My head was splitting.
Su Yan's last memory was the glow of his computer screen at four in the morning, the dense lines of code in the compiler, and the cup of instant coffee on his desk that had long gone cold and tasted like dishwater. He remembered finally fixing that troublesome BUG related to the game server's probability algorithm. Then everything went black, and he lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, there was no familiar office ceiling, no clatter of keyboards. There was only a strange sky that seemed veiled behind frosted glass, along with unfamiliar air carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees mixed with a rusty stench.
He abruptly sat up and discovered that he was lying on a hard, icy stone-paved road. The buildings around him were familiar—the commercial street beneath his company's office—but everything had changed. The glass-fronted office towers were covered in rough rock-like patterns that seemed naturally grown, and a huge sign glowing faintly white hung from the top—[Jiangnan Wilderness · General Store]. The familiar chain convenience store now bore the sign [Novice Weapon Shop], and a shop assistant in a coarse linen tunic stood at the entrance, his gaze dull and his movements as stiff as a puppet's.
The people wandering the streets were no longer hurried office workers, but people dressed in simple Cloth Armor and holding wooden sticks or Iron Swords, their faces filled with terror and confusion. Farther away, several "Great Turtles" with fur shimmering in an abnormal data stream glow and exposed fangs crawled along slowly, occasionally clumsily ramming anyone who approached.
"What... what is this? Some kind of holographic prank?" Su Yan rubbed his still-throbbing temples, trying to make sense of the surreal sight before him.
At that moment, several lines of pale blue, highly technological-looking text appeared at the edge of his vision like a game UI:
[Name: Su Yan] [Race: Human] [Level: 0] [HP: 100/100] [MP: 50/50] [Vitality: 50/50] [Stamina: 50/50] [Experience: 0/100] [Sect: None] [Guild: None] Below was a row of icons: [Equipment], [Skills], [Items], [Quests], [Friends], [Guild]...
Su Yan's heart clenched. He knew this UI all too well! It was the player interface of the classic turn-based online game he had stayed up maintaining—Fantasy Westward Journey!
He tried to focus his mind on the [Items] tab as if he were operating the game. A virtual inventory grid instantly unfolded. It was completely empty except for the first slot, where an ancient-looking book radiating faint golden light lay quietly.
[Mysterious Scroll] (Special Item) Description: ??? (It seems to have crossed over with you and contains unknown power.)
At the same time, a cold, emotionless system prompt sounded directly in his mind. Its voice was vast, as though it echoed throughout heaven and earth:
[Announcement: Welcome to the world of "Real Fantasy." The datafication process has been completed. Earth's old era has ended.] [Current Area: Jianye City (Novice Protection Zone)] [Basic Rules:] 1. Survival and Evolution: Killing demons and monsters and completing quests can earn experience and resources. Raising your level and strength is the only path to survival. 2. Datafied Bodies: Your bodies have been datafied. HP reaching zero means real death. Treat every battle with caution. 3. Sects and Crafts: Joining a sect, learning skills, and mastering production crafts are the foundation for building society and resisting threats. 4. Safe Zones and Wilderness Areas: The city's core area is a safe zone where fighting is prohibited. The wilderness is filled with danger and crawling with demons and monsters. 5. World Events and Hidden Opportunities: Countless unknown events and opportunities exist throughout this vast world, waiting to be explored and discovered. [May your... journey be pleasant.]
When the announcement ended, deathly silence enveloped the entire street before deafening panic erupted.
"Earth... has ended? Real death?"
"What kind of joke is this? Let me out! I want to go home!"
"Mom... I'm scared..."
"Monsters! There are monsters coming this way!"
Amid the chaos, some people tried attacking the dull NPCs, only to find their attacks passing through like phantoms. Others cried as they ran toward the edge of the city, only to be stopped by an invisible wall of air. More people, after their initial breakdowns, instinctively began checking the status panels that had suddenly appeared, trying to find a sliver of hope.
Su Yan forced himself to calm down. As a top programmer, he possessed an extraordinary sensitivity to data and logic. He rapidly analyzed the situation: the entire world had been datafied by some unknown force, and the rules resembled those of Fantasy Westward Journey, but were far crueler—real death. This was not a game, but a real, transformed world operating according to specific rules.
His gaze returned to the [Mysterious Scroll]. It was the only "anomaly" on him. He tried touching it with his mind.
The scroll turned into a streak of light and merged into his body. In the next instant, he felt that an extra layer had appeared in his "vision." Beside his personal status panel, a highly minimalist translucent panel quietly surfaced, somewhat similar to the Underlying Code interface he had seen while fixing the BUG:
[Probability Accumulation Panel (Hidden)] [Current Allocatable Accumulation Directions:] · Item Acquisition Chance (Common/Excellent/Fine/Rare/Legendary): 0% · Crafting/Combination Success Chance (including forging, demon refining, medicine making, etc.): 0% · Skill Comprehension/Breakthrough Chance: 0% · Special Event Trigger Probability: 0% · Other Unknown Fields: Locked [Current Accumulation Points: 0 (Earned through survival, combat, exploration, and other actions)] [Note: Probability is one of the foundational codes that make up the world. And you have glimpsed the authority to alter it.]
Su Yan's breathing abruptly quickened.
A cheat ability! And such a heaven-defying one at that! It did not directly grant him power, but gave him a lever capable of prying at the world's underlying rule—"probability"! In a datafied world like this, the value of such an ability was immeasurable!
He suppressed the wild joy in his heart and began observing his surroundings. The panicked crowd had started trying to form teams, cautiously attacking lone Great Turtles or Giant Frogs. Wooden sticks struck shells with dull bang bang sounds, and damage numbers like "-1" and "-2" floated up. The process was slow and inefficient. Occasionally, a few copper coins or a level-one medicinal herb, Four-Leaf Clover, would drop, sparking a small scramble.
Su Yan noticed that a college student who looked like an athlete had killed a Great Turtle alone with his comparatively strong physique and gained 10 experience points. A five-person team killing one together could only get 2 points each. The efficiency was low, but the risks were not small. A single ram from a Great Turtle could knock more than ten points off someone's HP, leaving them pale with fright.
This is too slow, and too dangerous, Su Yan thought. I need to level up quickly and gain the ability to protect myself.
Rather than blindly hacking at monsters like everyone else, he walked toward the dull shop assistant at the [Novice Weapon Shop].
"Young hero, what do you need?" the shop assistant repeated in a flat tone.
Su Yan opened the purchase list:
[Wooden Sword]: Damage +5. Price: 100 copper coins. [Iron Sword]: Damage +10. Price: 500 copper coins. [Cloth Armor]: Defense +2. Price: 80 copper coins. ...
He did not have a single coin. But he noticed that the shop assistant also had a [Quest] icon. When he opened it, there was only one quest:
[Novice Trial]: Kill level 0 creatures, 'Great Turtle' or 'Giant Frog,' and collect 10 [Complete Turtle Shells] or [Tough Frog Legs]. Reward: 100 experience points, 500 copper coins.
Just as expected. It's the same as the early game, Su Yan thought.
He did not immediately accept the quest. Instead, he first headed outside the city to observe the distribution and attack patterns of the level 0 creatures. He noticed several Great Turtles spawning relatively close together in the bushes near a stream, with hardly anyone around.
This was the place.
Su Yan took a deep breath and allocated the small amount of Accumulation Points he had gained through observation and minor activity entirely into [Item Acquisition Chance (Common)]. The value on the panel jumped from 0% to 3%. He wanted to test the effect of his cheat ability.
He picked up a suitably sized stone from the ground, aimed at a lone Great Turtle, and hurled it with all his strength.
"-1" (Physical Attack)
A pitiful number floated up. The Great Turtle was enraged and slowly crawled toward him.
Su Yan retreated while continuing to attack it with stones. He moved nimbly, always sidestepping at the instant the Great Turtle was about to ram him. The process was tedious and slow, but his gaze remained calm.
Finally, after the seventh stone struck, the Great Turtle let out a wail and dissolved into specks of white light. Two copper coins were left on the ground, along with... two [Complete Turtle Shells]!
One drop, two quest items!
Su Yan immediately looked at the panel. A tiny "(-0.1%)" appeared after [Item Acquisition Chance (Common)], and then slowly began recovering from 2.9% toward 3%.
It worked! And the effect was immediate!
A surge of confidence filled him. He repeated the process, targeting only lone Great Turtles and killing them without taking damage through kiting. With the slight boost from [Probability Accumulation], his efficiency in collecting 10 turtle shells far surpassed everyone else's. He could reliably obtain one shell every two or three kills, and several Four-Leaf Clovers even dropped as extras.
When he returned to the weapon shop with 10 turtle shells and turned in the quest, a beam of white light rose from his body.
[System: Completed quest 'Novice Trial.' Obtained 100 experience points and 500 copper coins.] [System: Congratulations, you have reached Level 1! HP +10, MP +5. Obtained 5 potential points (freely assignable to Constitution, Magic, Strength, Endurance, and Agility).]
Without hesitation, Su Yan put all 5 potential points into Strength. At this early stage, attack power meant faster monster-killing efficiency and less danger. His damage stat immediately increased.
He used the 500 copper coins to buy an [Iron Sword]. Once equipped, his damage increased by a full 10 points. With an Iron Sword in hand, his stats now far surpassed those of the level 0 players still wielding wooden sticks or even fighting barehanded.
He did not stop. He continued taking the next repeatable [Novice Trial] quest. This time, killing Giant Frogs and Great Turtles became much easier. The Iron Sword dealt around "-15" damage, more than doubling his efficiency. He continued investing his newly earned Accumulation Points into Item Acquisition Chance, quickly raising it to 5%.
While others still struggled to gather 10 quest items or painstakingly saved money for an Iron Sword, Su Yan had already easily reached Level 3, with more than 2,000 copper coins and plenty of low-level medicinal materials accumulated in his inventory.
He passed by a group of people gathered around a strangely colored Mutated Sea Hairy Caterpillar, discussing it excitedly.
"A mutated pet! A top-tier starter pet in the game!"
"We can't catch it! Our levels are too low, and we don't have pets!"
"Just kill it. Maybe it'll drop something good!"
"Let's take it together!"
That Mutated Sea Hairy Caterpillar was much tougher than ordinary monsters. A few hits from it could knock more than half the HP from a Level 3 player. A group of people surrounded it and attacked in a frantic mess, narrowly avoiding disaster.
Su Yan looked at the brightly colored Sea Hairy Caterpillar, and a thought stirred in his heart. He recalled the [Crafting/Combination Success Chance] on his cheat panel. Did it include capture success rates? In Fantasy Westward Journey, capturing summoned beasts was itself a probabilistic action.
For the moment, he did not join the commotion. Instead, he turned and entered the area where the [Pet Fairy] was located. He spent 500 copper coins to buy the most ordinary [Pet Talisman].
When he returned to the vicinity of that Mutated Sea Hairy Caterpillar, the group had just barely managed to kill it and were arguing endlessly over a dropped [Level 10 Exquisite Belt].
Su Yan silently walked away to search for the next one. He knew that, with a cheat ability like his, he should not set his sights on such a basic mutated pet. His vision needed to reach farther. Should he forge a glowing weapon without level restrictions to stun everyone in the early stages, or capture a rarer and more powerful Mutated Hibiscus Fairy? Those no longer seemed like unreachable fantasies.
Just as he was considering his next move, a scroll marker completely different from the other quest icons suddenly appeared in his vision, radiating a dark golden glow.
[Hidden Quest (Prologue): Abnormal Data Fragments] [Description]: Near Jianye City Patrol Soldier 'Li Shanren,' you seem able to sense a trace of chaotic data fluctuations that do not belong in this world. Investigate the matter, and you may discover clues about this world. [Reward]: Unknown. [Hint]: This quest is extremely rare and may involve the world's deepest secrets.
Su Yan's gaze abruptly sharpened.
He had thought this was merely a single-player game where he could steamroll everything with his cheat ability, but now, a hidden quest that not even the official guides had ever recorded had come looking for him.
There truly was something hidden behind this world of "Real Fantasy." The terrifying truth seemed to be quietly extending its first tentacle beneath the calm surface of this seemingly novice village.
Su Yan tightened his grip on the Iron Sword, glanced at the dark golden quest marker, and strode forward without hesitation.
His journey had only just begun. And the mysterious veil shrouding this world was waiting for him to uncover it.
Before you continue