It was dark. Extremely dark. There wasn't a hint of light anywhere.
Zane was still in shock. Moments ago he had bent to pick up a coin, then a hole had appeared beneath his feet and swallowed him whole. He was now suspended in an eerie dark space, floating in an endless void.
There was no ground under his feet, no walls to touch, nothing but emptiness stretching in all directions.
Surprisingly, he could see his hands and legs and the visible parts of his body perfectly. Zane swept his eyes across the space, searching for any source of light. Strange. How can I see myself when there's no light source?
In the void, he also noticed two other objects.
There was a coin. A familiar coin. Golden and brilliant, the same coin that had started this nightmare lay suspended in space about two meters from where Zane hung motionless in the strange dimension.
To his right, just within arm's reach, a blue slightly glowing ball was also suspended in the space, only half a meter away from him. It seems gravity doesn't work here, Zane thought as he scanned the vicinity again.
Apart from himself, only these two objects floated in this space. There was nothing else visible in any direction.
Actually, there was one more thing. Apparently there was also air, as Zane could breathe freely without any difficulty.
Zane wanted to get out desperately. He tried imitating a swimming posture to head towards the coin. It was his way in, so probably he could also use it to get out.
His attempts were completely futile. There was nothing to anchor against, nothing to push off from. All Zane could achieve was rotating in place like a helpless astronaut. He couldn't move forward at all.
How the hell am I supposed to get out of here?
As Zane thought this, his eyes landed on the blue egg-sized ball. It was now directly in front of him, as if it had moved closer while he wasn't paying attention. He didn't know what it was or where it had come from.
Even though he could reach it by extending his arm, Zane couldn't risk touching this strange looking object.
After around five minutes of thinking and weighing his options, Zane finally reached a decision. He knew he couldn't reach the coin, no matter how hard he tried. He only had two realistic options.
He could wait until the space naturally ejected him, maybe it had some kind of time limit. Though this was highly unlikely, and Zane didn't know how long that would take. If it took too long, he would starve to death. The time limit was only speculation anyway.
The second option was the most simple and risky. Zane didn't know what the blue ball was, and he had learned moments ago about the consequences of touching unknown objects. After all, it was the reason for his current predicament.
But he couldn't wait indefinitely. He soon decided to reach for the ball.
How long does it take for a person to starve to death? I think I heard somewhere it was after three days without food. Just the thought of floating suspended in empty space for three days made goosebumps appear on Zane's skin.
The worst that could happen was ending up in another space, right?
As soon as his fingers touched the surface, the ball burst into countless glowing shards and rushed towards his chest like a swarm of luminous insects. Then a piercing scream tore through the vast endless space.
His own scream.
A painful surge of heat emerged from his insides, threatening to burn him alive. Zane felt as if he'd been immersed in hot molten lava. His body seethed with extreme heat that made every nerve ending feel like it was on fire.
Then a cool breeze swept over the heat, suppressing it completely. A fresh, revitalizing feeling washed over his entire body like a gentle wave. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the pain vanished entirely.
Only a pleasant, fresh feeling lingered. The agony he'd felt moments before was nothing but a forgotten memory.
What is this fresh feeling? What was that painful heat wave just now?
Zane was left with only questions as he panted heavily. He was completely out of breath, his heart racing like he'd just run a marathon.
If this wasn't enough, light suddenly burst in front of his eyes. For a moment, the dark space was illuminated in brilliant blue radiance. But it was soon swallowed by the endless vastness of the eerie space, leaving only a glowing blue panel floating before him.
When Zane saw the panel, his thoughts wandered to sci-fi movies he'd watched while young. Then he thought of system interfaces from web novels he'd read quite a few times during his limited free time.
|Initializing 21%|
Zane watched as the numbers gradually rose, his mind completely disoriented. Was he dreaming?
First was the coin that opened a portal to who knows where. Then there was this strange space. After that came the weird looking ball that had somehow entered his body. Now there was a strange panel floating before him.
He had to be dreaming. But why did this dream feel so incredibly realistic?
To confirm, he pinched his arm hard until it turned red. The nerves at the point wailed in pain, sending sharp signals to his brain. He definitely wasn't dreaming.
The numbers then reached 100%, and the content of the panel changed.
|Integration complete|
|Congratulations, You Have Awakened The Super Trading System|
In web novels, protagonists awakened systems that gave them supernatural abilities and powers. Zane had enjoyed reading them as he could momentarily escape this world and get to enjoy otherworldly experiences.
But Zane was a really logical person, and he knew that systems and supernatural abilities belonged in fiction. So seeing this system made him think of the government.
Had the government started creating systems? Have I just fallen into a system testing program?
Well, if the government could create systems, it wouldn't be for the poor. I am poor and come from a gang-infested town not even located on most maps. How would I get a system? It has to be the government. I must be a test subject.
He quickly flushed these thoughts away. How could it be from the government? They don't have enough technology for something like this.
Then a soft mechanical sound chimed inside his head. It sounded like another person was in his head, though with a distinctly mechanical quality. Zane nearly jumped, then realized there was nowhere to jump to.
[Congratulations host, you have awakened this divine system. This system is meant to make a God trader. I am your Personal AI assistant, Nyx. Once you accept this system, you will not be able to remove it in any way. Are you willing to accept this system?]
The question hung heavy in the air as the panel disappeared, replaced by a question that made Zane realize the gravity of the moment he was in.
|Are you willing to accept the system?|
|Yes\No?|
The system was giving him a choice to decide whether he wanted to accept it. Zane felt as if he couldn't progress any further without answering.
But Zane couldn't accept the system without knowing its motives and objectives. He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked his own question.
"Can you first answer some of my questions before I decide?"
[Sorry host, this privilege is only awarded after answering the question.]
Zane's questions stuck in his throat. He had two options: accept the system and learn of its capabilities, or reject it and probably never know or even remember this incident.
But he chose a third option. Persistence.
"The privilege of answering this question is only awarded upon my satisfaction," he retorted, making up his mind that he wouldn't back down. I can do this the whole day, he thought, remembering that he was trapped in a mysterious dark space.
He couldn't afford to make the wrong choice. He still had a lot to do on earth. He still had to pay for his father's treatment. He hadn't even dated once.
There was an eerie silence in the space. Then the soft mechanical sound came again.
[Host appears to be resolute. I will only answer 3 questions. You can start.]
Zane was slightly surprised. He had only been putting up a show, so how had his request been agreed to so quickly? Was the system also putting up a show?
He only got three chances. It wasn't enough, but he would naturally not refuse. After thinking for what felt like a minute, Zane finally decided what to ask, curiosity glinting in his eyes.
"Can I go back to my planet Earth?" he asked with a single meaning. He wanted to know if he could return to his normal life.
[I'm slightly amused at the host's question. I'm inclined to disappoint you and mention the host is supposedly not away from your planet Earth.]
What! Zane felt like a fool for asking that question. He had thought he was in some far away dimension, completely separated from Earth. How could he still be on Earth?
He had never imagined a place like this existing on Earth, but apparently it did. Now Zane had wasted a question and still gotten no real answer. At the very least, he was aware he was still on Earth. If he was on Earth, then he wasn't dead yet.
"What is this strange space that I am in?"
[Host is currently inside a storage space.]
This confirmed his suspicion. This space was somehow connected with the coin that had been floating silently in the void, quietly observing. I thought I was in a simulation pod or something.
He then asked his final question.
"What are the system's intentions, origin, and capabilities?" It was a multi-layered question he had carefully crafted. He was afraid the system might interpret it as separate questions and refuse to answer fully.
[The system's intentions are to employ host as its overseer and assist him in becoming a divine trader. I'm inclined to again disappoint the host. All your questions have been used up. Now please answer the question: Will you accept the system?]
The question filled the space with tension. Was he going to accept the system?
The system had mentioned employing him and assisting him to become something called a divine trader. The difference between a normal trader and a divine one still remained unknown to Zane.
What Zane knew was that it sounded infinitely better than gang lackey or poor hustler.
But what would be the cost? What would he have to give up? And most importantly, could he trust this mysterious system that had appeared out of nowhere?
The glowing panel waited patiently for his answer, and Zane realized that whatever choice he made would change his life forever.