Divine Realm. Without a doubt, it's been the hottest name on Earth for nearly the last ten years.
You see ads for Divine Realm everywhere—on TV, social media, golf courses, five-star hotels, casinos, and even on a prostitute's panties.
Strangely enough, this game isn't made by an American company, nor French or Chinese. Its origin is just one big mystery.
Recently, countless countries have been vigorously promoting this game. In the United States, certain politicians have held multiple rallies, all to encourage people to give up their current jobs and throw themselves completely into the game.
It sounds ridiculous, but it's true.
Some extreme politicians are even suggesting workers stop working, students drop out of school, and prostitutes stop licking men's cocks.
Basically, give up everything you're doing—nothing is more important than joining Divine Realm.
The moment people first heard this, they were certain those politicians had lost their minds. But in reality, more and more politicians and elites worldwide are publicly supporting this game.
Thanks to its mysterious origin, Divine Realm has dominated Earth for a whole decade. It requires no special device or internet connection; if you're 18 or older, you can log in with just your consciousness.
Over those ten years, countless individuals became deeply engrossed, and the highest-level players reached Level 2000.
Even so, new players pour in every day on their 18th birthday to explore this spectacular fantasy world.
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In the Divine Realm world, within Newbie Village No. 99986, Tristan slowly opens his eyes to discover an unfamiliar, almost dreamlike land.
Everything around him feels so real, yet something about it suggests it's not quite reality.
It's as though he's stuck in a massive dream, uncertain if it's dream or reality.
"Where am I...?" Tristan mutters, trying to recall his past, but his mind is completely blank. He can't remember anything.
He looks around to find himself standing in a bustling town square, people milling about, excitement everywhere.
They wear all sorts of unusual outfits—a few hold sharp weapons, others carry magic-infused orbs—everyone seems brimming with energy and life.
When Tristan glances down, he sees he's dressed in a simple beginner outfit.
"So this is... what they call a game world?" Tristan quietly guesses, trying to recall whatever he knows about gaming. But all he can come up with are vague ideas about character creation, leveling up, and fighting monsters.
At that moment, a crisp voice rings by his ear: "Welcome to the Divine Realm!"
In a flash, he feels as though an invisible power tears his consciousness from his body, pitching him into endless swirling darkness. His body spins out of control.
This bizarre, dizzying sensation lasts a while before abruptly stopping.
Tristan realizes he's now in an empty void. There's no up or down, only infinite darkness enveloping him.
Just as he's filled with confusion and alarm, a glowing rune appears amidst the chaos, radiating a gentle light.
Suddenly, that rune shines brilliantly, and a futuristic, data-like screen materializes out of nowhere.
"Detected a special soul imprint. Attempting unique match... Match failed. Activating special-access protocol..."
A towering mirror emits a faint glow. Reflected in the mirror is Tristan's current image—an earnest-looking young man dressed in plain newbie clothes.
"Welcome to the world of Divine Realm," echoes a detached, ethereal voice in his mind.
"The game has been open for ten years. Countless players have achieved great heights, but that won't stop you from embarking on your own path. Venture forth boldly!"
Then, from high above, a system prompt resonates through the temple's interior: "Please choose your class."
In the mirror before him, multiple weapons materialize, each representing a different class.
Without hesitation, Tristan chooses a sword.
For some reason, when all the weapons appeared, that sword instantly caught his eye like nothing else.
Suddenly, an ordinary iron sword appears in his hand.
Then the temple's domed ceiling splits open just a crack. A strange beam of light shoots down, converging in front of Tristan and forming a crystal ball glowing with a rainbow-like brilliance.
Within that crystal ball, shapes shimmer and blur, and a voice both mechanical and imposing resonates: "Because your soul exhibits a unique, indecipherable signature, you have broken the standard rules of the game. Therefore, we are granting you a Legendary Awakening."
Before Tristan can even react, a ray of light from the crystal sphere engulfs him, wrapping him in a cloak of radiance.
In that glow, he feels as though his very soul is sitting on a scale, being weighed and measured.
A moment later, the light fades away. Slowly, a talent emblem surfaces inside the crystal ball, shining with seven-colored rays, dazzling and radiant.
"Ding! Congratulations—you have obtained an SSS-grade talent!"
"Ding! Your talent is: [Damage Multiplier] (Upgradeable)!"
[Damage Multiplier]: All damage inflicted increases by Level × 100. However, your resource consumption also increases by 100 times. Current talent rank is SSS; upon meeting certain conditions, it can be upgraded to EX rank.
Tristan stares, astonished, before he breaks out in sheer glee.
Though his memories before this moment are hazy, he still recalls the most basic gaming concepts.
What's the worst part of a game?
When you can't break through a boss's defense!
Or when an elite monster regenerates so fast you can barely dent it!
But all of that becomes a non-issue when you can smack enemies with raw power multiplied a hundredfold!
It's absolute devastation through raw numbers!
He can't wait to test this talent out. That's when he notices a small icon blinking. When he taps on it, he's taken to the game's built-in newbie forum.
Besides him, a bunch of other freshly turned 18 players are talking in the forums about the talents they just received.
There are folks with decent skills, some with unique abilities—but none have drawn an SSS-grade talent like him.
"Even though I'm ten years behind everyone else, I'm apparently one of a kind," Tristan thinks to himself.
After reviewing everything, Tristan is finally set to descend into the game's main world.
"Welcome to Divine Realm. Enjoy your adventure!"
Tristan appears in a Newbie Village, surrounded by others who just started playing. They're all busy gawking at how vividly real this world is. To be honest, Divine Realm feels less like a game and more like an actual fantasy realm powered by magic.
Instead of rushing right into the action, Tristan checks his character panel first.
[Name: Tristan]
[Level: 1]
[Class: Warrior]
[Talent: Damage Multiplier]
[Talent Rank: SSS (Upgradeable)]
[HP: 80]
[MP: 100] (Because of your talent, your initial MP is 5x higher than ordinary players')
[ATK: 10 (Base Attack)]
[DEF: 5]
Tristan notices his 100 MP is already higher than a typical Warrior's HP at this stage.
But then he remembers his skill costs are also multiplied a hundredfold, which is a bit of a headache.
"Thank God I chose Warrior... If I'd picked Mage, I probably wouldn't have enough mana even to cast a single spell." Clutching his iron sword, Tristan heads straight for the village's entrance.
He's sizing up the area around the village gate when an old man in a gray robe, holding a wooden staff, strolls toward him.
The old man's face is lined with wrinkles, but his keen eyes reflect a sense of wisdom and the weight of ages.
"Young man, you're from the other world as well, right?" the old man says with a gentle, raspy voice.
Tristan hesitates for a second, then realizes this may be the Newbie Village NPC.
"Yeah, I just arrived here. Where do beginners like me go to level up?"
The old man nods and points toward a wooded area not far beyond the village. "That misty forest. Every traveler from another world starts out there. If you want to grow stronger, that's where you should head first."
Tristan nods back, not bothering with further conversation. To him, this is just a game world, and the NPCs are simply virtual code.
But after passing each other, the old man's formerly stiff expression stirs with faint surprise.
"How peculiar... I sense the faint aura of an ancient Ascendant lingering about that youngster!"