Chaotic emotions galloped like wild horses. The lingering excitement and exhaustion after the violent adrenaline surge churned through his body together, and only his final breath of resolve stubbornly kept the young Du Qifeng upright, preventing him from collapsing on the spot like the others.
Honestly, adrenaline was an incredibly miraculous thing.
Some people could take twelve knife wounds while facing criminals and remain standing, risking their lives to protect something important; some could race against a bear they encountered in the wild during a bicycle competition and directly break a world record; others could force themselves to sprint nonstop for hours, all for the sake of reaching safety...
Even an ordinary college student like Du Qifeng, someone who could practically be called physically useless and clueless about daily life, had erupted with physical strength under the mad stimulation of adrenaline. He had forcibly held the door against the "diners" outside and even lasted for quite a while.
All one could say was that when facing a desperate situation, the determination and strength humans could summon by staking everything were far beyond the "real results" they showed during college fitness tests.
...But in the end, the prerequisite for standing firm, fighting for one's life, or sprinting for hours was—you absolutely could not stop halfway!
The moment you stopped, that breath of resolve leaked away. The mountain of fatigue and lactic acid that had already accumulated would instantly crush your body and take over your senses. At that point, you would be dizzy and disoriented, barely able to move a finger, much less stand back up and run again.
But this young man, whom the others called "Little Du," still gritted his teeth and tried to rise—
Compared with his other companions, it was not merely because he had the clear advantage of a young body. Having only recently turned twenty, his physical condition was still around the peak of human capability.
More importantly, as the college student among them with relatively extensive experience reading web novels and a better understanding of things like the "Main God Space," he knew very well that now was probably not the time to rest.
He briefly looked around. What met his eyes was a dimly lit, boundless expanse, like the vast space beneath a starry sky after nightfall.
This place was likely the "Main God Platform" mentioned in that prompt. No matter what, they needed to quickly gather information and understand their current situation.
There were so many people here. Judging from their fairly normal clothing, most were probably newcomers like himself. But leaving aside the possibility that there were veterans among them, what if this place did not prohibit violence either? What if people could just ambush others at will?
With the current state of their limp arms and legs?
The moment the thought arose, that cold voice sounded by his ear—
"Please note: the Main God Platform is a public service area. All substantive direct acts of conflict are prohibited. Violators shall bear the consequences."
Well, then at least their safety should have some degree of protection...
He relaxed inwardly.
He struggled to his feet with labored effort. That single movement alone nearly made Du Qifeng black out, and he almost could not catch his breath through the dizziness and ringing in his ears. He had to remain where he was and recover slowly.
When he opened his eyes again, things finally felt a little better. Wiping away the sweat on his forehead, he began to painstakingly examine his surroundings.
On the seemingly endless platform, a bustling crowd was scattered everywhere like swarms of worker ants. People constantly moved about, talked, looked around, argued loudly, and whispered in hushed voices without end.
Every face before him was filled with panic, excitement, curiosity, fear, helplessness, or forced composure...
Some screamed themselves hoarse. Some shouted encouragement to themselves as though they had lost their minds. One man, whose leg was clearly injured and whose trousers were soaked with blood down more than half the length, sat collapsed on the ground without moving. Enduring the agonizing pain, he cursed at his "acquaintances" nearby in broken, strained bursts. If they had not clearly been informed that fighting was prohibited here, they would likely have come to blows already...
Some covered their mouths and wept bitterly, yet their eyes revealed a glimmer of relief...
But more people—and more eyes—showed obvious fear and worry, along with excitement and fanaticism they could not conceal...
Mixed into this place, as lively as a crowded train station during Spring Festival travel season, their group was hardly eye-catching. Rather, as the stench clinging to them like salted fish left out on a drying ground spread through the air, most people nearby instinctively kept their distance.
Every so often, conspicuous white flashes streaked through the crowd. A few figures with astonished and confused expressions would then emerge from the light. Before long, they naturally blended into the clamorous atmosphere of shouting voices, like mud cows sinking into the sea.
Well, the ground was made of smooth bluish stone slabs joined together like a mirror, stretching endlessly in every direction. On such a vast and open platform, why did the people "teleported" here by the white light seem to have been deliberately gathered in this relatively limited area?
Hm?
He had not noticed before, but now that he sensed something strange, his gaze followed a fading white light and happened to settle on a figure that had just appeared nearby. Du Qifeng forced himself to inspect the person carefully, and his expression changed.
After comparing left and right in surprise, he suddenly realized something—
Everyone present seemed to have a veil-like mist covering their faces. He could clearly see the subjective expressions on other people's faces, yet the more he tried to carefully examine details and distinguish their true appearances, the more indistinct and incomprehensible those faintly visible faces within the mist became.
Only the several "acquaintances" still beside him—the companions whose real appearances he had already seen—did not have that thin fog over their faces. Their brows, eyes, noses, and features remained clearly defined.
Realizing this was likely some kind of hidden "identity-obscuring mechanism," and seeing that apart from the huge crowd there did not seem to be anything particularly unusual around them, the college student did not rashly continue observing others in search of possible "veterans."
Instead, like quite a few people present, he quietly turned his attention first toward the most eye-catching thing in his current field of vision.
—Above the platform, in what appeared to be empty space, was a halo that silently concealed almost all sense of its presence, yet could never truly be "overlooked" by anyone.
Yet only when one truly looked at it could one understand that indescribable, even self-contradictory sense of strangeness.
It was clearly only dozens, perhaps a hundred meters above the ground. Yet once he noticed its existence, a single glance brought an abnormal tremor from the deepest part of his instincts, faintly reminding the bewildered college student—compared with the seemingly boundless sea of stars overhead, too vast to measure in miles, the place illuminated by that tiny sphere of light was somewhere "higher"!
—It was a "height" that could not be measured, yet felt incomparably real!
He could not see it clearly or explain it. There was only a bewildered, helpless stirring within him, like a speck of dust that had suddenly lifted a veil and directly faced the infinite scale of the universe. Beneath that fleeting glimpse, one naturally felt fear, yet was also moved beyond restraint.
A point of bright light lingered in the darkness, reflecting the vast galaxy within itself like a broad celestial wilderness beneath the night sky—mysterious and distant.
Almost every thought vanished. The intense soreness and exhaustion in his body were thrown entirely out of his mind, and all the noise and distractions around him went unheard...
As though bewitched, Du Qifeng stood there at that moment, staring at that point of light with an almost greedy gaze. It was as if he wanted to carve this wondrous sight deeply into his mind, into every memory, even every cell of his body!
It was as though some reaction originating from the essence of life had crazily surpassed all thought in that brief instant, desperately roaring to remind and urge him that this was a sight he absolutely could not miss, one whose every detail could not be overlooked...
Thus, he remained rooted in place like stone for a long time, until a large, sweaty hand slowly landed on the young man's shoulder. Seeing no response, its owner simply patted him hard.
"Little Du, what's wrong?... Why are you just standing there? Are you okay?"
It was He Qiu.
"Oh, Brother He. I'm fine, I'm fine."
The lingering impressions in his mind were abruptly interrupted. He replied reflexively, then finally came back to himself as if waking from a dream and recognized the person before him.
Du Qifeng vigorously shook his head and suddenly felt a little dazed.
—Eh, what was I doing just now... Why did it feel like I had forgotten something? Was it... something important?
Confusion rose within him, but before he could think deeply about it, fragments of nearby conversation happened to catch his attention amid the voices that had completely erupted around him.
"My God... What is this?"
"...Quick! Activate your ID first! There's an exchange menu inside! And..."
"?!?"
He Qiu had clearly heard those people too. He smiled wryly and shook his head at the college student before him. "I was wondering why you hadn't checked this thing. Your eyes weren't even moving, and you were just standing here spacing out. Are you sure there's nothing wrong with you?"
He casually swiped at a spot in the air before him, and Du Qifeng immediately understood that he meant the information screen.
"Hurry up and take a look. There's a lot to see in there!"
Fuck! Right! I was so busy spacing out that I still hadn't looked at the information on the screen! Why did I have to act stupid and space out at a time like this?!
Regret surged through him. He could only flash He Qiu an awkward grin full of white teeth. Without bothering about anything else, Du Qifeng hurriedly opened the illusory screen before him—
Sure enough!
Apart from the earlier mission information, a great deal of new information had appeared on the screen at some unknown point.
Things enough to set one's heart racing beyond control!
[It has been detected that you are a Temporary Visitor who has cleared the Newcomer Trial. Would you like to activate your personal Main God ID?]
[Please note: after activating your ID, your visitor status will automatically convert to that of an official Main God Game user, granting access to related services and restriction clauses provided by the Main God. If you choose to forgo activating your ID, your visitor status will be erased, and your consciousness will be returned to your original body, with no additional effects.]
The moment he opened this so-called personal interface screen, two glaring prompts immediately popped up.
Activate a Main God ID? What did that mean? He could choose for himself?
This was somewhat different from what he had expected.
However, after hesitating for only a few breaths, Du Qifeng made up his mind and decisively chose to activate it.
What a joke. What did not come with any risk at all? Even if many details differed from certain "settings" he remembered, this place was obviously something like a "Main God Space," complete with surreal elements! He had already made it this far, right to the doorstep. Anyone who gave up at a time like this had to be an idiot, didn't they?!
[New user ID 0104961, congratulations on activating your Main God ID. From this moment onward, you have officially joined the Main God Game!]
[Main God exchange services have been activated.]
[Please note: except under certain special circumstances, Main God Users may only use exchange functions within the Main God Platform.]
[Please note: you are currently a Level-One Main God User. You possess a total of one hour of real-world time each day, during which you may enter the Main God Platform in a purely mental state and use related platform services. Users who have not left the platform after their time has been exhausted will be forcibly removed and returned to the real world. Based on the current ratio of real-world time to Main God Platform subjective time of 1:4, you may remain in the Main God Platform for up to four hours of subjective time per day.]
[As an official user, each time you complete a mission world and return to the Main God Platform, your condition will receive one standard refresh.]
[Personal information panel activated.]
[You have one unviewed Newcomer Trial clearance evaluation. Please process it promptly.]
[Details of services and restriction clauses for official Main God Users. (Viewable)]
Just as expected...
In the blink of an eye, an overwhelming flood of information poured down from the screen. Some especially complicated common knowledge was even conveyed directly into his mind through a form of "projection."
Du Qifeng's pupils suddenly contracted as he caught one relatively inconspicuous word first—[Exchange]!
Without the slightest hesitation, his attention instantly focused entirely on it!
"Oho..."
The next moment, despite having prepared himself somewhat, the young college student still let out an incredulous gasp!
—What silently emerged from the interface was an endless list, stretching beyond sight, filled with countless names as vast as the sea!
[Primordial Lifeform Nibiru...]
[Light: Voice of the Stars...]
[Wordless Heavenly Tome...]
[Dreamer-Type Brain Amplifier...]
[Blood of Gaia...]
[Imperial Dragon Ascension Blade...]
[Neutron Star Battle Body...]
[Seed of Spiral Power...]
[Lich Reincarnation Codex...]
Scientific, martial, mystical, Immortal Dao, superpower...
Before his nearly vacant gaze, the endlessly extending list seemed to have no end. Every second, thousands upon thousands of new entries appeared, with all-encompassing textual descriptions, still images, and moving images refreshing at a dizzying speed...
Du Qifeng froze completely, his expression practically blank with an "uh, uh" look, as if drool were about to spill from his mouth.
Only now did he realize how rare it had been for He Qiu, in the middle of such a "busy moment," to notice him and take the initiative to remind him. It had looked like a simple gesture, but it had not been easy at all.
It was unimaginable. Even as a young man who had spent years surfing the internet, Du Qifeng possessed at best a shallow impression of most of these items, which had clearly originated from various movies, anime, novels, games, and other works. Some he had never even heard of and had no idea where they came from.
But even if he could not fully confirm what each specific item represented, could he possibly fail to understand the immeasurable "value" behind those names?
Take the entry Du Qifeng was currently opening for its detailed description—
[Name: Golden Saint Cloth: Sagittarius]
[Type: Armament/Protective Gear]
[Quality: Eighth Rank]
[Description: Originating from a derivative world setting of a certain "Saint Seiya," this item was crafted by alchemists using primarily orichalcum, gammanium, and stardust silver sand. It houses a minute amount of Athena's divine power and fragments of the will of its past users.]
[Exchange Requirement: 7,500,000 Universal Points, 3 Perfect-Grade Exchange Cards.]
[Additional Notice: The user must possess Cosmo or a related higher-level energy system.]
As he looked at the phantom of the floating rectangular chest displayed on the screen—a chest whose full form had not yet unfolded, yet already had scattered starlight faintly adorning it from afar, whose outer walls bore brilliant relief carvings of a centaur galloping forward with bow in hand and arrow aimed at the heavens, and whose entire body flowed with a pure golden hue—Du Qifeng's eyes nearly popped out of his head!
Even though it was only an illusory shadow that concealed its true form, and even the object within had yet to "awaken," facing this quietly standing Saint Cloth box—ancient in design and visibly marked by wear in its finer details—still allowed one to vaguely sense the vast majesty it held in reserve, like a sun fallen into slumber!
In fact, if he had not faintly sensed that when the entry details unfolded, some equally intangible and formless mysterious influence descended and quietly restrained the indirect "influence" this phantom exerted on those viewing it, Du Qifeng had no doubt he would already have fallen to his knees on the spot!
Even so, as he observed the faint radiance flowing across the projected surface of the chest at such close range, he could still feel the heartbeat in his chest resonating uncontrollably with it, along with a profound tremor and the overwhelming desire that came with it!
—Damn it! This was obviously the real thing!!!
Who could refuse a genuine Golden Saint Cloth that merged armor and wearer as one, could fight at one's command, automatically open its case and equip itself onto one's body, and looked outrageously badass?!?
If he had not known that the thing before him was merely an illusory projection, the college student, whose jealousy was about to flare up, would have nearly lunged at it like a madman!
But... I really can't afford it!
The moment he subconsciously glanced at the "balance" on his personal panel, which displayed zero, he nearly could not stop himself from reaching up and tearing at his hair. The despair on his face was impossible to hide.
No, why am I so poor? Why am I... Oh, no, wait! Why is it zero?
Under the enormous mental shock, Du Qifeng's thoughts had become somewhat slower. He suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly opened the unviewed "Newcomer Trial Clearance Evaluation" in a fluster!
[...Main Mission One: Survive for twelve hours. (Completed)]
[Main Mission Two: Reach an Exploration Score of five. (Not completed)—Upon leaving the mission world, your total Exploration Score was one. This Exploration Score has been converted into an evaluation bonus.]
[No side missions triggered. No additional score.]
[Your mission performance evaluation is: Common Grade.]
[—Based on your overall mission rating, your final mission reward is: 130 Universal Points (value after Newcomer Trial amplification), one Common Exchange Card.]
Sure enough, just after reading the evaluation, Du Qifeng heard that cold, mechanical voice—one that had begun to feel faintly familiar—speak beside his ear.
"User ID 0104961, your Newcomer Trial settlement rewards have been issued."
[User ID 0104961: Du Qifeng]
[Universal Points: 130]
[Exchange Cards: One Common Exchange Card]
Well, no matter what, he now had one hundred and thirty Universal Points...
But it was only one hundred and thirty points, along with one so-called Common Exchange Card...
Looking at the balance at the bottom of the screen, which was no longer completely empty, then subconsciously glancing again at the terrifying price of the Golden Saint Cloth, Du Qifeng should have been happy that his "income had arrived." Yet all he felt was the bitterness of having bitten into a lemon.
Besides, if he calculated it properly, these one hundred and thirty points were the amount after the Newcomer Trial's additional 400% reward multiplier. In other words, if not for this Newcomer Trial, he would normally have received only 130 ÷ (1 + 400%) = 26 points!
Was that reasonable? Was that fair? Had the Main God secretly skimmed their wages and lined its own pockets?!?
...Of course, thoughts were thoughts. A few complaints like that could stay in his stomach.
Even though he was merely a college student who had not yet left the ivory tower, Du Qifeng was not some inexperienced fool. Having learned a lesson after encountering a shady factory employment agency during an internship, he knew that if he actually started jumping around and cursing at the heavens now, that would be the real madness.
Sure enough, some people nearby had clearly begun to stir.
As Du Qifeng watched several people look around and whisper to one another, apparently discussing something, he happened to notice a middle-aged man in a tie. Aside from one shoulder of his shirt and jacket having been sliced apart by something sharp and stained with specks of blood, the man was otherwise still rather neatly dressed in a suit. He quietly wandered away from the densest part of the crowd and approached Du Qifeng's group, where the surrounding area was relatively sparse because of their "stench."
Noticing the man's unusual approach, Du Qifeng quietly became alert.
The man stopped nearby, carefully kept some distance from those around him, then adjusted his Windsor knot before speaking softly to the empty air in front of him, as though an invisible person were standing there.
The college student, whose hearing and eyesight were fairly sharp, still appeared to be browsing his personal screen. Yet he tilted his head slightly to one side, and his ears unconsciously perked up a little.
"...If you can hear what I am saying, I sincerely hope you will consider my suggestion... Considering that newcomers like us currently do not possess much savings, especially under such circumstances... and, esteemed Mr. Main God, if some of your assets simply remain in your possession, they cannot generate further benefits, then from the perspective of..."
...Fuck! What the hell did I just hear?!?
The college student's eyes widened even further. To others, he looked as though he had seen something shocking on the screen before him!
From the fragments of intermittent speech he had roughly caught, if Du Qifeng had understood correctly, then without even knowing whether veterans might exist, what this composed-looking man was saying now—
He was probably trying to ask the Main God... whether it could offer "loans"?
Before you continue