In a vast expanse of pure white, the world stretched out like an endless sheet of untouched fabric. No stains, no marks, nothing to break the blank stillness.
Then, like a blemish on perfection, a silver door appeared in the void. From afar it looked like nothing more than a faint glimmer, a point of light out of place.
Creak…
The door swung open. A young man stepped through, clutching a rusty kitchen knife. His gait was awkward and uneven, his crippled leg dragging slightly. This was Lang Lin.
"Phew… am I at the South Pole or something? Why is it so cold, and why is everything covered in ice?" he muttered, glancing around. All he saw was endless white—ice and snow as far as his eyes could reach. The frigid wind cut into his bones.
Creak…
Before he could take in more of the scene, the silver gate behind him slammed shut and vanished. Panic shot through him.
"Hey, Spatial Ring! The door disappeared! How am I supposed to get back home?" he shouted. He might not have anyone waiting for him, but that didn't mean he wanted to die alone in a frozen wasteland.
"Do not worry. The gate will reappear near you after fourteen minutes have passed since your entry. You will have one minute to return. Fail to do so, and you will be trapped in this dimension for one year before the gate can open again," the voice of the ring explained.
The words chilled him more than the icy air. "One year… in an unknown dimension? With this crippled body? I wouldn't last a month…"
But he quickly shoved the thought aside. "No. I just need to drop whatever I'm doing the moment the time is almost up. I have to return through the gate. Otherwise… I'll die."
A misty breath escaped his lips, curling in the air. He exhaled slowly to calm himself.
"I hope there's at least something here I can take back," he murmured, trudging forward. The ring's promise that the gate would reappear nearby eased his worry about losing his way. All he had to do was wait for the time to run out and step through.
Though the place was covered in ice, the temperature was not as brutal as Antarctica. Only about three degrees Celsius. Still strange, though, that such mild cold could freeze an entire landscape solid.
Thanks to the ring's gravity-reducing effect, he felt lighter on his feet, even with his disability. Walking on ice wasn't as difficult as he feared.
"I wonder how far I've gone already," he muttered. His body was numb, his legs aching, but he pressed on. He longed for the warmth of a hot bath. Yet no matter how far he walked, nothing appeared except the same unbroken field of ice.
Beneath the frozen surface, he glimpsed odd-looking fish swimming in the depths, but with only a rusty knife, catching one was impossible. Even with a better weapon, he was far too weak to break through the ice.
Finally, he collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.
"This is pointless. There's nothing here… Damn it! Heaven, why are you always mocking me?" His anger boiled over. Orphaned young, abandoned, his foster father taken too soon—he had always felt the heavens were cruel. Why did misfortune always fall on him?
He had thought the Spatial Ring would make him soar like a tiger with wings, but his very first dimensional journey seemed like a cruel joke.
Mew!
A soft sound startled him. Something cold and rough brushed against his hand. He jerked back in shock.
There, standing on two legs like a tiny person, was a small creature covered in fluffy white fur, its round eyes glistening as it looked at him.
It was a rabbit.
Mew!
The rabbit hopped closer, nudging him as though inviting his touch. Lang Lin smiled despite himself. The creature radiated harmlessness. He reached out and gently stroked its soft head.
At that moment, glowing words appeared before his eyes:
Ding… Snow Rabbit. A low-level creature that lives in herds. Peaceful by nature, fond of play. Experience gained: 10.
"This must be another ability of the Spatial Ring," Lang Lin thought. "Convenient… but what's the meaning of these ten points?"
He picked up the rabbit, marveling at its softness.
"The experience points you gain can be used to upgrade both yourself and the ring," the Spatial Ring explained. "You are now a Level 1 Dimensional Trainee. You will need experience to reach Level 2."
"So leveling up will make me stronger too? Even beyond human limits?" Lang Lin's heart raced at the idea. That was even more exciting than upgrading the ring itself.
He clenched his fist, but his smile quickly faded. "I only have ten points right now. At this rate, it'll take a long time."
Mew!
The rabbit twitched adorably in his arms. Its fur was softer than anything he had ever touched, and its jewel-like eyes sparkled up at him.
"Maybe… this little guy is the reward I get from my first dimensional trip," he said with a wry smile. "Just a plain white rabbit."
Mew!
The rabbit tilted its head and made another sound, as if protesting.
Lang Lin chuckled. "Still, better than going home empty-handed. Life's too lonely by myself. Guess you're coming back with me."
He was used to being alone, but loneliness still gnawed at him. A companion—any companion—was better than none. Humans weren't meant to live in solitude.
Mew! The rabbit blinked up at him, thinking secretly, What a fool. All I did was act cute, and he's already making that silly face. This human is laughable.
Of course, Lang Lin had no way of knowing its thoughts. To him, it was only an innocent creature.
Thud!
A silver gate appeared behind him.
"Let's go home, little one," he said, lifting the rabbit in his arms and stepping toward the gate.
Mew! The rabbit trembled in fear. It had never left its icy world. To it, the ominous gate was terrifying, radiating an unfamiliar, dreadful aura.
In truth, it had simply wandered away from its herd and stumbled upon Lang Lin. It only wanted to play, never imagining the "evil human" would drag it into such a terrifying place.
It kicked and struggled in his grip.
"Don't be scared. This is my home… and soon it'll be yours too," Lang Lin said with a gentle smile, unaware of its panic.
Mew! Your home, not mine, stupid human! Let me go!
But all he heard was the rabbit's soft cry, nothing more. To him, it was just a small, harmless creature asking for affection. And so, clutching the trembling animal tightly, Lang Lin stepped into the darkness of the gate.