He didn't know how many places were in the spaceship, waiting to be explored and now that he thought about it…, that could actually be the case.

There were many places waiting to be explored.

But the spaceship was quite small in size compared to the normal ones he had seen on TV back on Earth.

He was standing in front of the spaceship right now, about fifty meters away, and it wasn't something that could contain so many things. The exterior was battered and scorched, sections of the hull damaged from whatever catastrophic event (The great space dragon war) had brought it down to Mars. From this distance, it looked not tiny, but certainly not the massive vessels he'd seen in science fiction films back on Earth.

The current places he had restored in it still surprised him if he was being honest.

How could something as small-looking as this be able to contain the sleeping area, the kitchen area, the storage compartment, and the hygiene station? Each of those spaces was reasonably sized—not luxurious, but functioning and comfortable. The sleeping area had enough room for the bed, the wardrobe and some floor space. The kitchen had proper counter space, storage, and equipment. The hygiene station was small but adequate.

Mathematically, it didn't quite add up when he looked at the external dimensions.

There would be more places in it, he was certain, and he wondered how they could possibly fit into this thing. Was there some kind of spatial compression technology at work? Some alien engineering principle that allowed for more internal space than external dimensions suggested?

Or maybe the spaceship was way larger than it appeared now, and he was only looking at it this way because of how battered it was from the outside.

The more Tatehan thought about it, the more curious he became.

He decided he would ask the Spaceship's AI once he got inside and see if there were more modes to restore. He would like to see what else this spaceship offered. Entertainment areas? More Training facilities like a gym? Medical bays? The possibilities were intriguing.

He walked closer to the spaceship, his boots crunching against the Martian sand, stepped on the extended ramp, and placed his hand on the biometric panel.

His biometric signature was recognized instant. The door opened and Tatehan entered, the temperature immediately shifting from the cold (slightly warm) Martian exterior to the climate-controlled interior. As the door shut behind him with a solid thunk, Tatehan unsummoned his armor with a thought. The material rippled and flowed, dissolving into nothing, leaving him in his regular clothes—comfortable pants and a shirt.

He made his way to the pilot seat and collapsed on it, the cushioned surface conforming to his body. He leaned back, stretching his legs out, and let out a long, satisfied breath.

[Welcome back, Host,] the Spaceship's AI greeted him.

Tatehan looked at the ceiling and smiled.

"I told you nothing would happen," he said, satisfaction in his voice. "In fact, I feel like I went for a walk rather than dealing with the stuff I just did."

[I would love to hear of your adventures,] the Spaceship's AI said, and Tatehan could swear there was genuine interest in its synthesized voice. Whether it was programmed curiosity or something more, he couldn't tell, but he appreciated it nonetheless.

Tatehan shrugged, a prideful grin appearing on his lips as he settled more comfortably into the seat.

"It was pretty easy," he began, perhaps overselling it slightly but unable to help himself. The post-combat high was still with him, making everything seem more manageable in retrospect. "The monsters could never get me, you know. I mean, it's impossible, like wanting to chase the wind. I was better than them in every way, even in terms of logical reasoning. They were all instinct and aggression, but I could think, plan and adapt."

He went on to narrate his experiences in detail.

The Spaceship's AI listened without interruption, letting him talk, occasionally making small acknowledgment sounds that encouraged him to continue. It was oddly therapeutic, Tatehan realized, having someone (something?) to share his experiences with. The isolation of Mars had been wearing on him more than he'd consciously acknowledged.

[Sounds like you had one hell of an amazing trip,] the AI said after Tatehan was done narrating. [Getting a new ability is totally expected. That is why your system is there, to grant you abilities to help your survival on Mars by finding the right power sources to do that. The cores from indigenous life forms are one such source. As you explore more of Mars, you'll encounter different creatures, different core types, different abilities.]

Tatehan furrowed his brow, then squinted slightly as he processed that information.

Wait…

He remembered the description of his system when he first arrived in the spaceship—a system that granted multiple abilities. While he knew this fact on a basic level, he was really starting to understand its implications now.

If that was the case, if the system's purpose was to grant him multiple abilities for survival, then he ought to be getting many more abilities than he currently had. The system seemed designed for rapid adaptation, for acquiring whatever powers were necessary to survive in hostile environments.

But from what he had studied and experienced, it seemed like the system not only granted him abilities but helped him find measures to upgrade them, like how it had done with the Serpent-Tail variant cores. One core for a new ability, another core to immediately upgrade it. That suggested some kind of intelligent design, a thoughtful progression system rather than random power acquisition.

Was the system selective about what abilities it granted? Did it have some kind of internal logic that determined what powers would be most beneficial? Or was it simply opportunistic, converting whatever energy sources he absorbed into abilities that matched their properties?

With a sigh, he came to the conclusion that his system was complicated beyond his current understanding, and he couldn't quite grasp all the mechanics at play. It worked, that was what mattered, but the underlying principles remained mysterious. Perhaps over time, as he acquired more abilities and observed more patterns, he'd develop a better understanding.

For now, he'd accept it as another piece of inexplicable alien technology that was keeping him alive.

Tatehan shifted topics, remembering his earlier curiosity about the spaceship itself.

"Are there more places to restore in the spaceship?" he asked the Spaceship's AI, sitting up straighter in the pilot seat. "More modes I haven't unlocked yet?"

[There is, actually,] the AI responded immediately.

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