As the saying goes, "better to live a bad life than to die a good one."
If there truly were no hope, who would willingly choose death?
And now, though she had been abruptly pulled into a seemingly perilous place, it also felt like a heaven-sent opportunity.
Arya struggled to turn over, dragging herself clumsily across the ground with her hands. She crawled toward the magic desk, propping herself against one corner to steady her body. Carefully, she examined the desk that the mysterious voice had mentioned.
The desk resembled the smart desks she had used back in school, complete with a full touchscreen interface. It had two sections: one large and one small. The larger section occupied roughly two-thirds of the desktop area on the left, while the smaller section took up the remaining third on the right.
On the large screen, a line of Federation common text boldly flashed:
"Please place your hand on the small screen to bind."
Arya followed the instruction and placed her right hand on the smaller screen.
Ding!
"Tree Hole Shelter (Level 1) binding successful."
At that moment, the dark green patterns originally drawn on the room's walls glowed briefly, then disappeared entirely. A leaf-shaped green tattoo appeared on the back of her right hand—probably some sort of key or registration mark, she thought.
Once the binding succeeded, the desk display changed. Six sections appeared at the top of the large screen: World Channel, Area Channel, Area Exchange, Personal Information, Friends 0/0, and Coming Soon.
Following the World Channel was a string of numbers: 22658443985 / 22658443985. Arya blinked, forcing herself to focus. There were over 22.6 billion people—more than two-thirds of Blue Star's entire population.
Under the Area Channel, another number string appeared: 666 (Abandoned Forest) 10000 / 10000. It seemed she and over nine thousand others had been assigned to District 666—the Abandoned Forest. But Arya ignored that for now. Her priority was awakening her Talent.
Suddenly, a message appeared in the World Channel:
"Hello, hello! Is anyone there?"
The chat instantly came alive.
"Don't be silent, everyone. I'm so scared alone in this tiny wooden house."
"What's going on?!"
"Has Blue Star's World's Will sold us to Kalim World's World's Will?"
"What kind of interstellar triangular trade is this? I haven't even had a chance to eat my barbecue!"
"Help! Mom, where are you?"
"I'm looking for someone who claims to be a billionaire. He said if you save him and return him to Blue Star, he'll give half his fortune."
"Because now everyone's dirt poor, 'claims to be' is generous."
"Could it be that you're all AIs and I'm the only human?"
"Not impossible, but since I'm human, I suspect you're an AI."
Arya frowned. This world chat didn't appear to have any speech restrictions like she'd read in novels. Anyone could speak freely at any time. Unsurprisingly, the World Channel refreshed rapidly. She guessed that if this desk weren't magical, it would have crashed instantly, frying its CPU.
Fortunately, the chat window could be locked. Arya locked the screen and scrolled slowly to read the messages one by one. Each message had a circular avatar and a name—no different from any regular chat software. Were these avatars and names real?
Curious, Arya sent a random message herself. After scrolling for a few minutes, she found it: her avatar and name alongside the message "1111." It was real. No alternate accounts—everyone was genuine.
She looked for options to block or hide her identity but found nothing. Clearly, Kalim World's Will didn't intend to allow anyone to remain anonymous. She also didn't find any information about her Talent.
After more than ten minutes of scanning, nothing useful had appeared. She was about to check Personal Information when a message finally arrived:
"Everyone, quickly go to the small screen to claim your Talent! I awakened a B-rank Talent."
"Hahaha, I have an A-rank Flame Nova! Next, I'll unify the entire world!"
"Hmph, how dare an A-rank boast! I'm an S-rank Heavenly Emperor."
"Big brother, protect us!"
"Look at me, look at me!"
Ah, the small screen—that was the key. Arya immediately turned toward it and saw a pop-up window:
"To our dear Blue Star citizens: the small screen allows material teleportation. Teleported materials will be stored in your exchange shop for trading. You may also retrieve items from your shop via the small screen. Please ensure there is enough space around the small screen when retrieving items, or blockages may occur. Additionally, the small screen provides an appraisal function. Bring any item you find interesting here for appraisal."
"Space teleportation… item appraisal… this small screen really is amazing," Arya murmured.
She clicked on the Area Exchange, only to discover she didn't have a shop yet. To activate one, she would need to pay 20 basic units of materials. Amazing functions, it seemed, didn't come free. She closed the pop-up window with an expressionless face.
Almost immediately, another pop-up appeared:
"Talent is a reflection of the heart. Place your hand on the small screen, focus on your deepest desire, and awaken your Talent."
Here it was. Arya's heart leapt as she calmly placed her hand on the screen, concentrating on her true desire.
What did she want most? Before the car accident, she hadn't known. But ever since, her wish had become clear: mobility. She wanted to move freely, no longer hindered by legs that had become little more than decorations. Like a bird soaring through the sky, she wished to ascend buildings hundreds of stories high with ease.
Ding!
"Talent acquired successfully. E-rank Talent 'Light Body Technique' awakened. E-rank basic skill 'Gathering Skill' obtained. Tool selection gift pack available. Please choose your tool."
After a series of confirmation sounds, the pop-up disappeared, replaced by hundreds of tool options: longsword, shortsword, dagger, long saber, short saber, axe, bow and arrow, crossbow, long staff, short staff, spear… even hoe, spatula, crowbar, hammer, scissors, sickle, quill pen. Arya felt dizzy just looking at them all.
Glancing down at her legs, she realized that wielding most weapons was likely impossible. She decided to check her Personal Information first. At least that option was free. Even if the tool didn't suit her, she could always keep it as a decorative item to brighten up her bare-bones shelter.
Arya's fingers hovered over the screen, ready to explore the mysteries of this strange new world. The journey had just begun, and survival meant mastering every advantage this magic desk could provide.