Fan squinted at the sword in his hand, scanning its stats with dismay.
Weapon: Rusted BladeDamage: 1Attack Speed: 1.6
"This weapon..." he muttered.
His face twisted in disbelief. "T-this weapon is trash!"
Without a second thought, Fan tossed it aside, the clatter echoing in the quiet room.
He glanced around the Curio Room again, hoping to find something—anything—better. But there was nothing useful in sight. With a resigned sigh, he approached the door at the far end. It hissed open, revealing a hallway bathed in flickering red emergency lights.
Then he saw them.
March's eyes widened. "Ah—it's the Antimatter Legion! Those crazy jerks made it all the way here? Watch this!"
Without hesitation, the group launched into battle.
Fan, still unequipped and underpowered, dove behind his three companions. He crouched low, trying to stay out of sight.
"Bro," Stelle muttered, shooting a side glance at him, "you're kinda useless, hiding like that."
Fan sputtered, "I-I'm just not armed right now! If I had a decent weapon, I'd destroy those guys in a second!"
March gave him a sympathetic smile. "It's alright to be scared."
While the three of them fought, Fan remained safely tucked behind a broken console. Eventually, the skirmish ended, and they pressed forward through the station's battered halls until they reached the Monitoring Room.
Inside, a young man stood amid blinking consoles. His ID tag read Arlan, and his dark gray hair framed a sharp, focused expression. His skin was dark and marked with the dust and grime of battle.
"Hey," Arlan said, slightly out of breath. "You're all together?"
March stepped forward, answering cheerfully, "Yeah, we're from the Astral Express!"
Arlan tilted his head. "Did Madam Herta send you to help?"
Dan Heng shook his head. "Just a coincidence. We came to deliver the rare relic Madam Herta asked for. We didn't expect to arrive during an invasion."
March frowned. "Why is the Antimatter Legion targeting you guys? It's like they skipped the entire planet surface and went straight for the space station."
Stelle said nothing, standing quietly. Meanwhile, Fan opened up his system interface and began poking around. He tried to install familiar mods from his past life—Vine Miner, Minimap, JEI, Slash Blade—but nothing worked.
A system prompt appeared.
Mod Installation Failed.Archive Points Required.Earn Archive Points by completing achievements. Difficulty determines point value.
Fan groaned. "So even mods are locked behind grinding…"
He attempted a command to enter creative mode.
Error. Requirements Unknown.
Fan blinked. "Seriously?"
Still, he shrugged it off and closed the interface. When he looked up, the others were already halfway to the elevator.
He sprinted to catch up.
March looked at him, eyebrows knit with concern. "Are you okay? You were… tapping the air."
Before Fan could reply, Stelle jumped in with a straight face. "Yes. My brother hit his head earlier. He's been hallucinating ever since. Don't mind him."
Fan stared at her, stunned by her shameless delivery.
Before he could protest, the elevator shuddered and came to an abrupt halt.
The Antimatter Legion had found them again.
Fan instinctively ducked behind the others, this time joined by Arlan, who limped and held his side—his leg injured during the last encounter.
Dan Heng, March, and Stelle handled the enemies with practiced ease, carving through the Legion forces. When the fight ended, they continued forward to the control room.
But the danger wasn't over yet.
More Fragmentum Monsters appeared, twisted and roaring. Dan Heng, March, and Stelle stepped forward once more, shielding the group.
Arlan, watching the chaos from behind cover, turned to Fan. "Why aren't you fighting with them?"
Fan said nothing.
Ahead, one particularly large Fragmentum Monster towered over the others. Dan Heng charged, Cloud-Piercer glowing with energy. He released a burst of power like a focused arrow of light.
Stelle followed with relentless strikes. March supported them, her icy arrows raining down with precision.
The monster roared, preparing to unleash a devastating attack—until Dan Heng and Stelle struck in perfect sync, finally bringing it down.
But it wasn't over.
Its dying cry echoed through the air—and from the shadows, dozens more Fragmentum Monsters emerged.
"Hey, sore loser!" March shouted. "You can't just gang up on us!"
Suddenly, a drone streaked through the air, slicing through the horde with surgical precision, buying the group enough time to flee.
A stray monster lunged at Fan. He braced for pain—but felt almost nothing.
Damage Taken: -3 Hearts
Confused but unharmed, he followed the others through the final door.
March turned, eyes wide with concern. "Are you okay? That thing hit you hard, but you're not even bleeding…"
Fan waved her off. "You probably just imagined it."
But his attention quickly shifted to the sight before them.
Standing in the room ahead was a striking woman with crimson hair and a presence that seemed to command the very air around her.