Welcome to "Sky Island Paradise"

"Guys, let's get off work early today and play a few rounds of Chenghai 3C tonight?"

"Sure. I haven't played in ages either. Let's get Han Xing to join us."

Inside an office building in Xinyang City, two men were chatting.

Hearing someone call his name, Han Xing did not respond right away and kept his head lowered.

He was playing a pixel-style survival adventure game on his phone called "Sky Island Paradise." Its art style was fresh, and its music was lively.

Players spawned on a floating cube, then explored other floating cubes to gather supplies and expand their territory.

But as he kept playing, Han Xing realized the game was far more complicated than it appeared.

While exploring, players could inadvertently trigger all kinds of side quests. These quests offered different choices, and every choice seemed capable of determining the direction of the story.

When linked together, these side quests seemed to form a massive main storyline.

Besides its rich side quests, the dialogue between the game's characters was also incredibly detailed.

When speaking with the protagonist, the genuine emotions these characters inadvertently revealed made Han Xing wonder whether he was talking to actual people.

As he followed the quests, fragments of buried history were unearthed...

All of this had once made Han Xing doubt whether this was really a pixel game that was less than 100 MB.

Han Xing became completely absorbed in it.

Just then, a notification appeared on his phone screen.

The game would undergo maintenance in ten minutes. The new version's content would be available soon. Please look forward to it...

Maintenance? Hadn't this game only begun closed beta testing a few days ago?

Han Xing was puzzled, but then he saw a burly man appear beside him.

Cheng Jianyong patted Han Xing on the shoulder and narrowed his eyes with a smile. "Which beauty's videos are you watching? You didn't even hear me talking to you."

Han Xing put away his phone and said, "I heard you."

"I was just wondering. The department still hasn't met its performance target this month, and Dog Chen has been sitting in the office watching us every day. You actually dare not work overtime?"

Cheng Jianyong chuckled and declared boldly, "Overtime? My ass!"

"With such a pathetic salary, he still wants me to work myself to death for him every day? Even if the gods themselves came today, I'm getting off early!"

Cheng Jianyong spoke with absolute certainty, but Han Xing looked at him skeptically.

A man in a suit beside them smiled. "Han Xing, don't listen to this guy's nonsense."

"This guy stepped into the grave of marriage right after graduation. Unlike us, he has a wife and kid to support. If he doesn't work overtime, who's going to feed them?"

The man speaking was Shen Yun. He, Han Xing, and Cheng Jianyong had graduated from the same university.

During their four years of college, they had been assigned to the same dormitory. The three shared similar interests, joined the same company after graduating, and were Han Xing's only two friends.

When Shen Yun exposed him, Cheng Jianyong looked a little embarrassed. His weathered face reddened as he muttered, "O-occasionally taking one day off won't hurt..."

Seeing him like this, Han Xing and Shen Yun exchanged smiles.

"Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we played games together," Han Xing said.

A nostalgic look appeared on Shen Yun's face as well. "Yeah. I really miss those days in college..."

Just then, a figure appeared behind the three of them.

"If you miss your school days so much, why don't you go back to school?"

Upon hearing that voice, all three of them had a bad feeling.

It was the department manager, Chen Huaibo.

Behind his back, Han Xing and the others called him Dog Chen. This guy was the boss's most loyal lapdog.

With a dark expression, Chen Huaibo demanded, "What are you three discussing? You haven't even finished your performance targets, and you're already thinking about playing games?"

"You useless idiots complain about being tired after only a few days of overtime. What are you, spoiled little girls?"

"Tell me, do you not want to work anymore? If you don't, then get the hell out already! Don't squat in the toilet without taking a shit."

"There are unemployed fresh graduates everywhere outside. If you won't do the job, plenty of people will! You unruly little brats!"

Shen Yun stepped forward and said coldly, "Watch your mouths."

His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable firmness.

The office suddenly fell silent. Several other employees cautiously poked their heads out, seemingly unable to believe someone actually dared to confront Chen Huaibo head-on.

"What did you say?" Chen Huaibo's expression turned ugly. "Believe it or not, I'll call the boss right now and have you pack your things and get the hell out!"

Just as Shen Yun was about to speak, Han Xing raised a hand and stopped him.

Han Xing looked at Chen Huaibo. "Quit barking. Don't you just want to drive us out so you can arrange for a few of your relatives to come in?"

"Chen Huaibo, you act like no one knows what you're thinking." Han Xing sneered.

"You..."

"What about me? If you've got the guts, go complain to the boss and see whether he'll fire us."

Han Xing was fearless. After all, no matter how poor the department's performance was, the three of them had contributed the most.

Chen Huaibo trembled with rage. He seemed not to have expected that Han Xing, who had always kept a low profile, would stand up to him as well.

Just as he was about to step forward and grab Han Xing by the collar, Cheng Jianyong suddenly blocked his path.

"Dog Chen, you want to lay hands on someone here?" Cheng Jianyong narrowed his eyes, his tone carrying an unmistakable threat. His tall, powerful frame was more than intimidating.

Chen Huaibo withdrew his outstretched hand. Looking at the three standing on the same side, his face darkened as though water might drip from it.

Han Xing tugged Cheng Jianyong from behind. Just as he was about to persuade him not to start a fight here, darkness suddenly fell before his eyes.

At that moment, everyone heard a System Prompt in their ears.

"The game's new version update has been completed. In three minutes, all humans on Blue Star will be sent into this game."

"Game instructions: This is a world without land. Countless islands, large and small, float in the sky. Every island conceals both opportunities and dangers, but first, all of you must find a way to survive."

"Soon, every player will be given a floating plot of land. This will be your Core Territory and the foundation for building a sky island in the future. Once it is destroyed, you will lose everything."

"You may control your territory to move through the air, make contact with islands covered in clouds, explore them for survival supplies, or occupy those islands to expand your territory."

"The islands contain opportunities, but they may also harbor terrifying dangers. Each of you has only one chance at survival. The consequence of failure is death. Please choose carefully..."

"Vulnerable groups such as the elderly and children will be placed beside their respective relatives one month after the game begins..."

"Now then, welcome to 'Sky Island Paradise.'"

When Han Xing regained his vision, he discovered that he was floating at an unknown height of tens of thousands of meters in the sky. Looking down, he saw nothing but emptiness. There was no land in sight.

High above the world, a gentle breeze blew as clouds drifted by.

Immense fear filled his heart.

At that moment, a personal panel appeared before Han Xing.

Name: Han Xing

Race: Human

Class: None

Level: LV0

Strength: 3, Agility: 2, Spirit: 4, Constitution: 5

Skills: None

Talent: None

Then, the System Prompt sounded again.

"Please choose your class system as soon as possible."

"There are currently five major systems: Warrior, Mage, Holy Class, Hunter, and Stalker. Once players reach a certain level, they can use class scrolls to complete class advancements."

Han Xing froze for a moment. The panic in his heart gradually faded, only to be replaced by wild delight.

He could actually choose a class!

Not only that, but these five class systems were exactly the same as the game he had played on his phone!

Although he had only played that mobile game for a few days, compared to everyone else, Han Xing had a much deeper understanding of these classes.

The names alone revealed what the five classes excelled at. Warriors specialized in close combat and could become Swordsmen or Berserkers after reaching a certain level. Their advanced classes were Swordmasters and War Gods...

Mages used magic power to control elements and cause damage to enemies. Later, they could become Elementalists or Illusionists, with Elemental Masters and Weavers as their advanced classes...

The other three classes were similar, each with two class-change paths and advancement routes.

Unless something unexpected happened, most people could only choose from these ten classes.

"I played a Hunter before. I should keep choosing Hunter so I can make the most of my advantage."

"And most importantly, when I played that mobile game, I heard something from an NPC about a Hunter Hidden Class..."

That Hidden Class was called the Wild Ranger!

If the early-game progression remained the same as in the mobile game he had played, then he could seize the initiative and obtain that Hidden Class before anyone else!

With that thought, Han Xing had already made his decision. Just as he was about to choose the Hunter class, a solemn notification sounded in his mind.

Player 'Han Xing' has been detected as compatible with this world. Personal talent God-Tier Craftsman has been activated.

God-Tier Craftsman (SSS-rank, hidden unique): You will never fail when crafting any item, and the chance of producing high-quality items during crafting is greatly increased.

Han Xing stood there in a daze for a moment, then said in shock, "Holy shit???"