"They just keep coming!" Ryan shouted, swapping his overheated weapon for his Energy Blaster. No shit, Sherlock. "We''re chewing through energy cells like it''s candy."
“They’re taking to look to go down,” Zoe muttered, her rifle kicking as she fired. "For every one we kill, two more crawl out."
My eyes darted around, searching for something, anything, a chokepoint, a bottleneck, something to slow these fuckers down. I nailed one sneaking up on Emily, dropping it. Stay alive, Em.
My mind raced. This was supposed to be routine. But these things... they were shrugging off hits, adapting. We''re gonna be overrun if we don''t do something.
"Danny, clear us a path!" I yelled, my tone sharp. My critical strikes skill highlighted the weak points in their formation. "We need to move before they box us in!"
Danny grunted, his Aggro Beacon flaring brighter. He''s got this, the big lug. "On it!" he shouted, swinging his warhammer. Bugs went flying, limbs snapping as Danny pushed forward, making a hole.
"Joey, keep that shield tight!" I continued, pivoting to cover our flank. “Chris, Ryan, stick to Danny''s sides. Don''t let anything sneak through! Emily, with me, we''re taking down the big ones. They''re holding this swarm together."
Emily was beside me, her twin blasters firing in sync with my sniper shots. She was focused, sharp. That''s my girl. "Right here," she said, her voice hard. "Let''s tear them apart."
Ryan activated Power Surge, his scatter rifle spitting out amplified shots that ripped through the bugs'' shells. Each shot hit hard, sending them sprawling.
"Fuck yeah!" Ryan shouted, his confidence surging. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.
Chris, standing his ground against a wave of bugs, activated the same ability. Fucking A, Chris! The stream of his beam punched through the swarm, slicing through and creating a small gap. "That''s a dozen down," he called out, sweat dripping under his visor. "But they''re still coming!"
Emily''s voice cut through the noise. "Clear a path!" Her blasters glowed as she, too, finally activated it: Power Surge ability. Double trouble, let''s go! Her shots were devastating. I moved with her, no words needed. My weak spot analysis was lighting up the bugs'' weak points, and my sniper rifle was tearing them apart. We were moving together, flowing through the swarm, our firepower relentless.
Chris shouted over the comms, “Grenade going out!" He lobbed it into the thickest part of the swarm. The explosion shook the whole damn cavern, throwing bugs back in a mangled mess.
"Push through!" I called, my voice firm, cutting through the chaos. "We need to find the source. take out the Queen, or we''re going to get chewed up."
Joey''s shield was holding the rear, Chris''s rifle was covering the flanks, and Danny''s hammer was a fucking wall of destruction, clearing space with each swing. Ryan and Zoe were moving up, cutting down any stragglers.
Then the path ahead split.
The tunnel system forked in three different directions, each one twisting into darkness. The Hive was a maze, a labyrinth of shifting tunnels that could lead anywhere, or nowhere.
At least the minimap in my visor’s HUD was filling in the details, sketching out where we’d been and what we hadn’t seen yet. Better than nothing.
Zoe activated Active Camouflage, disappearing into the shadows.
"I''ll find us a way through," she whispered over comms. Her voice was barely there. Emily''s hand held mine as we regrouped. "We''re getting there," she said, her voice calm despite all the shit we just went through.
I nodded. "One step at a time," I said, my voice steady.
<hr>
The cavern fell silent, the sounds of the fight fading into the stillness. We stood in a loose circle, breathing hard, our helmet lights casting sharp shadows on the dead bugs littering the floor. Smoke rose from cracked shells, filling the air with a sharp, nasty smell. I kept my rifle up, scanning the tunnel ahead. My HUD showed nothing, no heat, no movement, just this eerie quiet.
"I''ve got something up ahead," Zoe said. "Big space. Really big. I haven’t gone in yet, but the lighting is different, bioluminescence, casting everything in green. No movement so far, but I don’t like how wide open it is."
A large chamber. That usually meant one of two things: either a breeding ground, or something even worse.
I exhaled, adjusting my grip on my rifle.
"Alright, come back," I said. "We’ll regroup before we move in."
My grip on my rifle relaxed a bit, but my pulse was still hammering. "Sound off. Everyone good?" What a mess.
Ryan''s laugh broke through the tension, cocky and loud. "Man, did you see those bastards run when Danny started swinging that hammer? Big guy''s like a walking nuke!" Ryan couldn''t be more gay for Danny, and honestly? Danny was kicking ass, maybe that was why Zoe had been chasing his tail for so long. That kid could swing it.
Before anyone could say anything else, Joey''s voice cut in, excited. “Check this out!” He was standing over one of the bigger bugs, where a faint light was glowing.
"Loot boxes!" Danny said, eyes lighting up as he bounded over. "Finally, some rewards!"
"Everyone, check the mobs,” I ordered, but I couldn''t help but feel a little jolt of excitement myself. Maybe this won''t be a total bust. "Let''s see what we''ve got."
We approached the glowing containers. As we got closer, the glow solidified, revealing sleek, metallic boxes. I crouched down, opening the flaps on one of them. It clicked open with a hiss, and my HUD lit up.
As the lid hissed open, a soft blue glow pulsed from within. Nestled inside the sleek metallic container was a rifle, but not like anything I''d seen before. It had the general shape of an energy rifle, sure, long barrel, ergonomic grip, smooth lines, but this thing had weight. Not just physically, but in its presence. It was denser, heavier than it should be, like the materials packed more punch than their size suggested.
The main body was matte black, broken up by faint veins of cobalt energy running along its length, pulsing in time with my own breath, as if syncing to me. The barrel was reinforced, wider at the base, narrowing into a precision-focused muzzle, with a coiled energy chamber just behind it. Unlike traditional energy weapons, which always felt a little fragile, this one felt solid, reliable, like I could drop it, smash it into someone''s face, and still fire off a shot without issue.
This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
[Item Acquired: Plasma Rifle - TL9]
"Plasma?" I muttered, surprised as hell. Holy shit, is that what I think it is? I reached in and pulled out the Plasma Rifle. This is insane. We''re pulling plasma gear? Here? A grin spread across my face. Fuck yeah.
I ran my thumb along the side, feeling the faint hum of power coursing through it.
I tried to use my Analyze skill on it… and nothing. No readout, no stats. Maybe my Analyze skill wasn’t high enough. Weapons usually came with a full breakdown, damage output, durability, range, even mod slots if they had them.
Ryan was beside me in a flash, practically bouncing. "Dude, let me see that!" Always the gear hound. He grabbed the rifle, testing its weight. "Oh man. This thing''s gotta have some serious kick."
Across from us, Emily carefully lifted something out of her box, a slender, curved handle. She pressed a button, and a blade of shimmering, electric-blue plasma extended, humming softly. A fucking light saber. Can I even say that? Hey, I''m just thinking it.
"It''s a... plasma sword," she said, her voice almost reverent. "Like, a real plasma sword." She swung it experimentally, the blade buzzing through the air with a satisfying whoosh. "Holy shit, this is insane!"
Zoe''s eyes lit up when she saw it. "No way! Emily, can I try it?"
"Everyone, calm down!" I said, but I was laughing. These are great toys. "We need to figure out who gets what. This isn''t just about showing off."
"Oh, come on, Captain," Ryan teased, still holding the Plasma Rifle like it was the best thing he had ever seen. Of course he is."I vote we just call dibs. I''m pretty sure I''ve got dibs on this baby."
Zoe rolled her eyes, stepping closer to examine the rifle. "Sure, Ry, because you''re known for your marksmanship," she said with a smirk. "You''ll end up shooting at the walls half the time."
"I don''t see you with one of these," Ryan shot back, grinning. What an asshole.
I shook my head. "We''ll figure it out. But you''re right, it’s incredible gear. We''re talking TL9 tech, next level. We''ve never seen anything like this back home." This is insane.
"Exactly!" Danny said, grabbing one of the Power Cells and twirling it. Like a goddamn fidget spinner. "It''s like we''ve hit a loot jackpot. Plasma weapons? Next, they''ll be handing us mech suits."
Joey was in total nerd mode. "Do you realize what this means? We''ve been capped at level 60 forever, and suddenly, we''re finding gear that''s way beyond that. It''s like Alpha Centauri just unlocked... the next tier."
"Or it''s been sitting here, waiting for someone to find it," Chris added, his voice full of anticipation. "And that someone is us. We''re going to be the first to use this stuff. That''s huge."
A sleek, red-and-silver injector, roughly the size of my thumb, its glass cylinder filled with a swirling blue liquid. The label on the side blinked in System script:
[Item Acquired: Stim Pack – TL9]
Next to it, another crate held Nano-Bandages, far more advanced than the ones we’d gotten on Earth. The fine, mesh-like material practically shimmered, pulsing faintly under Joey’s touch.
I exhaled, feeling the excitement in my chest dip into something more uneasy. Weapons? Cool. Energy cells? Necessary. But system-based injectables?
I didn’t love it.
“Alright,” I muttered. “That’s new.”
I exhaled slowly, staring at the new weapons. TL9. The future, right here. The system hadn’t even been active all this time, and now?
[+111,515 XP]
[+41,625 credits]
[Level up! Level 61, +5 attribute points]
[Skill Level up! Situational Awareness Proficiency Level 6 -> Level 7]
[Skill Level up! Adaptive Cover Proficiency Level 6 -> Level 7]
[Skill Level up! Precision Shots Level 6 -> Level 7]
[Skill Level up! Light Armor Proficiency Level 6 -> Level 7]
Goosebumps ran up my arms, and I swear my heart skipped a beat. A rush of heat rolled up my spine as my interface flared to life. For a second, I felt weightless, no, not weighless, like the fucking floor had just dropped out under me. My knees almost buckled.
XP again. And so much of it.
A real fucking level-up.
My breath caught, throat tight, fingers gripping my sniper rifle like an anchor against the tunnel floor. We’re free. Free of the cap that’s held us back for two fucking years. My whole body buzzed, an electric pulse in my veins, my brain struggling to process what just happened
Level 60 had been a wall, the System’s absolute ceiling. It didn’t matter how many portals we delved, how many monsters we killed, how much training we did. No progress, no growth. Just stuck. Now?
Level 61. Five more attribute points.
I could breathe again.
Ryan''s shout broke through. "Holy shit! Level 61? No way! I thought we were stuck forever."
Danny let out a wild, almost manic laugh. "Fuck yeah! The System''s been holding us back for years. Feels good to break through."
Emily''s voice chimed in, calm but with a hint of awe. "It''s real. Five attribute points. I''m already allocating them." She glanced at me, her green eyes gleaming. "What do you think it means?"
I swallowed hard, forcing air into my lungs. My mind was racing. "It means," I said slowly, "that this place, this star system is an upgrade from Sol, like a new fucking area."
I flexed my fingers, still tingling from the aftershock, and pulled up my status screen.
For two years, this screen had been frozen, a fucking monument to wasted XP.
And now? It moved.
[Status]
Name: Luca Rossi
Combat Path: Operative (Perception, Intelligence)
Profession Path: Starship Commander (Intelligence, Memory)
Level: 61
Experience Points: 1,817,820/2,275,075
Credits: 172,625
[Attributes]
Charisma: 22
Intelligence: 50
Memory: 45
Perception: 66
Willpower: 31
+5 Attribute Points
[Combat Path Skills]
Ranged Weapons Proficiency - Level 7 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Intelligence)
Silent Movement Proficiency - Level 6 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Willpower)
Ambush Tactics Proficiency - Level 6 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Intelligence)
Adaptive Cover Proficiency - Level 7 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Intelligence)
Closer Quarters Proficiency - Level 6 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Willpower)
Precision Shots Proficiency - Level 7 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Intelligence)
Intel Gathering Familiarity - Level 4 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Memory)
Stealth Infiltration Familiarity - Level 5 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Intelligence)
Critical Strikes Proficiency - Level 6 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Willpower)
Light Armor Proficiency - Level 7 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Intelligence)
Situational Awareness Proficiency - Level 7 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Intelligence)
Blade Expertise Familiarity - Level 4 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Intelligence)
Tomahawk Throwing Proficiency - Level 8 (Primary: Perception / Secondary: Memory)
[Passive Skill Queue: ACTIVE]
Inspect Proficiency: Level 6 -> Level 10
Tomahawk Throwing Proficiency: Level 8 - > Level 10
Silent Movement Proficiency: Level 6 -> Level 8
Ambush Tactics Proficiency: Level 6 -> Level 8
Intel Gathering Familiarity: Level 6 -> Level 8
Stealth Infiltration Familiarity: Level 5 -> Level 8
Critical Strikes Proficiency: Level 6 -> Level 8
Starship Operation Familiarity: Level 4 -> Level 5
Starship Systems Familiarity: Level 4 -> Level 5
Starship Maintenance Familiarity: Level 3 -> Level 5
Starship Power Systems Optimization Familiarity: Level 3 -> Level 5
Starship Navigation Familiarity: Level 3 -> Level 5
Starship Manuevering Familiarity: Level 4 -> Level 5
[Total XP Required: 597,893]
[Estimated Completion: 49 Days]
I stared at the numbers on my interface, heart hammering like I’d just won the goddamn lottery. Because I had. There were millions of people back in Sol waiting for this opportunity.
The passive skill queue was running again.
For two years, it had been a dead thing, a useless fucking list in my status screen, locked behind an XP wall we couldn’t break through. I had planned this queue with Emily, refining it, optimizing it, and for what?
To sit there. Unmoving. No progress. No growth.
But now? Now it was moving.
I let out a slow, shaky breath, grinning like an idiot. 12,083 XP per day. That was real, actual progress rolling in automatically, pushing my skills toward something usable instead of sitting at half-trained mediocrity.
Inspect? Going to level 10! Stealth? Getting better.
My goddamn Tomahawk Throwing? Hitting Level 10, baby! Hopefully unlocking whatever ability was behing that level.
THANK YOU, JESUS.
Emily caught my expression and smirked, nudging me with her elbow. "Feels good, doesn''t it?"
"Emily," I said, voice thick with gratitude and possibly religious fervor, "I could kiss you right now."
"Please do," she grinned.
I actually might have if Ryan hadn''t shoved between us, clapping me on the shoulder so hard I almost dropped the rifle. "Dude. We’re fucking back."
Yeah.
Yeah, we were.