For the moment, Kurosaki Rei wasn't entirely sure about the purchasing power of Terminal Coins. But judging from the options alone, the values didn't seem wildly unbalanced. In that case, it made sense to prioritize whatever looked rarer.
Free attributes were easy to understand. The Terminal Space had clearly stated that by going to the Enhancement Hall, one could allocate attribute points to directly boost their foundational strength.
Option A was a must. Even though he could improve through training, there was no reason to refuse free stats being handed to him.
Among the remaining options, Kurosaki Rei first checked the details of the title.
Title: The Fearless
Rating: B+ (E- ~ SSS+)
Origin:
The Explorer achieved the legendary fastest graduation from the Shin'ō Academy in the derivative world Bleach. His fearless spirit in daring to challenge a captain was widely praised within the academy.
Effect:
While equipped, the Explorer's Strength attribute is permanently locked at +1.
This effect applies at all tiers.
PS:
When entering the derivative world Bleach, this title additionally grants +1000 base reputation.
Evaluation:
I polished a reckless hothead into "The Fearless."
Kurosaki Rei's lips twitched at the Terminal Space's evaluation.
So you're just calling me a reckless idiot, but with better wording?
Complaints aside, he found the title quite good. A flat +1 to Strength at any stage was simple, brutal, and effective—especially since Strength happened to be his weakest attribute right now.
From his understanding of games, titles were usually not easy to come by. After some thought, he decided to select it.
That left the final choice.
Random chests… given his extensive experience with company-made scammy games, he knew all too well how unreliable RNG-based rewards could be.
As for Inheritance Crystals (Small), he didn't fully understand their exact value yet. And he harbored some skepticism toward using external means to raise his skills—was something the system "trained" for you really the same as something you trained yourself?
After thinking it over for a long while, Kurosaki Rei ultimately chose the Inheritance Crystals. Random chests just felt too risky.
Judging by the Terminal Space's wording, there were clearly many other Explorers around. He could always head out later to gather information, then decide whether to use the crystals himself or sell them.
He selected A, E, and F.
Rewards acquired.
Just as Kurosaki Rei was about to go take a shower and relax, another prompt from the Terminal Space sounded.
[The Terminal Space invites Explorer No. 404040404 to become a Pioneer. Do you accept?]
"Pioneer?"
Kurosaki Rei rolled the word around in his mind. He recalled the moment when the Terminal Space first dragged him in—back then, it had mentioned that depending on his performance in the trial world, the terms of his contract could improve… or worsen.
So was this "Pioneer" status an upgrade, or a downgrade?
[The Terminal Space selects Explorers with the greatest potential and talent to sign contracts, sending them to conquer worlds not yet synchronized with the Space. These are known as Pioneers.]
As if reading Kurosaki Rei's thoughts, the Terminal Space continued.
[Please review the Pioneer Contract.]
A floating light screen appeared before him, displaying contract-like terms that detailed the responsibilities and privileges of a Pioneer.
The document was long, but Kurosaki Rei focused on the key clauses.
[According to New Terminal Regulation Article 26, except under special circumstances, the Space may not send Pioneers to worlds whose maximum difficulty is lower than the Pioneer's Mark tier.]
[Pioneers will be dispatched to higher-difficulty worlds for conquest, usually with extremely demanding main quests, all for the purpose of assimilating new worlds into the Space.]
[During periods of Space War, Pioneers may not refuse conscription (all exemption medals and items are invalid).
If a Pioneer aids the Space in achieving victory, they will receive exceptionally generous special rewards.]
[Under special circumstances, Pioneers may be required to assume Arbiter duties, executing rule-violating Explorers
(only when Arbiters of the same tier have repeatedly failed).]
[A special Glory Shop will be unlocked for Pioneers, where Pioneer Merit can be exchanged for various items and tools.]
[Pioneer Explorer Mark permissions are increased by one tier by default.]
Kurosaki Rei understood immediately.
In simple terms, a Pioneer meant high authority, high responsibility; high risk, high reward.
You went to the most dangerous worlds.
You fought the toughest battles.
It sounded… pretty damn interesting.
Exactly his kind of thing.
"Sign it."
Kurosaki Rei responded decisively.
[Contract established. Explorer's original ID has been converted into a decoy ID to protect Pioneer privacy and security.]
[Pioneer No. 008, we look forward to your conquests in new worlds.]
After the contract was finalized, Kurosaki Rei noticed the Explorer Mark on his wrist had changed. The pale cyan color deepened into a rich purple, and the patterns became far more intricate and mysterious.
According to the Terminal Space, regardless of whether one was an Explorer or a Pioneer, the Mark was only visible to oneself. Natives of mission worlds and other Explorers could not see it—a form of identity protection.
After signing the new contract, Kurosaki Rei took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and pushed open the door with anticipation.
Sunlight filtered down through a vast lattice of intertwined vines, casting dappled shadows. He inhaled gently, feeling an unprecedented sense of relaxation wash over him.
He had never experienced air this fresh before.
In his era, air pollution in many regions had become so severe that respirator masks were mandatory for survival. In some areas, the Company even sold air—you had to pay just to breathe. The poor could only wait to die.
Looking around, Kurosaki Rei realized he was standing on an enormous vine, while the "door" behind him was actually a long, slender purple leaf.
People moved back and forth along the vine, dressed in all kinds of bizarre outfits.
Like a cat smelling blood, Kurosaki Rei's curious glances in every direction immediately gave him away as a newcomer to the Terminal Space.
"Hey, brother—new here?"
A dark-skinned, burly man sidled up to him, overly familiar.
"Just cleared your trial?"
Kurosaki Rei nodded. "Got any advice, big brother?"
"Your trial world must've scared the hell out of you, huh?" the man said sympathetically.
"Don't worry. Once you're in the Space, you're safe for now. Getting dragged here is unlucky, sure—but people gotta keep moving forward, right? Let me tell you, brother, if you want to survive in the Space, intel is indispensable…"
As he spoke, the dark-skinned man rubbed his fingers together meaningfully.
"How much?" Kurosaki Rei asked calmly.
He knew the value of information. As a newcomer, he was completely in the dark and did need a guide—though if the man tried to fleece him, he'd picked the wrong target.
Seeing Kurosaki Rei ask the price, the man couldn't hide his delight.
"Not much. 500 Terminal Coins. Guaranteed worth it. In the Tier-One zone, everyone knows me—Black Whirlwind's got the best intel around."
"50," Kurosaki Rei replied flatly.
"Or I'll just go take a look around myself."
He met Black Whirlwind's gaze directly.
Kurosaki Rei might be reckless—but he wasn't stupid. His first main quest stage had only rewarded 500 Terminal Coins. Most Explorers couldn't even scrape together 1000 coins from their first trial. This guy was clearly trying to rip him off.
Black Whirlwind's expression stiffened. He hesitated, clearly struggling—but when Kurosaki Rei turned and started walking away, he hurriedly stopped him.
"Alright, alright! You drive a hard bargain. Fifty it is."
With a something is better than nothing mindset, he began explaining the basic common knowledge of the Terminal Space to Kurosaki Rei.
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