The Void-Strider drifted through the Astral Sea like a splinter of obsidian lost in a river of diamonds. Inside, the air was thin and tasted of ozone—a side effect of the ship's engine feeding on the raw vacuum of space.
[Alert: Jailer-Class Wreckage detected.] [Energy Signature: Stagnant but Volatile.] [Recommendation: Immediate Docking for Soul-Essence Resupply.]
Ahead of them, a massive rectangular structure loomed. Made of a polished white metal that seemed to glow from within, it was the "Silver Sentinel," a Jailer patrol frigate that should have been guarding Earth-Prime's orbit. Now, it was a hollowed-out corpse of metal, torn open by unseen claws.
"Looks like someone got here first," Sora whispered, her hands wreathed in shadows that flickered like black flames. "And whoever did this didn't use standard magic. Look at the hull... that metal wasn't melted; it was erased by a pure vacuum."
Kaelen steered the ship closer. "The System wants us to go inside. It says there's 'Essence' in there. If we're going to survive this sea, we need more than just a ship. We need to evolve."
They docked in a jagged breach in the hull. As they stepped onto the frigate, the gravity was chaotic. The bodies of humanoid soldiers in silver plate-mail floated in the corridors, their faces frozen in a state of eternal, silent screaming.
[Target Analysis: Star-Order Sentinels (Deceased).] [Cause of Death: Spiritual Core Extraction.]
Kaelen reached out toward a dead soldier. His [Absolute Consumption] reacted instantly. Thin, silver threads of light rose from the soldier's armor, spiraling into Kaelen's palms.
[Absorption Complete: Refined Silver Essence.] [Core Capacity: 60%... 65%...] [New Item Identified: 'Jailer Code Fragment'.]
"Kaelen, stop!" Sora hissed, pointing toward the end of the corridor.
From the shadows of the ship, something began to materialize. It wasn't a ghost, but an autonomous security system—an [Astral Hound]. It was a mechanical beast made of liquid mercury, with three red eyes that pulsed with a murderous, cold light.
"Intruders detected," the beast hissed in a voice that sounded like metal grinding against glass. "Void Signature identified. Extermination Protocol: Active."
Sora lunged forward, turning into a blur of darkness, but the Hound was faster. With a flick of its liquid-metal tail, it fired a beam of solid light that slammed Sora into the bulkhead.
"Sora!" Kaelen felt a cold fury rising. He activated the [Sovereign Mantle]. His gravity-cloak expanded, distorting the light and air around him.
[Combat Quest Activated: Destroy the Silver Guardian.] [Reward: Integration of Mercury Drive (Combat Morphing limb).]
"You want to eat?" Kaelen asked the Void within his chest. "Then let's hunt something that bites back."
Kaelen used [Void Step], reappearing directly above the mechanical beast. His hands glowed with a hunger that made the very atmosphere of the ship tremble. The hunt for the 1,000th chapter had officially moved to the stars.