[Welcome to a Different Space]
A cold, merciless mechanical sound echoed through the void.
"Where am I? How did I get here?"
These were the questions on everyone's mind the moment they regained consciousness.
Among them, Illios opened his eyes, slightly startled. "This is..."
He looked around. In the darkness surrounding him, only his body was visible, suspended in an endless void. A virtual panel with a faint glow floated before him, its presence almost surreal.
[From this moment on, all people will be reborn in a new universe.]
[You will fight for territory and dominate this vast new universe.]
[The strong have a chance to become gods here, attaining eternal life, while the weak will kneel at the feet of the powerful. Fight to survive…]
Illios stared silently at the panel, watching as more messages appeared.
[Now, let's start with the rules.]
[1. Each person can choose different perks in the Universal System store, in exchange for Universal Points.]
[2. You can earn Universal Points through various mini-games during the grace period or within the chosen dimension.]
[3. Hosts have a grace period of 60 days. After that, they must choose a dimension to transmigrate to.]
[So let's begin.]
--
[Starting up...]
[Ding! The system is loading!]
[Ding! System started successfully!]
"Damn, I really crossed over into a new world!" Illios muttered, trying to absorb the shock. Having read countless stories about rebirth and otherworldly systems, he knew this setup well. Life had dealt him enough hard knocks to develop some adaptive skills, but this was a new level entirely.
He glanced over the different tabs on the screen, curiosity building. "Let's see... if I'm reading this right, I can choose different perks... huh? My eyes must be deceiving me!" Illios rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
[Bodies]
[Bloodlines]
[Creature Eggs]
[Constitutions]
[Supernatural Talents]
[Auxiliary Systems]
[???] [???]
[Balance: 0 u/p]
"Auxiliary Systems? Is it really what I think it is?" Illios mumbled, feeling excitement bubble up inside him. He tapped on the tab, his mind racing. In his favorite novels, a system like this usually meant an incredible advantage—a "Golden Finger" that set the protagonist apart.
The sight that met him was incredible.
[Auxiliary Systems:
—[Evolution System]
—[Martial Arts System]
—[Lord's System]
—[Divine Dominion System]
—[Training System (Pets)]
—[Multiplier System]
—[Critical System]
—[Crypto System]]
*Note: All auxiliary systems are ranked from Level 0 to Level 6, with Level 6 being the highest.
As amazing as all these options were, the question remained—how to acquire them. Each required Universal Points, which he didn't have.
"But how do I earn those points?" he wondered aloud, tamping down his excitement. He navigated through the other tabs: [Inventory] [Universal Chat] [Personal] [Dimensions].
He paused on Universal Chat, deciding to enter out of curiosity. A flood of messages awaited him.
--
"Oh my god, where am I?"
"This is real? Did I really cross over? Unbelievable!"
"Hey, check out the store! There's everything—even systems like in those novels!"
After this message, the chat exploded.
"OMG, I'm going to become a god. Everyone, worship me!"
"Hey, we all have the same chance, genius."
"Yeah, but... Has anyone else noticed we don't have names?"
"Oh, yeah. I've seen that too! So can we call ourselves whatever we want? I'll be Batman!"
"Ha, ha, ha. Then I'm the Joker."
The chat grew chaotic, as everyone chose ridiculous nicknames to lighten the tension and avoid confronting reality. Yet, some kept the conversation serious.
"Hey, does everyone speak the same language, or is this regional?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen any language other than English."
"English? My chat's in Spanish."
"Spanish? No way. Mine's in Portuguese."
"Let's check—where is everyone from?"
"United States."
"Canada."
"Spain."
"Brazil."
"China."
"Wait, there's a guy from China here? How is he understanding us?"
"Hey, that's rude."
"Yeah, racist +1."
"+2."
"Me, racist? Look, you probably don't read many novels from your region."
"Shut up. Yours do the same."
"This argument is pointless."
"x2."
"x3."
Illios sighed as the chat veered off topic. Deciding to make the most of his time, he went to the Inventory tab, hoping for a beginner's gift. Sure enough, a glowing box with blue ribbons awaited him.
"Does this even have special effects? I wonder if the glow and color hint at what's inside." With no way to check for now, he tapped on the box to open it.
[Would you like to open the beginner's gift package?]
He clicked Accept and received the following:
[You received: Universal Points (100), Mission Retry Ticket, Energy Water Bottle.]
The Universal Points were valuable for purchasing items and upgrades in the early stages. The Mission Retry Ticket seemed useful, a fallback for any failed missions. The Energy Water Bottle left him curious; perhaps it held some hidden effect.
"The trick is managing these points wisely," he thought. Although he could spend them on low-level talents or bloodlines to experiment, he had a better idea.
Recalling a post he'd once seen in a forum, he grinned. "If this works..." His heart raced as he considered a somewhat audacious, yet potentially game-breaking strategy.
His plan was simple but bold: "Crypto System + Multiplier System + Critical System."
These three combined would be incredibly efficient. If the Crypto System could generate Universal Points, he could accumulate points effortlessly. The Multiplier System could double or triple his earnings, and the Critical System could further amplify them. In theory, this combo could yield fortunes in no time.
With a mixture of excitement and apprehension, he checked the Crypto System's cost.
[Cryptocurrency System Lv0: 100 u/p]
The system description read:
You can generate any local currency at a rate of 1x per second.
What if Universal Points were the "local currency" now?
"Let's take the risk. No risk, no reward," he muttered. Mustering his courage, he clicked Buy, embarking on this audacious experiment.
[DING!]
[DING!]
[Initiating Crypto System… Welcome to the Crypto System!]
Illios held his breath, watching the system initialize. Finally, the interface allowed him to choose the type of currency to generate. He selected Universal Points.
As the system started up, his screen filled with notifications.
[You have gained 1 u/p.]
[You have gained 1 u/p.]
[You have gained 1 u/p.]
Illios's heart raced as he watched the points accumulate.
"It worked…" he whispered, feeling a thrill of satisfaction.