My Spaceship Has Been Stranded, but There Is an Earth-Like Planet in Front of Me, so I Want to Aband

Something like a crocodile

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An hour after the battle with the goblins, Rudy had moved closer to the spacecraft’s destination and was hiding in nearby bushes.

Moving through the forest was exhausting, but for some reason, he didn’t feel any fatigue. He thought it was strange but shrugged it off with a “whatever”.

“Hal, can you hear me?” He contacted Hal through his electronic brain.

“Yes, Master. I can hear you,” Hal replied.

“I’ve arrived at the destination. How are things on your end?” Rudy asked.

“The impact caused some damage, but nothing fatal. I can return to Nike at any time,” Hal reported.

“Understood. I’m going to infiltrate the ship now. Send the reconnaissance drone over to me,” Rudy ordered.

“Yes, Master,” Hal confirmed.

A gravity-defying drone, which had been waiting in another location, appeared next to Rudy.

“If the data isn’t lost, we should be able to obtain information about this planet,” Rudy said.

“Be careful,” Hal cautioned.

“If anything happens, I’ll contact you,” Rudy assured Hal.

He ended the communication with Hal and began walking towards the spacecraft with the drone.

The hatch of the spacecraft was closed and couldn’t be opened. However, there were large cracks on the underside of the ship, as if the ground had been scraped away, and there was a crack big enough for a person to enter.

Could this be a crash site? Rudy thought as he looked at the marks and turned his gaze towards the back of the spacecraft.

By switching his left eye implant to telescope mode, he could confirm that the indentations caused by the impact stretched for hundreds of meters.

According to Hal, this spacecraft was about 1200 years old. It was likely that it had come to this planet around that time.

As Rudy entered the ship, he found a dark hallway that was out of the reach of any light. He commanded the drone to turn on its lights, illuminating the decaying hallway that extended into the distance. The walls were covered in ferns that had invaded from the outside.

Walking a little further down the hallway, Rudy found a terminal panel peeking out from between the overgrown ferns. He tried manipulating the panel, but there was no response. It was a product of 1200 years ago, so the power source must have died a long time ago. Rudy had anticipated this from the terrible state of the exterior walls.

He examined the characters written on the end panel and recognized them as the same language used by the Galactic Empire. Rudy was convinced that this was an Imperial ship.

He decided to secure his safety and search for the ship’s AI control room. He never expected to be in this situation so soon after disembarking from the shuttle. He regretted not bringing his gun with him.

Nevertheless, he had no choice but to continue walking towards the back of the ship.

As he progressed further, he noticed bones scattered on the dirty and hardened plastic floor. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they had been crushed, likely by a carnivorous creature. Judging by the size, it was probably a goblin or a creature of similar size.

He couldn’t determine the age of the bones immediately, but he had encountered goblins on his way to the ship, and there was a spaceship nearby that could serve as their habitat. Yet, he saw no signs of goblin activity within the ship.

He came to the conclusion, “Carnivorous creatures inhabit this ship.”

Before he could think any further, he heard the growls and footsteps of a beast coming from the depths of the hallway. Rudy glared in the direction of the noise and slowly stood up.

The face appears to be illuminated by the drone’s light.

Standing over two and a half meters tall, the creature had a quadrupedal body and a face similar to that of a crocodile, with its upper jaw split into three sections. Its mouth could easily devour Rudy’s head with one bite.

The body was covered in black fur with scattered patches of exposed gray, rough skin resembling that of a rock.

Yellow eyes with shattered black pupils were shaped like those of a predator, welcoming Rudy with a cheerful gaze.

“Wow, it’s looking at me like I’m delicious…” Rudy thought, observing the creature’s saliva dripping from its mouth.

He drew his shortsword and held it up in front of him with his right hand while commanding the drone to turn off the light.

As the corridor darkened, Rudy switched his left eye implant to night vision, capturing the image of the beast in the darkness.

Suddenly plunged into darkness, the creature growled and searched for Rudy, sensing his killing intent as he turned to the left.

In the darkness, Rudy swung his sword towards the beast.

His shortsword struck the upper jaw of the creature, but its tough skin deflected the blade.

Impressed by the creature’s defense, Rudy realized that it was blind in the dark, giving him the upper hand.

He swung his shortsword again, aiming for the creature’s chin, but it was once again deflected.

The beast sensed Rudy’s position from the direction of his attack and opened its mouth to bite him.

Rudy’s pupils dilated as the creature’s saliva-soaked mouth loomed in front of him.

He used his shortsword to strike the creature’s face and leapt backward to his right.

After the initial attack, both Rudy and the nameless beast back away from each other. Rudy readies his sword while the beast growls.

His attacks were ineffective, and what’s with that toughness… this sword can cut through rocks!

Rudy swallows hard and glares at the beast, who recognizes that Rudy is not a weak prey and returns his gaze.

In the dark corridor, the fight between one man and one beast begins.

Rudy repeatedly strikes the beast’s body with his sword, but its skin is as hard as iron, deflecting his attacks.

The beast opens its creepy mouth, attempting to bite and scratch with its claws. Rudy uses his sword to fend off its attacks and occasionally kicks it back with his boots.

Both Rudy and the beast move forward simultaneously. Their weapons collide, producing sparks.

As the clash continues, Rudy starts to give way under the pressure.

Rudy adds variation to his sword movements and catches the beast off-guard with a left high kick to the jaw before leaping back.

After more than ten minutes of fighting without a decisive blow, Rudy takes a moment to think and backs away from the beast.

He realizes that the situation is unclear, as the beast’s eyes have adjusted to the dark, making their conditions even. Should he use the Zone? No, that may not guarantee a win. Then…

Rudy reaches into the backpack on his back with his left hand.

“Turn on the light!”

At Rudy’s command, the drone behind him shines a light. The beast’s eyes are momentarily blinded by the light, and it turns its face away.

Rudy’s electronic brain begins to process at high speed. Despite the sluggish world around him, as soon as he approaches the beast, he throws a small grenade from his bag into the beast’s mouth.

Normally, the grenade would not explode without significant impact, but Rudy activated the Zone and threw it three times faster than normal.

As a result, when the grenade entered the beast’s mouth at over 200 km/h, it touched its epiglottis and exploded from the inside.

Rudy remains cautious and observes the aftermath. When the smoke clears, the beast’s body lies on the ground, having been blown away from the inside, and spasms.

… This should kill it for sure. Rudy sheaths his shortsword.

He reflects a little, wondering if he went too far with the grenade.

“Hal, can you hear me?”

“Sensitivity is good.”

“There was a ferocious carnivorous animal inside. No other animals were eaten by this one. Move the landing craft over here.”

“Yes, master. I will move the landing craft.”

After ending the communication with Hal, Rudy bows to the dead beast in respect and proceeds down the corridor.