With that clarity, his attention shifted naturally to the ship upgrade panel.
The conditions for advancing Dark Star from Level 2 to Level 3 ship were listed clearly.
At least two functional rooms installed.
All white-tier blueprints upgraded to maximum level.
At least sixty percent remaining fuel.
Aston checked them one by one.
Dark Star already exceeded the room requirement. The captain's cabin, lifestyle room, and storage room were all fully functional.
Every white-tier blueprint had been pushed to its ceiling at Level 3. As for fuel, the requirement felt almost symbolic. His ship no longer operated on hydrogen percentages. Energy was no longer a concern.
All conditions satisfied.
Without hesitation, he selected confirm.
The system paused.
A warning surfaced, different from the usual neutral notifications. The tone was firmer, deliberate.
[Warning.]
[Upgrading the ship from Level 2 to Level 3 will trigger structural transformation.]
[Overall energy consumption will increase.]
[Beginner-stage instant construction privileges will be revoked.]
Aston's eyes narrowed slightly as more text followed.
[From Level 3 onward, all blueprint upgrades require construction time.]
[Example: White-tier blueprint upgrade requires approximately 30 minutes per level.]
He leaned back in the captain's chair, absorbing the meaning.
So that was it.
Everything before this point had been accelerated. Builds completed instantly. Upgrades snapped into place without delay. The system had been generous, almost indulgent, allowing captains to stabilize quickly in the early chaos.
That phase was ending.
Level 3 was not just a numerical increase.
It was a threshold.
From this point forward, growth would demand patience, planning, and protection. Upgrading systems would mean being vulnerable while construction was underway. Poor timing could be fatal. The ship would no longer shield him from the consequences of reckless progression.
He understood immediately.
Poor planning could leave him defenseless in open space, construction unfinished while danger approached.!
Aston felt no anxiety, only understanding. He had used the beginner phase well. His ship was stable, his systems upgraded, his resources stocked. There was nothing left to prepare at this level.
He confirmed the upgrade.
Light surged through Dark Star.
It was nothing like the earlier expansions. This was not a simple increase in size or the smooth unfolding of new space. The ship vibrated as if its internal framework were being rewritten from the inside out.
The hum deepened, layered and resonant. Panels along the interior walls separated slightly, revealing reinforced structures beneath. Lines of light traced along the hull's inner frame, abandoning inefficient routes and forming new pathways designed to handle greater strain.
Outside, the ship changed.
The hull thickened, its surface gaining sharper contours. Reinforcement bands emerged along the sides, and the engine housing expanded subtly, built to withstand higher output over longer periods.
Inside, Aston felt the shift immediately.
The captain's chair adjusted, anchoring itself more firmly to the deck. The main console expanded, additional inactive panels sliding into place, waiting for future systems that had yet to be unlocked.
After several long seconds, the light receded. The vibration faded.
[Upgrade complete.]
[Ship Level increased to Level 3.]
The transformation was the biggest he had seen so far.!
The ship's length had tripled, expanding from its original 10m to a full 30m . What once felt like a compact survival craft now stretched like a proper vessel, its elongated hull built for endurance rather than desperation. The height had increased as well, from 8m to 12m, giving the interior more vertical space and eliminating the subtle sense of compression that had always lingered before.
He stood and walked through the captain's cabin, testing the space. The room felt different under his feet, quieter, steadier. Then he noticed something new.
Along the far wall, where there had previously been nothing but smooth plating, a recessed outline had formed... A door--
It had not existed before.
Aston approached, placed his hand against the panel, and gave it a light push. The door slid open silently, revealing a small compartment beyond.
Inside was a simple bed with a fitted sleeping surface and a restraint system designed for zero gravity.
He stepped inside, running a hand along the edge of the frame. Until now, rest had been an afterthought. Sleeping in the captain's chair, drifting between alarms and system notifications, never fully shutting down. It worked, but it was never real rest.
Now he had a place meant for sleep.
He closed the door and stepped back into the captains cabin, his mind already cataloging the implications.
More internal space meant more blueprint slots. More systems could be installed without forcing compromises. Specialized rooms, advanced modules, higher-tier installations.
Aston exhaled slowly.
This was no longer a beginner's ship.
From this point forward, every upgrade would require time. Every construction choice would demand foresight. Every mistake could create an opening for threats he could no longer ignore.
Dark Star had crossed a line.
...
Once the transformation fully stabilized, Aston opened the construction panel. The interface refreshed, new tabs sliding into place as the ship registered its advancement to Level 3. A single notification pulsed at the center of the screen.
New blueprints unlocked.
He exhaled slowly and opened the list.
There were only four; Three of white tier and 1 green tier.
Signal Receiver Lv.1 (White)
Intercepts weak transmissions and residual system pings within 1km range.
Capable of detecting abandoned zones, derelict ships, emergency beacons, and traces of recent activity.
This blueprint immediately caught his attention. Until now, space had felt empty unless resources were involved. The receiver changed that. It meant information. Wrecks, remnants of battles, abandoned mining sites, or places other ships had passed through. In a galaxy where knowledge often mattered more than firepower, this was a quiet but valuable tool.
At white tier, its range and clarity were limited, but even fragments of data could mean opportunity.
.....
Shield Emitter Lv.1 (Green)
Generates an energy shield around the ship's hull and armor.
Absorbs damage based on blueprint level and available energy.
Aston's gaze lingered here the longest.
This was his first true defensive system.
Until now, survival had depended entirely on distance, awareness, and luck. Hull plating could be breached. Armor could be worn down. A shield, even a basic one, added a buffer between danger and destruction.
Being green tier, it could be upgraded further than white systems, and its effectiveness would scale sharply with levels. More importantly, it consumed energy instead of physical materials during combat. For anyone else, that would be a problem.
For him, it was not.
.....
Survival Drift Mode Lv.1 (White)
Cuts power to all non-essential systems During Crisis.
Maintains life support, navigation drift, and core AI functions.
This was a contingency system, not something meant for daily use. It was designed for emergencies: severe damage, energy depletion, or situations where stealth and conservation mattered more than productivity.
In this mode, mining, weapons, scanning, and manufacturing would all shut down. The ship would become quiet, drifting through space with minimal emissions.
Aston immediately understood its value. If he ever found himself hunted or stranded, this mode could buy time.
....
Basic Medical Kit Lv.1 (White)
Treats minor injuries and stabilizes the captain during critical conditions.
Single-use deployment.
The final blueprint was simple and limited, but necessary. Until now, his survival assumed he would not be injured. That assumption was fragile.
This system automated basic medical care: stabilizing wounds, suppressing pain, preventing infections. It would not save him from fatal trauma, but it could keep him alive long enough to escape or recover.
Aston read through the list once more, then closed the panel.
Level three had not given him more ways to gather resources or deal damage. Instead, it had given him options for staying alive when things went wrong. Systems for awareness, defense, endurance, and recovery.
.....
He opened the ship status panel one last time.
The familiar interface unfolded, calm and precise, reflecting the changes that had quietly accumulated since his awakening.
Captain: Aston Garfield
Ship Name: Dark Star
Ship Level: 3
Status: Operational
Energy Storage: Ether ∞
Primary Weapon:
X-Ray Ion Laser (White) Lv.3
Hull Armor:
Iron Composite (White) Lv.3
Engine:
Galaxy II (Green) Lv.2
Built-in Rooms:
Captain's Cabin
Storage Space
Lifestyle Room
Other Modules:
Basic Life Support
Resource Scanner
Navigation Console
Danger Detection System
Basic AI System
Inventory:
Iron: 26,700 units
Copper: 50,000 units
Silicon: 14,050 units
Bionic Metal: 50,000 units
Space Coins: 1,500
Aston studied the numbers in silence.
The excess copper stood out immediately, a reminder of how unbalanced early survival could be. Iron was no longer abundant, but it was no longer scarce either. Silicon remained stubbornly limited, while bionic metal had unexpectedly become his greatest reserve.
For the first time since arriving in this galaxy, the status panel did not feel fragile.
Dark Star was still small, still confined to the White Zone, still armed with white-tier weapons. Yet it had structure now. Redundancy. Systems layered atop systems, no longer built purely for desperation.
He closed the panel.