The vast, starlit expanse before him began to blur, slowly dissolving back into darkness. [Bookmark:] When Fang Senyan’s vision returned, he found himself back in his private quarters. The first thing he did was pull up his personal status menu:

Contractor No. 1018 Merit Points: 6 Status: Recruit Strength: 12 (10 + 1 + 1) Agility: 10 (7 + 1 + 2) Stamina: 17 (14 + 1 + 1 + 1) Perception: 14 (12 + 2) Charisma: 5 (6 + 1 - 2) Spirit: 4 (4 + 0) Intelligence: 5 (5 + 0) Right Hand: Flintlock Pistol 'Ambition' (19) Perception +2, Agility +2 Back: FBI Spec Trench Coat (6) Charisma +1 Left Hand Ring: Ring of Decayed Bone (7) Strength +1, Stamina +1 Accessory (Left): Obsidian Fossil Anchor (20) Str/Agi/Sta +1, Charisma -2, Damage Taken +10% Accessory (Right): Gold Cased Pocket Watch (4) Sta +1 Total Equipment Rating: 56

Fang Senyan looked at his remaining three free attribute points. He had initially felt his offensive power was lacking, his agility in combat was unsatisfactory, and his Spirit score of 4 hadn't even reached the average for a normal person. He planned to allocate the points to Strength, Agility, and Spirit. But just as he was about to allocate them, Fang Senyan suddenly remembered something! It was the prompt he received after using the 'Insight' ability on Jack Sparrow: the hint about a maximum Charisma cap of 50!

"What exactly does a fifty-point attribute limit mean? And what is its significance for a Contractor?"

Fang Senyan took a deep breath, abandoning the idea of immediate allocation. He had always been a decisive person, quick to act, and his superior perception had always given him an aura of swift, resolute efficiency. However, this particular decision related directly to his long-term development path; it was a matter of life and death, requiring extreme caution.

Should he distribute the points based on current needs? Or should he focus on specializing in a single attribute? Undoubtedly, reinforcing his weaknesses would maximize efficiency in future adventures. But doing so would significantly delay discovering the secrets behind the fifty-point attribute limit. The advantage of extreme specialization was unlocking that secret sooner, but the corresponding dangers would be much greater. {First published on Hand-Typing Bar}

Yet, Fang Senyan’s highest base attribute was Stamina! This was an exceptionally special and vital attribute because it directly determined the most fundamental thing for a Contractor: Health Points! This was paramount for every Contractor, as reducing this value to zero meant losing everything.

Some say the best defense is a good offense, which seems true, but only when the power gap between the two sides is narrow. If a sheep spots a wolf and charges it, that is sheer idiocy. More importantly, the Nightmare World is filled with both opportunity and peril; no one can predict what they will encounter in the next second. Consider the Contractor in the Cree team whose Agility exceeded twenty; they were undoubtedly aggressive, but their Health Points were ordinary. If they encountered a sudden, potent curse, they would simply wait to die! The benefit of high Stamina undoubtedly provided greater fault tolerance, offering more chances for survival!

More critically, Fang Senyan faced significant danger even in the real world, where he couldn't rely on equipment support or even use his innate talent, Fortitude. Higher Stamina would undeniably be more helpful for survival.

As long as he lived, everything was possible!

With this realization, Fang Senyan looked again at the newly acquired deadly weapon: 'Ambition'! Its high burst power and attack potential had been verified in actual combat. Therefore, his shortage in raw offensive power was temporarily patched. His speed disadvantage could be compensated for with equipment—the 'Endless Vodka' he carried offered some benefit when activated, which wasn't insignificant. As for the deficiency in Spirit, Fang Senyan planned to find equipment or potions to cover that gap.

Having made up his mind, Fang Senyan poured all three remaining free attribute points directly into Stamina. This brought his Stamina to the threshold of twenty points (with gear) even without title bonuses. If engaged in combat, thanks to the special effect of the Obsidian Fossil Anchor, his Stamina could easily reach thirty. Such a formidable peak attribute provided greater peace of mind.

With his future advancement direction set, Fang Senyan felt a great burden lifted. Next, looking at his "Recruit" status, he intended to check for any special purchasing privileges. When he pulled up the purchase menu, he was momentarily stunned. On the menu titled "Honor Goods Purchase List," only two items were recognizable; the rest were marked with ???.

"Honor Potassium-Selenium High-Protein Injector: Can be used in any state. Restores 100% of maximum Health Point ceiling. Purchase Price: 3 Merit Points + 3000 Universal Points."

"Honor Silicon-Iron Algae Extract: Can be used in any state. Restores 100% of maximum Spirit Point ceiling. Purchase Price: 3 Merit Points + 3000 Universal Points."

Undoubtedly, both items were extremely practical, their value immeasurable. Used correctly, they could even reverse the tide of battle instantly. However, Fang Senyan noticed that purchasing these required not only Universal Points but also highly elusive Merit Points. More importantly, if he bought a vial of this medicine now and paid the 3 Merit Points, he would immediately drop below the Recruit tier, losing the passive 10% increase to his private storage capacity.

Having reached the Recruit tier, Fang Senyan could now trade Merit Points with others, though trading seemed to have significant restrictions, and he had no immediate plans for it, so he didn't examine the details closely.

Fang Senyan sighed and closed the purchase menu directly. Seeing things he couldn't afford was indeed annoying. However, despite the numerous dangers he faced in the Caribbean world this time, the gains were considerable. Items available for exchange/sale included:

Black Pin (Grey): An item similar to a key, usually dropped by enemies capable of casting various sorceries/magic. Using it has a 50% chance of yielding a lowest-tier Black Magic/Sorcery Scroll, and a 50% chance of yielding nothing.

Deep Blue Ability Scroll: Voodoo Basic Black Sorcery LV3.

Ancient Gold Pound: Valuable Item.

As for the Type-I Metal Dissolving Modulator, it was soul-bound to Fang Senyan the moment he acquired it. This incredibly powerful item could only be used on Silver-grade plot items/equipment. The highest grade equipment Fang Senyan currently possessed was only Black-grade, so he had to store it deep in his warehouse.

By this time, Fang Senyan was utterly exhausted. Returning from the perilous Nightmare World, the tension in his nerves naturally eased, which was normal. He had intended to force himself to visit the trading market, but he could no longer hold out. He collapsed onto the floor and instantly fell unconscious. They say those who sleep soundly fall asleep the moment their head hits the pillow; Fang Senyan fell asleep while his head was still halfway to the pillow.

He slept soundly, day and night, without even dreaming. It felt as though his brain, like a computer running too long near shutdown, immediately powered off the moment it got a chance to rest. Fang Senyan woke up twice during the sleep—once to relieve himself and once to drink water. A full twenty-four hours passed before he finally awoke. In the Caribbean world, Fang Senyan had meticulously laid plans, calculating against Armand, Cree, Calico Jack Henry, and others. The mental effort expended was immense, and only through such deep slumber could he slowly replenish that massive drain of energy.

Upon waking, Fang Senyan felt a pang of regret. If he had used those twenty hours of sleep for training in the space, his base abilities might have improved by another level. But regretting it now was useless. Fang Senyan quickly bought some food to fill his stomach and then rushed to the Nightmare Space's trading plaza.

The space was still enveloped in a faint, mysterious red glow, emitting a subtle fresh scent. The trading plaza was still crowded. Some stalls were empty, yet equipment and items floated there, marked with the relevant prices, suggesting a consignment method. Now that his status had improved, Fang Senyan could inquire about this method. He discovered that consignment was convenient, but it required a hefty Universal Point fee to set up, and a 20% personal income tax upon successful sale. Thus, unless absolutely necessary, few chose this method for proxy selling.

On his way to the trading plaza, Fang Senyan had a clear target for what he needed to trade: Universal Points and Potential Points. Unquestionably, his current solo mode would continue for the foreseeable future; he was unlikely to find suitable teammates for group world adventures soon. This meant that the mission discovery rate—directly linked to Potential Points and Universal Points—would remain a persistent, major challenge for Fang Senyan for a long time!