Multiverse: Dimension Hopping Mage

Chapter 31: What's the Difference Between Not Spending Money and Being a Freeloader?

In the end, Alex decided to go with Malt and the others to the depths of the Shadow Canyon to thwart the Lich's evil plot. 

In fact, he had no other choice; Alex could not make it out of Shadow Canyon alone, and Malt and his team were determined to go back, so he had to accompany them.

Thinking it over, this might actually be a good idea. After all, by following these people, he might encounter Stone and Miss M, and it would be much easier to leave at that point.

In the battle at the riverbank, the team suffered heavy casualties. Including Malt and Conan, only five knights survived.

Two of them were seriously injured, forcing Alex to play the role of a priest again, using the Paladin's Holy Light to heal them.

This move naturally amazed Malt, but unfortunately, Alex did not possess a resurrection spell among his Paladin skills.

Therefore, he could do nothing for those who had died—although, even if he had the spell, he probably wouldn't use it. While with Knight Conan, Alex had gathered some information.

In this world, as long as someone had a breath of life, they could be saved, but resurrection was another matter.

That was the domain of the gods, and ordinary people who performed resurrections risked being associated with necromancers who toy with souls.

Alex, still branded as a cultist, didn't want to add the label of necromancer to his name.

According to Malt, those besieging them were the main force that had ambushed them earlier.

They fought while retreating, losing many along the way, until they were forced to make a last stand at Blood Beach.

If Alex hadn't arrived in time, they truly would have fought to the death. However, the situation wasn't so bad now.

Including Malt and Conan, five Templar Knights had survived, which was at least some good news.

After Alex healed their wounds, they immediately left Blood Beach. To their surprise, their journey was unusually peaceful, without encountering any more enemies.

This was both good and bad news. The good news was that they were no longer the Lich's primary target; the bad news was that if the Lich no longer needed them, it meant he was confident in completing his ritual. This made it even more urgent for them to stop his evil plans.

As night fell, Alex sat on a rock, gazing at the campfire in front of him. In the pitch-black wilderness, the orange-red flames were particularly reassuring.

The night wind swirled across the wilds, and strange sounds could be heard in the distance. It was unclear if they were the roars of beasts or the screams of ghosts.

How interesting...

Alex squinted, leaning comfortably against the rock. Growing up in a city, he had occasionally traveled, but this was his first time camping in the boundless wilderness.

The novelty alone fascinated him. It felt as if he had traveled back in time to the prehistoric era, perhaps to when primitive people gathered around campfires, enjoying warmth and dispelling darkness. The weight of time overwhelmed him, leaving him momentarily entranced.

"You don't travel much, do you?"

As Alex admired the scenery, Malt approached and sat beside him. Hearing Malt's question, Alex nodded.

"Yes, very rarely. I used to be very busy. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I looked up at the stars."

"People are always too focused on what's in front of them, neglecting the beautiful scenery around."

Malt smiled at Alex's response.

"To be honest, sometimes it's better to take a walk, even in situations like this. After all, no one knows if they'll survive tomorrow. That's why we must wholeheartedly enjoy the present. Only then will we not regret the beautiful moments we missed when we're on our deathbeds."

"That makes a lot of sense."

Alex nodded at Malt's sentiment. People living in cities are no different. Every day, they are busy with work, household chores, and worrying about mundane things like food prices and health insurance.

They work, socialize with colleagues, and at home, they care about their children's education and mortgage payments.

They might even worry about the rising price of gasoline. But who truly cares about the city they live in?

What is the purpose of a lifetime? Everyone has a different answer to this question.

"But most importantly..."

"One should spend their life in such a way that, when they look back, they do not regret wasting time or feel ashamed of doing nothing."

"Oh? That's quite an interesting perspective. Did you come up with it yourself?"

"No, I read it in a book a long time ago."

Noticing Malt's curious gaze, Alex shrugged.

"To be honest, I didn't think much of it at the time. After all, anyone can spout grand theories, but... they're not much use in practice. However, now, I think I understand a bit more."

"The advantage of youth lies in fearlessness. Living cautiously might be stable, but it's also quite dull. If you ask me, some grand theories are better left unknown. If you understand them, it means that while you've gained something, you've also lost something else."

With that, Malt stood up and patted Alex on the shoulder.

"It's late. Aren't you going to get some rest? We have a long journey ahead tomorrow."

"I'll stay up a bit longer."

"Alright, be careful. The scenery may be beautiful, but danger lurks as well. Life is like walking on a foggy path; no one knows what will happen next."

"I understand that very well."

Alex could deeply relate to Malt's sentiment—no one could understand it better than him. He had been electrocuted by a high-voltage line and then reincarnated. What more could life throw at him?

Malt went to rest, leaving Alex alone. However, his reason for staying was not just to admire the scenery.

After ensuring there was no one around, Alex took out the spirit crystals he had previously stored away.

Ever since he learned through the system that he could be a PTW player, Alex had been itching to do so. Now that he had the chance, he immediately began the process.

Soon, as Alex took out the spirit crystals, the system message reappeared before his eyes.

"Detected valuable materials available for conversion. Proceed with conversion and recharge?"

"Yes."

Without hesitation, Alex confirmed the action. He watched as a golden circular magic array appeared from his palm, enveloping the spirit crystals, which silently disintegrated into countless golden particles.

These particles swirled and were absorbed into the magic array like iron filings drawn to a magnet. Shortly after, another system message popped up.

"190 crystal energy points absorbed. Please choose how to use them."

"190?"

Alex was momentarily stunned by the value. According to his design, crystal energy was converted at a 1:1 ratio to currency, meaning these spirit crystals were worth only this much?

But wait... if he remembered correctly, the conversion ratio from crystal energy to dimensional points was 1:5. So he could only exchange for a maximum of 38 dimensional points?

Thinking this, Alex's expression became noticeably more tense.

This meant, including the 5 dimensional points he had previously saved, he could only draw the lottery four times?

So, the question was, should he draw the lottery? Or not draw the lottery?

Alex felt this was a ridiculously stupid question, one that didn't even need answering. If he didn't spend money to draw the lottery, what was the point?

So, Alex made a decisive choice.

Draw the lottery!

(End of Chapter)

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