Preliminary Understanding of Space

As the words fell, a large wheel suddenly appeared in the void. There were no dazzling rays of light or earth-shattering phenomena, just an ordinary circular wheel divided into five sections: 20% for a skip, 20% for a Source Point refund, 50% for an item of double value, 5% for an item of triple value, and 5% for an unknown item.

Lin Maoxian looked at the wheel and couldn't help but feel a bit depressed. Given the name "Lucky Wheel," he had assumed he would definitely get something good. He hadn't expected that at least 40% of the outcomes offered no benefit, and the "unknown item" was a total mystery. All in all, he only had about a fifty-fifty chance of getting something worthwhile.

"Adventurer, silently think 'start' and 'stop' to make the wheel rotate automatically."

"Start."

As soon as Lin Maoxian's voice dropped, the wheel began to spin rapidly. To his naked eye, the contents were a complete blur. He had originally hoped to see if he could use his vision to track it, but that plan fell through, so he had to say, "Stop."

There was no slow-motion transition; the wheel halted the instant Lin Maoxian spoke. He widened his eyes to look and saw it had landed on the 50% section.

"Yes!" Lin Maoxian shouted happily.

"Adventurer has obtained a double reward. Randomly drawing item... Adventurer has obtained A-rank skill Copper Skin Iron Bone."

"Adventurer has 3 minutes remaining. After this time, you will be teleported back to your private space. Please make your remaining selections as soon as possible."

"Uh..." So there was a time limit. After obtaining a skill, Lin Maoxian knew exactly what he needed to choose. The Space had mentioned several times that his contribution was insufficient, and he had been wanting to choose Contribution Points all along. However, since he lacked any skills, he had been hesitant between the two options.

"Select reward 4."

"Adventurer has obtained 5 Contribution Points. You will be teleported back to your private space. Teleporting..."

When Lin Maoxian opened his eyes, he found himself back in his villa. Unsure of the situation, he tentatively asked, "Space, have I returned to reality?"

"The adventurer is currently in the private space within the Origin Space. The current room layout is identical to the adventurer's real-world home. If the adventurer is dissatisfied, you may contact the Space to make changes."

"No need to change it. I want to ask, what can I use my current Contribution Points for?" Lin Maoxian was quite satisfied with the Space's arrangement, but thinking of the most important matter at hand, he consulted the Space.

"The adventurer currently has a total of 14 Contribution Points. You may go to the Hall of Glory to upgrade your clearance level. You are currently eligible for a Grade 9 clearance."

"Hall of Glory? How do I get there to upgrade?"

"If the adventurer thinks about teleporting, the Space will transport you to the Hall of Glory."

"How convenient. Let's teleport immediately."

"Teleporting..."

Whoosh. Lin Maoxian arrived in a grand hall. This time, he didn't lose consciousness; it felt as if he had just blinked. The Hall of Glory was massive, appearing to be several hundred square meters, but the entire hall felt empty and silent, with not a soul in sight. In the center of this vacant hall, a ball of white light hovered. Lin Maoxian took a look and walked toward it.

When he was about a meter away from the white light, the Space prompted: "Number 258 currently has 14 Contribution Points and is eligible for a Grade 9 clearance. Do you wish to upgrade?"

"Upgrade!" Lin Maoxian said immediately. He hadn't come here for anything else but this moment.

"Number 258, clearance upgrade successful. Current clearance is Grade 9. The next upgrade to Grade 8 requires 20 Contribution Points. We hope the adventurer will continue to work hard."

"Grade 9 clearance effects: 5% discount on items purchased in the Space store; ability to learn the next adventure world 5 minutes in advance; a one-cubic-meter storage space (no living creatures allowed); partial unlocking of Space information."

Lin Maoxian reviewed the effects of the upgrade. They were decent; while they didn't directly increase his strength, getting cheaper items was an indirect boost. The most important thing was the storage space—no more carrying bags everywhere; he could just toss things into the Space. That was truly convenient. He could also learn about the adventure world in advance; as his clearance increased, the lead time would likely grow, allowing for targeted preparations. However, there were some things he could ask about now.

"Space, I want to know what this Space is. What is its purpose? And who created it?"

"The Space is named the Origin Space. Its purpose is to enhance the evolution of adventurers. Other questions cannot be answered due to insufficient contribution."

"Then how do I leave the Space?" Lin Maoxian asked a question he had been wondering about for a long time. After all, no one likes being controlled, even if the leash is relatively loose.

"After experiencing a world, the adventurer may return to the real world for 7 days. After 7 days, you will return to the Space to continue the next world's mission. The adventurer is temporarily forbidden from revealing any information regarding the Space in reality by any means. Violators will be severely punished."

"I meant how to leave the Space permanently."

"Insufficient contribution. Cannot answer."

"Damn it, 'insufficient contribution' again. It seems I'll have to hang around here for a while, but this kind of life is exactly what I wanted." Lin Maoxian wasn't too concerned about how to leave the Space. To him, being able to adventure through various worlds was a stroke of luck he must have spent several lifetimes accumulating.

"How can I increase my character attributes?"

"The adventurer can increase character attributes in the Attribute Enhancement area of the Hall of Enhancement."

"Fine, teleport me there."

"The Hall of Enhancement is located to the left of the Hall of Glory. Please proceed there yourself."

"There's no door. How am I supposed to get there?" Lin Maoxian looked around the empty hall. There were no doors, just walls on every side.

"The adventurer only needs to silently think about leaving the Hall of Glory."

"Damn, so troublesome. Can't it just teleport people directly? Leave." Lin Maoxian complained, but he followed the instruction.

As soon as Lin Maoxian left the Hall of Glory, he was instantly outside. He looked around; it was a massive plaza. In the center of the plaza, a mirror was hovering—the exact same mirror that had sucked him in originally. The Hall of Glory was to the south of the mirror, so the Hall of Enhancement must be to the west. "Space, what are the north and east sides of the mirror for? And what is this mirror?" Lin Maoxian asked the latter question on the off chance he might get an answer.

"The north side is an area for adventurers, featuring the Battle Arena. Adventurers will not suffer any damage in the Space except while on the arena. Additionally, adventurers may open their own trading markets there; the Space will not charge any fees. Please explore other functions yourself."

"Adventurer's clearance is insufficient. Other questions cannot be answered."

Lin Maoxian, who had already suspected as much, didn't mind not getting an answer to the last question. At the very least, he now had some understanding of the Space.

The entire plaza was empty. Lin Maoxian oriented himself and headed toward the Hall of Enhancement.

When he entered the Hall of Enhancement, there were already people there—more than one. Lin Maoxian looked at the three individuals: one was standing at the area marked "Space Store," one was at "Equipment Enhancement," and the last was at "Skill Enhancement." Because everyone's appearance was specially masked, he couldn't tell what they actually looked like.

As Lin Maoxian watched them, the three individuals noticed someone entering, glanced at him, and then immediately ignored him to go about their own business.

Lin Maoxian stood at the entrance for a moment. Seeing that none of the three had any intention of leaving, he walked toward the Character Enhancement area. He had originally wanted to go to the Skill Enhancement area to check out that A-rank skill, but in this unknown place, it was better to be cautious and not do it in front of others.

When Lin Maoxian stood at the Character Enhancement station, the Space prompted him that all enhancements here were invisible to others, and each person had their own private enhancement space, so there would be no crowding. Furthermore, for attribute enhancements, points 1–10 cost 300 Source Points each; 11–25 cost 500 Source Points each; 25–50 cost 1,000 Source Points each. As for anything higher, the Space provided no further hints.

Lin Maoxian checked his character panel: Strength: 6, Agility: 8, Stamina: 5, Intelligence: 5, Charisma: 6, Perception: 7, Willpower: 7. Behind Strength, there was a "+2" display, clearly the effect of his ring. However, base character attributes did not include equipment.

After thinking it over, Lin Maoxian decided he still wanted to see what that A-rank skill was like before making any decisions.

When he left the Character Enhancement area, he found the other three had already left, but two newcomers had arrived and were at the system store. Ignoring them, Lin Maoxian went straight to the Skill Enhancement area.

As soon as he entered, he received a prompt from the Space: because he hadn't unlocked his skill slots yet, it would cost 500 Source Points to unlock one, and each subsequent slot would cost the same. Lin Maoxian's first reaction was that he had run into a profiteer—they even charged for this. Thinking that the Space wasn't just an ordinary profiteer, but a monopolistic one, he had no choice but to pay to unlock a skill slot.