NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Chapter 2 Welcome to the Dream World
When Qin Chuan's consciousness awoke once more, he found himself standing on a grassy lawn teeming with countless plants.
"Is this... Dream World?" After a brief moment of confusion, Qin Chuan quickly realized where he was.
Inhaling the fresh air tinged with a hint of sweetness and looking around at the strange plants and foliage he had never seen before, he tentatively touched the little grass on the ground with five-star leaves, and the realistic sensation blurred the boundary between dreams and reality.
This place was slightly different from what he had imagined.
The next moment, Qin Chuan's gaze locked onto the upper right corner of his field of vision.
There was a small, shimmering dot.
The dot was fixed within his sight, identical to the text he had seen before.
After a moment of contemplation, Qin Chuan tentatively reached out to touch the light point in the air.
Unlike in the real world, he distinctly felt feedback against his fingertip.
Rows of text instantly unfolded before his eyes.
[Player Name: Qin Chuan (can be changed once)]
[Player Image: Real appearance (can be changed once)]
[Player Level: Apprentice Level]
[Contract Slot: 0/1][View]
[Item Equipment Bar: 0/10][View]
[00:01:12/08:00:00][00:00:00]
After quickly scanning through all the content, Qin Chuan didn't hesitate to choose to change his player name and player image.
Although the previous text indicated that dangers encountered in Dream World wouldn't affect the real world, there was no need for him to reveal his identity if he could hide it.
After being reminded several times that the player names were taken, he successfully selected "Luo" as his player name. Qin Chuan then started to modify his player image.
His current image matched his real-world appearance, including the pajamas he was wearing to bed tonight.
Within image customization, he could sculpt his face as well as choose to change his attire.
After creating a face unrelated to his real one but equally handsome, Qin Chuan picked out a suit of clothes conducive to movement and finished the modifications.
His gaze lingered on the Player Level line for a moment before he unhesitatingly clicked on the [View] link at the end of the Contract Slot row.
A round pedestal-like slot appeared in his line of sight with a white ring of light floating up and down above it. However, the slot was empty, corresponding with the 0/1 description.
The Item Equipment Bar revealed a locker with ten slots, all of which were empty for the time being.
An extremely simple panel.
Qin Chuan's eyes rested on the last line.
With his recent actions, the last line had changed.
[00:03:46/08:00:00][00:00:00]
As expected, this should be the time.
It was three minutes past midnight, and Dream World would temporarily close at eight o'clock.
He had just over seven hours to explore this entirely new world.
As for the last [00:00:00], its meaning was unclear, so he set it aside for now.
After trying out all the functions once more to ensure nothing was missed, Qin Chuan clicked the light point in the upper right corner again, retracting the panel before his eyes.
He noticed that as the panel withdrew, the light point stopped blinking.
So, it was a newbie reminder?
"It's getting more and more like a game," he muttered softly, "No wonder we're called 'players.'"
But is Dream World really just a game?
Qin Chuan still harbored a skeptical attitude toward this.
He carefully pushed through a shrub as tall as a person, aimlessly exploring his surroundings.
Perhaps, he thought, he should first look for other people who had come here.
After all, Dream World was open to the entire world.
Eight billion people, if all in Dream World, the chances of encountering someone else should not be small.
"Rustle~"
A faint sound brought Qin Chuan's steps to an abrupt halt.
He stood still, warily looking in the direction the sound had come from.
The odd plants around him made it impossible to see far, and as the sound seemed to be drawing nearer, Qin Chuan's heart suddenly leaped into his throat.
The unknown was always the most terrifying.
He clenched his fists tightly, staring intently at the bushes in front of him, already considering whether he should punch whatever was making the noise as soon as it appeared.
"Rustle~"
Accompanying a clear noise, the bushes in front of him gently shook.
It was coming!
Qin Chuan quickly assumed a ready stance for attack.
The next moment, a head poked out of the parted bushes, followed by a body.
Qin Chuan watched the creature in front of him, dumbfounded, his mind gone blank for an instant.
It looked like a puppy.
But it had two tails, four ears, and its fur was a color that should be impossible for a dog—blue.
What species was this?
"Woof~"
The little dog looked at Qin Chuan curiously, taking steps closer to him.
Qin Chuan cautiously backed away step by step, maintaining a certain distance, while he clicked on the flickering light in the upper right corner that had been flashing since the dog appeared.
[Spiritual Beast Species: Water Leaf Dog]
[Spiritual Beast Attribute: Water Attribute]
[Spiritual Beast Level: Juvenile Stage Lv4]
[Spiritual Beast State: Uncontracted]
[Spiritual Beast Introduction: Water Leaf Dog, a Water Attribute Spiritual Beast, has keen senses, is curious by nature, loves exploring, and has a friendly disposition.]
Reading the lines of text before him, Qin Chuan couldn't help but take another look at the little dog, no, it should now be called a Water Leaf Dog.
Was this a species from this world?
Keen senses, naturally curious.
So... had it heard his movements and came over out of curiosity?
With this thought, Qin Chuan watched the Water Leaf Dog attempting to draw near, his gaze flickering slightly.
The introduction of the spiritual beast mentioned that the Water Leaf Dog had a friendly nature.
From his observation, this Water Leaf Dog indeed did not seem to have any malice.
Maybe... he should try making contact?
With this thought, Qin Chuan stopped backing away.
The Water Leaf Dog's water-blue eyes lit up, it moved faster, quickly reaching Qin Chuan's feet, and began to sniff curiously.
After a good sniff, the Water Leaf Dog looked up, barked, and its two tails wagged together.
Qin Chuan let out a slight sigh of relief.
It resembled the dogs from Blue Star, so the tail wagging probably meant the same thing, right?
He crouched down cautiously before reaching out to touch the fur on the Water Leaf Dog's back.
The touch of the fur was strange; it seemed fluffy and soft, yet after stroking it, the palm felt moist.
Being petted by Qin Chuan, the Water Leaf Dog seemed very pleased. It excitedly spit out a Water Ball, tossed it high into the air, and then began to play with it using its nose, as if performing, leaving Qin Chuan amazed.
This ability to control water was obviously unscientific.
He suddenly recalled the introduction, the Water Leaf Dog's attribute was Water...
So all spiritual beasts have Extraordinary Power, and depending on their attribute, they possess different powers?
Realizing this, a look of surprise and delight crossed Qin Chuan's face.
He was finding the Dream World increasingly fascinating.