The sound of the alarm echoed through the small, cramped room. Ethan Liu lazily reached for his phone, pressing the snooze button for the fifth time this morning. The sun was already high in the sky, but his spirit remained at the bottom of a deep pit. With a heavy sigh, he finally got out of bed and looked at his reflection in the mirror—tired eyes, messy hair, and a face devoid of expression.
"Today's going to be just like any other..." he muttered, before dragging his steps to the bathroom.
His routine was almost always the same. Wake up, work, come home, eat, and sleep. His life moved like a machine, without surprises or excitement. He worked as an ordinary employee at a tech company that developed software. Working from morning to evening, then returning to his quiet, small apartment. No close friends, no family to talk to every day.
During lunch at the office, he overheard his colleagues discussing something with enthusiasm.
"Have you guys tried Immortal Cultivation VR? This game is insane! It feels like you're actually living in a cultivation world!" one of his friends exclaimed.
"Seriously? I heard this game has the most advanced AI, and the world evolves dynamically. Players can even create their own techniques!" another added.
Ethan listened to the conversation, stirring his food lazily. He wasn't a hardcore gamer, but something in the conversation caught his attention. A dynamically evolving world? Advanced VR technology? It sounded like the perfect escape from his boring life.
By the time he got home, his curiosity was growing stronger. He opened his laptop and searched for information about the game. Immortal Cultivation VR was the latest release from a mysterious company, offering a realistic cultivation experience. There were no leveling systems like in regular games—everything depended on the player's understanding of cultivation, training, and the techniques learned.
"Interesting..." he muttered, unknowingly smiling a little.
It didn't take long for him to decide. Ethan immediately ordered the required VR equipment to play the game. If the real world was too dull, maybe the virtual world could offer something more than just an empty routine.
A few days later, when the VR headset arrived, he couldn't wait to try it. After setting everything up, he put on the device, lay down on his bed, and pressed the "Start" button.
For a moment, everything went dark.
Then, golden light enveloped his vision. A cool breeze blew, the scent of the forest filled the air, and the sound of a river's roar echoed in the distance. When Ethan opened his eyes, he was no longer in his small room.
He had entered another world.