In a classically simple room, a youthful-looking boy sat on the bed, his eyes carrying a weatheredness no one his age should have possessed.
Bang!
The door was kicked open, revealing a round, fair, long leg, followed by a pair of suffocatingly deadly weapons. Combined with her delicate features and the little white floral dress she wore, the sight made for an overwhelming visual impact.
"Little bro, good news! Your big sis successfully snagged two slots for 'Phantom God'! Aren't you happy? Excited? You still have two months before college anyway. From now on, your big sis will lead you across 'Phantom God,' invincible against all!"
Xiao Wen looked up. Hearing his sister's grand declaration, he smiled faintly, lost in thought.
Games...
What a strange yet familiar word.
Once upon a time, he too had been called a man like a god.
"The Gaming Pods will arrive this afternoon, and the game launches at seven tonight. I heard the earliest players to log in will receive rewards! Your big sis has bet all the savings she's built up over the years on this game, so don't let me down."
As Xiao Ya finished speaking, she clasped her hands together and gazed out the window, her face filled with longing.
Xiao Wen gave a bitter smile. He understood what his sister meant.
In this age of technological advancement and increasingly powerful black-tech nuclear weapons, countries around the world had shifted the focus of their competition to the once-in-a-decade online game in order to protect the global ecosystem. It was a battlefield for every great power, as well as a second world for the people of Blue Planet.
Xiao Wen nodded, ushered his sister out of the room, ate with her, then returned to his room.
He sat quietly at the edge of his bed, basking in the warm sunlight. Taking out his identity card, he gently stroked it and murmured:
"I didn't expect five years to pass so quickly. With the old replacing the new and 'Phantom God' emerging, my ban should be lifted as well."
Xiao Wen raised his head, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes. A pitch-black silhouette surfaced in his mind, and determination filled his face. "Just wait. This time, I'll definitely beat you!"
After lunch, Xiao Ya went back out to work. She returned in the evening, made dinner, and shortly after they finished eating, an express delivery arrived. It was the Gaming Pod installation crew. They carried the equipment inside, carefully adjusted it, and only then left.
The Gaming Pod was not large, with an interior space of less than two cubic meters, yet it was extremely expensive. The two pods alone had cost nearly one hundred thousand Kyushu credits.
For an ordinary family, that was half a year's expenses—or even a full year's worth.
Even for Xiao Wen and his sister, coming up with that amount had not been easy, but Xiao Ya had still paid for it.
"Big sis, there are only ten minutes until launch."
After seeing off the workers, Xiao Wen glanced at the wall clock and reminded Xiao Ya, who was washing dishes in the kitchen.
Immediately afterward, he heard a rapid clatter of porcelain. Xiao Ya's dishwashing speed suddenly increased by more than three times.
"Ah, women."
Xiao Wen shook his head with a wry smile, turned, entered his room, lay inside the Gaming Pod, connected the equipment, inserted his identity card into the slot, and closed his eyes.
"Game activated. Identity binding in progress..." "Dear Kyushu player, welcome to 'Phantom God.' Seven minutes remain until the global launch... five minutes... one minute... ten seconds..." "Three..." "Two..." "One..." "Scanning body data... 10%... 60%... 100%... Determining gender... Male..."
As the final word ended, the dark space abruptly brightened.
Blue skies and white clouds. Birds soared through the heavens, beasts raced through forests, dragons swam or slept beneath the deep sea, humanity rose, countless races flourished, and myriad nations fought for supremacy...
The scenes flickered past Xiao Wen like slides. The illusory surroundings gradually became real, and he found himself standing within a vast hall.
"Welcome to 'Phantom God,' player. I am your guide, Xiao Cai. Please create a new character."
Within the hall, a little NPC girl with twin buns walked over. With a wave of her hand, several classes appeared before Xiao Wen.
"They're still the same old ones. There's nothing to choose from. I thought 'Phantom God' would introduce some new classes compared to before!" Xiao Wen muttered before answering, "I choose Summoner."
"Player has selected the Summoner class. Confirm?"
"Confirm!"
"Class selection successful."
The little girl nodded and pointed ahead. A speck of light emerged from her fingertip and landed on Xiao Wen.
"Congratulations, player. As the 9,999th player to select a class, you have received a system gift pack. You have obtained the hidden class in the Summoner class tree: Duelist! The system will automatically generate your attribute interface. Please confirm your nickname."
The string of announcements ringing in Xiao Wen's ears left him somewhat stunned.
He had just complained about the same old classes, only to receive a hidden class?
Was this a system benefit?
"Duelist? Interesting." Xiao Wen muttered, then clearly stated his nickname. "Nickname: Halfway Through the Mortal World."
"Nickname is available. Character body creation successful. Would you like to enter the game?"
"Enter!"
A seven-colored beam appeared and enveloped his illusory body. The next moment, Xiao Wen lost consciousness.
"Novice Village! I, Xiao Wen, have returned... returned... returned..."
Light flickered. When Xiao Wen opened his eyes again, he wanted to throw back his head and roar, only to discover that he was standing outside a towering city gate.
A massive city wall extended from the gate. Moss filled the cracks between the stones, carrying the weathered air of history.
"Th-this is Novice Village? Isn't this supposed to be the main city players can only enter at level fifteen?"
Xiao Wen stared at the city gate in astonishment, then abruptly raised his head toward the plaque above it—Duel City.
"Welcome to Duel City. As the player is currently the only Duelist in the game, the destiny quest—Heir of Duel City—has been activated. Would you like to accept?"
"Accept!"
With Xiao Wen's experience as a veteran gamer, how could he fail to realize that he had triggered a hidden quest?
Good heavens, so luck really could be saved up these days.
He had not played games for five years, yet the moment he entered one, his luck exploded and he encountered a hidden quest.
Goddess of Fortune, you truly were on my side.
"Ding! The player has accepted the destiny quest. The first-stage novice quest, Duelist's Qualification, has been activated!"
"To become the Heir of Duel City, one must possess the talent for dueling. The player will undergo a basic duel trial administered by an NPC of Duel City. Victory will meet the requirements. Failure will strip the player of the Duelist class, and the player will never be able to inherit any class in Phantom God for life!"
"Quest activated. As the player is the first Duelist, congratulations! You have received a mysterious gift pack bestowed by Duel City."
A ray of light shot out from above the city gate, landing in Xiao Wen's hand and transforming into a large gift box.
"Open the gift pack."
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained History of Duel City ×1."
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained the mysterious horn—Executioner's Battle Song ×1."
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained a Beginner Duel Disk ×1."
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained a Beginner Duel Card Deck Set."
As the prompts sounded, "History of Duel City" transformed into a streak of light and entered Xiao Wen's head. A flood of information about Duel City poured into his mind, and only after roughly two or three minutes did he regain his senses.
"So this is what a Duelist is. It really is an interesting hidden class!"
Xiao Wen placed one hand against Duel City's gate. His whole body was drawn through it, and he appeared in a vast plaza.
"Duel, begin!"
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