Chapter 1: The Mysterious Game

A friend sent Qin Yuan a mysterious message, saying he wanted to tell him something in private.

Intrigued by the cryptic opening, Qin Yuan typed back, “What is it?”

“Have you ever heard of the Land of Souls?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a region where magic and monsters exist. Rumor has it that it lies deep in the heart of our planet.”

“...Speak like a human.”

On the other end, the friend named Shadow of the Past first replied with a string of laughter, and only then continued:

“All right, all right, no more joking. Let me tell you something serious.”

“Go on.”

“You should know I’m a game planner at a game company.”

“Mm.”

Qin Yuan did know a little about this. They had first met in a game, where they worked well together. After finishing the match, they added each other as friends and had often played together whenever they both had time.

In their chats, the other man had mentioned more than once that his real job was as a game planner. The project he was responsible for was due to launch in the next couple of days, which had meant a lot of overtime lately.

“One of our internal games is about to begin public testing. The company requires each employee to bring in a few people to meet our KPI. I don’t know that many people, so I wanted to ask you for a favor...”

“The company’s requirement is that you stay online for two hours. If you don’t feel like playing, you can just log in and idle for two hours. Consider it a favor to me. I’ll buy you a meal another day if I get the chance.”

“And of course, if you find any bugs during the game, or have any suggestions for improvement, you can tell me. If they’re adopted, the company will even send out some merchandise.”

So that’s what this is. He wants me as free labor...

Qin Yuan looked knowingly amused, but still agreed readily.

“I happen to have time right now. Tell me the steps.”

A few seconds later, he thought of something and teased him:

“Come to think of it, when I asked you earlier, you kept dodging the question... It’s not some kind of game unsuitable for children, is it?”

“How could it be...” The friend called Shadow of the Past sent back a helpless expression. “But from another angle, you’re only half wrong. It really is something only adults can play, though probably not in the way you’re imagining. Anyway, you’ll understand once you try it.”

With that, he sent over a game file.

“This is the installer. Download it and open it, and you can play right away. Today is the first day of the closed beta, and the server won’t open until six this evening. It’s only a few minutes away now.”

“Mm.”

After downloading and extracting the installer, Qin Yuan soon obtained a piece of software called Land of Souls.

Just as he was about to open it, Shadow of the Past sent another message.

“I didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m going to rest first. We can talk another day when I have time.”

“Go on then. With a schedule that cursed, I honestly wonder if you’ll drop dead from overwork one day...”

Qin Yuan was already used to this friend’s strange way of living.

After a few seconds of black-screen loading, the game entered the main interface.

In the background was a forest beneath the night sky.

Black crows circled overhead.

Within the desolate woods, the silhouettes of beasts could be seen moving through the darkness.

On the cloudy horizon, a strange yellow moon hung high in the sky.

A crescent-shaped crack split the round moon, making it look from afar like a sinister grin. It was profoundly eerie.

Then a quiet, chilling piece of background music began to play.

“It’s got quite the atmosphere...”

Qin Yuan thought to himself.

And he also noticed something else.

For some reason, the entire game scene looked... uncannily real, with none of the usual separation one felt through a screen.

It was almost as if... the scene were actually laid out before his eyes.

The thought that rose in his mind even made Qin Yuan find it somewhat absurd.

“Probably because I haven’t stayed up too late recently. I should go to bed earlier today.”

While thinking that, he looked at the main interface.

There were two options in front of him:

[Start Game]

[Enter Forum]

Qin Yuan clicked Start Game without hesitation.

If he wanted to know what the game was really like, he would have to try it firsthand!

[Please choose a class:]

[Wizard: You will awaken Elemental Affinity, allowing you to wield magical power. Later on, you will have dozens of different advancement paths. The downside is that your body is relatively fragile and class items are expensive.]

[Warrior: You will awaken a Tenacious Body, greatly improving your physical fitness. Later on, you will have more than ten different advancement paths. Your attributes are relatively comprehensive and balanced, and class items are inexpensive.]

A class choice... Qin Yuan glanced over it and decisively chose Wizard.

What a joke. Who would want to play some brainless warrior?

“Time remaining until the server opens: 00:00:26.”

The prompt in front of him reminded Qin Yuan that the friend had said the server would open at six o’clock, and it was now already five fifty-nine in the afternoon.

“What a coincidence...”

Qin Yuan waited silently for a while, and the countdown reached zero.

The next instant, the screen in front of him went black.

Just as Qin Yuan thought the computer had frozen, an unbelievable scene suddenly took place.

His entire field of vision began to distort.

It was like the surface of a still lake suddenly erupting into violent ripples.

“What’s going on?”

Qin Yuan hurriedly stood up, only to discover that this was not a problem with the computer screen at all. His entire vision, as though caught in a vortex, had begun to shake violently.

The process lasted about a few seconds. When everything finally steadied and his sight once more returned to clarity...

What he saw made Qin Yuan’s eyes widen.

Towering trees stood in dense layers, blocking out the view ahead.

Under the night sky, the twisted branches looked like countless monsters baring their claws and fangs.

Beneath his feet was grass with a real, tangible texture, its tips hanging with sparkling drops of dew.

The air was fresh and carried the fragrance of earth, as if it had rained not long ago.

The place where he now stood was unmistakably a forest.

“Where... is this?”

Qin Yuan was a little stunned.

What had just happened was simply too shocking.

Only a few seconds ago, he had still been sitting comfortably at his computer desk, ready to enjoy a relaxing game.

But now he had no idea where in the wilderness he was.

Even the faint yellow light around him stirred a bad feeling in his heart.

He raised his head and looked up at the sky.

In the night sky, a huge yellow moon hung overhead.

The moon bore faint patterns, and from afar it looked like a vicious grin had split across it.

Countless brilliant stars dotted the sky, gathering around that strange moon.

Ding!

New player, welcome to Land of Souls.

The remaining duration for this return is 11:59:40.

As a welcome gift for every new player, you have received one Beginner’s Gift Pack. This item has been placed in your backpack interface. You may mentally call up the interface to open your status panel and player backpack.

There may be wild creatures in the current area. It is recommended that you leave as soon as possible and head for a nearby human settlement.

Enjoy the game!