By 2030, traditional online games were gradually fading away as virtual reality games began to rise. Amid this shift, *Godfall* made its quiet debut.
No one knew who published *Godfall*, nor could anyone trace its distribution channels. The only thing people knew was that *Godfall* outclassed every other virtual reality game.
While other games offered a maximum of 60% virtual immersion, *Godfall* boasted a staggering 100%. The in-game world was so lifelike that it felt like a second reality. It featured a complete history, rules unique to the world of *Godfall*, and a level of detail unparalleled by any other game.
In just one week after its release, *Godfall* took the world by storm. Players, gaming studios, and clubs all flocked to it.
At first, it seemed like *Godfall* was merely a revolutionary game. But one year later, the unimaginable happened—the monsters within *Godfall* began teleporting into Terra, the real world.
That's when everything changed. People realized that *Godfall* wasn't just a game; it was a gateway to a real, alternate world.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
In short, *Godfall* was a game that could change your fate—a game that could bring people back from the dead.
In his previous life, Ethan entered *Godfall* six months after its release. By then, it was already too late. Despite dedicating ten years to the game, he never caught up to the top players.
But now, with ten years of experience and his rebirth, Ethan was confident that he could become the strongest.
Without wasting any time, Ethan picked up his phone and ordered a game helmet. It cost 10,000 dollars, but the first month was free, which was fortunate since he couldn't afford it otherwise.
The delivery was fast. Within half an hour, he had the helmet in hand.
As soon as he put it on, the familiar opening sequence and introduction played once again.
**[The gods tread the earth, while demons lurk among men.]**
**[Heroes take up arms, and war spreads across the heavens.]**
**[Order and chaos, glory and darkness.]**
...
Countless images flashed by before converging into a single message:
**[Adventurer from another world, welcome to *Godfall*!]**
**[Are you ready to begin your adventure?]**
"Yes!"
**[Since this is your first login, you have one chance to awaken a talent. Do you wish to proceed?]**
"Yes!"
Every new player had one opportunity to awaken a talent. This talent would be bound to their soul and remain with them for life.
In his past life, Ethan had awakened the S-tier talent: *Twin Shadows*. He expected it would be the same this time.
**[Ding! Talent awakening successful!]**
**[Congratulations, you have awakened the S-tier talent: Twin Shadows!]**
**[Twin Shadows: The shadows are your domain, and your shadow is an extension of yourself. From now on, you are never alone.]**
- **Trait 1**: Clone-related skills are 30% more effective.
- **Trait 2**: Stealth-related skills are 30% more effective.
- **Trait 3**: 30% affinity with shadow creatures.
- **Trait 4**: When in the Shadow Realm, your strength increases by 30%.
"As expected, I awakened *Twin Shadows* again," Ethan said, clenching his fists. What's mine is still mine!
Talents in *Godfall* were divided into six ranks: SSS, SS, S, A, B, and C. Most players had B- or C-tier talents. A-tier talents were rare, and S-tier and above were one in a million.
In his previous life, all the top-tier players—especially the god-like players in the first echelon—had talents no lower than S-tier.
Of course, this didn't mean that lower-tier talents were useless. Some low-tier talents had unique, powerful effects.
But *Twin Shadows* was an ideal talent for thieves. It was extremely rare and considered a top-tier talent by the player base.
In his past life, this talent had been Ethan's ticket to reaching the legendary rank, even while lagging behind others.
Looking at his talent, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that his talent might change due to his rebirth, which would have drastically reduced his advantage.
**[Ding! Talent awakening successful!]**
At that moment, another notification rang out.
**[Congratulations, you have awakened the unique talent: One More Time!]**
**[One More Time (Unique): If you can restart your life, then what can't you do again?]**
**[Note: Please use this responsibly, and not to say to someone, 'Baby, one more time!']**
"Huh? How did I get another talent? Could it be because of my rebirth?"
Staring at the new notification, Ethan was baffled.
He had never heard of anyone awakening two talents, especially one that was unique.
It was common knowledge that while *Godfall* had thousands of talents and skills, very few had the "unique" attribute.
Because… only the gods were unique.
Ethan couldn't help but feel the weight of *One More Time*. However, it puzzled him that the talent didn't seem to provide any bonuses.
"Strange!"
Ethan frowned, completely unsure of what to make of this. A talent with no bonuses was useless, no matter how rare it was.
"Well, I'll figure it out when I enter the game. Time to choose a class!"
**[Ding! Matching you with a class based on your talent.]**
**[Matching…]**
**[Ding! Match complete.]**
**[Based on your talent, the recommended class is: Thief… Thief… Thief…]**
**[ALERT! Encountering an unknown force. Data update in progress…]**
"Uh… what?"
Ethan froze. He had played *Godfall* for two lives and had never seen the system malfunction before.
**[Ding! Data update complete. Do you wish to continue with class matching?]**
"Yes," Ethan replied.
**[Based on your talent, the recommended class is: Magician.]**
"What the…"
Ethan was completely stunned. How did his class change?
Was it because of his *One More Time* talent?
Classes were typically assigned based on talents. Originally, his *Twin Shadows* talent should have led him to the thief class. But with the addition of *One More Time*, the match had shifted.
This meant his previous life's experience as a thief was now mostly wasted.
Besides… magicians were considered weak, much like rangers. They were known as "jack-of-all-trades" classes—capable of invisibility, casting spells, close combat, ranged attacks, and even revival magic. But they weren't masters of anything. In short, they were seen as filler classes.
"Uh… can I switch classes?"
Knowing it wasn't likely, Ethan still wanted to try. After all, this decision would shape his future.
**[Ding! *One More Time* activated. Re-matching class.]**
**[Matching…]**
**[Ding! Match complete.]**
**[Based on your talent, the recommended classes are: Magician, Ranger.]**
**[Friendly reminder: We recommend choosing Magician!]**
"Damn it!"
Ethan couldn't help but curse out loud.
What shocked him wasn't the class itself, but the fact that the *Godfall* system had actually given him a second chance to pick a class.
Players only had one opportunity to choose their class, and once selected, it couldn't be changed.
But now…
"It seems I underestimated *One More Time*. This talent can actually alter the rules of *Godfall*."
**[Your class match is complete. Please make your final selection!]**
"I choose… Magician!"
In the end, Ethan decided to follow the system's suggestion and choose the magician class. After all, he still had his knowledge from his previous life. Even if he didn't choose thief, he could still become the strongest.
**[Class confirmed. Please name your character.]**
"Dustwalker!"
**[Name confirmed. Would you like to alter your appearance or body type?]**
"Body type unchanged, modify appearance by 30%."
**[Customizing player's body…]**
**[Generating player's attributes…]**
...
**[Ding! Body customization complete. Attribute panel loading complete.]**
**[Would you like to enter *Godfall*?]**
"Yes!"
**[Adventurer Dustwalker, you are about to enter *Godfall*.]**
**[Target location: Argoth Prime, The Northlands, Frostleaf Town.]**
**[Universal coordinates: 17591, 32230, 61225, 89981.]**
**[Time: 4:12 PM (Terra Time)]**
**[Note: Argoth time is the opposite of Terra time.]**
As the notification concluded, a beam of white light enveloped Ethan.