Traveling Worlds

A boy with brown hair and eyes looked into the colorful void he is trapped in, he is in an ordinary colored rowboat in the endless expanse of space. "So i wonder how i got here"

Strangely he coulf breathe and talk,breaking the conventional laws of space, his voice reverberated through out the colorful void.

"Ok let me recount, I was walking back home and then suddenly everything went dark then this—"

[You have Obtained The World Compass 1/10, You have obtained Simple rowboat 1/10, You have obtained Map of Worlds 1/10, You have obtained Basic revolver 1/10, You have obtained Harpoon 1/10, You have obtained Basic Fishing Rod 1/10]

"—Appeared in front of me, the items are scattered on the rowboat i am currently situated in but that still doesn't explain why i am here" He completed talking to seemingly nobody.

In front of him a screen that resembled old yellow paper appeared in front of him with words in them.

[Functions of the items and Travelers Role: Something cataclysmic happened in your world—]

"Wait what?!!" He suddenly interrupted with a panicked voice.

[—So by some strange miracle you were given the ability to fly through dpace by selling,Buying and upgrading items essential to you, or you could steal from others]

"Hey answer my question?!" He asked whilst gritting his teeth.

[Thr World Compass allows you to travel to dead worlds at its current level it gives a vague direction and requires you to decipher clues from the Map of Worlds. Upgrading it will grant more precise navigation. The Simple Rowboat, though humble, will evolve into stronger vessels with upgrades. The Map of Worlds reveals coordinates and hints of treasure, trade routes, and dangers. The Basic Revolver is your starting weapon for self-defense or confrontation. The Harpoon can be used for both combat and resource gathering. Lastly, the Basic Fishing Rod allows you to harvest resources from the void itself.]

The boy leaned back, running a hand through his messy brown hair as he tried to digest everything. "Dead worlds? Selling, buying, stealing? This sounds like some sort of… twisted space merchant game."

The screen flickered as more text appeared.

[Shop]

[Sell]

[Buy]

[Enhance]

[Upgrade]

[Fuse]

[Points: 0]

The boy stared at the floating screen, his mouth slightly open. "Points? I don't even know how to get points, and now I have to trade and upgrade things? Is this some kind of intergalactic punishment?"

The screen flickered again, this time displaying another set of messages.

[At Basic fishing rod 1/10 you can fish for things that cost 0.1 points]

"Fish for things that cost 0.1 points? What does that even mean?" the boy muttered, scratching his head. He looked down at the simple fishing rod lying beside him. It was unimpressive wooden, with a frayed line and a rusty hook. "So, I just… fish in this void?"

He picked up the rod hesitantly, glancing around the colorful expanse. There was no water, no fish, just the swirling hues of space. "This is ridiculous," he sighed, but there wasn't much else he could do. With a shrug, he cast the line into the void.

To his surprise, the hook didn't just dangle aimlessly. Instead, it seemed to sink into the colorful abyss, the line glowing faintly as it extended far out of sight. The rod vibrated slightly in his hands.

[Beginner's Luck: A catch is imminent.]

"Well, that was fast," he said, gripping the rod tighter. Suddenly, the line tugged hard. "Whoa, whoa!" he shouted, nearly falling out of the rowboat as he struggled to reel it in. Whatever was on the other end was putting up a fight.

After a few moments of intense effort, he finally pulled the line back into the boat. Dangling from the rusty hook was… a small, shimmering orb, pulsating with a faint blue light.

[You have obtained Void Fragment (Value: 0.1 Points).]

"A Void Fragment?" he echoed, holding the orb in his palm. It was warm to the touch, almost comforting. "So this is worth… 0.1 points? What do I even do with it?"

The screen in front of him updated again.

[Void Fragment added to inventory. Current Points: 0.1.]

[Shop is now accessible.]

"Great," he muttered, tapping the floating Shop option. A new list of items appeared:

-Basic Ammo Pack (0.1 Points)

-Wood Reinforcement for Rowboat (0.2 Points)

-Fishing Rod Upgrade (1 Point)

-Compass Calibration Upgrade (2 Points)

"An ammo pack? I don't even want to think about why I'd need that right now," he muttered, scrolling down. "But… I'm going to need to upgrade this rod if I want to make real progress."

He glanced at the Void Fragment again and back to the glowing abyss. "Guess I'm stuck fishing until I can afford better gear."

With a sigh, he cast the line again, watching as it disappeared into the void.

Allen was his name and now he is grinding out here to survive the cruelty of loneliness.

This time it took much longer to catch something it took him almost fifty minutes to catch another one.

[You have obtained Void Fragment(Value: 0.1 points)

[Void Fragment added to inventory. Current Points:0.2]

Allen sighed, leaning back in the creaky rowboat as he wiped his brow. "At this rate, it'll take forever to upgrade anything," he muttered, staring at the vibrant expanse around him. The swirling colors of the void felt oddly alive, like they were watching him.

"Alright," he said, straightening up. "I can't just sit here fishing forever. There's got to be more to this…"

He hesitated, then clicked on the Map of Worlds option from the floating screen. The map materialized in front of him, an intricate piece of parchment-like interface with glowing dots scattered across it. Most of the dots were faint, but a single one pulsed gently, marked with the words: "Dead World: Echo Drift (Distance: Moderate)".

"Echo Drift? That doesn't sound ominous at all," he mumbled sarcastically. He tapped on the glowing dot, and the World Compass on the boat's dashboard emitted a faint hum. Its needle spun wildly before pointing straight ahead.

[Destination set: Echo Drift. Estimated travel time: 4 hours at current vessel speed.]

"Four hours?!" Allen exclaimed, staring at the pitiful rowboat he was seated in. "You're telling me this thing can actually move in space?"

The screen flickered again, as if mocking him.

[Rowboats in the void move by rowing. Begin rowing.]

"…Of course," he muttered. With a resigned sigh, he grabbed the oars resting at his feet and dipped them into the empty void. Surprisingly, they met resistance, as though he was rowing through invisible water. The boat began to glide forward, the colors around him shifting subtly.

As he rowed, the silence of the void was deafening, broken only by the creak of the oars. The sense of isolation weighed on him, but Allen pushed through it. "Four hours," he muttered. "I just have to keep going. Maybe Echo Drift will have… something. Answers, resources, people?"

The thought of meeting someone else out here, anyone at all, was both hopeful and terrifying.

After what felt like an eternity, a notification popped up.

[Rowing Progress: 25% Complete]

"That doesn't help?!"

Allen groaned, leaning back to stretch his arms. "Four hours of this? I'll be ripped by the end of it or dead from exhaustion." He adjusted his grip on the oars, glancing at the swirling abyss around him. The endless expanse felt like it was mocking him, its beauty hiding the oppressive loneliness.

"Alright, maybe there's a trick to this," he muttered. He tapped on the Enhance option in the floating menu, hoping for something useful. A new screen popped up.

Enhance Options

-Basic Revolver (Enhance Aim): 0.5 Points

-Rowboat Speed Boost (Temporary): 0.3 Points

-Fishing Rod Efficiency: 0.3 Points

"Speed boost, huh?" Allen rubbed his chin. He only had 0.2 points at the moment, which wasn't enough for anything useful. "I need to catch at least one more Void Fragment."

With a sigh, he picked up the fishing rod and cast it into the void again. The glowing line seemed to stretch endlessly, fading into the swirling colors. He waited, his patience wearing thin. Minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity.

Just as he was about to give up, the line jerked violently. "Finally!" he shouted, gripping the rod and pulling with all his strength. Whatever was on the other end was heavier than before, and it took him several grueling minutes to reel it in.

When the catch finally broke the surface of the void, Allen's eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't a Void Fragment this time. Instead, it was a small chest, glowing faintly with golden light.

[You have obtained Glowing Chest (Requires Key to Open).]

"A key? You've got to be kidding me," Allen groaned, inspecting the chest. It was small enough to fit in his lap, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge. "Guess I'll hold onto it for now."

The screen updated again.

[Void Fragment added to inventory. Current Points: 0.3.]

Allen smiled faintly. "Enough for a speed boost." He opened the Enhance menu again and selected Rowboat Speed Boost (Temporary). The rowboat vibrated slightly, and a faint blue aura enveloped it.

[Speed has increased by 1%]

"….Screw you"

[…]

It may have been a temper boost which left Allen heartbroken, he should have just rowed for four hours, but looking at the bright side a 1% increase isn't bad.

Allen sighed, gripping the oars and shaking his head. "One percent… That's just cruel," he muttered, begrudgingly starting to row again. The faint blue aura around the boat seemed to mock him as he strained against the invisible resistance of the void. "This better add up or something."

As he rowed, his mind wandered back to the glowing chest now sitting securely in the corner of the boat. A key… Where would he even find one in a place like this? Would he have to fish endlessly, hoping to stumble upon one? The thought made his stomach twist in frustration.

"Focus, Allen," he muttered to himself. "Get to Echo Drift first. Maybe there's something useful there."

After another agonizing hour of rowing, the void around him began to shift. The swirling colors grew dimmer, darker, as if the light was being sucked away. The air,if it could be called that felt heavier, and a strange static crackled faintly in the distance.

[Approaching Echo Drift.]

The World Compass pulsed softly, its needle trembling as it pointed ahead. A faint outline began to take shape in the distance, a dark, jagged mass floating in the void. Allen squinted, his heart racing as he realized he was finally nearing his destination.

The rowboat slowed on its own as it approached the edge of Echo Drift. The mass wasn't just a floating rock or planet; it was an enormous, shattered fragment of a world. Pieces of land and broken structures floated aimlessly in the void, connected by faint streams of glowing energy.

"Dead world, huh?" Allen whispered, gripping the oars tightly. The sight was both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling. Whatever had happened to this place had left it in ruins, yet there was a strange, quiet beauty to the chaos.

The screen appeared again, displaying new text.

[Echo Drift:

- Risk Level: Low

- Resources: Moderate

- Notable Features: Void Caches, Trader Wreckage, ???]

[Entering Atmosphere, Find a suitable place yo anchor your boat.]

Allen scanned the fragmented world ahead, his eyes darting between floating chunks of debris and faintly glowing streams of energy. The silence was broken by a faint hum, the rowboat gliding closer to the jagged mass. He gripped the oars tightly, nerves prickling at the back of his neck.

"Anchor, huh?" he muttered, glancing around the boat. Among the scattered items, he spotted a rusty anchor coiled with an impossibly long chain. "Guess I just… drop this?"

He picked up the anchor and, with a grunt, tossed it over the side of the rowboat. The chain unraveled rapidly, vanishing into the void below. The boat lurched slightly as the anchor caught onto something unseen.

[Anchored Successfully. You may now explore Echo Drift.]

Allen exhaled, standing unsteadily as the boat swayed. "Explore… how exactly?" he muttered. There was no clear path, just fragments of a shattered world drifting lazily through the void. He glanced at the floating screen for guidance, but it remained blank.

"Well, no time like the present," he muttered, grabbing the Basic Revolver and the Harpoon. He tested their weight in his hands, the revolver feeling oddly balanced despite its simplicity, while the harpoon seemed heavier and more versatile.

The boat's edge connected to a jagged platform of rock, close enough for him to step onto. He hesitated, glancing back at the glowing chest and the rest of his meager belongings. "Stay put," he muttered to no one in particular, then leapt onto the platform.