"OmniTrade?" Noah stared at the notification panel and asked in confusion: "This… what does it do?"
The System did not explain much. Instead, another information panel appeared before him.
Noah's eyes lit up with hope and excitement as he looked at it.
"In other words, this is like an online trading platform, except… it lets me buy anything from other worlds?" Noah muttered, trying to contain his excitement.
The panel before him resembled an e-commerce site like Amazon or Shopee, filled with all kinds of goods from countless worlds.
[Life Extension Pill – Extends lifespan by 10 years per pill. Price: 400,000 Credit Points. One-time effect only.]
[Larva of the Twelve-Limbed Spider – Price: 30,000 Credit Points.]
[Combo Pack: 50 High Orcs + Bonus 1 Orc King. Price: 100,000 Credit Points.]
[Fire Rats – Pack of 10. Price: 17,000 Credit Points.]
[Banana Phone 27 – Price: 5,000 Credit Points.]
Noah stared at it for a long while, feeling both thrilled and dizzy. He frowned and softly asked: "Credit Points are the currency for trading, right? How do I earn them?"
[Ding! You can only trade with others.]
"Ah!" Noah frowned, thinking about what he could possibly sell right now.
"The Universal Tools… no, I can't. That's something I need to keep in order to survive." Noah muttered.
"System, this function—only I have it, right?"
[Ding! Correct.]
Overjoyed, he looked further into it, trying to register an account, only to realize he already had one inside this function.
Of course, his Credit Points balance was still zero.
Noah wanted to earn Credit Points, but what could he do? He was just an ordinary office worker, someone who couldn't even walk five miles without gasping for breath.
If he had to fight monsters, wouldn't that be the same as offering himself up as a free meal?
As Noah continued exploring the System's other functions, he found something rather interesting.
[World Chat Channel]: Each person may only send one message per day in this channel.
When Noah entered the World Chat, countless messages instantly flooded in.
[What the hell is this? Where am I?]
[Damn it! I was in my room, just subscribed to a one-year Super VIP package on Poxnhub, and then I got sent here. Can I get a refund?]
[Ocean World? Hahaha… I'll be the Pirate King.]
[Oy! You've watched too much O.P. Do you think you're the only protagonist and the rest of us are side characters?]
[That's right. I've got a ship, and I'll be the Pirate King.]
[Hahaha… you think having a ship makes you special? Let me tell you, I've got an island. A whole island!]
[Survivors with islands shouldn't celebrate too soon. Don't forget, the sea level keeps rising. Soon, your island will be swallowed.]
[Yeah, that's right. A ship is better. No matter how high the water rises, it won't matter.]
[Don't get cocky, you ship owners. Sure, you're not afraid of the rising sea, but you'll draw monsters' attention more easily. Plus, you can't farm on a ship.]
[Ah! Then what are we supposed to do?]
…
On the World Chat, Noah could see all kinds of emotions pouring out from others. But what truly shocked him was the sheer number of people brought into this world.
"One, two, three… seven, eight… what the—100 million people?" Noah was stunned at the terrifying number. He never imagined so many had been transported here.
Still, thanks to the chat, he learned the pros and cons of having a ship versus an island.
Ships weren't threatened by rising seas but couldn't grow crops and were more vulnerable to monster attacks.
Islands were relatively safer but had to deal with the ever-rising sea.
"Ah! It looks like everyone else is pretty smart…" Noah muttered.
He hadn't even considered those issues, yet the other Survivors were already analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of ships and islands.
"Lucky for me, even if I'm not smart, there are others who are." Noah mumbled. "As long as they figure out solutions and I just follow along, I'll survive."
Noah knew exactly what kind of person he was. If he were truly intelligent, he wouldn't have gone to an ordinary school and ended up as just an office worker.
The important thing was that he wasn't smart—and he knew it.
After thinking for a while, Noah decided to send a message to the World Chat.
[Newbie gift pack? What did everyone get? And I'd also like to ask… the currency used for trading—is it Credit Points?]
He asked this to survey whether others had received any abilities or special items.
The second question was to find out if anyone knew about this so-called 'Credit Points'.
If someone did, then he could learn how to obtain more Credit Points and begin shopping in the 'OmniTrade'.
[Credit Points? What's that?]
[My newbie gift pack was seeds.]
[Ah! You're unlucky. Mine was an ability—Rank A Superpower: Fire Control.]
[What? Fire Control? A – rank superpower? Damn it! All I got was an old Rank C sword.]
[Damn it! You guys got powers and weapons, but I only received a ship upgrade blueprint.]
[I was lucky enough to get a basic stone-mining blueprint. But I'm on a ship, so I can't even use it.]
[Survivor up there, can you check your private messages? I'd like to trade some food for your blueprint.]
[I've also got a little food—I can trade it for a blueprint or something useful.]
Seeing everyone beginning to barter, Noah silently sighed—humanity truly was a species that could quickly adapt to a new environment.
In just a short time, they had already learned how to exchange resources for mutual benefit.
'But how are they trading?' Noah wondered, since he hadn't found any trading function in the System's current list.
'Could it be direct trade?' He frowned, deciding to look into this matter further.
After all, this was directly tied to his ability to survive and develop—he couldn't be careless.
Suddenly, the sky grew darker, startling Noah.
He raised his head and saw the once clear blue sky being swallowed by dark clouds. Then—
BAM!
A thunderous explosion rang out, and a bolt of lightning struck down as if splitting the world in half.
Though the strike landed far away in the ocean, Noah could still feel its destructive power.
"A storm? Or maybe…"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, violent winds swept in, carrying a terrifying chill that made Noah shiver.
"This is bad! If it's a tropical storm, can this island even withstand it?"
[Ding! You are under protection. The storm will not affect this island.]
"Ah!" Noah exhaled in relief.
WHOOOM!!!
A deep, resonant sound echoed from the distant sea. Noah turned toward it, and his eyes immediately caught sight of a wondrous creature.
A white whale was rising out of the ocean. Yes—it was rising.
Its body radiated dazzling light, and under its belly were glowing patterns resembling streams of mystical magic.
It looked like a being straight out of myths and dreams.
KRIT!!
Suddenly, another sound rang out, and Noah was shocked to see a serpent-like creature—black, with seven heads.
Yes, just like Orochi from the legends he had heard of back on Earth. A seven-headed serpent, towering to an unbelievable size.
At that moment, between the two beasts, a massive whirlpool formed, accompanied by gigantic tentacles, like those of an octopus, spreading across a vast stretch of ocean.
"Kraken? Orochi?" Noah muttered. "And that whale… what is it? This is terrifying…"
Even though those monsters were far away, he could see them clearly—enough to realize just how massive they truly were.
Whoong! Whoong! Whoong!
Another strange sound reverberated, its frequency so low it felt like a ringing bell—or simply a vibration at an impossibly deep pitch.
The sky twisted into a vortex, and then a blinding light shot upward from beneath the sea, forming a colossal pillar of light that pierced the heavens, as though something was about to emerge.