Chapter 5: World of Ashes (Edited)
On the night of September 30, 2020, at precisely ten o'clock, John Young had already turned off the lights and was lying in bed, ready to sleep, when the air around him suddenly felt damp. The sensation of his sheets changed from soft fabric to smooth, hard plastic. Along with these familiar sensations brought by the pauses in time, the text option box once again surfaced in front of John's eyes.
[Do you wish to enter the world of ashes?]
[Option 1: Yes (Successfully enter the world of ashes and gain the ability to digitize the body along with a channel to quickly become stronger. The price is that you may lose the opportunity to have breakfast tomorrow morning due to staying up late.)]
[Option 2: No (Refuse to enter the world of ashes, but feeling a bit wasteful to sleep immediately, so you start playing games all night. At 2:59 in the morning, a female ghost will be attracted by the stinking Blood Moss.)]
[Option 3: Ignore it temporarily (recommended for patients with a complex medical history. You will have trouble sleeping at night, struggling with whether to enter the world of ashes. You will go to sleep at one o'clock in the morning and then start to dream, continuing the interaction with the ragged young lady from the last dream.)]
John had encountered a similar option twice before and had even figured out a pattern. This option would be triggered every four days at ten o'clock in the evening, as long as he was lying in bed during this time period.
In the previous two cases, John was entangled in choosing whether to enter the world of ashes, but because of the unknown difficulty, he eventually chose the third option. This led to his relationship with a ragged young lady in his dream, allowing them to gradually become more familiar with each other.
"I have always chosen the ragged lady before; should I choose a female ghost this time? Perhaps it will be very exciting, and I happened to have picked up a copper coin sword to restrain evil spirits before..."
John had not encountered the female ghost option before. This option appeared this time because he dug out the foul-smelling Blood Moss and placed it in a safe without special treatment. Therefore, the foul-smelling Blood Moss would be exposed to a certain extent.
"But I might not be able to beat something like a female ghost even if I have a copper sword... wait no, the issue obviously is not a problem between the ragged lady and the female ghost. I should probably focus more of my thoughts on whether to enter the world of ashes or not..."
Counting this time, similar options had been triggered three times, and John felt that it might be time for him to enter the world of ashes and take a look.
Although there might be unknown dangers in the world of ashes, there were also channels for him to quickly become stronger. Therefore, he should simply enter.
"Well, it's decided. I chose the first option, The World of Ashes."
Because he was in the era of aura recovery, John, like many others, was actually worried about whether he would be eliminated by this era. His previous response was to practice hard, but now, he had one more choice: to enter the world of ashes.
After making the choice, John's eyes suddenly went black, then instantly turned white. "It's... an unfamiliar ceiling..." John lay naked on a shabby wooden bed, murmuring the classic lines expressionlessly.
"Why didn't I wear clothes? Oh, no, I don't seem to wear clothes."
John suddenly remembered that he was already lying in bed before going to sleep. It was naturally impossible to put on clothes to sleep. Yes, he slept naked. If you ask John why he chose to sleep naked, it's because sleeping naked is healthier than sleeping in clothes.
"Since it is my own problem, I can't blame others... But it is indeed a bit cold to lie on the bed without clothes, so let's find some clothes to wear first."
Although John liked to sleep naked, he didn't like running naked. After all, he was not a pervert, so he directly chose a set of clothes of a suitable size from the closet in the room and put them on.
After getting dressed, John began to observe the surrounding environment. He was in a strange room. Except for the dilapidated wooden bed he had lain on before, the room was gray, giving off an old feeling suggesting it hadn't been lived in for a long time. The room's floor still clearly retained the footprints left by John from moving from the old wooden bed to the closet.
However, although the room was gray and very old, there were no spider webs. For an old house like this, spider webs and dust should be like best buddies, complementing each other.
"This is the Ash World? It doesn't seem to be very dangerous? Is the Ash World actually safe? No, it's impossible."
John felt that this old house should be a safe zone similar to a game's safe zone, which is why there isn't any obvious danger. Once he stepped out of this house, he might encounter an endless bombardment of attacks.
"I remember that body digitization was mentioned in the option. How does that work?" John returned to the wooden bed and began to study body digitization.
After a while, John found a data list:
[Name: John Young (first order)]
[Race: Human]
[Sex: Male]
[Age: 20]
[Occupation: None]
[Level: LV.1 (0/100)]
[Soul Point: 0]
[HP: 150/150 (Physique×15, the current body has been officially digitized, and the HP recovery speed is 2 points per hour.)]
[Energy value: 100/100 (Intelligence×10, the current body has been officially digitized, and the energy value recovery speed is 6 points per hour.)]
[Power: 10 (related to attack power, weight, and other related secondary attributes)]
[Agility: 10 (related to movement speed, attack speed, neural reflexes, and other related secondary attributes)]
[Physique: 10 (related to health, defense, abnormal resistance, and other related secondary attributes)]
[Intelligence: 10 (related to energy damage, energy value, perception, and other related secondary attributes)]
[Charm: 6 (involving initial goodwill and subsequent social behavior)]
[Luck: ??? (This attribute is a hidden attribute)]
[Talent: Multiple Choices]
[Multiple Choice]
[Quality: ??? (F-EX)]
[Ability 1: Single choice (please explore the specific content)]
[Ability Two: ??? (locked)]
[Skills: 1, Universe Promise LV.2]
( The average attribute of an adult is 5 points. )
John took in the details of his new status. His health, energy, and various physical and mental attributes were now numerically defined, and his talents and skills were clearly laid out. This transformation confirmed the promise of body digitization mentioned in the option.
He felt a mix of excitement and apprehension as he prepared to explore the unknown dangers and opportunities in the world of ashes. The decision to enter this world was not taken lightly, but now that he was here, John was determined to make the most of it. The digitized body and the opportunity to grow stronger were too significant to pass up.
John took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. The room he found himself in was not threatening, but he knew better than to let his guard down. The world of ashes was bound to be filled with unknown perils and challenges, and he needed to be ready for anything.
He checked the room thoroughly, ensuring he hadn't missed any important details or useful items. The closet held a few more sets of clothes, which he decided to leave for now. If this place was indeed a safe zone, he could return here if needed.
As he opened the door, a sense of determination filled him. This was a new beginning, a chance to redefine his life and abilities. John stepped out into the unknown, ready to face whatever the world of ashes had in store for him.