Once Jenna returned to her room, she locked the door and brought her backpack to the bed and poured out the content. Books and pencil cases spilled out...and tiny ring boxes.
However, when she opened the boxes, they were empty.
Jenna blinked twice.
Where did the 99 rings go?
She flipped the books around, shook the backpack upside down, even unzipped the hidden pockets, knowing they wouldn't be there. And she was right.
Panic bloomed in her chest like wildfire.
"No, no, no," she whispered, yanking open drawers and checking under the bed, as if the rings could have magically teleported themselves.
"I had them. I know I did."
She picked her notebook and flipped through the pages, again and again, half-expecting the rings to fall out, but all that came loose was a faded receipt from the canteen.
Jenna dropped onto the bed like a deflated balloon.
Honestly, she didn't know what she was feeling – panic, yes, but most of all, confusion, fear ... then, it clicked.
Jenna suddenly recalled that when she'd taken her backpack earlier, it felt light, and also, the chilling cold she had vanished...it all happened after she got this jade spatial ring...
Her gaze lowered to the green ring on her finger.
"Could it be connected to the 99 rings?" she mused, but of course, no answer.
She took a deep breath. "Well, maybe the answers to my questions would be inside the space...?" she murmured and sat crossed legs on her bed.
"How do I get in?" she asked, but unlike the first time at the market, the ring didn't respond.
She frowned, "Is there supposed to be a command word or something?"
The ring remained dull and still on her finger, as if mocking her.
Jenna narrowed her eyes and held up her hand, examining the green band.
"Okay… activate?" she tried.
Nothing.
"Open Sesame?"
Still nothing.
She sighed. "Come on. Space... enter ring space... access... teleport... System... sto—"
Ding!
She flinched as a soft mechanic sound chimed in her ears. The ring pulsed gently against her skin, and then—
[Access Granted. Welcome, Host.]
The world around her shimmered.
Jenna barely had time to gasp before her surroundings shifted entirely. Her room dissolved like mist, replaced by a rectangular room she had seen earlier.
In the next second, a holographic panel blocked her view.
[Name: Jennifer Churchill
Age: 18
Status: Human
Threat Level: F rank
Ability: None (awakening pending)
Skills: None (awakening pending)
Exp: 0/100
Daily Quest:
Main Quest: Survive The Apocalypse
Side Quest: Collect 99 magical artifacts
Artifact Type: god-tier spatial rings
Reward: 1 SSS rank ability
Collected: 99/99
Space Rank: Tier 1 (upgradable)
Inventory Slots: Locked
Other Features: Locked ]
"Okay, this is not scary, not scary at all," she mumbled, rubbing her arms, feeling goosebumps creeping up her spine. "And that voice, where did it come from?"
As if responding to her thoughts, the voice echoed again.
[I am the Apocalypse-spatial System bound to Host's consciousness. My purpose is to assist the Host in survival, storage, and growth.]
[Would you like a brief orientation?]
Jenna's brows shot up. "Wait... you're actually a system? Not just a spatial ring?"
[Correct.]
Her mouth fell open.
[Host has now activated the core functions of the Spatial Dimensional Ring.]
[Currently, this is a Tier 1 Spatial Storage with a level 1 store, a level 1 field, and a basic fountain of life. Can be upgraded after binding the space to the system.]
[Would you like to learn about each function?]
[Or... ]
[Would you like to bind the space to system now?]
Jenna nodded slowly, "Learn each function."
She was still trying to wrap her head around what she was hearing. The rumor didn't say De Warden had a system. It was just a space ring.
Could this be different from De Warden's?
She wouldn't be surprised if it was, and she hoped it was different. After all, it was simply impossible to get De Warden's exact ring, with no destination and no sample, in a market filled with weird rings.
That would be too convenient.
And Jenna hoped he wasn't reborn. That way, it would save her the headache of running and hiding from him and his mad people.
Jenna exhaled slowly, convincing herself that she could be overthinking this matter.
"Uh… yeah. Start with the storage."
[Storage Room: Capable of holding inanimate objects. No weight restriction. Items inside the Storage Room are frozen in time, preserving their state indefinitely. Total space: 30x30 meters. Expandable with upgrades.]
Taking in the shimmering walls lined with faint compartment outlines. A few compartments glowed, and as she focused on one, she saw a ring, then another, and another, until she realized it was her missing 99 rings hovering in the compartment.
Her eyes widened.
So, the rings had vanished into the space?
"No wonder I couldn't find them. That explains the backpack bricks' disappearance." She rubbed her neck. "What about the field?"
[Field: A 20x20 meter plot of mega fertile land. Supports rapid crop growth. Crop yield is unaffected by external climate or time.]
That made Jenna perk up. "Wait—so I can grow food here too?"
[Correct.]
Her heart skipped a beat. In her previous life, starvation was the greatest killer. Even those who survived the early days died from disease, bad food, or contaminated water. But now, she could plant whatever she want.
Hahahaha.
"And the fountain?" she asked, turning toward the glimmering spring in the distance with excitement.
[Fountain of Life: Produces clean, mineral-rich water with healing properties. Daily output: 5 liters. Replenishes every 24 hours. But with space upgrade, the healing process, spring, and daily quantity improves.]
Jenna's lips parted in disbelief. "You're telling me I've got food storage, a farm, and a healing spring... in my ring?"
[Affirmative.]
She let out a breathless laugh. "No wonder De Warden was unstoppable."
Jenna paused for a moment as a thought crossed her mind.
"Systen, if I die and probably get reborn, will the system and space stay with me?"
[The Spatial System has been bound to Host's life signature. If Host perishes, the system will deactivate permanently and serve for another host.]
Then, it's possible De Warden's ring found another host.
It's also possible he wasn't reborn, she convinced herself, too afraid to believe otherwise.
"So, don't die, Jenna," she muttered grimly to herself.
She took a few steps forward, watching the 99 rings slowly shift in the air as if alive.
"What's with all the rings though? Why were they drawn into the space?"
[These are magical artifacts with latent spatial energy.]
The system continued...