There were two hours left until the launch of the "era of apocalypse".
Ye Yi did not rush to put on the helmet; instead, he sat on his shaky gaming chair and rummaged through a drawer to find a notebook that had been sitting there for who knows how long.
He uncapped his pen, his hand trembling slightly, but he began to write rapidly.
In this information age, pen and paper were the safest way to record information. Because he knew that the so-called "game system" actually had the ability to monitor data.
He wrote down a few keywords on the paper.
1. Class Selection.
In his past life, 90% of players chose physical classes like Warriors and Assassins at launch. This was because official game guides showed that mana potions were expensive in the early game, and magic-based classes had extremely poor survivability.
"It was all a trap," Ye Yi sneered.
Only those who had experienced the late game knew that this was not a traditional tank-DPS-healer game at all.
All physical skill damage in the late game required mental power to drive it. And the Mage class possessed the highest hidden Intelligence Growth among all classes.
More importantly, there was that legendary hidden class—the Magic Swordsman.
It was the only class that could perfectly fuse physical swordsmanship with magical burst damage, and it was the ultimate weapon for fighting high-dimensional monsters in the late game. The prerequisite for changing to a Magic Swordsman was that one must start as a Mage, and their Intelligence attribute must reach the extreme.
Ye Yi wrote down two words heavily on the paper: Mage.
2. Core Talent.
During the character creation phase of the "era of apocalypse", there was an extremely hidden "Easter egg".
In his past life, it wasn't until the game had been running for three years that a former developer revealed on a forum: when entering a character ID, if one entered a specific hexadecimal source code, it could activate a unique hidden talent.
Ye Yi remembered that source code by heart.
Because the day after that revelation post was made, that developer mysteriously "committed suicide," and the post was deleted instantly. But before that, Ye Yi had firmly memorized that line of code.
Although he could not change his character in his past life, this string of code became an eternal pain in his heart.
"This time, it belongs to me."
3. Resource Nodes.
Ye Yi closed his eyes, his brain racing.
The hidden boss of the novice village, the "Mine Troll"...
The abandoned plot of land in the Azure Dragon Main City, which later became the center of the teleportation array where land was worth its weight in gold...
The acquisition quest for the "heaven-swallowing demon sword" that could evolve infinitely...
Pieces of information connected in his mind, forming a precise blueprint for development.
"Gurgle..."
The protest of his stomach interrupted his thoughts.
Ye Yi looked down at his own thin, gaunt body. Long-term intake of cheap carbohydrates had left his current physical condition in a sub-healthy state.
This wouldn't do.
Although the "era of apocalypse" was an immersive consciousness experience, the consumption of mental power would be fed back to the physical body. If the body was too weak, it simply couldn't support long periods of high-intensity online play.
He got up and walked to the corner of the room, where his last box of "Intermediate Nutrient Solution" was stored. He had gritted his teeth and spent half a month's living expenses on it to prepare for the game's launch.
Ye Yi didn't hesitate to open one and downed it in one gulp. A bitter taste spread in his mouth, but he didn't even frown.
"Money..."
He glanced at his account balance: 350 credits.
In this era, this amount of money wasn't even enough to pay next month's rent.
In his past life, it was because he lacked money that he was forced to work as a "gold farmer" for a large guild in the game, wasting his most precious leveling time.
"I must achieve financial freedom within the first week." Ye Yi wrote this down on the paper, "Exchange in-game currency for real-world money, improve my living environment, and buy high-level enhancement fluid."
Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside the window.
Ye Yi walked to the window and looked down through the dusty glass.
On the street below, a huge holographic projection was looping the promotional trailer for the "era of apocalypse". A warrior in silver armor split a dragon in two with one sword strike; the imagery was breathtaking. Countless young people gathered in the plaza, waving their reservation cards and cheering fanatically.
In this crowd of fanatics, Ye Yi saw a few familiar figures.
It was an offline recruitment point for the "Angel Guild".
Several people wearing bright, flashy team uniforms were standing on a high platform, arrogantly looking down at the crowd queuing up to apply for membership.
Ye Yi's gaze locked onto the blond young man leading them.
Lin Tianyu, game ID "Wings of Holy Light", President of the Angel Guild, and the crown prince of Tianyu Group in reality.
In his past life, it was exactly this person who, because he coveted a top-tier piece of equipment Ye Yi had obtained, sent people in reality to break Ye Yi's only remaining intact arm, forcing him to delete his account in the game.
That was the most humiliating memory of Ye Yi's past life.
"Lin Tianyu..."
Ye Yi's fingers tapped lightly against the window frame, causing the glass to vibrate slightly.
"Enjoy your final moments of glory."
"In this life, I will trample your Angel Guild, along with the conglomerate behind you, under my feet bit by bit."
He drew the curtains, shutting out the noise from the outside world.
There were only ten minutes left.
Ye Yi returned to the bedside and picked up the silver-gray helmet.
This helmet was the key connecting the two worlds, and it was also the weapon with which he would change his fate.
He took a deep breath, calming his agitated emotions. As a former top-tier professional player, adjusting his mindset was his instinct.
As long as he put this on, that calm, decisive, and even somewhat cold-blooded "Yi" would return.
He lay flat on the bed, adjusted to the most comfortable position, and slowly put on the helmet.
His vision faded into darkness.
A soft system startup sound echoed in his ears, along with the welcome message that was about to change the fate of all humanity.
"Neural connection synchronization rate... 100%."
"Iris lock complete."
"Welcome to the — era of apocalypse."