The greatest fortune in a person's life is discovering their mission midway through life, when they are in the prime of their life.
[If victory is not yet attainable, then return for the next round. If dawn is not yet broken, then pass the torch to the next generation.]
Everyone knows the baseness and desires of humankind. [But the remaining nobility and faith have kept this group of "explorers" burning brightly even in the darkness.]
[In a "game" where everything is at stake,]
[—They raised the flames of war against the gods of the heavens.]
[That person standing atop the world, guarding the future of all humanity, gambles life and death with planetary invaders.]
He gazed towards his distant homeland.
[Bearing the fervent hopes of civilization.]
[—Excerpt from "The First Player Von Ryker", one of the top 3 most popular posts on the human forum after the game started on December 31, 2144 (in the future)]
...
...
[You are dead.]
The bright red words appeared before Von Ryker's eyes, as red as blood, as if they were strangling his heart.
He was panting, sweat trickling down his forehead. He never imagined that this ordinary day would turn out like this… ...
[Three hours ago]
"Ding-dong! Genesis Online loading..."
Von Ryker raised his head, rubbed his eyes, and thought he was hallucinating from staying up all night editing videos.
He's eighteen years old, a freshman majoring in psychology, and his hobbies include reading philosophical and detective novels. He also works part-time streaming horror games and is somewhat well-known.
Today was just an ordinary day. He had just finished his advanced mathematics class when someone claiming to be a Bilibili employee called him to the coffee shop...
"Mr. Von, Mr. Von...?"
A woman's voice came from across the table. A red-haired woman sat across from him at the coffee table, her long hair flowing like curled rose petals, her eyes gentle, her voice soft:
"We would like to invite you to participate in a live game."
"A live-action game? I don't have any plans for that right now," Von Ryker refused. He was the kind of game streamer who never showed his face and had no interest in doing so.
The sound of paper scraping against the table rang out, and the woman placed her hand on a black card and handed it over. "This game is a little different," the woman said. "Why don't you take a look?" Von Ryker lowered his gaze. The words on the card were blood-red, as if they were drawn with fresh blood. [The Genesis is the arena, and real living beings are the life bars—]
[Multiplayer online, endless dungeons! A simulated world, epic battles!]
[Global players, fierce competition! High-level games, waiting for you to play!]
Von Ryker chuckled and shook his head at the informal way the invitation was presented.
"Not interested." He tossed the black card to her and turned to leave.
"Do you know what kind of path you're taking by leaving?" the woman said. "But if this is your choice..."
Von Ryker kept walking.
The woman watched him leave quietly, without trying to stop him, only revealing a subtle smile.
"You will come back..."
...
"Whoosh!"
A car sped past, splashing water on the ground, and Von Ryker jumped to avoid it.
"Damn it! It's speeding so fast, is it in a hurry to be reborn?" A pedestrian next to the truck cursed loudly.
Von Ryker covered his ears, which had been jolted by the pedestrians, and rubbed his temples.
[Genesis Online loading...]
He vaguely heard the sound. It had been there since last night, as if reminding him that something was about to happen.
He couldn't bring himself to say that the scientific world didn't believe in magic.
He hailed a taxi; he was going to a high school classmate's birthday party that evening. Inside the taxi, the in-car radio rang out:
"...According to information released by the Academy of Cardiology and Microbiology, the 'dual-heart surgery' has entered a critical experimental phase. In the future, combining two hearts could help extend people's lifespan. This theory is still in the experimental stage; please do not attempt to imitate it..."
Von Ryker was somewhat surprised.
It's unbelievable that news that could potentially endanger public safety could be broadcast on the radio.
One heart corresponds to the life of one human being; this is the evolutionary rule of nature. Biologically, there are no "rights" as humans perceive them, only various organs, abilities, and characteristics. To forcibly violate this principle and seize another's heart inevitably leads to the loss of their life.
…Buying and selling, transactions, power struggles, moral blackmail, public opinion, emotional bias, the trolley problem, and unappreciated substitutions and sacrifices. These are all potential problems.
"We're here. 12 bucks." The driver stopped the car.
Von Ryker paid the fare and arrived at the meeting place. He walked to the door and knocked.
A female classmate named Sera Frost led him into the room; it was her birthday party.
Her makeup was light, but she had clearly put a lot of effort into it. The flickering lamplight illuminated her features, revealing bright, clear pupils like misty clouds that would ripple in the wind, as if any emotion in her eyes would be blown away by the wind.
She took Von Ryker's hand and led him step by step into the living room.
Von Ryker discovered that he was the first to arrive. In the kitchen, Sera Frost's distant relative Anna Vane was preparing dinner, and the kitchen was empty except for the scent of incense.
"What about the other students? Were they all late?" Von Ryker asked.
"…Maybe later," Sera Frost said softly.
The sky gradually darkened.
Von Ryker had heard that Sera Frost had once had a crush on him, but this was just hearsay and not worth believing. After all, on the surface, he was just an ordinary college student. Apart from being proficient in murder mystery games, liking philosophy, studying psychology, being good at public speaking, and having top-notch gaming skills... he had no other special talents.
Sera Frost sat down next to him without saying a word, just resting her chin on her hand and looking at him.
"What's wrong?" Von Ryker asked.
"Von Ryker," Sera Frost asked, "what do you want to do after graduating from university?"
"Hmm...maybe he's a freelancer," Von Ryker said.
"Then why did you choose psychology as your major in college?"
"I want to… seek inner peace," Von Ryker said. "I searched online before, and all I found were 'Don't study economics, run away!' 'Don't study civil engineering, run away!' 'Don't study education, run away!' So I applied for a major that didn't have many 'run away' warnings. And it turned out to be great; I like psychology."
Sera Frost smiled upon hearing this.
Her eyes were curved, like a pair of beautiful crescent moons.
Considering how much the other person cared about him, Von Ryker felt he had to politely reply, "So, what about you, Sera Frost? What do you want to do?"
Sera Frost's eyes narrowed slightly.
At that moment, the edges of her figure were softened by the light, as if ancient oil paint was flowing over her body.
"I want to see the sea," she said after a moment.
"Is it really that simple to see the sea?" Von Ryker said.
"Hmm," Sera Frost said, "I've never seen the sea because I can't go too far from home."
"..."
She suddenly said, "Seeing the sea... is actually just a wish of mine. I want to open a tailor shop, sew buttons and tailor clothes for people. I want to become a journalist, to learn about the miners who died in accidents, to care about the bloody truth, and to express my indignation at the state of the world. I want... I want to try my best to live this life to the fullest."
Von Ryker was at a loss for words; he didn't know how the topic had suddenly progressed to this point.
She didn't want to be confined to an ivory tower and a routine job; she longed for a fulfilling and enriching spiritual life, and a journey full of desire and passion... but how difficult that was.
"Have some snacks," Sera Frost suddenly said, handing him a Mooncake.
Von Ryker reached out and took the Mooncake.
In that very instant—
Sera Frost suddenly pounced on her.
If it were an average guy, seeing her pounce on him like that, he would definitely be so excited that he would forget everything else.
But Von Ryker was very wary. He knew that something was amiss, and his hand instantly reached for the dagger he carried at his waist—
Sera Frost suddenly reached out and knocked the dagger to the ground with a "thud".
—Von Ryker then realized that his strength had been lost without him noticing.
Is it that fragrance in the room... a sleeping potion?
"What are you going to do?" Von Ryker's eyes turned cold.
"You actually carry something like this around." Sera Frost didn't answer. She stared at the lone, gleaming dagger on the ground.
"I know you're insecure, but do you have to be wary of me too?"
Carrying a dagger with him was a habit of Von Ryker's, and he never expected that it would be used on this day.
What does Sera Frost intend to do by drugging him?
"I…" he began.
"puff--"
The girl held a spray bottle directly at him.
Ever since he inhaled that mist, all his strength has been disappearing.
A girl's soft voice reached his ear, her breath warm, like the tickling of feathers:
"I just... like you..."
...
"Stay by my side forever...."
...
Von Ryker closed his eyes.
With a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest, his last heartbeat stopped.
...other side.
They actually wanted to kill him.
Why.
She clearly,
We were just chatting about the sky and the sea.
...
[The Genesis Online has officially begun]