Earth, Iron Capital.
In a room on the ninth floor of an old residential complex, a man with a slight stubble slowly removed the high-tech helmet from his head.
Looking at this life, which was truly his own, he subconsciously picked up his phone to check it.
He had received bank transfer notifications.
60,000 RMB!
Seeing these actual transfer notifications, the man's smile became radiant.
He had been playing games for so long, initially to relieve the stress from work.
At his age, his family had become his greatest source of pressure. Daily expenses, his child's schooling costs—they constantly weighed on him.
But now, as he looked at the transfer history on his phone, his smile reminded him of his school days when he had boasted to his roommates about making money from games.
A dream he had cherished countless times had finally come true.
These 60,000 RMB were equal to a year's salary for him.
And now? He had earned it in less than a day!
This mysterious game had brought him a new life. It showed him a chance to change his current predicament!
He had to seize this opportunity!
"Honey, dinner's ready!"
From outside the room, a woman's voice pulled the man back to reality.
The excited man carefully placed the helmet down, fearing he might accidentally damage his money-making tool.
After leaving the room, his daughter, who was in the fifth grade, enthusiastically called out, "Dad!"
This call instantly made him feel as though all his burdens had vanished.
A man's happiness is so simple!
It was as simple as the two people within this small, seventy-something-square-meter space right before his eyes.
He responded. Looking at his wife bustling about serving food, he said softly, "Honey, I'll transfer some money to you in a bit. Go buy yourself some new clothes and take our daughter shopping too!"
Upon hearing this, his wife couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Buy what? My clothes are fine as long as I have enough to wear. Save that money for our daughter to eat well. She's still growing, and we can't neglect her nutrition."
His wife placed the prepared meal aside. Puzzled, she asked, "Didn't you give me your salary card? Why are you suddenly giving me money? Have you been hiding a private stash?"
The man laughed and sat down, ordering some Delicious Fish and Meat on his phone—dishes he wouldn't dare to order on ordinary days.
"Honey, I've struck it rich!" the man said, his smile irrepressible. "60,000 RMB!"
60,000 RMB?!
This amount of money was quite a lot for a small family like theirs.
His wife immediately grew concerned and asked with a frown, "Dear, where did you get so much money? Our family isn't well-off, but you can't get involved in anything shady. Don't set a bad example for our daughter!"
Their daughter also looked curiously at her parents.
The man took out his phone and showed the transfer record to his wife and daughter. He explained, "Didn't I receive a package this morning? Since I had the day off yesterday, I decided to play games online to relax. The package was the delivery from the game company.
"It's a groundbreaking game in Internal Testing; only thirty people are participating, and I am one of them.
"I got lucky today and got an Equipment drop in the game. A rich boss immediately offered 50,000 RMB to buy it."
With that, he picked up his rice bowl and started eating.
His wife and daughter listened, dumbfounded.
Playing games? An Equipment drop worth 50,000 RMB? Is that even real?
Although they didn't understand gaming, they had never heard of in-game items being so valuable.
"This game has great prospects," the man explained. "Everyone in the Internal Testing got a Game Helmet; it's in my room. You should go see for yourselves—that helmet is probably worth tens of thousands.
"Since I have a couple of days off, I want to see if I can earn a bit more in the game. Think of it as a side job. It's better than wasting time on other games."
Upon hearing this, the daughter suddenly stood up, put down her bowl and chopsticks, and ran to her parents' room.
She stared at the high-tech helmet in the room.
Was this the Game Helmet?
They were really giving it away?
She had also secretly read novels and knew about groundbreaking concepts like the metaverse.
But... wasn't the metaverse still just a concept?
Yet, from what her dad said, it seemed a company had already developed the metaverse and even started operating it.
Just then, the man walked in with his wife, continuing to talk about the game.
His wife listened, still bewildered, but seeing the helmet convinced her by about seventy percent.
She knew her husband. He might have some secret savings, but he would never splurge so much on a game. This helmet was clearly not something their family could afford.
So, did her husband really make a year's salary from a game?
You could really make money from playing games?
"Honey, I've transferred the money," the man said, putting down his phone. "You and our daughter go shopping. I kept three hundred for myself for cigarettes and things. I also ordered Braised Ribbon Fish for us; let's enjoy a good meal together later!" He looked at the helmet on the bedside table.
This was the object that had brought him a new life!
And it might also be the thing that could change his future life, so he had to take good care of it.
「On the Official Website of the game.」
As the thirty players began to post messages about the game, some intrigued players started clamoring for an Internal Testing qualification.
But the Game Designer seemed to have stopped releasing Internal Testing qualifications and didn't say much about the in-game situation either.
Most of it consisted of player screenshots and game guides they had created.
"My god, is this really a game? They give away helmets, *and* you can actually make money?"
"Shills, right? Who in their right mind spends actual cash on in-game Rewards?"
"The guy above is just jealous. Case closed. By the way, I'm one of the Internal Testers. Just exchanged Fifty Contribution Points for 5,000 RMB! [Image.jpg]"
"Can't you even use Photoshop properly? LOL. If you're not a shill, I'll do a 360-degree spiral handstand and eat shit!"
"Don't waste time on them. The Task from the Sect Leader isn't done yet. Hurry, eat, and get back online to grind. I heard Junlin is planning to lower the exchange rate for Contribution Points."
"Junlin, My Lord, give us a break! Game Merchants have families to feed too. Your buying rate is too high; we can't take it!"
"Hurry online! The Martial Arts Stage is almost built! We'll be able to integrate Martial Arts soon!"
"Heh, only thirty slots, and you're all here chatting? Still say you're not shills?"
"Trash game! Let's see how long you last!"
"..."