The galaxy was boundless.
In the dark expanse of space, a silver-white cylindrical construct drifted slowly along. Starlight shone upon its surface, reflecting countless pinpricks of light. From afar, one could see the endless river of stars.
Yet this beautiful sight meant nothing to the person inside it.
"Why did it have to be like this?!"
Duanmu Huai clutched his head, his face full of despair.
That was right, he had transmigrated.
For Duanmu Huai, this was an absolute disaster. He had only wanted to log in after the game update ended and see what had been added. But what he had never expected was that when he opened his eyes again, he would find himself in this cramped place, and...
"Why do I look like this?!"
Looking at the mirror before him, Duanmu Huai felt like crying without tears. The reflection was not the fair-skinned, delicate, petite, cute, and beautiful girl he had spent five hours creating. Instead, it was a two-and-a-half-meter-tall bald man with eight-pack abs and vicious scars across his face. He looked as if the words "utterly heinous" had been carved into his features, like some serial killer.
And yes, that was Duanmu Huai himself.
"How could I be this unlucky..."
Duanmu Huai muttered helplessly as he looked at the System Prompt before him. In truth, the reason for his transmigration was quite simple.
It was written right on the first line of the User Agreement.
"After this game update, among players who agree to this agreement and enter the game, one player will be randomly selected to gain the qualification to transmigrate to another world..."
Duanmu Huai's face twitched as he looked at the updated User Agreement.
Who the hell would read this crap?! Players never read things like User Agreements or Privacy Agreements, okay? They just tick the box and hit confirm. Who would have thought he would be unlucky enough to get stuck with something like this?
Even if someone had read it, they would probably have dismissed it as a joke or some official meme. It was already the year 2202. Who would take something like that seriously?
But for Duanmu Huai, this was no joke.
"Haah..."
With a long sigh, Duanmu Huai dropped heavily into the chair beside him.
Star Sea Online.
It was currently the hottest game in Duanmu Huai's world. Players took on the role of the last survivor of a race called the Order of Light. After awakening from a Hibernation Pod, the character was left with only this Core Cabin, drifting through the vast universe. The players' task was to travel to other planets and worlds, seek out the various Sacred Artifacts lost by the Order of Light, and connect them to the Core Cabin to create unique Star City Space Stations. In the later stages, players could even recruit Pawns through these Space Stations, form fleets, and battle enemies from other dimensions.
Duanmu Huai was one of the players of Star Sea Online, and a top-tier one at that. He played the game partly because he liked it, but also because... he really had no way to do any other job.
One look at his face made that obvious.
Ever since he was young, Duanmu Huai had been kept at arm's length because of his appearance and height. Back in school, he had always been treated as a school bully. There were even absurd rumors that he had once killed several people barehanded, but had avoided prison because he was underage.
After graduating from college, Duanmu Huai's situation had not improved much. When he applied for jobs, employers thought his appearance was too disturbing, worried that clients might suspect their company had ties to the underworld. He was even rejected when applying to be a security guard, because property management companies feared residents would think he was a mugger lying in wait.
Even when he tried becoming a streamer, endless complaints buried him within three days, forcing him to stop completely.
In the end, Duanmu Huai immersed himself in online games to escape reality.
At least in online games, he could choose another appearance instead of wearing the face of a serial killer. So, Duanmu Huai created the image of a beautiful, petite, cute girl.
According to official statistics, eighty percent of male players used female characters anyway. It was no big deal.
And just like that, Duanmu Huai threw himself wholeheartedly into the game. By the time he came to his senses, he had become one of its top players.
However, Duanmu Huai had never participated in professional leagues. He had always acted alone, mainly grinding orders for clients to earn money. After all, professional leagues required players to show their faces. If Duanmu Huai stepped onstage... well, the operator inside that soft, adorable girl character would be a two-and-a-half-meter-tall brute who looked as vicious as a serial killer.
The contrast was just too much.
"Forget it. There's no point talking about this now."
Duanmu Huai slapped his face hard, then opened his status window. A line of information quickly appeared before him.
Little Hammer Smashes Your Skull Class: Inquisitor (LV1) Strength: 8 Brawling +4 Space Marine Combat Training LV3 Agility: 4 Shooting +0 Sicarian Enhancement LV1 Constitution: 6 Toughness +2 Ecclesiarchy Siege Doctrine LV2 Intelligence: 6 Willpower +2 Combat Psyker Training LV2 Perception: 8 Awareness +4 Adeptus Arbites Assault Tactics LV3 Charisma: 1 (Locked) Communication -3 Intimidation LV2
"This isn't my character..."
Duanmu Huai looked at the status window with a helpless expression. When he had created his character, he had maxed out Charisma. This value now... was probably determined according to his own actual stats.
Just look at that "Charisma 1."
Was it not zero only because he was still technically human?
Forget it. None of that mattered.
Duanmu Huai stood and stared out at the scenery beyond the window. No matter how unbelievable it was, he had already transmigrated. What he needed to do now was survive. At the moment, he only had a Core Cabin. In the universe, he was no different from a helpless infant. Duanmu Huai knew full well that the world of Star Sea Online was filled with every kind of danger. Not to mention... there was no food here. Even if he stayed put, he would eventually starve to death.
Reality was not a game. You could not stay AFK forever without consequences.
With that thought, Duanmu Huai opened the storage inventory and equipped his gear. Fortunately, as an alt character, he still had a set of system-issued heirloom equipment. That was about the only perk Duanmu Huai had right now.
They could not expect him to go out adventuring naked.
He walked to the terminal and reached out to activate the system. A message soon appeared.
Beginning search for Sacred Artifact beacon... Beacon location locked... Initiate teleportation?
"Teleport!"
As soon as he spoke, Duanmu Huai suddenly felt the ground vanish beneath his feet. The scene before his eyes changed in an instant, as though endless landscapes had been torn into streaks that flashed past him. Then, a howling wind swept past his ears. Invisible gravity seized his body, and he plunged from the sky like a bungee jumper...
"BOOM!"
In the next instant, Duanmu Huai felt his entire body jolt as he hit the ground. Massive shock and impact coursed through him, leaving his whole body numb. At the same time, a System Prompt appeared before his eyes.
You attacked an Evil God Priest You dealt 12,000 falling damage to the Evil God Priest Evil God Priest died. You gained 350 Experience Points Level increased to LV3 Gained 1 free attribute point and 1 skill specialization point
What the hell was this?
Duanmu Huai froze when he saw the messages, then raised his head and looked around. Figures draped in black cloaks stood all around him, each of them looking anything but decent as they stared at him. Not far behind them was a woman tied to a wooden stake. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the unexpected intruder before her.
At that moment, Duanmu Huai saw the black-robed figures draw their weapons one after another.
"He killed the priest!"
"Kill the bastard who's interfering with the ritual!!"
At the same time, another System Prompt appeared before Duanmu Huai.
Mission "Intrusion" activated Mission objective: Eliminate the enemy! As an Inquisitor, your mission is to fight Chaos and eliminate every enemy of Order! Absolute loyalty!
"Haah..."
Duanmu Huai silently sighed as he watched the Evil God Believers charge at him. Then he tightened his grip on his weapon.
Looks like there was only one option now—fight!
Before you continue