"Crybaby, thanks for walking me back," Mia huffed, lips pursed in a pout.
Lucas fell silent, flustered. "I wasn't crying. Just dust in my eyes, that's all."
"Sure thing, dust," Mia singsonged, her smirk screaming disbelief.
"Fine, call me crybaby. I'm Lucas," he conceded. "And you?"
"Mia Reed. Nice to meet you. Hope we cross paths again. My roommate's waiting, so I gotta go." She flashed an apologetic smile and darted into the dorm.
Watching her disappear, Lucas smiled faintly. "Silly girl—we're classmates, and soon enough, you'll be the one seeking me out." The dorm was a five-minute walk from the campus gate, but he'd led her on a detour around half the university. He knew she'd catch on soon.
Their bond had begun with a wrong turn in his past life, and fate was repeating itself. Lucas clenched his fists—this time, no darkness would tear what they had apart.
Glancing at his phone, he saw only 30 minutes remained until Forsaken World launched. He rushed to buy a VR headset, then sprinted home. Locking the door, he lay on his bed and slipped it on; bioelectric pulses from the device synced with his brain instantly.
"System scanning… Initial login in progress… Brainwave sync confirmed… Binding user data… Linking bank account…"
After the familiar, nostalgic prompts, Lucas materialized in a golden hall. A massive hologram flickered to life, and a mechanical voice boomed: "Welcome to Forsaken World. Headset linked to user profile. Game launch in 3 minutes. Create character now?"
"Yes."
The hologram shifted to show three faction strongholds. "Select your race." The game featured three core factions: the human capital of Saint Galen (blue-and-white banner), the orc fortress of Dominion Hold (blood-red banner), and the elven Golden Spire (golden banner).
"Human."
Seven classes popped up. "Choose your class: Mage, Warrior, Rogue, Hunter, Cleric, Warlock, Paladin (Human-exclusive)."
"Mage." He'd been a Fire Mage in his past life—mastering every spell, quest, and tactic until his passion bordered on obsession. This class was his path to redemption.
"Class confirmed. Enter username…"
"Lucas."
"Adjust appearance?" Players got one chance to tweak their in-game look. Lucas stuck with his past-life features—he'd rise from the same ashes he'd fallen into.
Three seconds later, a Human Mage in apprentice robes, gripping a basic oak staff, appeared on-screen. His stats flashed:
Name: Lucas | Class: Mage | Level: 0
Stamina: 3 | Strength: 1 | Intelligence: 10 | Agility: 3 | Vitality: 4
HP: 64 | Mana: 120 | Physical Dmg: 1-1 | Spell Dmg: 10 | Defense: 3
Physical Crit: 0% | Magical Crit: 0.1% | Mana Regen: 1 per 5 sec
"Character created. Launch countdown: 5…4…3…2…1… Game active. Enter world?"
"Yes."
The world spun, and Lucas merged with his character, spawning in Saint Galen's central square. He drank in the sights: the towering blue Mage Tower, grand Golden Cathedral, bustling Warrior's Training Yard, shadowed Rogue's Den, and imposing Royal Citadel. Other players flooded the square, gasping at the game's hyper-realism.
Ignoring the chaos, Lucas sprinted north. He knew every early-game quest and grind spot, but none mattered now. Reborn, he wouldn't waste time on trivialities—his target was a decade-old secret quest, the only chance to save his family and rewrite fate.
Saint Galen sat atop the Flowering Plains. At its northern gate, a bottomless canyon sliced through the land. Lucas reached the cliff edge, checked for onlookers, then jumped—just as he'd done in his past life.
Cliffside branches slowed his fall. "Crack!" One snapped, dealing 7 damage. Another broke, chipping 5 more HP. By the time he hit the ground, a final 20 damage left him clinging to 1 HP.
He exhaled sharply—only his past memories had saved him. A system notification popped up: You have discovered Sunset Canyon (Hidden Zone).