Chapter 174: 174. Tier 5, Four Stars

One Hour Later, the rest period ended.

The chamber’s walls pulsed once. The doorway to Floor 11 materialized.

Owen stood. His CE had recovered to 1,540.

He stepped through.

—

Floor 11

The chamber was a forest.

Not a real forest though, Atleast not the same as his lesser world. The trees were made of crystalline energy. Ground covered in reflective glass that showed distorted images of the sky above. No sun. Just ambient violet light filtering through the canopy.

“Floor 11 of 50. Objective: Hunt. Three Resonance Beasts hidden within the forest. Locate and eliminate all targets. Time limit: 30 minutes. Begin.”

Owen’s CE sense extended. He felt them immediately. Three signatures, each one Tier 5, three-star, spread across the forest in a triangle pattern.

He moved toward the nearest one.

The trees were dense. Roots jutted from the ground at odd angles. The glass floor cracked under his boots, each step producing a soft chime that echoed through the forest.

The first beast appeared.

Reptilian. Four legs. Scales that shimmered like oil on water. Its eyes locked onto Owen, and it pounced.

Fast.

Owen dodged, Momentum Shift costing 7 CE now at his new rank. The efficiency improvement was noticeable. He countered with a 30 CE punch to its flank.

CRACK!

The beast’s scales cracked. It snarled, lunging again.

Owen didn’t waste energy on dodges. He blocked with his gauntlets, absorbing impacts, then struck precisely. Three more punches, 90 CE total. The beast shattered.

[Target 1 of 3 eliminated]

His CE: 1,413.

He moved to the second beast.

This one was different. Avian. Wings made of razor-sharp crystal. It dove from above, silent, fast.

Owen’s Dragon’s Eye caught the movement. He sidestepped, let the beast pass, then grabbed its wing mid-flight.

It shrieked and Struggled.

He slammed it into the ground. 40 CE punch to its head. Then another. Then a third.

It shattered.

[Target 2 of 3 eliminated]

His CE: 1,293.

The third beast didn’t wait for him to approach. It charged from the tree line.

Massive. Bear-like. Claws that glowed with resonating energy.

Owen met it head-on. No dodging. Just raw power.

He activated Cosmic Impact Fist. Channeled 100 CE into his right fist. The gauntlets amplified the energy, violet light bleeding from his knuckles.

The beast swung. Owen punched through its strike.

BOOM!

The collision sent shockwaves through the forest. Trees shattered. Glass floor cracked.

The beast’s claw disintegrated. Owen’s fist drove into its chest.

CRACK!

It collapsed and dissolved.

[All targets eliminated]

[Floor 11 complete]

[Time remaining: 14 minutes]

A pedestal rose. Grade 3 core.

Owen absorbed it immediately. His CE climbed: 1,193 → 1,293 → 1,393 → 1,493.

The doorway opened.

—

Through Floors 12 to 20, they blurred into a rhythm.

Each one presented a challenge. Environmental hazards. Construct swarms. Elite bosses. Puzzles that required CE manipulation instead of brute force.

Owen adapted.

Floor 12: Gravity wells. Fight while being pulled in multiple directions.

Floor 13: Illusion chamber. Dozens of fake constructs. Only one real target.

Floor 14: Endurance test. Waves of constructs for one hour straight.

Floor 15: Boss fight. A Tier 5, four-star beast. Owen barely won, spending nearly all his CE in the process.

Floor 16-19: Standard combat floors. Constructs adapting to his techniques, forcing him to innovate constantly.

Floor 20: Another boss. Serpentine. Fast. Venomous. Owen took damage, burned through recovery vials, but won.

By Floor 20, his CE sat at 2,100.

—

Floor 21

The chamber was empty.

No constructs. No beasts. Just a circular platform suspended in void. Stars glittered in the distance, impossibly close, impossibly bright.

In the center of the platform, a figure stood.

Humanoid. Cloaked. Its CE signature read Tier 5, four-star.

“Floor 21 of 50. Objective: Duel. Defeat the Resonance Duelist. Combat ability will be matched to your skill level. Begin.”

The figure drew a blade, a pure resonating energy, shaped into a sword.

Owen’s gauntlets hummed.

The duelist attacked first.

Fast and Precise. The blade came in low, aiming for Owen’s legs. He jumped. The blade passed beneath him.

But the duelist was already moving. A spinning strike aimed at Owen’s torso mid-air.

Owen twisted, barely avoiding the cut. He landed, pivoted, threw a punch.

The duelist blocked with the blade’s flat edge. Deflected the force.

They circled.

Owen threw a feint. The duelist didn’t fall for it.

He tried a low sweep kick. The duelist jumped over it.

This wasn’t like fighting beasts. This was fighting someone skilled. Someone who anticipated. Adapted. Countered.

Owen changed tactics. He stopped trying to overpower. Started trying to outthink.

He threw a punch with his right hand. Weak. 10 CE. The duelist blocked.

But Owen’s left hand was already moving. 50 CE punch to the duelist’s exposed side.

CRACK!

The duelist stumbled. Owen pressed the advantage.

Three rapid strikes. 30 CE each. The duelist blocked two, but the third connected.

CRACK!

Its cloak shattered. The figure dissolved.

[Floor 21 complete]

[Grade 3 Core acquired]

Owen absorbed it. His CE climbed: 1,950 → 2,050 → 2,150 → 2,250.

—

Floors 22 through 35

The floors became harder. Faster. More punishing.

Owen’s techniques evolved. His punches became more efficient. His dodges tighter. His CE expenditure dropped even as the challenges scaled.

He learned to fight without wasting motion. Without telegraphing intent. Without relying on brute force.

Floor 25: Boss fight. A construct that could teleport. Owen won by predicting its pattern, not chasing it. He was used to spatial battles, a shame he couldn’t risk using his Sovereignty.

Floor 30: Environmental nightmare. The floor was lava. The ceiling dropped spikes. Constructs attacked from all sides. Owen survived by staying mobile, never stopping, never hesitating.

Floor 35: Elite boss. Tier 5, four-star. A massive crystalline golem that regenerated damage unless struck in the core. Owen spent two hours finding the core’s location, then one punch to end it.

By Floor 35, his CE sat at 2,900.

—

Floor 36

The chamber was small. Intimate. A single pedestal at its center.

On the pedestal, a core. Grade 4.

“Floor 36 of 50. Objective: Claim. No combat required. The core is yours. But beware; claiming it will alert all other hunters to your location.”

Owen stared at the core.

If he took it, he’d break through to four-stars. But everyone on Floors 36-50 would know where he was.

He reached out.

Grabbed the core.

Absorbed it.

The energy flooded his center mass. 2,900 → 3,000 → 3,100 → 3,200.

[DING!]

[Breakthrough complete!]

[Cosmic Rank: Tier 5, Four-Stars]

[Cosmic Energy: 3,200]

Power surged through him. His core compressed again, denser, hotter, more refined. His CE flowed like lightning, fast and controlled.

He felt stronger. Faster. More complete.

Then the chamber pulsed.

A message appeared on every floor from 36 to 50.

“Hunter ’False Fist’ has claimed the Floor 36 Core. Current location: Floor 36. Current rank: Tier 5, Four-Stars.”

“Here we go”

The doorway opened and owen stepped through.

—

Floor 37

The moment he entered, he felt it.

Someone was waiting.

A figure stood in the shadows. Female. Furred. Curved horns. Tribal scars across her arms and face. Beautiful in a savage, feral way.

Her CE signature was overwhelming.

[Tier 2, Two-Stars]

Owen’s blood ran cold.

She stepped into the light. Her eyes which were golden and predatory, locked onto him.

“So…” Her voice was low, amused. “…You’re the whelp who’s been making noise down here.”

Owen’s hand moved to his gauntlet. “Who …are you?”

She grinned. Sharp teeth. “Oh? Most beings don’t have the guts to ask a nullborn questions….i am Raxka. And you…” She sniffed the air. “…You smell strange. Not quite… right.”

She took a step closer. Owen’s CE flared instinctively.

She laughed. “Relax, whelp. I’m not here to kill you. You’re too weak to bother.”

Her eyes scanned him. Top to bottom. Dismissive.

“Tier 5, four-star? Pathetic. How did you even make it this far?”

Owen’s pride burned. But his survival instinct was stronger. He didn’t move.

Raxka circled him. Slowly. Like a predator evaluating prey.

“You don’t belong here. This is a Grade 4 dungeon. Tier 5 hunters like you should be stuck on the lower floors, scraping by.” She stopped in front of him. “But you’re not, are you? You’ve climbed higher than you should.”

She leaned in. Sniffed again.

Her expression shifted. Just a fraction. Confusion? Suspicion?

“You smell… wrong. Like something I’ve sensed before. Hmmm”

Owen’s heart hammered. He kept his face neutral.

Raxka pulled back. “But that’s impossible. Progenitors don’t produce male runts like you.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “Probably just some lesser world mongrel with mixed bloodlines. Not worth my time.”

She turned away. Walked toward the far side of the chamber where another doorway waited. Higher floors. Tier 2 territory.

Then she paused. Looked back over her shoulder.

“Survive the dungeon, whelp. Maybe you’ll grow into something interesting.” Her grin widened. “Or maybe you’ll die forgotten. Either way, I don’t care.”

She stepped through her doorway and vanished.

Owen exhaled. His hands were shaking.

Tier 2. Two-stars. She could have killed him with a thought.

But she hadn’t.

Because he was too weak to matter.

The humiliation burned hot but it was what saved him.

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