First Steps

Chapter 1: First Steps

The sun hung in the sky like a giant fireball, glaring so fiercely that people could barely keep their eyes open. The asphalt on the road had softened under the scorching sun. A wave of heat washed over everything, making it hard to breathe. Cicadas in the trees along the roadside chirped without end, as if crying, "It's too hot! It's too hot!" The flowers drooped, and the grass bowed, all of it looking listless.

The blazing sunlight spilled in through the window, and a faint fragrance filled the room. A pair of long, slender hands moved back and forth beside the computer, tapping away. After the mouse closed a page, he sighed softly. "Sigh! If only I could travel to different worlds like the people in books, going on adventures and fighting across time and space."

The man was named Lin Maoxian. His parents had both been famous Adventurers, so they had given him a name that sounded like theirs. He hadn't liked it much when he grew up, but he hadn't changed it.

Lin Maoxian's parents had loved adventure. They had taken him along on expeditions all over the world since he was little. When he was fourteen, they were both killed in an accident during an expedition. With the enormous inheritance they had left him, he settled in his father's homeland, Country Z. Having inherited their love of adventure, he studied while making trips to famous places whenever he had the time. After more than ten years of exploring, he had visited countless well-known sites.

Later, with no goals left, he discovered Infinite Flow novels. Their protagonists could travel between worlds, witnessing one world after another. It fascinated him. This was another Infinite Flow novel he was reading.

"It's almost time to exercise." He stretched his body after sitting for so long, then went to the kitchen and made himself something to eat. Half an hour later, he tidied up the dishes and left his room, heading for the gym.

The villa was one of the properties his parents had left him. The gym was on the third floor, on the left side of the building. Expeditions could bring unexpected dangers, and a strong body might be what kept you alive.

"If only Dad and Mom had been stronger back then." His parents had died in a mountain disaster during an expedition because they hadn't been physically strong enough. Several of their companions who had been stronger survived. Ever since, exercising had become an essential part of his daily routine.

But as Lin Maoxian's thoughts drifted to his parents, the stairs he was climbing underwent a startling transformation! They wound upward as if they had no end, surrounded by rolling black clouds. Strange lights flickered within them, containing the mysterious power of an endless starry sky!

The black clouds continued to churn wildly in the stairwell, like a celebration that had neither beginning nor end. Vague scenes flickered among them. Not a sound could be heard, yet they carried the terrifying force of a torrent sweeping across the land! The boundless clouds shook and roiled, then scattered. Amid waves of terrifying power, an unremarkable mirror appeared. It had a metallic sheen, and its surface was smooth as jade. Looking into it, one could almost see a starry sky taking shape!

A beam of light shot from the jade-like surface, and then a tremendous force of suction came from within!

Lin Maoxian was still lost in thought and hadn't yet reacted when the terrible suction dragged him helplessly into the mirror that resembled a starry sky.

At that moment, a mysterious, low voice echoed through the space shrouded in terrifying power.

"Target locked!"

"Space opening! Automatically extracting host data. Generating Adventurer number..."

"Number 258, welcome to Origin Space!"...

After an unknown length of time, Lin Maoxian suddenly came to his senses. He didn't open his eyes right away, but lay still with them closed, listening carefully to the sounds around him.

He was still alive, which meant he was safe for the moment. Rather than opening his eyes in a hurry and alerting any enemies who might be nearby, it was better to keep pretending to be asleep and listen for a while.

He hadn't had time to react when that strange mirror sucked him in, but the scene was still vivid in his mind! He was an Adventurer, and Adventurers were accustomed to accepting the mysterious. Years of facing danger had also made his heart steadier. Faced with something so bizarre, he was far more accepting than an ordinary person, and wouldn't foolishly assume he was hallucinating.

No one in this world could create a hallucination that was so terrifyingly realistic. Calling it a hallucination was nothing more than an ordinary person's way of denying and comforting themselves. In his long years of adventure, he had encountered other things that science couldn't explain, though none had been as bizarre as this.

A little while later, having heard nothing, Lin Maoxian opened his eyes and quickly scanned his surroundings. His pupils contracted sharply, and his heart remained in turmoil.

There were no enemies anywhere. In fact, there was nothing at all—not people, not flowers or trees, not even air. He was in the middle of a starry sky, surrounded by glittering stars and brilliant light.

Whoosh! A beam of light shot toward Lin Maoxian from the distant starry sky. He tried to dodge, but no matter how he commanded his body, it wouldn't move. In an instant, the beam shot into his mind.

"Adventurer number 258, welcome to Origin Space!"

"Quantifying the Adventurer's physical attributes. Attribute quantification in progress..."

"The Adventurer's specific attributes are as follows."

Strength: 6. "I could uproot a mountain and conquer the world." Strength determines part of the power of your close-combat attacks. It can also increase your carrying capacity, allowing you to wear or wield certain heavy, powerful armor and weapons.

Agility: 8. "With me, running a hundred meters in one second is no dream." Agility determines your movement and attack speed, as well as your evasion rate. It also has some effect on your physical ranged attack power, among other things.

Intelligence: 5. "There's no limit to IQ." Intelligence determines your maximum energy and recovery speed. Energy can be converted into any kind of attribute-based energy, such as qi, magic, telekinetic power, or mental energy. (One point of intelligence equals 10 points of energy.)

Stamina: 5. "I'm the kind of guy who can go seven rounds in one night." Stamina determines your resistance to being struck and your ability to run or fight for extended periods. It also affects your life recovery rate and defense. (One point of stamina equals 10 points of life.)

Charisma: 6. "Without me, you're destined to be single." Charisma affects how characters in the story treat you, among other things.

Perception: 7. "Even without eyes, I can sense your presence." Perception is a collective term for your hearing, intuition, vision, and so on. It mainly gives you a certain chance of detecting nearby dangers in advance and helps you observe your surroundings more quickly and thoroughly.

Will: 7. "Beautiful ladies, don't be afraid. My will is unwavering." Will determines your resistance to abnormal states. The stronger your will, the harder it is to sway you. (This includes, but is not limited to, fear, pain, and charm.)

Life: 50. Recovers 5 life points per minute.

Energy: 50. Recovers 5 energy points per minute.

Attack: 6. Defense: 5.

Abnormal state resistance: 7%.

Talent: [Adventurer] (The spirit of adventure has sunk deep into your blood and soul.)

Rank: B (Talent ranks are S, A, B, C, and D; there are five ranks in total.)

Ability: [Adventure] Increases the difficulty of adventures by 100%. Grants a 100% bonus to the final reward summary. (Risk and reward go hand in hand.)

"If anything is unclear, the Adventurer may summon the character panel for details. Please explore the further uses of your attributes on your own."

"The Adventurer may learn about the Space's other functions after officially entering it."

"The Space grants the Adventurer five minutes to think and prepare. After five minutes, the Adventurer will begin the Space trial mission."

Listening to the sudden voice, Lin Maoxian calmed himself and asked, "What is this Space? Am I still on Earth? Can I go back?"

"Insufficient Space Contribution. No answer will be given."

After hearing this response, Lin Maoxian tried asking a few more questions, but received the same answer each time: insufficient contribution, no answer.

He summoned the character panel and carefully read the information. This was what he would rely on to survive from now on, so he had to take it seriously.

He looked over his attributes. He didn't know what the average adult's stats were, but even his lowest attribute was five points. That shouldn't be too bad, considering he exercised every day.

As for the Adventurer talent, it must have come from all his expeditions over the years. It was only B rank, but he liked what it did: risk and reward went hand in hand. He didn't know what this so-called Space was, or whether it was like the novels he'd read, allowing people to travel through an infinite number of worlds. But he had already explored most of the places he knew on Earth. Having another place to explore was a good thing.

"Time's up. Adventurer number 258 is about to enter a story world. Will the Adventurer use the talent ability [Adventure]?"

"Use [Adventure]."

"Adventurer number 258 has used the talent ability [Adventure]. The difficulty of the Adventurer's trial mission has increased. The final completion reward bonus is 100%."

"Scene: World of the Great Detective"

"Difficulty: Extremely Easy (E-rank)—the Adventurer used a talent ability, increasing the difficulty. Current difficulty: Easy (D-rank)."

"Pain reduction: 80%. Current pain reduction: 40%."

"Additional personal ability enhancement: 100%. Current enhancement: 50%."

"Current scene exploration: 0.00%."

"You will automatically learn the relevant language and be able to communicate fluently with characters in this world. You will forget it after leaving this world."

"Number of accepted missions: 1."