章 2: Chapter 2: Entering the Low-dimensional World
編集者: Atlas Studios
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After searching some keywords, Tang Lin finally understood who was speaking to him.
The dwarves from the movie "Lord of the Rings," who had accumulated a vast amount of wealth, caught the attention of the fire dragon Smaug. As a result, the fire dragon destroyed the dwarves' empire and seized countless amounts of gold, forcing the dwarves to flee in disgrace.
They were a group of homeless individuals.
Characters from the movie suddenly contacting Tang Lin, hoping he could save the dwarves, was quite a novel experience.
"Please save us!"
The voice on the other side continued, and Tang Lin could tell this person seemed genuinely anxious, truly at a critical moment of life and death.
Thinking it over, Tang Lin replied, "Tell me, how can I save you?"
Hmm, the grammar should be correct.
The other side seemed to hear Tang Lin's response, speaking rapidly with great urgency. Tang Lin had to translate once again, working hard to barely understand what the other side was saying.
The dwarves had escaped from the Airebo Kingdom but suffered heavy losses under the attack of half-orcs on the road, now hoping Tang Lin could rescue them.
That was roughly what it meant, and as for their specific situation, Tang Lin couldn't really figure it out. This kind of second-hand translation was barely enough for communication.
See, knowing a foreign language is so important; otherwise, when the system's Golden Finger appears, you can't even complete the operation.
Hearing that the opponents were half-orcs, Tang Lin couldn't help but recall the monsters he'd seen in the movie, each one strong and ferocious.
Tang Lin was a brave person, but he wasn't a fool.
He had just graduated from high school, so how could he possibly beat them? Being summoned over was less about saving people and more about adding to the half-orcs' feast, as they particularly liked eating human flesh.
Just as he was about to refuse, this emotionless system gave a new prompt, "Connection built, contract generated, mission difficulty: Extremely Easy. Accepting the summon will earn you 500 points of Wish Power, and completing the mission will earn an additional 500 points. Do you wish to decline this summon?"
"Goddammit, 'extremely easy'?! Never mind half-orcs, I can't even beat a hobbit, alright!" Tang Lin couldn't help but complain.
This stupid system seemed like it was out to trick people.
Facing Tang Lin's complaints, the emotionless system gave no response. It was far less intelligent than imagined, only reacting when keywords were triggered.
Although he found it somewhat unreliable, Tang Lin was still interested in this opportunity to reach the pinnacle of life, tentatively asking the system, "What is the standard for judging mission difficulty?"
This time, he received a more detailed reply.
"Extremely easy, with a task completion probability of nearly 90%, with a chance of life-threatening encounters near 1%."
"Easy, with a task completion probability of nearly 70%, with a chance of life-threatening encounters near 5%."
"Average, with a task completion probability of nearly 50%, with a chance of life-threatening encounters near 10%."
"Difficult, with a task completion probability of nearly 30%, with a chance of life-threatening encounters near 20%."
"Nightmare, with a task completion probability of nearly 10%, with a chance of life-threatening encounters near 50%."
"Purgatory, with a task completion probability of nearly 1%, with a chance of life-threatening encounters near 70%."
After carefully listening to this grading system, Tang Lin really couldn't understand how going to the Magic Ring plane could possibly be the easiest level of difficulty. With his physical condition, he wouldn't even qualify as cannon fodder over there.
"If I accept this contract, can I beat the half-orcs?" Tang Lin asked again.
"High-dimensional beings entering a low-dimensional plane will receive a powerful boost. According to calculations, your probability of completing the mission once you enter the plane is over 99%."
"Then can you first tell me what abilities I'll gain after crossing over to the plane?" Tang Lin continued to inquire.
This time, the system didn't respond, probably because it hadn't triggered any fixed keywords.
Unable to determine what abilities he might receive, Tang Lin was still worried about this crossing-over matter. People assume those novel protagonists always smash their way through with a Protagonist Aura.
In reality, how many new system-flow books from one year at the starting point are actually seen by anyone?
If all these novels became parallel planes, what would become of those abandoned protagonist narratives without an author's protection in a different world—has anyone considered that?
While this story might just be starting, and it won't be cut off that quickly, an author's integrity, like human nature, cannot survive such a test.
Tang Lin was living well as it was, without any fatally ill sisters or dying best friends in exigent circumstances—the reasons to go on such an adventure just weren't compelling enough.
Prudence in life was crucial—better not jump into something and immediately face one of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings, no, rather, a Ring Spirit Knight or the fire dragon Smaug. That would mean instantly meeting his end.
If it were the world from "High School Girl's Wasted Daily Life," a funny manga, Tang Lin would be willing to give it a try, as there would absolutely be no mortal danger.
So, he decided to give up.
Tang Lin thought so, only to hear the emotionless system prompt immediately, "Preparation time is over, you did not decline the task, you gain 500 points of Wish Power, teleportation beginning!"
What?!
Tang Lin suddenly remembered that the system had asked if he wished to "decline," not if he wished to "accept."
So this didn't count as a sneaky clause?
The surrounding environment changed rapidly, making Tang Lin feel dizzy, with a strong urge to throw up.
When he came to, he found himself in a very narrow space. How to describe it? It was probably just a pit big enough for one person.
The surroundings seemed to be covered in mossy sand, above was a splendid starry sky. When Tang Lin stood upright, the distance above his head was just barely twenty to thirty centimeters from the surface; crawling out shouldn't be much of an issue.
So this is the world of "Magic Ring," though it didn't appear to be as scenic as in the film. But wasn't he supposed to gain enhanced abilities? Why was he still in pajamas and slippers?
Just as he was thinking about climbing out of the pit, as he moved his foot, it seemed like he stepped on something, making a crunching sound.
Looking down, Tang Lin was startled.
What he had just stepped on seemed to be a stone platform, which crumbled under his foot. But that wasn't the astonishing part; what genuinely left Tang Lin speechless was the circle of miniature people surrounding his foot.
Under the light of dozens of matchstick-sized torches, a group of tiny people not even as tall as Tang Lin's thumb were bowing desperately in front of him, seeming to shout something loudly, but the sound was so tiny that Tang Lin couldn't make out any of it.
He forcefully pinched his thigh, and the pain told Tang Lin this was no dream; these tiny people seemed alive.
Taking a more thorough look around, it wasn't someone who dug a pit, but clearly a miniature valley. The surrounding earthen walls were actually towering cliffs, covered with various lush plants, just not easy to see at night.
In an instant, Tang Lin thought of "Gulliver's Travels," the world-renowned classic, and then recalled other novels about humans shrinking, like "Micronizations."
"So entering a low-dimensional plane as a high-dimensional being strengthens you in this way?" Tang Lin never imagined this was how it would turn out after entering a different world.
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