"Will you accept the Spatial Ring?"
The eerie, spirit-like voice startled Lang Lin so badly that he cried out and toppled backward from his kneeling position.
His grief was instantly replaced by fear. He looked around frantically, but there was no one there—he was alone behind his house.
Where had the voice come from?
Could it really have been the voice of a spirit?
A chill ran down his spine at the thought. The sun blazed overhead in the afternoon sky, and he raised his right hand to shield his eyes. At that moment, however, a ring appeared on his hand.
It was a silver ring shaped like a skull, with eyes that glowed a deep crimson like blood-red rubies, staring at him with a grotesque grin.
"What… what is this ring?" Lang Lin stammered. He had no jewelry, no trinkets of any kind. Where had this come from? Had someone slipped it onto his finger? That was impossible—he was certain he had never bought such a thing, nor had anyone given it to him.
As he struggled to comprehend, the voice came again. "Do you wish to connect with the Spatial Ring?"
This time he saw it clearly: the skull's mouth had opened and spoken. A dark red mist swirled inside its maw, like the mouth of a volcano.
"The voice… it's coming from the ring. Is this a spirit ring?" His hand trembled violently. He wanted to tear it off, but his other hand shook uncontrollably as well.
"It is not a spirit ring. The Spatial Ring will allow you to travel between dimensions. Answer me—will you connect with the ring or not?"
The skull's mouth moved as it spoke.
Lang Lin's fear only deepened. "This can't be an ordinary ring… and this isn't some prank show either. Otherwise, why would I feel this way?"
In China, there were many hidden-camera comedy programs that pranked people, making them look terrified for the sake of others' laughter. But Lang Lin knew instantly this was no prank.
The feeling was far too real.
"The Spatial Ring… it lets me travel through different dimensions?" he whispered. If what the ring claimed was true, then the possibilities were staggering.
He already knew how his life would end if nothing changed—alone, crippled, without wife or children, dying in obscurity.
Wasn't it better to seize this chance, to risk everything for the possibility of adventure across dimensions, than to wither away in meaningless misery?
Clenching his teeth, he said, "I accept."
The moment the words left his mouth, the skull's crimson eyes blazed, its mouth gaping wide as a blood-red mist surged forth.
Lang Lin panicked. He had never known such terror. The mist coiled around him like living serpents. Their eyes gleamed slyly, and they hissed softly. Even that faint sound made his blood feel as though it were boiling inside him.
Agony rippled through his body. His stomach churned, bile rising in his throat. His eyes flushed the same deep red as the skull's.
With a sickening rush, the crimson serpents burrowed beneath his skin, writhing like countless parasites. His entire body seemed alive with their squirming presence.
Sweat poured from his face, his lips cracked and dry. He had no idea how long the process lasted before the voice returned.
"Connection with the Spatial Ring complete. You are now a Level 1 Dimensional Trainee."
"Hah… hah…" Lang Lin gasped for breath, feeling as though he had just been dissected alive, his body stuffed with alien creatures. The horror lingered in every nerve.
He lifted his right hand. The ring was still there. But now, strange information appeared before his eyes:
Name: Lang LinClass: Dimensional Trainee (Level 1)Experience Required to Level 2: 1,000Age: 21Endurance: –10Strength: –10Mental Power: 0Spatial Ring Level: 1 (Experience Required to Level 2: 10,000)
"What… are these stats?" Lang Lin muttered. "It's just like a game. Did all of this happen because of the ring? Am I… a character now? If that's true, then maybe I can raise my stats…"
A spark of hope lit his eyes. If he could increase his stats, then maybe—just maybe—his crippled legs could be healed.
"Those stats represent your physical condition," the ring's voice echoed. "The negatives exist because you are crippled and very weak. You must raise your strength quickly."
"How do I do that?" Lang Lin asked.
"Simply open a dimensional gate with the ring. Inside, you will find resources, and perhaps even abilities that will restore your body, as though you had never been crippled."
"But… how do I open it? And what if the place I enter is dangerous?" His desire to heal was strong, but fear still gnawed at him. This was no game. If he died, there would be no second chance.
"Simply speak the words: Open Dimension. A gate will appear, allowing you to enter. You may open the gate once every three days, and remain within for fifteen minutes each time.
The destinations are random. You will never enter the same dimension twice. At your current rank, the places you visit will not be overly dangerous. Only as you level up and raise the ring will the dimensions grow more perilous and rewarding.
Know this: the Spatial Ring is special. It contains an inner space where you can store anything you bring back. It can also withstand up to five times Earth's gravity. To endure even greater forces, you must raise the ring's level."
The voice carried on endlessly, not quite human, more like the whisper of wind at his ear. Each time it spoke, Lang Lin shivered down to his bones.
When it finally fell silent, he examined the ring carefully. Outwardly it looked like nothing more than a piece of macabre jewelry. But he knew better. He had bonded with it fully, and he could now see the inner space: a cube, each side four meters long.
His body also felt lighter, almost weightless, as if he were drifting on air. He realized it was because the ring allowed him to withstand five times normal gravity, making his own world feel feather-light.
"Amazing," he whispered. For the first time in years, he felt real hope.
Still, caution tugged at him. The ring had said his current level meant little danger, but he could not afford to be careless.
Returning inside the house, he searched the dusty kitchen until he found what he wanted: an old kitchen knife, its blade rusted with age.
"It may be rusty, but it's better than nothing," he muttered, gripping it tightly.
Prepared as best he could, Lang Lin went back outside. Standing in the overgrown yard, he raised the knife and spoke firmly:
"Open Dimension."
A rumble shook the ground. A silver gate rose from the earth, ornate and gleaming, its surface inscribed with indecipherable runes. At its center, a massive skull leered.
It looked less like an ancient relic and more like the doorway of a demon.
Fear gnawed at him, but he clenched his jaw. He had nothing left to lose.
The gate opened on its own, revealing only darkness within.
"All right… there's nothing to fear. My life is worthless anyway," Lang Lin whispered. With trembling legs, he stepped into the gate. Even if this path led straight to hell, perhaps it would be better than the life he had left behind.