Earth.
In an inconspicuous bedroom, a 14-inch OLED screen was emitting a faint light identical to a magic circle, illuminating a pair of rimless glasses.
A teenager wearing high-prescription glasses was sitting in front of the computer, meticulously browsing a mysterious webpage he had stumbled upon through unknown means.
His name was Zhao Jinyan, a decidedly ordinary high school student.
If there was anything slightly different about him compared to others, it was perhaps that he was a bit shorter, his glasses lenses were thicker, and he was more introverted and withdrawn.
But nobody is born this way; he used to be quite impressive.
He could still remember how, back in elementary school, everyone had to respectfully call him "Big Bro Zhao." He didn't anticipate that shortly after starting middle school, this nickname would turn into "Experience Bro," and it was best left unsaid after that.
Anyway, he was pretty much fed up with the "Reality OL" game already.
While he was wasting time on the internet with this mindset, a dubious advertisement suddenly appeared in front of him.
[...The most authentic fully immersive virtual reality online game in history is about to start its first closed beta! Want to start a second life in the Otherworld? Join us now!]
["Catastrophe" OL, coming soon!]
[Official website link: NNN.XXX...X.ysj]
An unfamiliar domain.
It didn't even have the "www" prefix... Could it be a private server?
No matter how he looked at it, the webpage was packed with dubious elements, but the hand holding the mouse couldn't help clicking on it.
And why?
Perhaps because of his confidence in his skills to reinstall the computer system and his quick reflexes in unplugging the power?
Besides, what if it was real?
He wanted to see just how authentic this so-called fully immersive virtual reality online game was.
At that moment, Zhao Jinyan was unaware that what truly captivated him was another phrase in the promotional slogan—
Want to start your second life in the Otherworld?
I mean, to be honest.
He was quite interested.
[Past Like Smoke]
Having entered this ID on the registration page, Zhao Jinyan hurriedly moved on to the main attraction and tried to download it for a look.
However, he searched the entire website and couldn't find a client to download, not even a DEMO file or promotional PV.
Wow, not even a hint of the actual game yet, huh?!
His urge to rant had nowhere to go, so he clicked on the forum icon at the top right of the official website, finding that he wasn't the only fish that had been hooked.
There were already quite a few people complaining!
Visitor 666: "What kind of game is this? Wait, where's the game?"
Free and Easy: "How come there's nothing but a crappy website?"
Won't Argue with Fools: "Hey, hey? Are the developers there? Come out and say something!"
Developer: "Hello everyone, I am the developer. Since my team has run off, the game development has stalled. I urgently need some money. Transfer 5000 yuan to XXX account, and once I resurrect the Terracotta Army and succeed in restoring my kingdom, I'll take you in as my adopted son and make you the crown prince."
[Announcement: The account "Developer" has been banned for 6666 days. Forum moderators remind all players again not to believe in fraudulent information and to refrain from private monetary transactions...]
"What the hell?"
"So there's a moderator after all."
"Wait, that dude was just making a joke, right?! Was this a wrongful ban?"
"I think it was the account name that caused the problem. I suggest this buddy register a new one. (facetious)"
"..."
To his surprise, this shabby official website without even a DEMO was quite lively, with new posts popping up every minute, and it didn't seem to be the work of bots.
Maybe everyone just had too much free time.
But Zhao Jinyan guessed that it might be because the development team started off boasting big, which attracted a crowd looking for some excitement.
After a few days without anything real to show, everyone would probably disperse.
Since the complaints he wanted to make had already been voiced by others, he didn't post anything. Instead, he flipped through the setting collection on the website's information page.
[In the distant First Epoch, the mortals of the Aus Continent forged divinity with the power of faith, sealing the chaotic Extraordinary Power and thus inaugurating the era of myths.]
[It is said that in that distant era, whether it was the Holy Light or dark energy, life or death, or even elemental forces, all were equally possessed by every creature of the mortal world. The gods each fulfilled their roles, and mortals sang their stories, as chronicled in epics.]
[However, all grand epics inevitably conclude with mundane desires, as all believers on earth longed for their worshipped deities to be the greatest. Behind them stood ambitious nobles and kings.]
[It was the Aus Empire that first broke the balance.]
[The God-chosen Emperor led his iron cavalry, swept across the continent under Saint Sis's protection, and was invincible. The first to fall was the Netherworld God, and from then on, death and rebirth were no longer equal; noble souls were inherently different and superior.]
[Afterward, the main elemental gods who controlled the elements also fell one by one... The shattered deities became wandering spirits in nature, soulless wraiths.]
[Saint Sis, who presided over the light, and His allies divided the glory that once belonged to all the gods, forging a new divine order. The very power that had been used to bind the Extraordinary Power ultimately became a shackle around the necks of all living and deceased.]
[Thus, the Mythical Epoch came to an end, replaced by the Second Epoch, hailed in the name of faith...]
Zhao Jinyan read the setting collection from start to finish and, because it had too many points to mock, he didn't know where to start.
How to put it?
A very cliché setup.