Is this really a 2D game?

"What's wrong with me..."

It felt like I had a long dream, my head was groggy, my whole head felt like it was about to explode. In my daze, I finally opened my eyes.

What greeted my sight was an old ceiling. Probably due to a leak in the roof, there were clear signs of moss growth in one corner. The moment my sense of smell returned, an indescribable foul odor assaulted my nostrils.

This mixed smell had a hint of decay, and a faint fishy stench.

"No..."

I frowned, suddenly remembering something.

Before this dream, I had just launched the official version of Star Abyss and created my account.

Everything was normal until I entered the CDKEY given by a stranger in the QQ group to claim the beginner's set. Then, bizarre things happened!

A black dot appeared in the center of the screen and grew larger and larger, like a black hole swallowing the entire world. Then, my body kept falling. When I woke up, I was lying here.

So... is this a game, or reality?

My mind gradually cleared up, all memories became distinct, and I remembered my identity.

My name is Ding Han, a graduate student from Suzhou. I had just finished my master's degree and, along with my childhood best friend, Fatty, we started playing a 2D game called Star Abyss, which was touted as an AAA masterpiece.

In the beta version, thanks to my decent game sense, my final rank was 99th in the entire server. So, after the official version launched, I called Fatty, planning to make a name for ourselves in this surprisingly brilliant 2D game.

Even if I couldn't make a name for myself, with my beta player strength, earning some pocket money would be more than enough.

But reality was vastly different from my imagination. When I finished creating my character and clicked to log in, I suddenly felt dizzy and then appeared in this place.

"Ugh..."

I gently exerted force with my arms, trying to prop myself up.

"You're awake?"

Suddenly, a voice came from the bedside.

When I turned, I saw a very beautiful head appearing beside me. She looked like a beautiful girl, with big eyes, a high nose bridge, and exceptionally good skin. She was so radiant, like a delicate porcelain doll.

"Who are you..."

My heart skipped a beat.

"You've been unconscious for a long time. I brought you back from the wilderness."

The girl slowly stood up, revealing a pair of extremely robust arms. Those arms were even thicker than my calves, with bulging biceps and prominent veins!

'Holy crap, what is this!?'

My heart tightened, and I involuntarily shifted backward on the bed.

"Don't be scared."

This beautiful girl, whose arms were like Popeye's, forced out a smile she thought was warm: "This is Winter Spring Town, one of the few settlements in the surrounding wilderness. My name is Aurelia, and I'm the Sheriff of this town. Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

"Oh..."

I slowly sat up, looking at my arms and legs. I was wearing a dirty white shirt and dark blue jeans. Everything felt so real, not like a game at all.

So, is all of this still a game?

Or did I transmigrate to another place that isn't a game?

The thought made my heart sink. If that were the case, it would be a dead end. A fresh graduate like me, with clear eyes, would surely not survive more than a chapter in a dangerous异界!

"You slept for a long time, you must be hungry."

Aurelia turned and walked towards a table in the room. She said, "Eat something. We'll talk about the rest once you've recovered a bit."

"I'm not hungry right now..."

Just as I finished speaking, my stomach let out an undeniable "grumble."

Aurelia took out a bag, took out some strip-like food from it, and placed it on the table. Then, she poured some water from a vessel. After that, she looked back, "Eat this immediately. I don't have time to waste with you."

"A little is fine too..."

Feeling a bit ashamed of my stubbornness, I sat down at the table. The strip-like food looked a bit dry, with many fibrous bits inside, but it tasted quite delicious when I bit into it.

"What is this?"

After eating half a strip, I clapped my hands and picked up a bowl of water, drinking it all in one go. My dry and sore throat finally felt much better.

"Biscuits made from dried earthworms and flying insect powder."

"What are flying insects?"

"Cockroaches."

"Blech~~~"

I involuntarily opened my mouth and vomited, trying to get rid of everything I had just eaten.

"Swallow it back!"

Aurelia sounded angry. She slammed a fist onto the table, making the bowls and chopsticks jump. My heart jumped along with them, feeling like I could be punched to death by her in the next second!

Looking at this Popeye-like beautiful girl, I suppressed the urge to vomit in my heart.

"Finish the rest of it."

She said lightly, "Food is hard to come by. The people in the town are frugal. You can't waste a single piece of food. After you finish eating, rest and recover. After that, you can leave if you want to, or if you don't want to..."

She looked me up and down and said, "You are young and strong. You can stay and be my deputy, serving as the Deputy Sheriff of the town."

As she spoke, Aurelia turned and sat by the window, looking at the bright moonlight outside. She also picked up a biscuit and chewed it slowly, seeming to savor the taste of the food.

The atmosphere fell into a long, awkward silence. I didn't speak, and Aurelia didn't speak either.

Finally, I decided to do something, at least to test whether this place was real or a game.

"Aurelia, what number is this?"

I held up three fingers.

"Three."

She spoke as little as possible.

"Then what number is this?" I held up my middle finger.

"What's wrong with you?"

Aurelia looked at me in surprise.

Confirmed. No mechanical behavior. Therefore, she was not an NPC.

After a while, Aurelia seemed annoyed by the silence between us. She slowly got up, picked up a double-barreled shotgun hanging on the wall, opened the door, and said, "I'm going out to get some food. Don't leave the room. Your body is still very weak, and you could easily become a snack for an Aberration."

"Aberration..."

I frowned, a ripple stirring in my heart.

In the Star Abyss, one of the enemy creature types was set as "Aberration." Aberrations were creatures mutated by long-term nuclear radiation in the Star Abyss world, distinct from humans and beasts, and very difficult to deal with.

After Aurelia left, the room was empty and quiet again.

Perhaps because I had eaten, my body had recovered some strength. I walked around the room, familiarizing myself with the surroundings.

Finally, my gaze landed on a hand axe hanging on the wall.

It was a hand axe with a very smooth handle, covered in mottled scratches, clearly having been used for many years.

As my gaze lingered on the hand axe for more than three seconds, something unusual happened. A line of faint white text appeared.

My heart began to beat faster, "thump-thump." I took another step forward, and the line of text subtly swayed up and down with my movement. As I got close enough, I discovered that there were lines of small text below it:

[Aurelia's Hand Axe] (Quality: Gray)

Base Stats: Attack 2-3, Attack Speed 1.2 sec/attack, Durability 25/100

Equipment Requirements: None

Description: A hand axe Aurelia has used for many years, an indispensable and reliable partner!

"Holy crap..."

I felt like my head was going to smoke. Is this really a game?

I gripped the hand axe; it was slightly heavy.

At that moment, a series of "ding-dong" sounds echoed in my ears.

[System Unlocked!]

[Character Panel Unlocked!]

[Skill Panel Unlocked!]

[Dimensional Storage Space Unlocked!]

'Character Panel?'

As I silently chanted in my mind, a wisp of fluorescent light gathered before my eyes, transforming into a data panel.

[Shadow Chaser] (Main Class Unlocked)

Level: 1

Attack: 3-4

Defense: 2

Health: 100

Critical Hit: 0

Charm: 0

Essence/Psionic Energy: Not yet awakened

Combat Power Level: 5

Potential Point Allocation: Strength 0 / Agility 0 / Spirit 0 / Stamina 0

Achievements: 0

I narrowed my eyes. Well, this is a standard Level 1 noob status panel.

However, in the Star Abyss, every level gained grants 3 free attribute points, and every even-numbered level awards one precious skill point.

Skill points are incredibly important. Learning a new skill requires one skill point. From my perspective as a "quasi-expert" ranked 99th in the beta, the skill point allocation at each stage is crucial.

Currently, I'm Level 1 with 3 free attribute points. My main class is Strength-based, so I've put all of them into Strength. As a result, my attack power has slightly increased, from 3-4 to 4-7.

As for the concept of combat power level, it's essentially combat effectiveness. But the unique feature of the Star Abyss is the combination of Essence, Psionic Energy, and technology. Combat power level is used to describe combat effectiveness. So, just a few seconds ago, I was a nobody with a combat power level of only 5!

Along with the character and skill panels, an extra-dimensional storage space was also unlocked.

"Come out," I called softly. Instantly, a sapphire blue cube with sides of about one meter appeared before me. It was completely empty inside. I could reach into it without any obstruction, placing items in or taking them out. It's very convenient and fast.

Furthermore, this extra-dimensional storage space is bound to me, and it seems only I can see it.

Sitting in the cramped room, my thoughts began to wander.

So, this human wilderness settlement, Winter Spring Town, is actually my新手村 (novice village)? If that's the case, every player at this point should be racing against time to level up and take on quests. Sitting in a room is not ideal.

But I also have to consider safety. Everything I see tells me this is a game with 100% realism, and there's no log-off option. Therefore, if I die in the game, the consequences would be unimaginable. Perhaps my real self would be affected, possibly never waking up again.

At this moment, my gaze fell upon a dilapidated radio in the drawer.

The radio was covered in dust, clearly damaged for a long time. Coincidentally, when I created my account, the sub-profession I chose was "Repairman."

My eyes lit up. I immediately started to try it out, finding a screwdriver and dismantling the radio to inspect it. As expected, a wire had aged and detached. I simply reconnected it, then found two AA batteries with teeth marks on them and installed them.

The moment the radio crackled to life, sapphire blue text once again flickered before my eyes.

[Sub-profession "Repairman" unlocked!] [Skill "Basic Repair" (C-rank) acquired!] [Congratulations, you have successfully repaired the radio! Skill EXP +300!]

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