Chapter 159. Beep! Cosmic Pirates approaching!
Outer space, 3.26 light years away from Owen’s lesser world planet. Within the dark void between stars.
A spacecraft glided through the emptiness, its hull sleek and its engines silent. It was not large, perhaps fifty meters from its bow to stern, but it pulsed with a yellow along it’s streams. And a faint hum vibrated through its metal frame.
Inside the cockpit, a being with pale blue skin and two feathered wings sat before a holographic monitor. A halo floated above his head, casting soft light across his features. He wore a white robe over a fitted spandex suit that glowed at the seams. His fingers danced across the holographic interface.
Then the monitor flared.
BEEP!
[Lesser world detected]
BEEP!
[Designation: #2678]
BEEP!
[Status: Lifeforms detected]
BEEP!
[Energy readings: Normal]
BEEP!
[Conditions: Harvest-ready!]
The being’s lips curled into a smile. "Oh, how delicious! Captain! We’ve found another one!"
He turned with his wings fluttering. Behind him were other similar beings, with halos and wings, all gathering at his back. They whispered among themselves, their voices were a mix of excitement and hunger.
Then the crowd parted, given way for The captain to walk through.
He was taller. Broader. His halo did not float above his head, instead, it rested around his neck like a collar of light. Four wings extended from his back, two longer ones above, longer than the two below. His robe was darker, his spandex suit marked with insignias that glowed.
He stopped before the monitor.
"Have you detected any cosmic gardeners? Tier 4 anomalies?" He asked.
The first being’s smile faltered. "N—no, sir. I’ll do that now."
He turned back to the monitor. His fingers moving faster.
BEEP!
[Life forms energy readings: All below Tier 5, 1 star]
BEEP!
[No Tier 4 or above energy readings detected]
Then the captain’s grin spread wide. "Perfect."
He turned to face his crew.
"Prepare for landing. And oh, Lunarel? Begin the theatrics. It’s time for another grand performance of appearing as gods to these lesser world folks."
Then a chorus of laughter echoed through the cockpit.
"Muahahaha!"
---
Inside Drak’thar, the training continued.
The floating island had been repaired. It’s stone smoothed, craters filled, the garden replanted. But the air still carried the memory of previous combat. The hatchlings kept their distance, watching from the palace steps.
Owen sat cross-legged in the center of the arena.
His eyes were closed. His breathing was slow and deliberate. Before him, on a small stone pedestal, rested an orb the size of a fist.
It was black. Light bent around it, unwilling to touch its surface. Veins of deep violet pulsed across its shell.
The Abyssal Orb.
Gorvax stood ten meters away, arms folded beneath his robe. He did not speak or instruct. He simply watched.
Owen activated [Mana Sense]. The orb’s energy flooded his perception, but not mana, something denser. Cosmic energy. Raw and untamed. It leaked from the orb’s surface in faint tendrils, drifting upward like smoke from dying embers.
He reached for them with his mana. Not to absorb but to guide.
His [Mana Absorption] skill activated.
The tendrils bent toward him. They entered his palms, his chest, his core. The sensation was not like mana. Mana flowed like water—warm, familiar. Cosmic energy felt like swallowing lightning, pain crackling through his bones.
His muscles tensed. His jaw clenched.
He forced the energy downward, toward his center mass.
The cosmic energy settled. It did not circulate like mana. It pooled.
Gorvax’s voice cut through the silence. "Your body is learning to store cosmic energy. That is the first step."
Owen did not open his eyes. "It feels... Different."
"Because you are replacing one system with another. Mana is a branch of it. Cosmic energy is the root. Adapt or be left behind."
The tendrils thickened. More cosmic energy bled from the orb, drawn by Owen’s absorption. His core swelled. Not painfully, but noticeably. Like a muscle being stretched for the first time.
Then his system chimed.
DING!
[New tab updated!]
[Cosmic Energy (CE)]
The notification appeared in his vision. Below his Cosmic Rank tab, a new line glowed.
[Cosmic Rank: Tier 5, one star]
[Cosmic Energy: 100]
DING!
[Cosmic energy is the potent energy that constitutes true life and existence. All other energies are branches from this pure energy.]
DING!
[Exchange ratio between mana and Cosmic energy established.]
[1000 mana = 1 CE]
Owen’s eyes snapped open. "One thousand mana for one CE? That’s..."
He looked at his own reserves. His mana pool was over two million now. He did the math quickly.
Two thousand CE.
He grinned. "Oh, doesn’t that mean I can up my cosmic energy to twenty-one hundred?"
Gorvax’s featureless face did not change. But his voice carried something dry. Almost pitying.
"Oh, lesser world beings. Such minuscule cosmic energy, and you’re rejoicing."
Owen’s grin faded.
"Well..." Gorvax continued, "...at least you have finally obtained the proper storage for cosmic energy. You can now utilize it."
He gestured to Owen’s center mass. "Cosmic energy is not like mana. It does not flow through your veins like blood. It is formed within your centre mass core, a concentrated point of power. Some call it a dantian in other worlds. Others call it a seed within the tree of life that is your body. Whatever name you choose, it is the foundation of everything that comes next."
Owen placed a hand on his stomach. He could feel it now, the small, dense knot of cosmic energy. Warm and Compact.
Gorvax stepped forward. He picked up the Abyssal Orb from its pedestal. The veins of violet pulsed faster.
"This is a Grade One Abyssal Orb." He held it out to Owen. "It contains a skill that almost everyone and their dogs learn in the outer cosmos. The most basic technique for understanding cosmic power manipulation."
Owen took the orb. It was heavier than it looked. Denser. The surface was cool, almost cold, but beneath it, he could feel the energy churning.
"Uh-huh." He turned it over in his hands. "So, how do I use it?"
"Just... try to peer your consciousness into it. While circulating your cosmic energy to and from the orb."
Owen stared at him. "...Really? You can’t explain it better than that?"
Gorvax shrugged.
Owen sighed then He closed his eyes.
He held the orb in both hands. He spread his Mana Sense, not outward, but inward. Compressing it to a single point. The point where the orb touched his palms.
Then he forced his awareness into the orb.
He saw patterns. Geometric shapes, folding and unfolding. A sequence of movements: not physical, but energetic. A fist. A punch. Energy gathering at the knuckles, then releasing in a burst.
"Circulate your cosmic energy"
He pulled from his core and The cosmic energy rose through his chest, down his arms, into his palms then It met the orb’s surface.
And the orb absorbed it Then pushed it back.
In. Out. In. Out.
The patterns became clearer. The sequence imprinted itself on his consciousness, not as some distant memory, but as instinct instead.
DING!
[Assimilation in progress...]
[Grade One Abyssal Orb consumed!]
The orb dissolved in his hands. Its energy flowed into him, not chaotic, but structured. Guided. The skill settled into his consciousness.
DING!
[Skill Assimilated: Cosmic Impact Fist]
A new tab appeared.
[Cosmkc Impact fist (Basic Cosmic Skill – Grade 1)] : Concentrate cosmic energy into a single point: the fist. Upon impact, release the stored energy in a directional burst. Creates a shockwave that bypasses physical defenses by targeting spatial integrity. Power scales with Cosmic Energy invested.
Owen opened his eyes.
The orb was gone. Only faint traces of its violet light remained, fading into the air.
He looked at his hands. Flexed his fingers. He could feel the skill waiting, dormant, coiled and ready to be used.
"The most basic technique in the cosmos," Gorvax said. "And you look at it like it’s a gift from the heavens."
Owen stood, Rolling his shoulders. "Feels like one."
"It is not." Gorvax turned and walked toward the edge of the arena. "But it is a start. Practice it. Master it. When you can execute Void Impact without thought, we will move to the next stage."
He stopped then looked back.
"Perfect. You have visitors to test the skill on and help with your training.They will be here soon"
Owen’s fists clenched. "Huh? What visitors?"
"They are Tier 5 Celestial vagrants. Another set of pirates that have come to play gods. They will try to harvest your people."
Then he paused.
"Show them what happens to false gods, oh Dragon king"