Earth.
In a small, unremarkable bedroom, a 14-inch OLED screen glowed faintly, casting light over the square, frameless glasses resting on a young boy's face. The glow resembled that of a magical circle.
A boy with thick glasses and a serious expression sat at his computer, meticulously scrolling through a mysterious website he had accessed through unknown means.
His name was Ryan Carter, an ordinary high school student.
If there was anything that set him apart from his classmates, it was probably just that he was a little shorter, wore thick glasses, and had a shy, introverted personality.
But no one is born like that forever. Ryan had once been exceptional.
He remembered back ten years, in elementary school, when everyone respectfully called him "Brother Zhao." Not long after entering middle school, the nickname shifted to "Experienced Zhao," and then it faded into nothing.
Anyway, he had grown tired of the mediocre game Reality OL.
As he idly browsed the web, a suspicious advertisement suddenly appeared before him:
"The most realistic, fully immersive VR MMORPG in history is about to open its first closed beta! Want to start your second life in another world? Join us now!"
"'Catastrophe' OL is coming soon!"
Official Website: NNN.XXX...X.ysj
A domain he had never seen before.
It didn't even start with the usual "www"… a private server, perhaps?
No matter how he looked at it, the website screamed suspicious. Yet his hand, holding the mouse, clicked without hesitation.
Why?
Maybe it was confidence in his skills at reinstalling operating systems and unplugging power lines.
Or maybe… what if it was real?
He wanted to see just how realistic a fully immersive VR MMORPG could be.
At that moment, Ryan didn't realize what truly caught his attention was another line in the advertisement:
"Want to start your second life in another world?"
To be honest, he quite did.
He typed the ID "Past Like Smoke" into the registration page and hurried to download the client.
But after searching the entire site, he found no client, not even a demo or promotional video.
Great. They hadn't even started making the game.
Frustrated, he opened the forum in the top-right corner of the website and realized he wasn't the only one hooked.
Many people were already complaining.
Visitor 666: "What is this game? Wait, where's the game?"
Carefree: "Why is there just a broken website with nothing else?"
Don't Argue with Fools: "Hello? Developer? Say something!"
Developer: "Hello everyone, I'm the developer. My team ran away, so development has stalled. I urgently need 5,000 yuan transferred to XXX account. Once I awaken 100,000 Terracotta Warriors and rebuild the kingdom, I'll adopt you as my heir, appointing you crown prince."
[Notice: The account "Developer" has been banned for 6,666 days. Forum administrators remind all players not to believe scams or engage in private financial transactions.]
"Whoa."
"So there really is a moderator."
"Wait… was that just a joke? Did they ban them by mistake?"
"I think it's just the account name. Maybe they should register a new one."
Unexpectedly, this broken website, without even a demo, had quite a few users. New posts appeared every minute, and they didn't look like bots.
Probably, everyone was just bored.
Ryan guessed it was also because the development team had hyped the project, attracting curious onlookers.
After a few days, when nothing real appeared, the crowd would likely disperse.
Since all his complaints had already been voiced, he didn't post anything. Instead, he flipped through the site's lore and world-building pages.
In a distant age…
It is said that in that ancient era, whether light or darkness, life or death, or elemental forces, all belonged equally to every mortal being. The gods each had their roles, and humans told their stories, as recorded in epic poems.
Yet all grand epics inevitably fell to worldly desires. The faithful wished their gods to be supreme, and behind them stood ambitious nobles and kings.
The balance was first broken by the Osc Empire.
The chosen emperor led his iron cavalry, sweeping across the continent under Saint Xis's protection, leaving all in his path. The first to fall was the God of Death. From then on, death and reincarnation were no longer equal; noble souls were born above others.
Next, the primary elemental gods perished one by one. Their divine essence shattered, leaving wandering spirits without consciousness.
Saint Xis of light and allies divided the glory of the fallen gods and forged new divine statuses. The powers once used to constrain supernatural forces became shackles on all living and dead.
Thus ended the Age of Myths, replaced by the Second Era, ruled by faith.
Ryan read the entire lore from start to finish. There were so many elements to comment on that he didn't know where to start.
It was standard world-building: clear villains, visible conflicts, and potential for an interesting main plot if the story editor had skill.
But flaws were obvious.
Today's gaming market was no longer the era of "Dark X God," "Hero X Dragon," or "Happy X Landlord."
Games now spanned countless genres, rich and diverse like the golden tree in Elden Ring.
Compared to modern RPGs, this setting felt thin.
Unless the developer could actually make this fully immersive VR MMORPG.
But was that possible?
Probably just hype.
The world was harsh. One false step and players would be cheated. Developers only needed to sell the game; players had much more to worry about.
Ryan popped a chip into his mouth and tapped his finger on the desk, finally giving a fair assessment:
"Not as good as Narukami…"
He hoped the game itself would surprise him.
Meanwhile, in Hell…
"Royan… Royan… wake up. Graduation is about to start."
Huh?
A familiar voice echoed in his mind. Royan's eyes cleared, but his face still showed confusion.
More than an hour had passed since the success of the ceremony.
By now, he had washed, dressed in the formal wear hidden in the corner of his closet, and stood in the plaza in front of the Demon King Academy's grand hall.
Though physically present, his soul still lingered in the shock of an hour ago.
What is the Catastrophe system?
And that Mechanic God…
He had lived in this world for eighteen years but had never heard such titles.
Not only that the Catastrophe OL game, the forum projected on the monolith deep in his consciousness, and the lore of the First and Second Era all of it felt real yet completely different from what he had known.
The flood of information was overwhelming. He didn't know where to start.
Royan took a deep breath and organized his thoughts.
First, there was Lint Isaac.
This person's power was likely beyond what Professor Evan speculated a mortal who had forged a divine status with his own hands.
No records proved it, but after studying the Catastrophe system, Royan immediately believed it.
Why?
Because the system could connect to Earth, his homeland!
Through the monolith, Royan successfully logged into the official Catastrophe OL website and saw a group of enthusiastic players in the forum.
Though he could only view and not post, seeing the words of his homeland after eighteen years thrilled him.
Besides browsing, the monolith allowed him to check his attribute panel and access the player management page.
Currently, with zero players, he couldn't test the system's GM privileges. The usefulness of player actions remained to be seen.
Another crucial parameter: Faith Points.
According to the system, consuming Faith Points could raise soul levels with no side effects.
In Hell's academia, soul levels determined one's potential supernatural power. Other methods demonic ascension, undead transformation existed, but all carried extreme risks, like madness or losing oneself.
No-side-effect soul leveling… only gods could achieve that.
Though Lint Isaac's mental state worried him, Royan saw hope for breaking through his limits.
Seeing Royan briefly dazed again, Igor looked worried and waved his hand in front of him.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Noticing the hand, Royan blinked, snapped out of it, and smiled awkwardly.
"Me? Haha… I'm fine, just lost in thought."
He had explored too deep in his mental realm and almost forgot he was still in the Demon City.
High-level demons were everywhere, ready to strike thankfully, Igor was beside him.
"Good… I thought McKinley or Mia had done something to you," Igor said.
"Don't worry. I'm not that easy to fool."
Royan smiled and ended the topic, turning his gaze to the imposing, gloomy castle ahead: the Demon King Academy grand hall and the site of the graduation ceremony.
Originally a real fortress, the walls still bore scars of centuries-old battles.
The entrance was a massive black iron gate, carved with terrifying reliefs and chilling runes.
Stone gargoyles and armored headless knights flanked the path, watching everyone who entered.
The castle was strict, terrifying, and unapproachable.
Royan usually avoided it not because of the sculptures, but because the moat was filled with lava.
Who in their right mind thought lava would make a nice decorative pool? Since day one, he had wanted to complain but so far, he seemed to be the only one.
The plaza was crowded. Fourth-year students were attending graduation, third-years reluctantly watched, and second- and first-years had gathered to see the seniors off.
As the clock struck, the massive doors opened, and the crowd surged forward.
"Senior… we should go," Igor whispered to the motionless Royan.
"I know… I'm fine. Don't worry." Royan murmured, then took a crystal orb from his pocket and held it up.
It was a recording orb. Once infused with magic, it captured images like a camera.
Igor looked puzzled but said nothing.
After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime graduation, and many demons were taking similar photos.
Yet Royan wasn't recording for memories. The Catastrophe system had assigned him a beginner quest:
[Quest: Record a promotional PV for the game and upload it.]
[Reward: Based on PV quality, receive 1–100 closed beta slots.]
Though uncertain about the judges' taste, the chaotic scene promised plenty of cinematic flair.