133. Reward: Fantasy Space

The pristine and quiet hospital room was filled with the faint scent of disinfectant.

The dim, warm light fell upon the pale, withered face of a man lying on the hospital bed.

His eyelids fluttered, and he opened his eyes.

At that moment, standing in the corner of the hospital room with his arms crossed over his chest, having changed back into a tailored black suit with a straight posture, Dean smiled and greeted him.

"Ruben, welcome back to reality."

His voice was like a hand reaching out from the darkness, instantly pulling the third-rate writer out of the oppressive dreamscape that kept plunging him toward the abyss, bringing him back to the mortal world and granting him a new lease on life!

The elderly man slumped beside the hospital bed excitedly cupped Ruben's hand, his tired face etched with deep concern.

"My boy, how do you feel? Is anything uncomfortable?"

Ruben looked at the heavy dark circles under the familiar eyes, the shock of stark white hair that had suddenly appeared among the short flaxen locks, the plaster cast and bandages on his right hand. His lips trembled, and a fierce wave of sorrow and guilt surged in his chest. "I'm fine."

He turned his hand over, gripping the old man's withered hand tightly, and propped himself up against the pillows. He looked around at his intact body.

"But Marco, didn't I jump off the Virginia Street Bridge? Why am I not dead?"

"Detective Dean saved you." Marco said, casting a look of profound gratitude toward the young man nearby.

"Just a little magic trick." Dean shook his head at Ruben's puzzled gaze. "But remember, not everyone gets a second chance. Cherish it, and don't go jumping off bridges on a whim."

"That's right, don't be so foolish anymore! I promise I won't interfere with your life or force you to inherit the family business and get married. Live however you want from now on, and I'll support you all the way." Marco took a deep breath and smiled with relief. "As long as you're alive and healthy, dropping by to see me occasionally will be enough."

"No... the one who was wrong was me." Ruben recalled his past experiences: Mary, the goddess of his dreams; the terrifying bat-like female monster; the pitch-black half-year in the tunnel; and the ultimate bad ending... It all felt like a protracted dream, one that carried over thirty years of his desires and frustrations, driving him to obsession and exhausting him both physically and mentally.

Yet the moment he leaped from the bridge, it was as if he had died once and awakened from the dream.

It was time to let go.

Mary and the book had already reached their perfect conclusion.

Now, Ruben wanted to try a different kind of life. He gazed at the carnations by the window, a hopeful smile blooming at the corner of his mouth.

"Marco, I'll respect your suggestion. Once I recover, I'll go study and work at the veterinary clinic, and later find a real woman to marry... I'll strive to give you a grandson or granddaughter."

"Are you serious?" Marco felt so blissful he was almost faint. Was this still the rebellious son who used to oppose him on everything? "You—you're not going to be a writer anymore?"

"I've wasted too much of my youth on writing. I want to put it on hold for a while and return to a normal life; perhaps that will bring me more inspiration."

"As long as you don't lock yourself away like you used to, drowning in alcohol, I will thank the heavens."

……

Dean watched this heartwarming scene by the hospital bed and quietly nodded. His efforts had not been in vain; this absurd story had reached a reasonably satisfactory conclusion.

At the same time, a notification flashed across his field of vision.

Event—Ruben van Helsing Progress: One Hundred and Fifty Percent.

You have uncovered the truth of fantasy bleeding into reality.

You interfered with the original plot trajectory through the "Imitation Game."

You destroyed the fantasy monster and shattered Ruben's inescapable beautiful dream.

At the final crucial moment, you did not use brute interference; instead, you allowed Ruben to survive his fall from the bridge and make the resolute choice to return to reality.

You saved a lonely, desperate father.

The heroic spirits of the Van Helsing family are deeply grateful to you, and your special reward has been enhanced.

……

Looking at the event description, Dean felt as if he had returned to the moment Ruben jumped off the bridge. He had hesitated back then—

This event only required Marco to see Ruben with his own eyes; it did not forcefully mandate that father and son must be reunited.

Even if he had stood by and watched Ruben leap into the river to commit a martyr's death for love, he still could have completed the event.

Such a choice would not have been without its merits, perhaps helping Ruben fulfill his deeply rooted obsession as a tribute to his thirty-some years of writing.

Yet, between standing idly by and extending a helping hand, he ultimately chose the latter. He saw the shadows of other fantasy-obsessed individuals reflected in Ruben.

"I suppose it was a lucky mistake. Time to extract the reward."

Personal Experience +130, Personal Level Lv3 (300→430/400)

Do you wish to level up?

Yes!

A warm current surged through his body.

Lv3→Lv4 (30/500)

You have gained 1 attribute point.

System ability "God's Eye View" Lv2→Lv3, range increased from 20 meters to 30 meters.

Event completion rate: One Hundred and Fifty Percent. You have allowed the bloodline of the Van Helsing family to continue, and you have obtained two special rewards:

1. Superpower—Fantasy Space: The conversion of Ruben van Helsing's intense emotional attachments into reality. This is the power to convert spirit into physical form. Lacking the bloodline of the Van Helsing family, you cannot master this complete power; you can only grasp a fraction of it—

Based on your deepest and strongest desire, you can now permanently consume 1-2 points of Spirit to create and materialize a portable fantasy space.

2. Obtained 1 point of Spirit.

……

Space, it has finally arrived!

A flash of excitement crossed Dean's eyes. Without hesitation, he allocated his newly acquired free attribute point into Spirit, and combined with the 1 point of Spirit from the reward, he consumed both points entirely to construct the fantasy space.

Undoubtedly, the more spiritual attributes consumed, the larger the volume of the space.

Furthermore, his Spirit was already two points higher than his Will, a delicate equilibrium barely maintained through Red Dragon Meditation, leaving him unable to risk retaining the increased spiritual attribute without balancing it.

Decision made.

Dean's temples throbbed, and a sharp, needle-like pain flared within his mind.

He couldn't help but close his eyes.

Yet in the darkness before him, faint points of light lit up, rapidly expanding into a visible mass.

The exterior shimmered with iridescent light, while the interior was narrow, dim, and hollow.

A notification flashed across Dean's vision.

Skill slot: 5/6→6/6.

You have acquired Fantasy Space Lv0:

Materialized by consuming two points of Spirit, with an initial volume of 2 cubic meters.

Due to the nature of fantasy, any object with a total volume not exceeding the remaining capacity can be placed inside. However, the spiritual fluctuations of living entities will disrupt the stability of the space, making it impossible to store them.

This space intersects with the outside world to a certain extent, allowing you to regulate the temperature and lighting within a small range...

Other features are left for you to explore on your own.

Your current Spirit can only sustain the fantasy space at its current level. Once your upper limit of Spirit breaks through 20 points, you can continue to consume Spirit to upgrade it.

……

After browsing through all the information,

Dean's mind shook violently, his expression turning quite colorful. Those two points of Spirit were well spent!

Casually picking up a bright red apple from the bedside table, he tucked it into his jacket pocket.

1 second.

2 seconds.

Two seconds later.

The apple vanished from his palm.

He issued the reverse command.

After another two-second interval, the apple slipped from the cuff of his suit trousers down onto the floor.

"Ah, storing and retrieving objects requires skin contact as a prerequisite, and there is a two-second delay. But it costs virtually no energy—as effortless as lifting a finger."

Dean nodded with satisfaction.

This was what they called good deeds being rewarded. By saving Ruben at just the right juncture, he had earned such a fitting reward.

With the fantasy space, the sniper rifles, submachine guns, grenades, and other dangerous weaponry piling up in the trunk of Dean's car now had a safe haven, meaning he would never have to worry about the police discovering them.

Moreover, they would be readily accessible for operations on the go—convenient and covert.

"It's just that the two-second delay is a bit too long."

Spending two seconds to retrieve a weapon in the middle of a shifting, fast-paced battle was worlds apart from pulling one out instantly.

"I wonder if repeatedly using the space's storage and retrieval capabilities can shorten the delay?"

Dean prepared to test the space's environmental adjustment capabilities further.

……

"My friend, are you listening?" Marco's voice snapped him out of his deep contemplation. "You completed the commission and helped me find Ruben. Now it's my turn to fulfill my promise."

The old man heartily patted his lean chest.

"Do you want a reward of one hundred thousand US dollars? Or would you prefer to choose an artifact from the collection of the Van Helsing family ancestors? Ruben has already given me the location and key to the warehouse where the collections are kept. Shall we go right now?"

A gleam appeared in Dean's eyes. With the system rewards fully distributed, it was finally time for the client Marco's reward!

Money simply could not compare to the collection of a transcendent.

"I choose the latter."