Chapter 1 - The Reincarnator Is a Game Modder
local vault = GameAPI.GetOrCreateContainer("infinite_storage")
Vault:SetCapacity(-1)
In a brightly lit studio apartment room, Fu Tong, an elderly Singaporean man in a t-shirt, sat in front of a computer, having fun typing Lua codes for his mods. His typing speed was faster than top esports gamers even though he was writing a computer language.
After minutes of debugging his old cheat mods, Fu Tong stretched. Taking a short break, he gazed at an anime poster, which depicted a gorgeous wuxia heroine in a yellow hanfu dress. Fu Tong bitterly smiled and sighed.
"It's been 10 years. The devs are so cruel. How could they abandon you even though you're the most popular character in the game?"
In the pretty poster, the game title was highlighted—Project Wuxia Life Simulator.
This open-world sandbox game was Tong's purpose in life. As a game modder, he created a thousand mods, turning the simulation game into a different game entirely. Even if the playerbase had already moved to other multiplayer games or VR games, Fu Tong remained unwavering, enjoying one game for the past decade.
Fu Tong lifted his butt off his chair, gazing at the small refrigerator below the poster. He muttered.
"Don't worry, girl. Since they've abandoned you and the game, I'll clone the entire game world and make a new game based on you! I'll save you for sure! I'll give you a good ending!"
As the old man chuckled and talked to himself like a lunatic, his heart thumbed. A searing pain in his left chest spread through his torso and struck his ribcages. His back felt like it got struck by lightning while numbness crept on his chest, coursing through his shoulders, arms, legs, and head.
Fu Tong collapsed on the floor. He gasped for air, but all strength escaped him. Coldness enveloped him as his blood stopped circulating.
Although his heart already failed and death was at his door, Fu Tong mustered his last bit of strength to gaze at the anime poster one last time. He smiled and muttered, but his voice failed to come out.
'I guess I'll be joining you soon, my goddess. I'm sorry. I've failed you.'
If someone granted him a wish, he would have prayed that the game character in the poster could change her fate and live strong. Fu Tong closed his eyes and exhaled his last breath.
At the age of 75, Fu Tong passed away as a retired game modder.
He didn't notice that a red string emerged from the poster. It slithered in the air like a snake and touched his forehead.
A female voice whispered to the corpse. At the same time, the game monitor brightened.
"No, you did it. You saved us… Thank you."
A portal was opened. Multiple figures were manifested.
Again, Fu Tong couldn't live long enough to see them.
—
DING
The sound of a bell snapped Fu Tong back to his senses. His eyes snapped open, confused.
The sensation of his body returned, but the pain in his stomach, arms, and legs alarmed him. His eyes shifted, observing whatever ceiling that he was looking at.
'A thatched roof?'
Moving his arms, he patted the bed or the object that he had been lying on.
There was nothing but dirt. Dust flew and irritated his nose.
Fu Tong sat up. His hair and scalp felt so itchy that he wanted to take a bath and shampoo it for an hour. He scratched his head for the first time.
"…Huh?"
Previously, his hair was trimmed short. As a 75-year-old man, his hair barely grew. However, currently, his head had too many hairs. They were rough, thick, dirty, and smelly. He stroked his hair and discovered that it was long enough to touch his back.
"What da faq?"
Something didn't feel right. Fu Tong gazed at his arms and legs.
His flesh and skin were healthy, yet dirty. They didn't look like something an elderly man should have at his current age.
'Could it be…?!'
He would be a fool if he didn't understand the concept of reincarnation or transmigration. Fu Tong looked around, searching for a mirror or water source to inspect his face. He found a jar nearby.
Fu Tong rushed to the jar and looked inside. Contained in the earth jar was freshwater. The reflection on the tranquil water showed the face of a youth with unkempt long hair.
That was not him for sure.
Fu Tong slapped his forehead, yet he burst into laughter. If this was the afterlife, he welcomed it.
His laughter didn't last long. A floating blue screen flashed in front of him.
Applying Lua…
Loading Project Wuxia Life Simulator: Save the Heroines Mod + Debug Tools
Fu Tong flinched and narrowed his eyes. The project's name matched the game that he had played before he died. However, the latter part didn't exist in the vanilla game, only in his mods.
DING
The screen changed. This time, it showed crucial information.
Name: Nameless NPC_225107
Age: 18
Cultivation Base: None
Active Mods: 1
Current Mod (s):
- Mod Management Menu
Fu Tong remembered this screen. It was a modified game status screen with the mod management menu, which served as a tool for future game mods that he would install into the game.
Unfortunately, the management menu was useless without additional mods. Fu Tong's expression turned ugly, but his mind raced—adjusting and figuring out his situation.
'Okay. Calm down. First, I'm alive. Second, for whatever reason, I have this system. And third, based on the loading screen, I'm inside the game?'
His heart rate and blood pressure spiked. He clenched his chest and widened his eyes, astonished but overjoyed. He pinched his arms and cheeks.
This was not a dream.
This was not just an online novel.
This was not a manga, manhua, manhwa, or whateverhwa.
It happened.
He might be inside a game.
It took Fu Tong half an hour to cool his head. His hands were cold and full of sweat because of excitement and concern. Adjusting his condition, he paced his breath and stretched his arm, reaching to touch the screen.
He could feel its surface.
As his fingers moved, the screen followed his instructions. Like a phone's screen, the page scrolled down.
More texts were found below the status screen.
Mission Objective: Write a Script and Change Your Identity
Mission Rewards: Infinite Gold Coins Mod