Chapter 1 Apocalypse Game
Zhou Ning was deeply depressed.
As a staunch atheist, the last thing he ever expected was to become a professional time traveler.
In a little over two years, he had managed to time travel twice.
His first trip had been just over two years ago. An ordinary hangover had sent him to Blue Star, a world much like Earth, but one where the entertainment industry was extremely backward while the gaming industry was unbelievably prosperous.
Movies and comics were underdeveloped. There was no Dead Sea, no Jin Yong, no Harry Potter, no Marvel… It was completely different from his previous life.
It was the perfect setup for a plagiarist to take over the world. Unfortunately, a cheap, high-spec optical computer and a virtual reality game called Apocalypse made him forget that ambition entirely.
At first, he only wanted to experience this new world's technology, but he soon became addicted. Despite starting the game late, his exceptional gaming talent allowed him to quickly catch up with the top players in Apocalypse and make a name for himself. The guild he founded even became a major force in the player community.
But the good times didn't last. A moment ago, he had gathered a large group to take on the level 70 heroic-difficulty dungeon in Apocalypse: "Jason Natter's Haunted House." While waiting for his teammates, he had opened a small, newly downloaded game on his optical computer to kill time. The next thing he knew, a beam of light swallowed him, and he ended up here.
Dilapidated window frames, a gloomy atmosphere, shadowy figures, and flickering candlelight. Visibility was less than half a meter, but it was still clearly a dilapidated room.
A cold sweat broke out on Zhou Ning's back.
He found his hands bound behind his back, seemingly with ropes he couldn't break. He could hear the low cries of others nearby; there seemed to be quite a few people around him.
Staring at the horror-movie scene, Zhou Ning couldn't help but panic. He shifted, trying to get closer to a candlestick for a sense of security, but was startled by a twisted, blubbering face right next to him.
Looking closer, he saw a portly kid, his face a mess of tears and snot, mumbling as he cried:
"It's over, it's over, it's really over this time..."
"I don't want to die! I want to go home!"
The fat kid's mumbling was grating. He repeated the same two phrases over and over like a broken record. Even someone as calm as Zhou Ning couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Two minutes later, a nearby door creaked open, spilling a beam of light into the room. Three men in hooded black robes entered. Zhou Ning felt the kid next to him flinch and quickly clamp his mouth shut, his cries reduced to intermittent sobs.
In the light from the doorway, Zhou Ning recognized the black flame emblems on the left side of their chests and startled. That symbol... it's the Curse Cult, isn't it?
The leader of the robed men pointed at a young man nearby and said coldly, "You. Come here."
"No, no, I don't want to die! Save me..." The young man's face twisted in despair, but before he could struggle, the other two robed men dragged him out, his pleas echoing down the hall.
With a bang, the door slammed shut, plunging the room back into darkness and silencing the cries for help.
Zhou Ning shuddered. That's right. Those three men in black robes were definitely followers of the Curse Cult from the game Apocalypse.
In the game, they were a group that proclaimed the coming of the apocalypse, spread plagues, and were obsessed with sacrificing living people in various rituals to summon evil gods—though they mostly failed.
In other words, he thought, I've been transported into the game and have unfortunately become one of their sacrifices.
Damn it, no wonder this place looks familiar. Isn't this Jason Natter's Haunted House, the very dungeon I was about to farm? The first trailer for Apocalypse was even set here.
The backstory for the normal-difficulty version of the [Jason Natter's Haunted House] dungeon was simple:
Members of the Curse Cult captured a group of people and brought them to their haunted residence, the [Jason Natter's Haunted House]. Their plan was to use spells from the Book of Isenwei to sacrifice their captives and appease an evil god. The players' objective was to stop the ritual.
As an entry-level dungeon, [Jason Natter's Haunted House] wasn't difficult. Most of the Curse Cult members were ordinary people; only their priest, Niamh, possessed any extraordinary power.
But that was in a game, Zhou Ning realized. There might not be anyone coming to the rescue in real life. What do I do now?
"This is ridiculous," Zhou Ning muttered, sighing.
As mentioned, Apocalypse was a globally popular holographic online game. When Zhou Ning first time-traveled, it had already been the top-ranked holographic online game for three consecutive years.
The game combined the settings of countless fantasy games and novels, all calculated and evolved by a new generation of super optical computers, free from human interference. More importantly, its scenes, characters, and plots were so realistic it felt like another world.
The game was set in a world with a unique style reminiscent of 19th-century Europe, which gave it a veneer of realism. This world had developed firearms and steam engines alongside a brilliant and extraordinary civilization of its own.
From the dungeon's backstory, he could infer that this was the game's initial stage. Extraordinary creatures were rare, and the Curse Cult hadn't yet become a major threat. Most of its believers were treated as jokes, running around with a manuscript called the Book of Isenwei and capturing people for sacrifices that, for two years straight, had a zero percent success rate.
But these so-called jokes now posed a fatal threat to Zhou Ning.
And according to the dungeon's plot, if no one intervened, this particular sacrifice was destined to succeed.
Just then, a line of text flashed before his eyes:
`[The sacrifice has died. Current progress: 26/36.]`
Is this... a dungeon prompt? Zhou Ning thought, shocked. It seemed the ritual was nearly complete. He didn't have much time.
"Panel!" he thought. To his relief, when he mentally tried to summon the menu as he would in the game, the familiar status panel appeared before him.
Name: Zhou Ning / Wayne Stewell
Race: Human
Template: NPC [Countdown to internal beta: 48 days, 3 hours, 42 minutes]
Age: 23
Level: 2
Occupation: Teaching Assistant [1/10]
Natural Force Affinity: 0
Arcane Affinity: 0
Talent: Hidden
Personal Attributes: Strength 7, Agility 8, Stamina 8, Willpower 8, Spirit 9, Charm 98
Health: 80
Willpower: 7 / 8
Mana: 0
Life Skills: Basic Alchemy
General Skills: None
Personal Expertise:
Dexterity (Elementary) - Your hands are extremely dexterous, allowing you to perform tasks that require delicate manipulation.
Encyclopedia - Your knowledge reserves far exceed those of most people. Spirit +1.
Extreme Calmness - You can maintain a calm mind at all times. Learning progress increases by 10%.
Clan Motto: None
Influence: None
Legend: 0
`[An ordinary, unknown person with no talent for cultivation and nothing to show for himself except his looks.]`
While having a status panel was a good thing, the data it displayed was... hard to describe.
According to the attribute settings in Apocalypse, Natural Force Affinity was a prerequisite for becoming a warrior, so a value of zero spoke for itself. An Arcane Affinity of zero meant he had no chance of becoming a mage, either.
As for his other stats, ten was the average for a commoner. His Strength, Agility, and Stamina weren't anything special. His Spirit of nine was even less impressive. The note about having "no talent for cultivation" was definitely not an exaggeration.
As for his highest stat, Charm, that had to be a beautiful mistake.
If he wasn't mistaken, it looked like every single one of his starting points had been dumped into it.
In Apocalypse, Charm maxed out at 100. A score over 70 was considered high, and anything over 90 made you unbelievably handsome. A starting score of 98 was unheard of—he was a complete statistical anomaly.
But what was the point of being handsome? In this world, combat ability was what mattered. Without it, one wrong move could get you captured and killed before you even had time to regret it.
Also, his NPC status meant he probably couldn't resurrect like a player. If he died, it would likely be permanent.
This is so bizarre, he thought. Apocalypse has been running for three years, and I've never heard of anyone disappearing while playing. Why am I the unlucky one?
Hey, what's this?
Zhou Ning suddenly noticed an option labeled "Time Travel Simulator" in the lower-right corner of his status panel. Wasn't that the little game he'd been about to play right before he was transported?
Could this little game be the reason I got trapped here, Sword Art Online-style?
Mentally focusing on the option, a series of prompts appeared before him:
`Welcome to Time Travel Simulator. Game resources are downloading... 95%... 96%... 99%... Loading complete.`
`[The time travel simulator is starting up... This game is also known as "Ten Thousand Me." We wish you a happy game.]`
`[You currently have 2 Crossing Coins. You can get a minimum allowance of 1 Crossing Coin every day at 12:00 AM. Of course, you can also get more by recharging.]`
`[Dying in the simulator doesn't mean you're really dead. It might just be a part of your life in a parallel universe.]`
`[After you complete certain special achievements or have an impact on the world, you will receive corresponding rewards.]`
`[Simulators can protect your mental health, but you should still remember that moderate gaming is good for your brain, while excessive gaming can harm your health.]`
"This looks completely unreliable," Zhou Ning thought after carefully reading every word. He then turned his attention to the game interface itself.
As a veteran gamer, his only comment was: Isn't this interface a little too simple?