Quinn Family Estate, Jianghai City, Eastern Federation.
A young man slowly opened his eyes.
The ceiling above him looked familiar, yet strangely distant, like a memory pulled from another life. Ethan Quinn sat up slowly, confusion filling his expression as he scanned the room.
"This isn't the cavern…"
His voice was quiet.
He looked around again. The furniture. The decorations. Everything belonged to the bedroom he had lived in years ago. His gaze stopped on the mechanical wall clock hanging beside the window.
The time felt wrong.
Ethan quickly grabbed the phone lying beside the bed and turned on the screen.
October 1, 2120.
His pupils shrank.
"I came back…"
As one of the earliest players of the virtual world Divine Realm, Ethan remembered this date perfectly.
Today was the day the game officially launched.
In his previous life, the world believed Divine Realm was just another online game. Something to pass the time. Something to escape reality.
But Ethan knew the truth.
Three years after launch, the world would change forever.
Divine Realm would descend into reality.
The powers players gained inside the game would manifest in the real world. At the same time, the monsters within the game would also appear on Earth.
Cities would fall.
Civilization would fracture.
Humanity would become prey.
In his previous life, Ethan had been a hardcore gamer and reviewer. The moment the game launched, he joined the first wave of players.
As one of the pioneers, he gained an early advantage and quickly climbed into the top ranks of Divine Realm.
When the game world merged with reality, he became one of humanity's strongest fighters.
But strength had limits.
The monsters that descended onto Earth were far beyond anything humans expected. Humanity's territory shrank day by day. Entire populations were wiped out.
Ethan himself died while clearing a high level dungeon cavern.
Ten Supreme monsters surrounded him.
He fought until the last second.
He still lost.
Thinking about that final battle, Ethan slowly clenched his fists.
In his previous life, he had an advantage over others. He entered the game early and gained strength quickly.
But he still wasted time exploring the wrong paths. He spent years discovering things that others would later learn instantly.
Those mistakes cost humanity everything.
This time would be different.
This life gave him a chance to begin again.
This time he would bend fate itself.
This time he would rise fast enough to hold back the darkness that destroyed the world.
The public launch of Divine Realm was only hours away.
There was no time to waste.
Ethan jumped out of bed, rushed to his computer, and opened the official website of Divine Realm.
In his previous life, the launch of the game attracted very little attention.
There were two reasons.
First, the developers barely promoted it. Aside from a few scattered advertisements on gaming forums, almost no marketing existed.
Second, the equipment price shocked everyone.
A standard Divine Realm gaming helmet cost one hundred thousand credits.
Most players assumed it was a scam.
Back then Ethan had bought the helmet himself. As a game reviewer and the son of a wealthy family, he planned to test the game and expose the company for overpricing it.
That plan disappeared the moment he entered the game.
Divine Realm felt too real.
The simulation reached 99.999 percent realism. The world, the senses, the environment. Everything felt indistinguishable from reality.
He forgot his review entirely.
But other reviewers did not.
Within days they released videos praising the game. The internet exploded. Millions of players rushed to buy equipment.
The first ten million helmets sold out within hours.
More importantly, a single legendary item was purchased that day.
The Supreme Game Pod.
It existed only once in the entire world.
The buyer received a special privilege. The chance to draw god level talents.
That player later dominated the entire game.
Unfortunately, when Divine Realm merged with reality, that same player betrayed humanity and joined the monster faction.
He became the greatest enemy of mankind.
Ethan's eyes hardened.
That treasure would never fall into a traitor's hands again.
After completing the identity verification on the website, Ethan immediately opened the purchase page and scrolled to the very bottom.
There it was.
Supreme Game Pod.
Price. One hundred million credits.
Quantity. One unit worldwide.
Without hesitation, Ethan entered his address and bank information.
Purchase confirmed.
A notification appeared instantly.
Purchase successful. Delivery will arrive within two hours.
A rare smile appeared on Ethan's face.
For someone with a family inheritance worth billions, one hundred million meant very little.
Even if the pod cost everything he owned, he would still buy it.
Because he knew its true value.
Time passed slowly.
Finally, the doorbell rang.
Ethan rushed downstairs and opened the door. Several technicians wheeled in a massive golden pod and began setting it up.
After a short installation, the device was ready.
There were still a few hours before the servers opened.
Ethan took a shower, then asked the estate staff to prepare a large meal.
He was not celebrating.
He was preparing.
Long gaming sessions demanded energy.
After finishing the meal, Ethan walked toward the Supreme Game Pod and stepped inside.
The lid slowly closed.
The next moment, golden light surrounded his body.
It felt like falling through space.
Thirty seconds later, the world changed.
A calm voice echoed around him.
"Welcome, Supreme Player. Welcome to Divine Realm."
Ethan opened his eyes.
He stood inside a massive temple.
Somewhere in the darkness, unseen eyes seemed to be watching him.
The voice returned.
"Please choose your character name."
The familiar process had begun.
Ethan did not hesitate.
"God's Will."
"Name accepted. Please select your starting class."
Six glowing symbols appeared before him.
Warrior.
Assassin.
Knight.
Mage.
Priest.
Mechanist.