-product of the light it emitted, it was a defining characteristic that separated it from the countless stars scattered throughout the galaxy. Neolan stared at it through the holographic glass, momentarily unable to look away from the sight.

As a galactical researcher in his previous life, he had seen many different types of stars. He had travelled through the galaxy and observed celestial bodies that ordinary people could only dream of seeing, and he had even been the third-highest-ranked person in the whole world to venture into the galaxy, with only two individuals above him.

His previous experience had exposed him to countless astronomical phenomena, so it wasn’t easy for something to leave him genuinely surprised.

Yet even then... Neolan could think of only a single word, ’Beautiful...’

Just as he was appreciating the view, the Goddess of Niflheim’s voice came from beside him. "Sir Neolan, that star is radiating Hyperstellar Radiation. Its intensity surpasses even gamma rays or the plasma observed across the galaxies."

Neolan’s eyes widened as pure, unfiltered shock and horror appeared on his face, ’I-It surpasses gamma rays?!’

Although he knew about Hyperstellar Radiation, he also knew that its intensity varied considerably. It was a form of stellar radiation whose characteristics depended on the conditions within its source, meaning that the term alone did not indicate how dangerous a particular star would be.

Under normal circumstances, its intensity could be far lower than that of gamma rays, and its existence alone did not mean that a star belonged to an extraordinary category. Researchers had to evaluate its actual output and compare its properties against established astronomical classifications before drawing any conclusions.

However, for the radiation to surpass gamma rays meant that this particular star was entirely different from the ones he had studied before.

If a star’s Hyperstellar Radiation exceeded that level, then its surroundings could not be evaluated using the assumptions applied to ordinary stellar systems, "Then shouldn’t it be categorized as ARGUMENTA? A star capable of radiating this much—"

Before he could proceed further, the Goddess of Niflheim replied in her mechanical voice, "Already done, Sir Neolan. This star has been fully categorized as ARGUMENTA-07, as this is the seventh star like this to be discovered by the Federation."

Neolan couldn’t help swallowing hard at the revelation.

The Federation had already discovered six of them? Neolan had known the federation had invented this term for a single one they had ever seen as from the description he had read in his previous life had made him assume so...yet it seemed that he was utterly wrong.

Nevertheless, he didn’t dwell on that matter any further, as his attention soon shifted toward the planets surrounding the star. Their positions relative to the enormous source of radiation mattered more to his immediate objective than the number of similar stars the Federation had discovered.

The Goddess of Niflheim’s voice reached his ears again before he could make another comment. "The risk level associated with retrieving the materials is at the highest, Sir Neolan, as the planet where the Bleatron Ore is found is the nearest planet to that star."

Neolan’s eyes narrowed as he enhanced his perception by channelling Astrine Energy into his pupils. In an instant, his vision extended toward the planet nearest to the star, allowing him to observe it from their current position.

The increased clarity helped him distinguish the planet from the intense light surrounding it, while the star’s position made the planet’s proximity to the radiation source apparent.

The intense blue radiance made the planet’s location easy to distinguish, and he already knew why the Goddess of Niflheim had classified the retrieval mission as extremely dangerous. Being the closest planet to a star of this category meant that it was exposed to the most severe conditions within the system, with the effects of the Hyperstellar Radiation forming a major obstacle to any attempt at approaching its surface.

However, Neolan’s eyes immediately shifted toward the planet beside that one, and a smile formed on his face, "We’re getting to the planet beside that one, not the one with the Bleatron Ore. Try scanning that one first."

The Goddess of Niflheim got to work immediately as codes passed through her VR glasses. Her systems began analysing the planet, processing the available readings to identify the materials.

Rather than relying solely on the planet’s visible appearance, the scan examined its composition for substances that might otherwise remain unidentified. Neolan continued observing it while waiting for the results.

A moment later, her mechanical voice came again, "Sir Neolan, that planet has an unknown material that is composed of hundreds of different atoms. It seems to match the materials needed for AEGIS-01."

Neolan grinned at that and was just about to speak when he suddenly felt a presence behind their spacecraft. The presence was so heavy that it weighed on his entire being, making him realize that someone had appeared without him noticing their arrival.

The discovery of a potentially suitable material for AEGIS-01 immediately became secondary as his attention shifted toward the unfamiliar figure.

However, before he could turn around and see who it was, a feminine voice came from behind him, "Well, well, you came all the way here, saving me the trouble of facing that pesky bodyguard of yours. Tch, he was annoying."