June 4, 640 AD
Main World: Gaia, Fanor Continent
Capital of the Kingdom of Astralia, Luminara City
36 Veil Street, Ainsworth Estate
Every June, the eastern plains of the Kingdom of Astralia enter their hottest season. Hidden behind the stables, a tired groom moves his deck chair, preferring mosquito bites over the discomfort of his cramped quarters. Meanwhile, the shadows cling to the grand mansion as dawn's first light begins to edge in from the eastern sky.
In the master bedroom, a young man lay sprawled on a silk-sheeted bed. Though the room was fragrant with herbs to repel insects, they did little to ease the stifling heat. Tossing in his sleep, the man muttered to himself, "Why is it so hot? Didn't I leave the air conditioner on?"
With that, Leo Ainsworth bolted upright, blinking in confusion. Something was wrong. "Wasn't it January? Why's it so hot?" He looked around, expecting the familiar sight of his high-end gaming rig and his cozy apartment. Instead, the room was spacious and sparse, with a rich carpet and letters piled on a polished mahogany table. No high-tech gaming pods, no screens – just unsettling silence.
"Was I… kidnapped?" He frowned. "But this place is way too nice. What kind of kidnapper gives you a view and doesn't even bother to lock the windows?"
Fully awake now, Leo swung his legs over the bed, glancing out through floor-to-ceiling windows. Across a lavish courtyard, two- and three-story buildings stood in rows, their white marble domes and towering spires glowing faintly in the pre-dawn light. Leo's jaw dropped. "Isn't that… Dawn's Cathedral from 'God's Reign'?"
Just then, a surge of memories flooded his mind. Grasping his temples in pain, Leo tried to make sense of the strange but familiar information taking root in his head.
When he finally opened his eyes, Leo whispered, "My name is Leo Ainsworth, court viscount of the Kingdom of Astralia. I've… crossed over into the game world of God's Reign?"
God's Reign, the revolutionary VRMMO, had taken the gaming world by storm. Its immersive experience pulled in millions of players, its peak hitting 50 million concurrent users worldwide. Leo's gaming studio had thrived in God's Reign, a game that created a fiercely competitive ecosystem of guilds, alliances, and professional leagues. And he, a top-tier mage with his skills ranked in the top 30, was one of the game's best known "legendary" players.
But now, his disbelief turned into alarm. Leo knew this world of Gaia was deceptively peaceful at first, but soon, war and catastrophe would engulf its continents. The [Total War] campaign, the rise of the floating city of Azoth, the dark crystals of Phylox… disaster upon disaster would soon unleash chaos across Gaia. The gods themselves would fall from their thrones under the onslaught of the [Time and Space Tide].
In the game, he'd enjoyed exploring, fighting, and mastering his character. But now, with the real danger looming, Leo wanted nothing more than the quiet safety of his apartment.
"Damn it!" He leapt up, cursing as he realized he'd left his carefully compiled USB of 5TB worth of game strategies and mathematics guides in his old work computer. What if his orphanage siblings found it? Leo imagined the mortification of them discovering his nerdy secrets. "No way. I'd rather die!"
After rolling around in mortified agony on the floor for a while, Leo finally calmed himself, spreading his limbs out as he lay flat on the plush carpet. He gazed up at the chandelier hanging above him. Could he… go back? Did anyone realize he was gone? Uncle Charlie and the kids at the orphanage might miss him, but outside of them, who else would notice?
Leo slapped himself to stay grounded. He wasn't going anywhere, and now he had to figure out how to survive in this strange new world.
Feeling a rush of excitement, he held his hand out, mimicking the motion to open his gaming panel. To his surprise, a soft white screen with intricate, arcane designs appeared in front of him. The familiar game interface from God's Reign! Leo scanned the menu eagerly.
The system was mostly intact, with tabs for [Status], [Forum], and [Inventory]. The options for [Friends] and [Settings] were gone, as well as his logout button. Leo chuckled dryly. Of course, no escape.
He tapped on [Status] to view his character sheet:
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Name: Leo Ainsworth
Race: Human
Level: 30
Health: 1050 / 1050
Mana: 110 / 2040
Status: Fatigue
Experience: 4396 / 170000
Class: Mage
Talent: Omniscience
Attributes:
Strength: 35
Agility: 36
Intelligence: 68
Charisma: 38
Mystery: 33
Stamina: 35
Luck: 3
Abilities:
Magical Intuition: Double intelligence modifier, +50% mana recovery, +10% spell power
Fatigue Resistance: Reduces effects of fatigue, +50% stamina recovery
Skills: Cantrips (Mage Hand, Purify, Flash), Level 1 (Fireball, Ice Arrow, Charm), Level 2 (Ice Blade, Wind Walk, Earth Escape), Level 3 (Inferno Barrage)
---
He scanned his talent slot, grinning as he saw his talent, Omniscience:
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Omniscience
Legendary Talent
Effect: Able to master any class skill, gaining exponential growth the more diverse skills you acquire.
---
Leo's grin spread. If he wasn't worried about alerting the entire mansion, he would have shouted for joy. A legendary talent!
In God's Reign, a character's talent usually dictated their class and development path. Talents were graded Bronze, Silver, Gold, and the ultra-rare Legendary. With a Legendary talent, he could essentially multi-class into any skill set he wanted! His mind raced with possibilities: casting holy blessings like a cleric, stealth attacks like a rogue, followed by a mage's elemental barrage. His battle strategy would be a chaotic mix of classes, combining the best skills each had to offer.
After marveling for a moment, he finally regained focus and rechecked his surroundings. "Hm, 3 points in Luck? Seems like my luck ran out when I pulled that talent. I'm running on fumes here."
As he paced, a detail in his memories began to stir. "Ainsworth… the Viscount of Astralia…" His expression darkened. In the game, Astralia had a notoriously tragic storyline.
"Oh no." His face fell as he pieced it together. He was the Leo Ainsworth, fated to be assassinated on the Holy Festival's third day, triggering a continent-wide war in version 2.0.
"Oh god… am I really going to die?