After the tutorial level was completed, Su Ming'an was enveloped in a flash of white light.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a vast, endless plaza.
All around him were voices talking and shouting, blending into a chaotic blur:
"What the hell! Where is this?!"
"This is weird... I literally got hacked to death a second ago. Then I heard a voice that said I got a D-rank rating and now... I'm alive again?"
"Same here. I was at school, and my teacher suddenly pulled out a knife to try and kill me. I barely managed to kill 'em back, then heard some notification telling me I got a B-rank clear, and then I just appeared here…"
"Did we get group Isekai-ed, or is this some kind of alien death game?"
"Damn it! I just finished that damn project proposal yesterday, the client just approved it, and now I'm in some type of game?"
"Mom... where are you, Mom…"
All around him, people stood shoulder to shoulder, their densely packed bodies covering the entire plaza like a sea of black. He realized this must be the so-called 'World Game Opening Ceremony'.
So what he had just experienced was indeed a personalized tutorial level tailored for each player.
Just as Su Ming'an was trying to suppress the ringing in his ears, a huge white rabbit suddenly popped out of the sky above the sea of humans.
The rabbit was deformed and grotesque, standing at three meters tall. Its limp limbs dangled at its sides. Etched into its chest was the image of a massive scale—the kind seen in courtrooms.
Immediately after, Su Ming'an realized he could no longer move or speak, and the same was true for everyone else. It was as if a petrification spell had been cast over the entire crowd.
"—Woohoo~! Everyone's here!" The bizarre rabbit loomed overhead, casting a giant shadow over the terrified crowd.
"Let me count... One, two, three, a hundred thousand, a million, one hundred million... one billion! Perfect, the numbers match!" It grinned, spreading its cotton-candy-like arms wide and shouting gleefully:
"—Welcome, everyone, to our World Game!"
Colorful confetti exploded from the sky, fluttering down on the motionless crowd.
Terror, confusion, disbelief, dread… Every face in the crowd reflected some blend of these emotions.
Just moments ago, they were living normal lives—studying, working, commuting—until a sudden notification yanked them into the tutorial dungeon. Now, they were forcibly teleported here.
Faced with something so far beyond human comprehension, the crowd was gripped by the fear of the unknown.
Su Ming'an steadied himself. This rabbit… was it the game's organizer? Or perhaps it was something more akin to a gameshow host?
He didn't really feel afraid. As a horror game content creator, something this surreal only served to broaden his horizons.
The tutorial dungeon, which was simulated by the game, was very interesting. According to the system notifications, there would be many more types of game worlds to come.
The rabbit beamed. "Nice to meet you all! Just call me Boss Bunny! I'm honored to be the chief organizer of the game this time!"
"The current date and time is September 30th, 2024, 3 PM Earth Standard Time. The World Game's solo tutorial dungeon had officially begun three hours ago!"
"The participants are the one billion humans from Earth: congratulations on being selected! You've been given a chance to change your fate! By participating in the game, you've become travelers across different worlds!"
As the rabbit spoke, a massive screen lit up in the plaza, displaying scenes from Earth. A timestamp was visible in the bottom right corner, set to exactly three hours ago.
The once bustling city streets, pedestrians in motion, farmers working the fields...
all froze at the exact moment the clock struck twelve.
He even saw himself leaving the cafe. The moment he stepped out the door, his figure froze completely.
"Time on Earth has been permanently suspended at this moment!" Boss Bunny continued, his voice grew impassioned…
"The one billion 'chosen' human beings of Earth—"
[Welcome. You now hold the chance to seize your own fate. We now officially enter the World Game!]
The rabbit clapped its fuzzy hands together. "I'm sure everyone has experienced the tutorial level just now. The great organizers have granted you all a carefully tailored trial just for you!"
Su Ming'an's eyes flashed with understanding. As expected, everyone had gone through something different. At that exact moment, three hours ago, one billion players were each sent into their own unique tutorial dungeon.
What he was facing was just a simulated dungeon in which he was the only player. After he cleared it, the dungeon ended.
Shen Xue and that Liu Anna weren't real. They were constructs generated by the system to test him, modeled after people he knew. So that's why Shen Xue had suddenly turned on him—it had all been fake, just part of the dungeon.
Other people's trials might have included suddenly being poisoned by their bosses, betrayed by their loved ones, or getting caught in unexpected car accidents—scenarios that are designed to catch them off guard.
Regardless of whether they passed, everyone had been brought here in the end.
He looked around the plaza. People of all colors and languages stood eyes wide in confusion and awe.
"Now, the rules!" Boss Bunny shouted. "There are six in total!"
In front of each player, a glowing blue panel appeared:
[Rule 01] In order to balance the game, elderly players have been reverted to peak physical condition. Disabled players have received corresponding compensation.
[Rule 02] Game participants: One billion chosen players from Earth.
[Rule 03] From now on, the billion players will all enter various game worlds. Completing quests earns points, which can be exchanged for various magical items.
…
These rules are about what Su Ming'an had expected. There will be different worlds in the future: Apocalyptic, Cultivation, Sci-Fi, Fantasy... and they have become travelers/adventurers traveling through various different worlds to complete corresponding quests.
…
[Rule 04] Death in-game does not equate to real death! Players who die will lose all their points and powers, becoming spectators. After a period of watching other people's adventures, they are allowed to start their adventure anew!
[Rule 05] In the downtime after each game, players have the right to choose to continue their adventure or retire as spectators.
[Rule 06] Streaming your adventure grants bonus rewards!
The last three rules were a surprise to Su Ming'an.
If the higher-dimensional beings only want to use humans as slaves to explore other worlds, there is no need for such rules. It seems there will be combat players and casual players in the game.
"The World Game will last one year!" Boss Bunny stretched out his white hand: "At the end, players will be ranked by their individual score. This will determine what rewards you can bring back to Earth. While the game is ongoing, time on Earth will remain frozen in the moment the tutorial level began."
"Also, if the total collective score of all players is too low… then everyone will be erased! And another thing—the higher the individual score, the more weight it will have on the collective total."
"And your own final outcomes?"
Its blood-red eyes curved into sickle-like crescents, the lines around them grotesquely warped:
"… well, that's up to you."
The moment it finished speaking, everyone regained their ability to speak.
"Who the hell are you people?!"
"Oh God, let me go home! This is insane!"
"Reduced to playthings... how disgraceful…"
Some wept. Some panicked. Others grew excited.
"I've always hated school. This is God's dimension from Terror Infinity, right? Just my thing!"
"Survival of the fittest…"
"Sis, I'm scared…" a young boy clutched his sister's dress.
A man in military uniform lifted his head from the crowd, his gaze solemn.
A person who looked like a girl wearing a noose as a necklace clenched their pendant.
Boss Bunny ignored the chaos. "Now—let's announce the results from the tutorial level!"
[Tutorial Level Rating Based on Instinctual Combat Ability. Participants: 1,114,279,878]
[A-Rank: 16,527. S-Rank: 1,270. SS-Rank: .....1!]
Boss Bunny squealed. Su Ming'an's heart skipped a beat.
The moment he heard this number, his mind started racing.
He understood that the tutorial levels were tailored to be the most difficult scenarios for each person. For example, the condition for a soldier to clear the level may be to disobey orders, and the condition for a gang member may be to show kindness, etc.
For an S-rank, it might be achieved if somebody suddenly made decisions that they would not normally make. But SS-rank required perfect execution—no hesitation, no deviations.
If saving/loading were a mechanic in the game, there would definitely be others who could outperform him.
Which meant…
This ability—death rollback—might be unique to him.
—Perhaps even the organizers are unaware of this ability.
After all, it gave him a D-rank rating when he first died. If the organizers knew he had this power, they wouldn't have scored him immediately after he died. This could be an ability, known only to him.
Assuming that this ability is unique to him, then, in the grim scenario where humanity is ruled by the organizers…
Can he become the one who turns the tables?
Even the organizers and all the audience rolled back upon his death,
…he might have just become the only one standing outside the river of time.
"Now let's welcome our one and only SS-rated player! Come up and say a few words! Everybody, let's give them a warm round of applause!!!" The rabbit started clapping on his own.
A spotlight beamed down on him, separating him from the rest of the crowd. He felt an invisible force lift him, and his body rose higher and higher, as if being pulled away by the light—
The 'God's Dimension' decided to give him some privacy. A white mask appeared on his face, and his figure blurred to conceal his identity in future missions.
"Wow! Earth's top-ranked player seems pretty extraordinary! Come on, give us your thoughts! Don't worry, we're translating in real time~" Boss Bunny shoved the red mic at him.
Su Ming'an looked down.
The plaza stretched on endlessly, an endless sea of people, a black wave of shining eyes all staring at him.
The weight of the world was gathered here..
He took the mic.
"The World Game…" he said.
He noticed his voice was distorted, encrypting his real voice.
He paused. Then, slowly, his voice flowed across the plaza.
"Although binding the fate of all mankind to something called a 'game' is laughable."
"Right now, we don't have the power to end it."
"Your anger is justified. Wanting to revolt against the organizers is natural."
"But the future of mankind is currently blank; we don't have the ability to go against the organizers yet. All we can do... is strengthen ourselves within these limited boundaries."
He paused again.
Countless people raised their heads and looked at him, with different expressions in their eyes...
He continued:
"I often wonder… what does it mean for a person to be 'lucky'?"
The plaza fell silent.
"I don't know how others define it. But for me, borrowing words from 'Decisive Moments in History' by Stefan Zweig:"
"[The greatest fortune in a person's life is to discover their mission when they are still in the prime of their years.]"
"We're lucky—we're no longer aging. Even the children are no longer weak."
"We're lucky—we've discovered our mission."
"We are the billion chosen, the lucky and the cursed. We carry the duty of winning back our homeland."
"Our mission is to make it to the end, pushing humanity's collective score past the threshold. This is our calling and responsibility to carry the weight of the 6.5 billion people left behind."
"We are 'human'."
"It doesn't matter if we were once soldiers, students, or something else."
"In our mission, the efforts of each of us may one day converge like rivers flowing into the sea, redeeming us all in the final year.
"The giant ship named Earth shall ride the waves, and every human aboard is a fellow traveler."
"In this era of danger and opportunity, every one of us matters."
"We are 'human'."
"Unlike gods, we cannot create the unknown. We are weak, ignorant, short-lived, and short-sighted."
"But we are 'human'."
"We can use the 'known' to strategize against the 'unknown' and own an eternal torch."
"Humanity has never lacked heroes. I hope some of you will rise to become them now."
"Even if it means your blood stains every corner of every game world… even if your path is littered with your own resurrected corpses and ashes…"
"As long as we can still move forward… we will ensure that everyone lives to witness the future."
Silence.
Those in the crowd listened silently, their eyes glowing with a light never seen before.
Su Ming'an smiled faintly. Then he spoke the final line:
"And before the ashes of the fallen—
The noble ones shall shed hot tears."
He wasn't nervous. As a part-time streamer, public speaking was easy for him.
He was taking this opportunity to build his influence. All he needed were a few evocative ideas—concepts that could stir emotions and sway the crowd.
By emphasizing the concept of 'humanity' and the importance of being the 'fellow man', he can make most people accept him.
Vagueness breeds resonance.
Words like struggle, ideals, and above all, sacrifice held sacred, indistinct imagery that could be brought out in the human mind. Especially when woven into a speech, they carried an almost magical allure.
That was all that he was doing.
But he had a feeling this was just the beginning.
As humanity's 'strongest player', gifted with death rollback… maybe he could reach the end.
This speech was the first step to reducing people's hostility toward him.
He knew fully well—he wasn't number one because of strength, but because of luck.
And with that luck came responsibility.
Death rollback wouldn't be a reason for him to stand above others—instead, it was an obligation to shoulder the weight of the world.
He was just lucky; he had nothing to be proud of.
"—Well said!" Boss Bunny clapped furiously. The sound echoed through the silent crowd, making it seem all the more comical.
"As expected from Earth's number one, that's how it should be! Enjoy life, Enjoy— The World Game!"
Su Ming'an was lowered back down. The people around him looked in surprise.
The mentality of alienating others has always existed within human society.
That is, unless you reach a certain point…
"Today's ceremony ends here! Woohoo—! Now, everyone, prepare to enter the first apocalypse world!"
Boss Bunny clapped. Blood-red light rained from the sky, engulfing the crowd—
[—Wishing you all…]
[A fun time!]
…
After a flash of white.
Su Ming'an found himself in a secluded room. Aside from a bed, there was nothing else. This was probably his personal waiting area.
He is now the best scorer among the billion players.
For an 'ordinary' college student, this was a bit too much.
After the World Game ends in a year, players will be ranked based on their individual scores. The higher a player's individual score, the more it will contribute to the collective total.
So if he keeps his position as number one, more and more attention will be placed upon him
The attention of more than a billion people…
The games played by higher-dimensional beings sure are realistic and ironic.
The world chat channel was already filled with chaos, with shouting, cursing, and confused remarks filling the lower left corner of his field of view:
[Shen Yan lv1: Are you kidding me? Am I still in a dream? ]
[Wang Feifei lv1: The first world is an apocalypse?? Are we going to fight zombies together or face natural disasters? I don't want to dieeeee]
[Yan Zi lv1: Mom, can you see me? I'm Little Yan! Mom, were you selected? ]
[Yu Ruohe lv1: Don't panic, I have posted some things to note about the Apocalypse World on the forum, I hope it will be helpful to my compatriots.]
[Yang Changxu lv1: I am a Chinese soldier. If I meet any compatriots in the game dungeon, I will prioritize their safety. Please don't be afraid, we will definitely survive! ]
[Filar lv.1: Are the Chinese all so selfless? In this kind of situation, you should think about your own life, unless you want to die...]
…
On the world forums, there were even more shenanigans. Some boldly speculate on the end of the world, some call on compatriots to calm down, and some claim that they will dominate the world game and become the number one.
Su Ming'an did a final check over his condition and waited for the beginning of the Apocalypse World.
Finally, the timer ticked down to zero.
[World #1: Apocalypse World. A global survival game. ]
…
[World #1: Apocalypse World Plot Hints:
She felt so much pain... the scalpel stabbed her, it hurt so, so much.
…Stop cutting her open…She wants to wear a dress, she wants to go home…
The people in white coats said she was a monster, and that someone like her, who could resist the zombie virus, was a monster.
But, she looked just like the others—they all had two hands and two feet... They were all human beings, so why did they have to fight with each other?
If she were a powerful monster, she would be able to break through the glass of the operating room and get out, right?
But she's not a monster, so she can't get out.
How ironic.
She actually kind of wished she was a monster now.
——Was she a 'monster' herself, or are the people who think she is a 'monster' forcing her to become one? "
——Salvation is born out of sacrifice, yet before justice, people rejoice over their bright future.
As the original sin, the little girl granted them the most tolerant revenge. ]
…
[This world has two possible clear routes (peace route, force route) and three different world endings:
TE: Cannot be saved
NE: Goodnight, My Girl
HE: Daddy, are you proud of me?]
…
[The Apocalypse World will be replicated into 50,000 identical worlds, with about 20,000 players playing the game in each world! ]
[——The world begins! ]
A white light flashed, and Su Ming'an closed his eyes.
…
…