In the dark depths of space, a massive graveyard of wrecked starships drifted. Countless cosmic beings, exposed to the vacuum of space, were frozen solid like icicles.
A blue plasma thruster flared as a medium-sized spacecraft passed through the area, its occupants startled.
"Those are… Star Destroyer wrecks?"
"And a planetary forge?"
"A massive space battle took place here?"
The name Star Destroyer spoke for itself; its main cannons could reduce a planet to cosmic fireworks. Planetary forges were even more fearsome, capable of pulverizing entire planets for fuel and extracting valuable minerals with incredible efficiency.
The radar showed numerous signal sources. The spacecraft''s onboard computer tallied roughly three completely destroyed Star Destroyers and a planetary forge.
This was an astounding amount of wealth in space. Ordinary civilizations couldn''t even afford a tenth of the cost to purchase a single Star Destroyer, let alone build one.
Planetary forges were far more expensive, roughly equivalent to ten Star Destroyers. Their ability to continuously produce vast amounts of resources made them incredibly valuable.
"Captain, we''ve struck gold!"
Someone on the spacecraft exclaimed excitedly. "Before anyone else finds this, let''s salvage everything valuable. We''ll make a fortune!"
These Star Destroyers and the planetary forge—even their salvaged components would fetch a high price on the black market.
Boom!
Suddenly, the entire spacecraft shook violently, startling the captain.
"Did we hit something?"
"No!"
"No radar response, no visual confirmation of any object!"
Tzzz—
The onboard systems reported the situation. A panicked voice crackled over the communications frequency. "Report to the bridge! Intruder detected! Intruder detected!"
Boom!
Another deafening explosion. The thick metal hull was effortlessly breached; a figure slowly emerged from the gash.
Long white hair.
A longsword, faintly crimson, was held in her hand.
"Gentlemen, shall we change our course?"
...
Crack!
A crack appeared on the scale-like surface of the egg; it seemed ready to hatch. In the dim darkness, the boy huddled under a meager pile of debris, sleeping in a space that could collapse at any moment—incredibly dangerous, but perhaps the safest option in this ruined area.
His bright eyes focused intently on the egg, curious about what would hatch. He wondered if it would be edible.
Gurgles—
The boy touched his stomach.
"I''m so hungry."
Seeing the egg about to hatch, his eyes gleamed.
...
Time flew by. Exactly thirty days had passed since Mei returned to Earth from Hyperdimensional Space—a month had gone by, and the next mandatory mission was about to begin.
Tzzz—
Mei''s figure flickered, entering Hyperdimensional Space. Time on Earth froze. The space was bustling.
Hyperdimensional Space''s mandatory monthly missions were unavoidable. The closer it got to the mission start time, the busier the space became.
Passing Little Star Treasures, Mei noticed a large crowd outside the shop; they seemed to be playing some kind of game.
Plaza.
"Star!"
"Haha, Star, I''m buying you drinks when we get back!"
"What are you doing, man? Fight him!"
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Charles carried a massive backpack filled with survival tools and food. As a newbie, he couldn''t afford spatial storage items, and had to carry everything.
He looked at the countdown timer on his interface.
"Five!"
"Four!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
When the twenty-four hour timer ended, interfaces appeared before Mei, Charles, Star, and a group of other Void Wanderers.
The interface displayed a message.
【Mission Type: Tethered Mission】
【Mission Difficulty: Tier 1】
Investigating the fundamental causes of a world''s destruction or ruin was a process of tethering it to Hyperdimensional Space. Once the main mission was completed, the world would be fully tethered.
Furthermore,
Although Mei''s power was Tier 4, Hyperdimensional Space only allowed Void Wanderers to undertake an advancement mission after every three tethered missions. Until her advancement, Mei remained a Tier 1 Void Wanderer, undertaking Tier 1 missions.
In an instant, a large group of people vanished from the space.
Tzzz—
Mei appeared on the top floor of a skyscraper.
【Main Mission · Phase One: This world is frequently attacked by Star Beasts. Before investigating the cause, kill a Star Beast to demonstrate your capabilities.】
【Mission Reward: 300 points】
【Mission Commencing】
...
【Name: Mei】
【Grade: Tier 1】
【Points: 0】
【Abilities: Telekinesis ·LV10, Danger Sense ·LV1, Extreme Burst ·LV1, Night Vision ·LV1, Survival Adaptation ·LV2, Voice of All Things ·LV1, New Human ·LV1】
【Items: Personal Spatial Storage ·1000 Cubic Meters, Bulwark Coat ·Tier 3, Chapter of Gaia, Zombie Virus Antidote, G4 Virus, Primordial Toxin…】
...
Hyperdimensional Space was generous; it didn''t provide starting abilities, equipment, or items, but anything a Void Wanderer acquired could be brought to mission worlds—even the zombie virus.
This junk was worthless in the space, but undeniably devastating to civilizations; it could easily cause a catastrophe in a mission world.
Unlike the single-phase main mission in the beginner world, this main mission was divided into phases. Any Void Wanderer completing a phase received a points reward.
Mei read the main mission description.
"Star Beast?"
Was she supposed to fight monsters in this world?
The interface updated.
【Target detected.】
【Authority installation in progress…】
【Installation complete.】
【Random upgrade selection in progress…】
【Random selection: Star Beast.】
【Star Beast upgrade complete.】
Mei was still wondering what a Star Beast was when the system gave her a Star Beast upgrade. A flash of light appeared, and a soft, fluffy white orb materialized at her feet.
"Ooh—"
This Star Beast was only about the size of a soccer ball, perfectly spherical and pure white. Its eyes were like tiny black sesame seeds on a rice cake. It had no arms or tail, only two small, round legs; it was easy to miss.
Mei pondered whether killing this little creature would complete Phase One of the main mission. After considering it, she decided to name it first.
"From now on, you''re Shiro."
"Ooh—"
Shiro seemed to understand Mei; its tiny eyes squinted, and it rolled happily around her feet, making Mei want to kick it.
It really was like a ball.
Its legs were truly just two spheres; it didn''t even have knees. It wobbled as it moved, surprisingly fast.
【Star Beast: Shiro】
【Type: Pet】
【Grade: Tier 1】
【Description: This is a special Star Beast capable of infinite evolution by devouring other beasts. Its handler can share all its power.】
After reading Shiro''s stats, Mei understood. Theoretically, as Shiro devoured beasts and evolved, Mei, as its handler, would also grow stronger.
The lack of power was because Shiro hadn''t devoured any beasts yet; it was a harmless pet.
Then, a series of upgrade tasks appeared.
【Upgrade Task 1: Kill a Level 1 Star Beast; Star Beast level increases by one.】
【Upgrade Task 2: Kill a Level 2 Star Beast; Star Beast level increases by one.】
【Upgrade Task 3: Kill a Level 3 Star Beast; Star Beast level increases by one.】
...
【Upgrade Task 10: Kill a Level 10 Star Beast; Star Beast level increases by one.】
Ten upgrade tasks in total.
Ignoring the main mission and upgrade tasks for now, the priority was understanding the world''s background and situation.
"Ooh—"
Shiro nestled against Mei''s leg, squinting like a contented ball. Despite its small size, carrying it around was a bit inconvenient.
"Is there a way to hide yourself?"
"Ooh?"
Shiro seemed to consider it, then instantly vanished, its tiny legs surprisingly fast.
"Ooh!"
Half of its spherical body peeked cautiously from behind a corner; its sesame-seed eyes stared at Mei, seemingly asking if this was good enough.
The little creature was unexpectedly good at hiding; if Mei hadn''t maintained her telekinetic lock on Shiro, she wouldn''t know where it had gone.
"Yes."
"Ooh!"
Assured, Shiro hid again.
Unlike the beginner world, this world hadn''t experienced large-scale destructive events, but it was clearly heading towards ruin.
A billboard on the street was playing a news report about a city under attack; the images were horrific, showing near-total destruction.
"Yesterday, Rong''an City was attacked by a Level 4.5 Star Beast, resulting in severe casualties. Starkillers engaged in a fierce battle, ultimately defeating the beast at a heavy cost. Unfortunately, Rong''an City was the main battleground, suffering over eighty percent destruction. The Allied Council decided to abandon the city; survivors will be relocated."
"After careful consideration, the Allied Council named this unprecedented Star Beast ''Viagra.'' Viagra was 84 meters tall and 137 meters long, the largest Star Beast ever recorded…"
Mei stopped on the street, watching the news report. The fear and anxiety on the faces of the people around her were palpable. She wondered if this city would suffer a similar attack.
Then,
She went to a library to read old newspapers, proceeding as cautiously as she had on Earth. Before understanding the situation, she wouldn''t unleash her telekinesis widely; she didn''t want to alert anything.
Approximately twenty years ago, Star Beasts began appearing worldwide. Initially, conventional firearms were effective.
However, as the Star Beasts grew stronger, conventional weapons became less effective. The beasts frequently attacked cities, making nuclear weapons difficult to deploy. Nuclear weapons were eventually used in desperation, eliminating the Star Beast but causing horrific civilian casualties.
Then, one day, the Allied Council announced a breakthrough. Through research, humanity had finally grasped the power of Star Beasts, leading to the creation of Starkillers.
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Starkillers, also known as Devourers, were new humans who gained power by consuming the flesh of Star Beasts.
Individual Starkillers were powerful enough to rival Star Beasts; their existence allowed for more effective hunting of Star Beasts.
Over the years, the Allied Council had gathered substantial data, classifying Star Beasts by their energy levels—Level 1 being the weakest, and the strongest being the Level 4.5 Viagra that destroyed Rong''an City.
Of course,
This was temporary.
Over the past twenty years, the Star Beasts had grown increasingly powerful; the highest level constantly increased—from Level 1 to Level 4.5. Higher levels were inevitable.
Level 1 Star Beasts could be handled with conventional heavy weaponry like tanks. Level 4.5 required nuclear weapons without Starkiller.
The question of whether even more powerful, nuclear-resistant Star Beasts would appear was practically certain; that would be humanity''s true despair and the beginning of its end.
Boom!
An explosion rocked the bustling street. People stopped, then, with the sound of alarms, fled for shelter.
"Warning! Star Beast attack!"
"Warning! Star Beast attack!"