[The greatest fortune in a person's life is to discover their mission when they are still in the prime of their years.]
[If they do not succeed, they can wait until the next opportunity. If they still cannot see the light, they can pass the torch to the next generation.]
[We are all aware of humanity's baseness and desires.]
[Yet the remaining nobility and faith have allowed this race of "explorers" to burn through the darkness until now.]
[In this 'GAME' where everything is at stake,]
[—they raised the flames of war against the GODS beyond the sky.]
[The one who stands at the pinnacle of the world, watching over the future of all humanity, staking life and death against the planetary invaders.]
[He gazes towards our distant homeland,]
[bearing the fervent hopes of our civilization.]
[—Excerpt from 2024.12.31 after the GAME began, Humanity's Forums Top 3 Trending Posts
…
…
[You have died.]
The bright crimson text appeared before Su Ming'an's eyes, red as blood, gripping his heart like a vise.
He gasped for breath. Sweat trickled down his temples. He had never imagined that an ordinary day like today would turn out like this…..
…
[Three Hours Earlier]
"Ding Dong! World Game loading…"
Su Ming'an raised his head, rubbing his eyes, thinking he was getting auditory hallucinations from staying up late editing videos.
He is an 18-year-old college freshman majoring in psychology, and his hobby is reading philosophy and detective novels. He works part-time as a horror game streamer and is fairly popular online.
Today is no different from any other ordinary day. He had just finished his advanced math class when someone claiming to be a staff member at B-Site (a Video-Sharing/Streaming platform) invited him to chat at this cafe.
"Mr. Su, Mr. Su…..?"
A woman's voice came from across the table. A red-haired woman sat opposite him, her curls like rose petals, her gaze soft and her tone gentle:
"—We'd like to invite you to participate in an 'in-person' game."
"A gameshow? I currently don't have any plans on doing those." Su Ming'an declined. He's one of those faceless streamers and has no interest in showing his face.
The sound of paper scraping the table echoed as the woman slid across a sleek black card.
"This game is... different," she said. "Why not take a look?"
Su Ming'an lowered his gaze.
The words on the card were blood-red, as if drawn in blood.
[With the world as the arena, and living beings as the life bar—]
[Online multiplayer with Infinite dungeons! Battle using Combat Power in hyper-realistic worlds!]
[Compete with players across the globe! A high-tier game awaits!]
Su Ming'an chuckled at this unorthodox invitation and shook his head.
"Not interested." He tossed the card back and turned to leave.
"Do you know what path you're choosing by walking away?" the woman said. "But if this is your decision..."
Su Ming'an continued walking away.
The woman silently watched him leave without further attempts to persuade him. A subtle smirk played at her lips.
"You will come back..."
…
"Swoosh!"
A car sped by, splashing water from the ground. Su Ming'an jumped aside to avoid it.
"Motherf**ker! You trying to die going that fast?!" the passerby shouted angrily at the speeding truck.
Su Ming'an covered his ears, wincing at the noise, and rubbed his temples.
[The World Game is loading…]
He faintly heard the voice again. It had been there since last night, as if warning him of something yet to come.
Magic doesn't exist in a world of science—is something he couldn't bring himself to say.
He hailed a taxi. He is supposed to attend a high school classmate's birthday party tonight.
The radio in the car buzzed:
"...According to the latest report from the Xiaoshu Academy of Sciences' cardiovascular surgery transplant team, the 'dual-heart surgery' has entered a critical experimental phase. In the future, combining two hearts may help extend human lifespans. This theory remains experimental, and the public is advised not to attempt it..."
Su Ming'an is surprised.
How could such potentially dangerous news to social security be allowed on the radio?
One heart corresponds to one human life—this is the rule set by evolution. There exists no such thing as 'rights' in the context of biology, only various organs, their abilities, and their traits. If one tries to forcibly violate this, by taking another's heart, it inevitably means taking that person's life.
...Buying, selling, moral coercion, emotional bias, trolley problems, unwilling sacrifices/substitutions — these are all possible issues that may arise.
"We're here. Twelve bucks." The driver stopped.
Su Ming'an paid and arrived at the venue, knocking on the door.
Shen Xue, his classmate, led him inside. Today was her birthday party.
Her makeup was light but appeared carefully done. Flickering lights illuminated her eyes, where her pupils gleamed like a veil of mist. It's as if any trace of emotion in her gaze could be carried away by a breeze.
She took Su Ming'an's hand and led him to the living room, step by step.
He noticed he was the first to arrive. In the kitchen, Shen Xue's distant relative, Liu Anna, was preparing dinner. Aside from them, the house was empty, with the faint scent of incense hanging in the air.
"Where are the others? All late?" Su Ming'an asked.
"They'll be here soon... maybe." Shen Xue's voice was soft.
The daylight outside began to fade.
Su Ming'an had heard rumors that Shen Xue had a crush on him, but rumors shouldn't be believed. After all, on the surface, he was just an ordinary college student. Aside from being skilled at LARP games, loving philosophy, studying psychology, excelling at public speaking, and being a top-tier gamer… he had no other notable talents.
Shen Xue sat beside him, silent, resting her chin on her hand as she watched him.
"What's wrong?" Su Ming'an asked.
"Su Ming'an," Shen Xue said. "What do you want to do after college?"
"Hmm... probably freelance work." Su Ming'an said.
"Then why did you choose psychology as your major?"
"I wanted to… Find inner peace," Su Ming'an said. "I searched online and saw nothing but: 'Don't study economics, run!', 'Don't study civil engineering, run!', 'Don't study teaching, run!'. So I picked one that didn't have many 'run!' warnings, and it turned out very nice. I like psychology."
Shen Xue laughed, her eyes curved like a beautiful pair of crescent moons.
Su Ming'an figured he should return the question out of courtesy: "—What about you, Shen Xue? What do you want to do?"
Shen Xue's eyes narrowed.
In this moment, the light softened her silhouette, as if ancient oil paints were flowing over her.
"I want to see the ocean," she said after a pause.
"See the ocean? That's it?" Su Ming'an asked.
"Yeah," Shen Xue said. "I've never seen it before. I can't go too far from home."
"..."
Suddenly, she added: "Seeing the ocean... that's just one of my wishes. I want to open a tailor shop, sewing buttons and mending clothes. I want to be a journalist, uncovering the truth about the tragedies of miners and exposing the blood-stained truths, voicing my anger at the world. I want... to live this life to the fullest."
Su Ming'an didn't know how to respond. He wasn't sure how the conversation ended up like this.
She didn't want to be trapped in an ivory tower or a mundane job. She longed for a spiritually rich life, full of passion and adventure... but that is anything but easy.
"Try some snacks." Shen Xue handed him an osmanthus cake.
Su Ming'an extended his hand—
In that instant—
Shen Xue suddenly lunged at him.
Most normal guys would be thrilled and forget about everything else.
But Su Ming'an was vigilant. He knew something was wrong and immediately reached for the dagger near his waist that he carried for self-defense—
Shen Xue's hand shot out, slapping the dagger to the ground with a clatter.
Only then did Su Ming'an realize his strength had been sapped away without him knowing.
Was it the incense…? Was it drugged?
"What are you doing?" Su Ming'an's voice turned cold.
"Carrying something like this around?" Shen Xue ignored his question, eyes locked onto the glinting dagger on the floor. "I know you lack a sense of security, but did you have to be wary of me, too?"
Carrying a dagger was a habit of his. He never would've thought that it would be used on this day.
I..." he tried to explain.
"Pfft—"
She aimed a spray bottle directly towards him. After breathing in the mist, his remaining strength faded as well.
She leaned in by his ear, her whisper warm and feather-light:
"I just... like you so much..."
…
"Stay with me... forever."
…
Su Ming'an closed his eyes. A searing pain pierced his chest. His heartbeat stuttered to a stop.
...She.
Wanted to kill him.
Why?
Just moments ago,
She was talking about the ocean.
…
[The World Game has officially begun.]
[Solo tutorial mission failure detected. Rating: D. Proceeding to the Ten Billion Humans World Game Opening Ceremony...]
[Unknown error detected. Return halted!]
[...]
[...]
Suddenly, he heard an abrupt notification sound, and a warm male voice different from the cold system notification voice took over.
[Determining worldline... Planning world ending...]
[Calculation complete. Game start.]
[O' Seeker of Dawn, Player BE3030, welcome back.]
[The authority to defy death is yours. The world awaits you.]
[The sole watcher by the river of time, do all you can... to end this game where humanity has staked everything.]
["—From now on, you will despair endlessly, hope endlessly."]
["—You will lose everything, gain everything."]
["—You will save everyone, kill everyone."]
["—You will write every name."]
["—You will erase every name."]
["—You will become the kindest version of yourself."]
["—You will become the cruelest version of yourself."]
["—You can learn everyone's passions, cater to them, and become their closest friend."]
["—You can learn everyone's weaknesses, hurt or even kill them, and become their most hated enemy."]
["—Experience all fates, bury failed worldlines, and make all forget."]
["—Experience all fates, forge successful worldlines, and make all remember."]
["—You will experience years adorned with blooming flowers, and bear the weight of countless graves through the long passage of time. Splendid yet monotonous, agonizing yet beautiful."]
["—But you will choose this path of salvation and no return... won't you?"]
...
What did this mean?
Su Ming'an couldn't comprehend it.
...
[You will have a bright and radiant future.]
The voice faded.
...
[—You have died. Would you like to load a save?]