LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 1 - Rebirth Ten Years Ago, Opening Day
Chapter 1: Rebirth Ten Years Ago, Opening Day
“Ring, Ring, Ring!”
The phone ringing next to his pillow woke Gu Liuyun from his drowsiness. He reached out to answer the call.
“Hello…”
“Wow, why are you still sleeping? The game server is about to open!”
Listening to the familiar and charming voice on the phone, Gu Liuyun blinked in confusion as he opened his eyes.
“The server is opening?”
He looked at the somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar room and felt bewildered.
Is this not the house I had in Jiangdu ten years ago?
How did I end up here?
Didn’t I die at the hands of the Demon Emperor?
Just then, an electronic notification sounded nearby.
“It’s now July 31, 2030, 11:30 PM, with 30 minutes remaining until the opening of ‘Nine Realms.’ Please prepare yourself.”
In disbelief, Gu Liuyun suddenly turned his head and looked at the colorful gaming capsule by the bedside.
Have I been reborn?
Have I come back to ten years ago, on the day ‘Nine Realms’ opened?
He felt somewhat incredulous. In 2030, a virtual online game called ‘Nine Realms’ took the world by storm!
It was a next-generation virtual online game developed and constructed by the world’s top-level artificial intelligence “Tai Chu,” which achieved nearly 100% realism.
‘Nine Realms’ was based on the mythological legends of many countries, with an extremely complex worldview and a vast map.
After logging into ‘Nine Realms,’ players would be born in the region corresponding to their own country, and their in-game professions would also match the characteristics of that region. For example, the supernatural beings in the Western Gods District, the masters in the Arctic Heroic Spirits District, the priests in the Desert Pharaoh District, the ninjas in the Yamato Yaqi District, etc…
Undoubtedly, the China region had the most representative fantasy cultivation background. The official promise of ‘Nine Realms’ was that the artificial intelligence core autonomously operated everything in the game “Tai Chu,” no one had the right to interfere with the game process, ensuring the players’ gaming experience. Therefore, once the game was released in the previous life, it immediately became popular worldwide.
But the secrets of ‘Nine Realms’ were far more than that!
“Tai Chu” had long been replaced by an unknown higher-dimensional entity, and ‘Nine Realms’ was actually a trial ground created by the “unknown entity.”
As the game continued to develop, the abilities, items, and attributes that players gained would slowly manifest in reality. But accompanying this was the gradual appearance of monsters from ‘Nine Realms’ in reality, forming an invasion of Earth. At first, humans didn’t pay much attention to it and were intoxicated by the thrill of gaining great power. It wasn’t until one day when various god-level bosses from the game suddenly descended into reality, destroying numerous cities instantly, that humans realized the crisis.
Humans finally realized the crisis and launched a desperate resistance, but it was too late. Because the game’s progress was slow, there wasn’t a single god-level player among humans, making them powerless to confront the powerful god-level bosses. Cities lay in ruins, countries were devastated, and humanity had plunged into utter despair.
In his previous life, Gu Liuyun faced the god-level boss, the Demon Emperor, and perished in a losing battle.
…
“Hello? Are you there? You didn’t fall asleep again, did you?”
At the other end of the phone was a sweet girl with a ponytail. She was wearing a revealing workout outfit that accentuated her figure. Due to just finishing her exercise, there were traces of sweat on her slender and fair thighs and her toned abdomen, making her look extremely alluring under the warm-colored lights.
Gu Liuyun regained his senses and softly replied, “Thanks for waking me up, or I would have missed the server opening.”
Hearing Gu Liuyun’s words, Su Xiaoyue giggled and said, “I called to ask you, what kind of profession should I choose in ‘Nine Realms’? As an experienced player, you should have some insights.”
Gu Liuyun recalled that in his previous life, Su Xiaoyue had chosen a mage profession with poor talents, leading to several setbacks in the game. After a moment of thought, he suggested, “As ‘Nine Realms’ introduced before, talents are bestowed based on the player’s real potential. Since you love fitness, a physique cultivation profession would suit you better.
Su Xiaoyue giggled, saying, “A physique cultivation profession… okay, I trust you!”
Gu Liuyun chuckled and assured her, “Don’t worry; I won’t let you regret it.”
Su Xiaoyue then asked about his in-game ID. Gu Liuyun remembered that he had left the professional player circle in his previous life due to an incident and had faced issues for not changing his game ID. In this new life, he decided to change it.
“No, I won’t be using that ID anymore,” he replied.
Su Xiaoyue, mistaking his silence for unhappiness, quickly changed the subject, inviting him back for her birthday next month. Gu Liuyun, recalling how he had declined her invitation in his previous life, readily agreed this time.
“Sure, I’ll come back,” Gu Liuyun said.
Su Xiaoyue’s face lit up with joy upon hearing his response, and they chatted a bit more before hanging up the phone. With just one minute left until the game’s server opened, Gu Liuyun slowly lay down in the gaming capsule.
[Server not yet open. Please wait…].
[‘Nine Realms’ officially launched. Enjoy your game!].