Fang Senyan was about to check the appraisal result for the silver plot item: Hydra's Acid**, but as he passed the Trading Plaza, he immediately noticed how bustling it was. Fang Senyan ambled around once and realized there were few sellers, but a great many buyers.

He snapped his fingers, calling over his venerable associate, Old Man Gold Mine, and spent 100 Universal Points to have him hand over a summary of the latest market intelligence. Gold Mine zipped back immediately and tossed a crumpled, filthy piece of toilet paper onto Fang Senyan's desk.

Frowning, Fang Senyan used his fingertips to gingerly unfold the wad stained with an indiscernible yellow substance. Tracing the lines of Gold Mine's scrawling, dog-like handwriting, he managed to discern several trends in the market flow: "Recovery-type medicines show the largest increase, with food prices surging by 76.4%."

"Next, tradable Merit Points have increased by 47.1%."

"Then come the pieces of equipment and weapons that boost Stamina, Defense, Health, Evasion, and Block... these have increased by 38.2%."

"The most expensive transaction was for a miniature magic array capable of instantly teleporting one back to the Nightmare Space..."

"......"

Staring at this cascade of data, Fang Senyan, forgetting all about the filth, couldn't help but cry out in shock: "Damn it! Is the Space about to go to war?"

It was no wonder Fang Senyan was astonished; the signs filling the room mirrored the inflationary symptoms that herald war in the real world. He then noticed Gold Mine still lingering nearby, scratching and feeling around his own body. Fang Senyan asked, bewildered, "What are you doing?"

Gold Mine solemnly addressed Fang Senyan, "Master... recently I have found a powerful pet that I must introduce to you."

Fang Senyan's heart clenched with sudden expectation. "Bring it out, let me see?"

Gold Mine began to tremble all over. If he hadn't immediately collapsed foaming at the mouth, Fang Senyan might have suspected an epileptic fit. After a good while, the fellow finally shrieked, "Come out! Trist! Oh, wait... Buster!"

Fang Senyan’s eyes widened, focusing expectantly on the empty space beside Gold Mine. He stared until his eyes ached, seeing nothing, until his gaze finally landed on Gold Mine’s palm, which was extended as if presenting a treasure. Fang Senyan nearly spat blood: "You... you mean the pet you found is this flea? Tri—Trist, oh wait! Buster!"

Gold Mine insisted earnestly, "Master, he is extremely useful!"

Fang Senyan responded with indignant grief, "I know. You're probably going to tell me his greatest virtue is that he costs nothing to keep; he just drinks your own blood."

Gold Mine immediately flashed his signature sly grin: "You are wise, Master! Actually, besides that... hey, hey, don't leave! I just need a little nutrient fee from you, just a tiny bit!"

After Fang Senyan finally managed to send the perfectly content Gold Mine on his way with two hundred Universal Points, he suddenly received a notification: "Your team member, Vice-Leader Reef, has entered the Space!"

"Your team members are now assembled."

"Team: Ace. Current Level LV0."

"Team Size: Small."

"Team Grade: Silver."

"You are now qualified to participate in this Low-Intensity Space Battlefield!"

"Your Team Grade is Silver. The next world you enter will be randomly drawn before entry; it cannot be predicted at this time."

"Silver Grade Privilege: After you draw the next Space Battlefield you are scheduled to enter, if you are dissatisfied, you may choose to cancel the draw and perform a re-randomization for the next participating Space Battlefield by consuming Merit Points!"

"Do you accept this summons to participate? Yes or No?"

"You may refuse this summons, but the intensity of the Space Battlefield for your next summons will be automatically increased by one tier, and participation will be mandatory!"

Seeing this sequence of prompts, Fang Senyan froze. He suddenly recalled the message Reef had left him, so he requested time to consider. The Nightmare Imprint responded: A reply must be given sixty minutes before entering the next world.

This gave Fang Senyan sufficient buffer time. He naturally sought out Reef to talk. Upon meeting, Fang Senyan got straight to the point: "We’re probably going to have to join the Space Battlefield."

Reef froze, then let out a long sigh: "So it’s true... I knew it. I never expected that right after forming the team, we'd have to go to that damned place!"

Fang Senyan's eyes flashed. "Is this war very difficult? But it should be. Greater ability means greater responsibility—isn't that the standard a Knight must abide by?"

"Greater ability means greater responsibility?" Reef stood motionless, chewing over Fang Senyan’s words, then gave a bitter laugh. "It seems evasion is ultimately useless. I had hoped to temporarily escape that nightmare, but it has dragged me back in!"

Fang Senyan smiled slightly. "In truth, some things are useless to run from. Only by facing them directly can you truly let them go."

Reef sighed. "By the sound of it, you intend to participate in this Space Battlefield?"

Fang Senyan nodded, smiling gently. "Indeed."

Reef looked serious. "If that’s the case, then it's time I told you some secrets about the Space. You know about the Attribute Cap, right?"

Fang Senyan nodded. "Of course. It should be the threshold where attribute points reach 50." Reef continued slowly, "Once any of your attributes hits that 50-point cap—the extreme value—you immediately receive a significant reward..." For instance, when I borrowed that +5 Silver Plot Accessory from you last time, after breaking past the 50-point Stamina cap, the reward I received was a choice of two out of three options."

Since both Fang Senyan and Reef followed a path focused on increasing Stamina, they immediately pressed for details about the reward. Reef held nothing back and laid it all out. The three options were: A: Defense increases by 15 points. B: Stamina increases by 15 points. C: Health increases by 300 points. Reef then informed Fang Senyan, "Not only that, after you select two rewards for your main attribute, you can designate any one of the remaining six attributes as your secondary attribute! Once you specify the secondary attribute, you will be prompted to draw the reward for that secondary attribute"—again, three options presented for you to choose from, but you can only draw once. For example, I chose Agility. The three choices for Agility were as follows..."

A: Movement Speed increases by 30 points, Evasion chance increases by 10%. B: Agility increases by 15 points. C: Base Ranged Attack Power increases by 15–60 points (depending on weapon rate of fire: 15 points for high-speed weapons like submachine guns, 60 points for slow weapons like bows) V Attack Speed increases by 5%–30% (depending on your own rate of fire).

"Of course, you only get one draw from the three options for the secondary attribute you choose. It's worth noting that if you choose Stamina as your secondary attribute, the three options listed for the draw are identical to the three reward options listed when Stamina is chosen as the primary attribute."

(If this is still unclear, we can use Mo Gansha as an example. His highest attribute is Agility. If his Agility reaches 50 points, these three Agility rewards appear. Afterward, even if Mo Gansha's second-highest attribute is Perception, he can still designate Stamina as the second attribute and choose one of the three options listed in the Stamina rewards above.)

Fang Senyan understood instantly. A tank like Reef would certainly have chosen options A and B. Calculating this, his defense gained a terrifying extra 22.5 points, plus an additional 150 Health. If he had also chosen the Evasion boost from the secondary Agility attribute, he could have easily bypassed the critical defense threshold at that time and withstood the attacks of that horrific Spore Turret.

Reef continued, "Based on my speculation, the Nightmare Space probably believes that each person’s innate talent may not represent their desired development path, nor may it suit their personal strengths. So, they give contractors who have just entered the Space an element of autonomy, allowing them to decide their direction of development based on their specialties over a period of time... Of course, this growth will inevitably be a long and extremely cruel process of elimination, but those who remain will surely have found the path best suited for their survival and development!"

Fang Senyan pondered for a moment. "If that's the case, then I believe breaking through the Cap is not that simple. There must be many associated secrets hidden behind the primary and secondary attributes!" Reef gave a wry smile. "Yes, but regrettably, I don't know them, because I haven't passed the test. I never crossed that door, so I can't possibly know what's inside."

Fang Senyan nodded. "Then what is the test for reaching the Cap?"

Reef took a deep breath, an indescribable expression flickering in his eyes. "In this world, there is always a trade-off for what you gain. Once you reach the 50-point Cap and select your rewards, all your current base attributes, and even the Nightmare Imprint's storage space, will be sealed shortly thereafter. Simply put: base attributes cannot increase, and the Nightmare Imprint's storage space cannot be used! Furthermore, you cannot trade, and you cannot receive rewards or Potential Points for completing any mission or selling any item! Not until you choose to challenge the Cap and break through this limit!"

"And my previous team was completely wiped out trying to help me challenge the Cap..." Although Reef delivered the latter sentence flatly, in Fang Senyan's ears, it carried a piercing, tragic weight, deeply embedding itself in the memories of that day.

Fang Senyan frowned slightly. "Then why were you still able to return my accessory to Goose?"

...

Ah, I have two things to discuss with everyone.

First, regarding the four extra chapters promised for the newly added Alliance Leaders, I’ve been busy with the Chinese New Year; please let me catch my breath and stockpile some drafts. I absolutely will not forget. I guarantee these debts will be settled within this month. I have never broken a promise to you, so please trust me.

Second, concerning the rewards for breaking through the Space Cap. I have already considered Stamina and Agility quite comprehensively. For the three major rewards for the Cap of the other attributes, if any friends have time, could you perhaps help me brainstorm them? Participation will earn you 'Essence' and 'Points.' I will definitely read your suggestions. If adopted, I will note it in the book, crediting it to a specific reader. Ah Tu thanks everyone in advance!