Chapter 171: 171. Arrival

It burned going down. Not painful, but intense as heat spread through his chest, into his center mass. His CE core flared.

496.

497.

498.

499.

500.

[DING!]

[Cosmic Energy threshold reached!]

[Breakthrough to Tier 5, Two-Stars in progress…]

The cargo bay blurred. Owen’s vision swam. His core compressed, then expanded, then compressed again. The process repeated. Each cycle denser, tighter, more refined.

Then it stopped.

[Breakthrough complete!]

[Cosmic Rank: Tier 5, Two-Stars]

[Cosmic Energy: 500]

Owen gasped as his lungs burned. His muscles ached. But he felt it. The difference. His CE flowed smoother, faster. His awareness extended further.

Gorvax nodded. “Welcome to two-stars.”

Owen stood, steadying himself against the wall. “It feels… different.”

“It should. Your core is denser now. More efficient. You’ll notice the difference in combat.”

Owen flexed his hands. The gauntlets hummed against his skin, responding to the increased CE density.

“How much stronger am I?”

“Against a one-star? Significantly. Against a three-star? You’ll survive longer.” Gorvax turned toward the door. “Don’t let it go to your head. You’re still weak by cosmic standards. Any star above you that actually wants you dead would kill you. Fights outside the arena are unpredictable”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I’m not here to coddle you.”

Owen almost laughed. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

—

Day three.

The ship dropped out of warp.

The Argentus Nebula filled the viewport.

It was vast. Incomprehensibly vast. A swirling mass of ionized gas, glowing in shades of violet, blue, and silver. Lightning arced between gas clouds. Spatial rifts flickered at the edges, brief tears in reality that sealed themselves moments later.

And at its center, floating in the void, was the dungeon.

It wasn’t a structure in the traditional sense. It was a phenomenon. A crystalline lattice of light and shadow, folding in on itself, expanding and contracting like a breathing lung. Each pulse sent ripples through the surrounding space.

Ships clustered around it. Dozens of them. Small fighters, mid-sized frigates, a few massive haulers converted into mobile bases. Cosmic dungeon hunters. All here for the same reason.

Owen stared. “That’s…”

“The Argentus Dungeon,” Gorvax finished. “Grade 4. One hundred floors. Tied to Resonance.”

His comm buzzed. A general broadcast from the nebula’s makeshift coordination hub.

“Attention all hunters. Entry slots are limited. First-come, first-served. Tier 5 hunters: floors 1-50. Tier 4 hunters: floors 51-100. No exceptions. Good luck.”

Gorvax guided the ship toward the cluster. They docked at one of the converted haulers, a massive vessel serving as a temporary hub for registration and supply exchange.

The airlock cycled and owen stepped into chaos.

The hub’s interior was packed. Beings of various alien species crowded the corridors. Some humanoid, some not. A four-armed merchant haggled with a crystalline being over Desolate cores. A group of reptilian aliens sharpened their weapons in a corner. A floating jellyfish-like creature drifted past, its tentacles glowing faintly.

Owen’s CE sense flared. He could feel their power. Most were Tier 5, two to three-stars. A few four-stars. One five-star at the far end of the hub, radiating pressure like a contained storm.

Gorvax moved through the crowd without hesitation and Owen followed.

They reached a registration booth. The attendant was a being with pale green skin, three eyes, and no visible mouth. It communicated through a translator device clipped to its chest.

“Names and ranks.”

“Gorvax. Tier 4, five-stars.”

The attendant’s eyes widened. All three of them. “Tier 4? You’ll be entering floors 51-100?”

“Correct.”

The attendant tapped its interface. “Logged. Next?”

Owen stepped forward. “False Fist. Tier 5, two-stars.”

The attendant scanned him with a handheld device. It beeped. “Confirmed. You’ll enter floors 1-50.”

Owen nodded.

The attendant handed them each a small token. “These will grant you access. Entry begins in six hours. Use the time wisely.”

They moved away from the booth.

Gorvax stopped at a supply stall. “Stock up on recovery vials. The dungeon won’t let you rest between floors.”

Owen browsed the merchant’s wares. Vials of refined Desolate essence. Healing serums. Temporary CE boosters. Everything had a price in cores.

He traded five Grade 2 cores for three recovery vials and one CE booster.

The merchant, a hunched figure with too many joints, grinned. “First time in a cosmic dungeon?”

“Yeah.”

“A little Advice for you my friend, don’t trust your party after floor 10. Solo floors mean solo rewards and People get greedy.”

Owen pocketed the vials. “Noted.”

—

Two hours before entry.

Owen sat in the hub’s observation deck, watching the dungeon pulse.

A voice spoke behind him. “You’re the False Fist.”

Owen turned.

A female stood there. Tall. Blue-scaled skin. Slitted eyes. Wings folded against her back. Her CE signature read three-stars.

“And you are?” Owen asked.

“Veyra. Tier 5, three-stars.” She leaned against the railing. “I saw your fights in the Crucible. The one against Vrex. It was very Impressive…for a tier 4 one star.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re also traveling with Gorvax, the Sower.” Her tone shifted. Not hostile, but wary. “That’s… bold.”

Owen studied her. “You know him?”

“Everyone knows him. Cosmic gardener. Harvester of lesser worlds. The Tribunal’s been hunting him for decades for a bold crime of his.” She paused. “What’s your angle?”

“No angle here, Just my survival.”

“Survival.” She smirked. “Sure. Well, good luck in there, False Fist. You’ll need it.”

She walked away, her wings rustling.

Owen watched her go.

The dungeon pulsed again. Brighter this time.

Six hours felt like six minutes.

—

Entry time.

The hunters gathered at the dungeon’s entrance. A massive portal of swirling light, stabilized by cosmic anchors. The energy radiating from it was immense. Owen’s CE core resonated with it, pulsing in rhythm.

Gorvax stood beside him. “We’ll be separated after floor 10. So, don’t rely on me.”

“I wasn’t planning to.”

“Good.” Gorvax’s featureless face turned toward the portal. “If you die, I won’t mourn.”

Owen almost smiled. “Well, I kinda will if you do.”

The portal flared.

The attendant’s voice boomed through the hub. “Entry beginning. Tier 5 hunters, proceed.”

Owen stepped forward and the light swallowed him whole.

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