As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the windows, the morning sun bathed the room in its radiant embrace. The golden hues of morning cascaded through the glass, suffusing the space with a gentle warmth and casting enchanting patterns of light and shadow upon every surface.
Lynn woke up, slowly, consciousness seeped back into his mind. He gradually opened his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the brightness.
For a brief moment, he was disoriented, unsure of where he was. Then it all came flooding back - the hospital dungeon, the zombies, his desperate battles for survival. Lynn bolted upright, heart racing as he glanced around frantically.
It took a few seconds before he realized he was in his living room, back in the real world. Lynn let out a long exhale, sinking back down onto the couch.
"I must really have been exhausted physically and mentally to immediately pass out when I relaxed," Lynn muttered, shaking his head.
He looked at the clock on the side wall. "I slept for a day and a half," Lynn realized with surprise. According to the time, it was early morning - he had been asleep for more than 30 hours straight after returning from the dungeon.
Lynn slowly stood up from the couch and stretched, feeling his joints pop and muscles flex. He was a bit sore but otherwise felt completely refreshed after the long rest. A nice hot shower would finish shaking off the lingering exhaustion.
As Lynn let the stream of hot water soothe his body, his mind turned to the notifications he had received upon exiting the dungeon. There were several things he wanted to review and questions he hoped to get answers to.
Stepping out of the shower, Lynn quickly toweled off and got dressed. He sat down on the couch and focused his mind, manifesting his status panel. Dozens of unread notifications cluttered the screen.
"I need to verify those notifications," Lynn muttered to himself. "Now that I cleared the trial dungeon, I will certainly be able to access more information."
He opened his panel, and he immediately furrowed his brows as he was suddenly bombarded with a series of notifications.
[You completed the trial dungeon with an exceptional performance!]
[In this dungeon, your evaluation is: A, (Note: The evaluation is from E to S. The evaluation is calculated based on the missions completed and the performance inside the dungeon.)]
[Number of missions completed: 4. (Main Mission: Survive, Chain of Side Mission: Kill all zombies, Hidden Mission: Source of the zombie outbreak, Hidden Main Mission: Break the forbidden space.)]
[Here are the unredeemed rewards from this dungeon:
[Nightmare Coin]*3400
[Perfect Gene Mutation Serum]*1
[Skill Memory Crystal]*2
[+200% experience]
[Skill Point]*8
[Attribute Point]*2 ]
[All the rewards have been received or transferred to the [Inventory], please verify.]
"Transferred to the inventory?" Lynn muttered aloud. "What is this inventory they mention? Where can I find it?"
He searched his panel intently but could not locate anything resembling an inventory. Just as frustration was setting in, another notification chimed:
[Congratulations on completing the dungeon trial!]
[The identity of the player is officially unlocked and the according authorities will be unlocked. Please wait...]
Before Lynn could react, the panel distorted, and the familiar menu started to blur and fade, as if painted over with layers of mosaic tiles.
His heart quickened its pace as the transformation continued, his eyes fixed on the bewildering spectacle unfolding before him. The mosaic tiles seemed to converge and interlock, forming an eerie image—a colossal, disembodied eye that materialized in the center of the room, staring directly at Lynn.
The eye, seemingly suspended in mid-air, fixated its gaze upon Lynn with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine. He froze, unnerved by the sudden intensity of that gaze. It was as if the eye could peer directly into his mind, laying bare all his secrets. Lynn shifted, feeling exposed under that piercing stare.
Abruptly, a searing pain pierced through Lynn's mind like a bolt of lightning, causing him to gasp in agony. Then the intensity of the pain subsided as quickly as it had come.
"What just happened?" Lynn whispered, his voice filled with lingering surprise and confusion.
The eye lingered for a few more moments before dissolving away, the panel returning to normal. Lynn took a shaky breath, trying to steady his pounding heart. The pain had vanished as swiftly as it came.
Deep in his heart, Lynn let out a sigh of relief.
This feeling of being exposed and vulnerable under that piercing stare was not very comfortable. Lynn shuddered, hoping he would not have to experience such a thing again.
At that moment, Lynn glanced back at his status panel floating before him. The familiar menu that had previously only contained three active sections - [Personal Information], [Information Reminder], and [Missions], with everything else grayed out and inaccessible - had now changed.
Added to it were three other newly unlocked sections, their titles blazing with activity. They read: [Inventory], [Trading], and [Forum].
"The inventory!" Lynn immediately reached out to click on the [Inventory] section, eager to see what it contained.
But as his hand made contact with the panel, instead of clicking through to a new menu, his hand itself seemed to phase into the screen. Lynn froze in alarm as his fingers disappeared into the panel, which rippled like water where he touched it. He could feel his hand sinking into a strange, space beyond the screen.
Lynn's eyes widened, and he quickly pulled his hand back out. He stared down at his fingers in bewilderment.
Tentatively, Lynn reached out again, allowing his hand to pass through the shimmering panel screen and into the mysterious space beyond. As before, he could not see his hand once it crossed the threshold, but he could feel that he was now reaching into a box-like space about one meter cubed in volume.
And inside this space, he could feel objects. A realization struck Lynn - this must be his inventory!