Chapter Two: The Hall of Creation

That afternoon, Zhao Xu had done quite a bit of homework; all the accounts were bound to an iris scan, so once he logged in, the seller had no way to renege. After finishing these tasks, Zhao Xu went straight back to his dorm.

Over the past few years, VR simulation headsets had completely dominated the mainstream market, even replacing laptops as the standard kit for college students. Especially with the latest models allowing people to remain in light sleep while still being able to engage in several hours of activity, sales had skyrocketed. Zhao Xu had bought one for precisely this reason—to make use of his sleeping hours.

His mind was filled with thoughts of the game, so he devoured his takeout in a few quick bites, his attention fully absorbed by online guides and his own memories of previous gaming experiences. As the server opening approached eight o'clock, his two dormmates who also played games were already lying motionless on their beds with VR headsets on. The one focused on graduate entrance exams had gone early to the library to study, deliberately avoiding the gaming atmosphere pervading the nearby dorms.

The whole floor was unusually quiet; everyone was already prepared, waiting for the game to launch. Zhao Xu climbed onto his single bunk with a couple of swift movements and put on his VR headset.

In the past decade, VR headsets had evolved from visual imaging to direct brain imaging. Zhao Xu was no stranger to games made by TC; he logged into the TC gaming platform in a matter of moments. After finding the game “Arthur,” he started it directly using neural controls. He entered the activation code given to him by the seller from X-Fish, and after successful verification, he entered the game’s launch interface.

The server wasn’t open yet; there was only a countdown displayed. Players who had bought the game for 299 or 599 would have the system automatically input their activation code at the verification screen. With his activation code verified, Zhao Xu felt a slight sense of relief.

With some time to spare, Zhao Xu opened the account menu to read the user instructions. He skimmed through it and flipped straight to the last page to look at the test account terms. After just a few seconds, Zhao Xu couldn’t help but laugh. No wonder he was able to buy an account today—the catch was right here.

The most notorious thing about “Arthur” was its extremely harsh penalty for death. Players didn’t lose levels on death. Instead, each death consumed a resurrection stone. Once the five innate resurrection stones were used up, and if the character wasn’t revived by some other means, the game character would die permanently. The player would then only be able to create a new character on that account, starting over from level one.

This brutal death penalty meant that the average level across the entire player base was quite low. Many people didn’t even reach level two before exhausting their five bound, non-tradable resurrection stones. Making matters worse, each account had a limited number of character creation opportunities: one character with 28 talent points, three with 22, and an unlimited number with 15. Once the 28-point slot was used, only the three 22-point and unlimited 15-point options remained. If you wanted another 28-point character, you’d have to pay another 299.

Test accounts were even harsher—they only offered a single chance to create a 28-point character.

If the character died, no further new character could be created; the account would be directly reclaimed by the system. Although Zhao Xu wasn’t particularly gifted at games, he was no stranger to avoiding sudden deaths. Even at his worst, he had one more year of game experience and nine more years of real life than other players. After the mass crossover event, all resurrection stones were retrieved; as long as he didn’t die more than five times in a year, he’d be fine.

As the countdown ticked down, Zhao Xu’s heart tightened with anticipation. Whether he would become a legend or fade into obscurity would be determined by this coming year.

At the very moment the final second hit zero, Zhao Xu’s vision was suddenly engulfed in a field of white light.

“Honored adventurer, welcome to the Hall of Creation.”

As the white light gradually faded, a familiar scene unfolded before Zhao Xu’s eyes. He found himself standing in a grand, magnificent palace. Directly in front of him was a heavenly staircase, built from countless crystals, rising through the open roof of the palace and disappearing into the unseen sky. All around the hall, statues and murals of the gods lined the walls, each pair of divine eyes fixed upon him.

Unlike the current players who were noisy and indifferent, Zhao Xu quickly bowed his head to the statues of the gods, showing his respect. Only after he’d fully lowered his head did he realize, somewhat surprised, that he was no longer in the real alternate world of Arthur.