Destiny Among the Stars - Scifi - LitRPG - Adventure

The Queen's final screech faded into silence, and Luca stood there, breathing hard, his rifle still raised. Around him, the bodies of the drones lay scattered across the chamber floor. They'd done it. They'd actually fucking done it.

The room went still, the last of the smaller creatures skittering back into the shadows. Luca lowered his rifle, adrenaline still coursing through his veins as he looked around at his team. Their faces were lit by the dying glow of the fallen Queen, sweat-streaked and exhausted, but alive.

"We did it," he said, a grin breaking across his face. "Hell yeah, we did it."

Ryan whooped, throwing his fist in the air. "You see that? That was legendary! We're making history!"

"Damn right we are," Zoe said, grinning as she shouldered her rifle. "But first, let's see what kind of loot this big bug was hiding."

Level sixty-two. Luca stared at the number still glowing in his HUD, hardly believing it. One hundred and sixty thousand XP just for clearing the delve. They'd been stuck at level sixty for two fucking years, grinding against an invisible wall that nobody in the Sol system had ever broken through. And now?

Danny let out a whoop that echoed through the chamber. "Level sixty-two! Holy shit, we actually did it!" He flexed, striking a pose. "I can feel those attribute points already. Gonna hit even harder next time."

"First humans ever," Emily breathed, her eyes bright with excitement as she looked at Luca. "We actually broke through the cap."

The pride in her voice, the way she was looking at him like he'd just moved mountains. Team effort Luca thought, as he smiled at her.

But then Joey's voice cut through the celebration, bringing them back to reality. "Celebrate later, guys. We need to check on Chris."

Right. Chris. The adrenaline started to fade, replaced by concern as Luca moved over to where Joey was kneeling beside their injured teammate. Chris was slumped against the wall, his armor melted and warped where the acid had hit. The skin underneath was covered in a nano bandage, glowing faintly blue.

"How is he?" Luca asked quietly, crouching down.

"Stable," Joey said, his voice steady but tense. "The nano bandage is doing its job, but he's going to need the med pod as soon as we're back. The acid ate right through to the bone."

Emily knelt beside them, her expression soft with concern. "We'll get him out of here," she said firmly. "He's going to be fine."

Luca nodded, some of the tension in his shoulders easing. Chris had taken a direct hit from that acid spit. Luca had only caught splash damage earlier when he'd put rounds into that scout. His armor was a little melted around the edges, discolored but intact. The difference between a near miss and a direct hit.

"We'll keep him stable and make sure nothing gets near him on the way out," Luca said.

Joey worked quickly, fashioning a makeshift sling to secure Chris's arm. "He's tough. He'll pull through," Joey said, though there was worry in his voice.

With Chris as secure as they could make him, Luca stood and took a deep breath. The celebration could wait. They still had work to do.

They'd just made history.

"Alright," he said. "Let's check the loot, then get the hell out of here."

The loot boxes near the Queen's carcass glowed with that familiar blue light, and one by one they opened them. The most significant drops were armor pieces, sleek and dark with the same advanced design as the chest piece they'd found earlier.

[Item Acquired: Centauri Guardian Mk-64 Exo-Frame]
[Item Acquired: Centauri Juggernaut Mk-64 Gauntlet Actuators]

"Now we're talking," Danny said, grinning as he tested the weight of the new gauntlets. "I'm gonna look like a proper tank in this gear."

Ryan held up a polished breastplate, his eyes lighting up. "Medium armor upgrade? Oh yeah, this is definitely better than my old set. Feels lighter too."

The last box held something that made Luca's breath catch, a sleek, long-barreled rifle with an integrated scope, its matte finish gleaming in the dim light.

[Item Acquired: Proxima LR-64 "Solar Flare" Sniper Rifle - TL9]

He lifted it out, feeling the perfect balance of the weapon, then turned to meet Zoe's expectant gaze.

"This one's yours," Luca said, holding it out to her. "You've always been the better shot."

Zoe's eyes lit up as she took the rifle, running her hands along its length. "Luca, you beautiful bastard," she said with a grin. "I'll pay you back for this one day, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," he replied, his smile returning.

Stolen novel; please report.

But then another set of notifications flashed across his HUD, different from the others.

Another notification followed the mission completion reward.

Luca stared at the notifications. A prototype multitool, a company headquarters upgrade they couldn't use yet, and... one hundred million credits. The numbers were staggering, but right now, with Chris injured and the team still in danger, this wasn't the time to process what it all meant.

He dismissed the notifications with a thought. Not here. Not now. When they were safe, when Chris was in the med pod... then he'd figure out what all of this meant for their future.

"What was the Queen guarding?" Emily asked, drawing his attention back to the present.

They turned to examine the device nestled behind the Queen's remains, still glowing faintly. Up close, it was embedded deep into the stone floor, sleek and alien, humming with energy that made Luca's skin prickle.

Ryan crouched down with his item analyzer, the device beeping as it scanned.

[Item Acquired: Advanced Deflector Shield Schematic - TL9]

"Holy shit," Ryan breathed, his eyes widening as he read the results. "It's an advanced deflector shield schematic. For starships."

Luca blinked. "Like, for the Triumph?"

Ryan nodded slowly. "Not just any deflector. This thing has inertial dampening built in. If we can get this installed, we could pull high-G maneuvers like they were nothing. No more stress on the hull, no more redlining the compensators. This is next-generation TL9 tech."

"That's incredible," Luca said, his mind racing. "We could maneuver through asteroid fields, dodge incoming fire—"

"If we can power it," Ryan said, his excitement dimming slightly. "Our current power plant can't handle something like this. The energy draw would fry our whole system. We'd need a serious upgrade first."

"So we find a way to upgrade," Danny said, clapping his hands together. "We've been doing nothing but work since we got here. What's a little more?"

Luca stared down at the schematic, frustration and excitement warring in his chest. They'd found something incredible, a genuine starship upgrade, but they couldn't use it yet. Still, it was progress. Another step forward.

"We take the schematic, get Chris back to the ship, and figure it out from there," he said firmly. "If there's one thing we're good at, it's pushing past limits."

Ryan clapped him on the back. "Damn right. And when we get this thing running, we're going to be unstoppable."

Emily moved closer to Luca, her hand brushing against his arm. "We did something amazing today," she said softly, her eyes bright.

The way she was looking at him, the warmth in her voice, made his chest tight with emotion. They'd done this together, broken through barriers that had held back all of humanity.

"We did," he agreed, wanting nothing more than to pull her close, but knowing this wasn't the time or place. Chris needed medical attention, and they needed to get out of this dungeon.

But the promise was there, in her eyes, in the space between them. Later, when they were safe, when Chris was safe. Later, they'd celebrate properly.

"Alright, team," Luca said, his voice steady despite everything he was feeling. "We've got what we came for. Let's get the hell out of here."

They lifted Chris carefully, supporting his weight between them. The mood was different now and charged with anticipation. They'd won something incredible today, something that would change everything.

As they made their way toward the exit portal, Luca caught Emily's eye. She smiled at him, and he felt that familiar warmth spread through his chest.

They were going to be okay. All of them.

Light rushed back into Luca's visor as they emerged on the surface of New Dawn. The sun was bright and warm against the alien sky, a welcome contrast to the dark depths they'd just left behind.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. They'd done it. They'd survived their first real TL9 dungeon, broken through the level cap that had held back all of humanity, and walked out stronger than any human had ever been.

Zoe stretched, groaning. "I don't know about you guys, but I need a long shower and at least one meal that doesn't taste like protein chalk."

Luca barely heard her.

They had Chris to fix, a ship to upgrade, and an entire new fucking level of tech to figure out.

And they were the first humans in history to hit level sixty-two.

Captain's Log:

The Peregrine is quiet now. Chris is stable in the med pod, the new schematics are locked in the database, and the rest of the crew is finally getting some rack time. The silence is a heavy blanket after the non-stop chaos of the hive.

The mission was a success. That feels like a massive understatement. We didn't just clear a delve; we shattered the ceiling that has capped humanity for two years. Level sixty-two. It still doesn't feel real.

The question back on Earth was always: would we ever break through the level cap? I think we were asking the wrong question. It wasn't about us breaking it. The System was already here, waiting. The portal on New Dawn wasn't just a normal dungeon; it was the key.

My theory? To unlock a new system, you have to find its keystone portal and prove you're strong enough to survive it. The System issued a challenge, and the rewards are the tools you need for the next one. That advanced deflector shield isn't just loot; it's what will keep us alive out here.

The team is exhausted. Chris's injury is a stark reminder of the stakes. But there's a new energy on this team. A buzz. The kind you get when you've been fighting for inches and suddenly find yourself a mile ahead. We have a long road to go, but for the first time, it feels like we're on the right one.

Personal Note:

Chris took a direct hit today. Watching Joey work on him, seeing that acid burn through to bone... it's a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong out here. We're four and a half light-years from any real medical facility.

But the team held together. Emily stayed calm under pressure and helped coordinate the extraction. When she looked at me after we beat the Queen, there was something different there. Relief, maybe.

Dad always said you don't really know someone until you've been through hell with them. I'm starting to understand what he meant.

We've got a long way to go before Chris is back on his feet. But for the first time since we left Sol, this feels like more than just a mission.

End Log.