[Since ancient times, humans have harbored this persistent dread—the fear that volcanoes might suddenly erupt, that another ice age could descend without warning, that catastrophic earthquakes would shake the world, or biblical floods would swallow everything...]
[But as civilization advanced and technology progressed, so too did their fears.]
[They began to wonder if meteorites would fall from the sky, if the sun would veer off its orbit, if artificial intelligence would spiral out of control, or if alien civilizations would suddenly descend...]
[People were always doubting the future of humanity, and whether civilization could continue to exist safely, undisturbed. ]
[—And now, something truly unimaginable has arrived.]
[They have become 'Players'.]
…
"——Welcome player BE3030 to World #1: Apocalypse World! You can now start using your points to purchase skills and items to arm yourself!"
"Please explore this world freely, interact with key NPCs, and complete your missions!"
The cold, mechanical system notification voice rang in Su Ming'an's ears as he opened his eyes.
In his field of view, a green health bar reading 500/500 and a blue mana bar reading 140/140 were displayed in the upper left corner. To the corner in the right, a chatroom interface showed: 0 viewers. This was expected since all the other players were also in-game.
With a thought, he accessed his inventory—the squares inside are currently empty.
"——Doctor, Doctor, you're awake?"
A girl in a white lab coat smiled at him. Su Ming'an sat up, realizing he had been lying on a bed in what appeared to be a research facility. A news broadcast played on the wall-mounted TV:
[The unknown disease that ravaged Henggang City last year remains uncontrolled. Recent studies suggest compounds in certain fungi may help prevent infection. Major hospitals are currently in the process of developing vaccines...]
"Good morning, Doctor." The girl said, "Today is February 29th. The vaccine is still under development. You must be exhausted from overworking yourself last night—please rest a little longer."
After a pause, the girl continued.
"There were four deaths in the lab yesterday. The causes were: contamination, illness, suicide by hanging, and one from going mad..."
"For the future of humanity, I hope we can survive. Doctor."
"As long as you're here... there will be hope for humanity."
—
The ID badge on the girl's chest read: [Xiao Han, Research Assistant, Henggang Vaccine Research and Development Center].
Su Ming'an realized that he had 'possessed' the body of a doctor at a vaccine research facility. It seemed that this dungeon was 'possession-style', where players are assigned an initial identity.
Ding Dong!
…
[Welcome to World #1!]
[World name: Henggang City—Zombie Apocalypse]
[Plot Hints:
"If I die now, will anyone weep for me?"
"If I drink the blood of the plunderers, will I be able to find peace in the afterlife?"
"If you take my place... can you let the children see blue skies again?"]
…
[Story Setting: Henggang City (Since all players are entering the game for the first time, you will automatically acquire the local language for the duration of the dungeon)]
[Basic mission for all players: Survive and live to the fifteenth day]
[Perfect Clear requirements: Find the zombie antibodies and deduce the secret behind the apocalypse.]
[Key NPC in this world: Duoduo (daughter of Han Yanyan and Chen Limin)]
…
It seems all he had to do in this dungeon was obtain the 'antibodies' and uncover the source of the outbreak. But the real question was—where were the 'antibodies' hidden?
"Doctor?" Xiao Han called out hesitantly, noticing Su Ming'an's silence.
"Ah, I'm fine." Su Ming'an replied.
Xiao Han was clearly a native of this world, not a player. He couldn't let her realize that he wasn't the real doctor.
It seemed that all 20,000 players had assumed different identities upon entering this world. He felt fortunate that he possessed a doctor rather than a homeless guy.
"Doctor, I'll head upstairs first to check on the progress of the vaccine," Xiao Han said with a smile.
After she left, Su Ming'an immediately opened his character panel.
…
[Player Info]
Name: Su Ming'an
ID: BE3030
Level: Tier 1-1
Honors: None
Achievements: None
Class: Not yet obtained
Skills: None
HP: 500
Mana: 100 + 10×4 (Regen: 5 per minute)
Vitality: 5
Strength: 4
Agility: 5
Spirit: 9
Charm: A
Luck: E
Points: 140
Combat Power Rating: 68
He heard the system sound:
[Achievement Obtained (The Endless Distance): Above the billion was your public speech. ]
[Obtained 40 points. ]
[Honor Obtained (Number one of the tutorial level): The current strongest among the billion players, please maintain your unmatched fighting spirit. ]
[Obtained 40 points. ]
…
Su Ming'an glanced at the 220 points he now owned. According to the forums, most players averaged between 30 to 70 points. Compared to them, he was already at a huge advantage.
He noticed that his 'Death Rollback' ability wasn't listed in his character panel. Although he didn't know where this skill came from, he was almost certain now that Death Rollback was a secret known only to him.
He opened up the skill purchasing menu.
…
[Now starting skill acquisition process]
[Detected player completion of the tutorial level at SS-rank. Skills acquired will be drawn from the high-tier skill pool, greatly increasing the probability of obtaining high-rarity skills.
The cost of acquiring a skill is 120 points. Do you wish to proceed?]
"Yes."
…
[Obtained Epic(Red)-Tier Potential Skill: Clone (Evolvable)]
[Clone lv1 (Mana cost 80): You create a clone of yourself by sacrificing one-third of your strength.
The clone has the same strength as you had before you created the clone. When the clone dies, your strength is restored.
You can retrieve the clone by touching it, or you can choose to make the clone explode.
The strength of the clone directly scales with your Spirit stat.]
[Note: The potential level of skills, ranging from low to high, is: Common (White), Uncommon(Green), Rare (Blue), Epic (Red), Legendary (Purple).]
[Acquired new skill, Combat Power: 68+70]
…
He had only 100 points left, which is not enough for another draw in the high-tier pool.
Su Ming'an chose to acquire skills at the next level down, which costs 80 points for a single draw.
[Obtain Rare(Blue)-Tier Potential Skill: Oblivion (Evolvable)]
[Oblivion lv1 (Mana cost varies): Wherever your fingers touch is consumed by oblivion energy. The damage dealt scales with the amount of mana invested.]
[Acquired new skill, Combat Power: 138+40]
…
He used the remaining 20 points to increase his stats; each attribute point costs 10 points.
He added 1 point to Strength and 1 point to Spirit. His attributes now read: [Vitality 5, Strength 5, Agility 5, Spirit 10].
After boosting Strength, he could feel a noticeable increase in the force behind his punches. With the added point in Spirit, his mind felt sharper, and his vision noticeably clearer.
…So this is what it feels like to become stronger.
If he gains more attribute points, his constitution will definitely improve drastically.
The store tab had not yet opened.
Su Ming'an took one last look at the panel and saw that his Combat Power was 188 and his level was still the initial Tier 1-1.
Just like in a typical game, he should be able to level up by killing monsters, with each level granting him new attribute points to spend.
During these fifteen days, he might also receive some side missions and gain points, which can be exchanged for 'attribute points' and 'equipment', increasing his four major stats: [Vitality], [Strength], [Agility], and [Spirit].
Ding Dong!
[After the first world ends, the Class system will be unlocked. You will obtain your own exclusive class, such as Battle Mage, Shadow Priest, Dual Blade Warrior, Mechanical Sniper, Orc Shapeshifter, Paladin, Necromancer, etc. ]
…
Su Ming'an realized that the class system would be a crucial branching point, and he needed to carefully consider his future path.
Should he become a warrior who specializes in close-range combat, a wizard who commands the elements, a mechanic skilled with guns and explosives, or a summoner who controls contracted creatures?
Whatever the case, for now, he needed to accept missions, kill zombies, and continuously grow stronger to uncover the secret behind this apocalyptic outbreak—and ultimately achieve a Perfect Clear.
…
[Liu She: Hey? You look pretty relaxed there?]
A lone chat message drifted slowly across the top of his field of view.
This was likely a player who had died, been converted to a spectator with their points and abilities reset, and had accidentally stumbled into his stream.
Although this person did die a bit too early...
Those who are eliminated and become spectators cannot go on another adventure unless they gain a certain number of points through activities such as watching streams, writing guides, and chatting on the forums. Only then can they start adventuring again in the next world.
Their chat messages must not leak any useful information about the dungeon, so cross-stream spoilers about quest details or story developments is completely impossible. At most, the chat can only serve to help identify other players.
The streaming system is similar to ordinary streaming platforms; the more popular the stream is, the higher it will be in the list.
This viewer must have died today and clicked on a random stream. What he didn't know was that he actually clicked into the stream of the number one player.
[I've heard that the strongest player now is Edward from England with 150 Combat Power. How much do you have? Your stream's kinda dead. Why don't you change the name of your stream?] This viewer said: [Streams with high view counts will be rewarded with extra points at the end.]
As an adventure player, Su Ming'an cannot see other people's streams; he can only see his own.
He hadn't changed the name of his stream yet; it remained the default: [Su Ming'an's Livestream Room].
He thought this was interesting. This was a very similar experience to when he was still a horror game streamer: "How do you think it should be changed?"
That said, he isn't going to try to please the viewers. When he was still a streamer, he focused solely on playing the game and ignored the chat—yet many viewers still liked that type of content.
The viewer said: ['Solo zombie slaughter'? Or a name like 'Crushing the apocalypse'?]
Su Ming'an thought about it and changed the name to [World Game: Online Vacation].
He also found that he could limit the content his viewers could watch. After all, you can't broadcast everything when you start a livestream. What if there is a porno seller...
[What's your tutorial level rating?] The viewer guy asked: [When I return as an adventure player, you gotta bring me with you. We'll kick Boss Bunny's ass and punch the organizers' faces!]
The relationship between adventure players and their viewers is a symbiotic one.
The viewers can provide advice to the adventure players, and the adventure players provide the audience with material for writing guides.
While Su Ming'an was talking to this viewer, the popularity of his stream gradually increased, reaching about thirty or forty concurrent viewers.
The chat was very happy, as if they were the ones doing the adventuring:
[I saw the goddess Iris from Finland in another stream. Wow, is she beautiful... She's a big shot who could only be seen at top-tier gatherings before.]
[His Royal Highness Edward of England is also a true royal prince...]
[Is Edward the number one player who gave the speech at the opening ceremony?]
[He himself said he was not, so who is the number one player? ]
[Why are y'all hanging out in this guy's stream instead of watching those big shots?]
[…I'll just stay for a while longer then leave.]
[I like it because the streamer looks like a student, so it's like a self-insert.]
[I'm going to go see Eni and the others. I don't want to miss out on the former nobles of England…]
[Hey streamer, you're so brave, your tutorial level rating must be at least B! ]
"Tutorial level?" Su Mingan said, "I got SS."
…
Of course, the chat didn't believe this:
[Haha, I believe it, we all believe it! ]
[So we're OG fans of the number one player? Lmao, just kidding, I don't believe it.]
…
Su Ming'an ignored the chat messages. He only streamed for the points. He wouldn't deliberately cater to anyone and will usually be too lazy to reply.
Although he didn't want to show off his number one status, he also wouldn't hide it. In fifteen days at most, the leaderboards would be opened, and his identity would be revealed.
And then, the entire world will be focused on him.
[The Number One Player…]
The endless distance, endless people... The first among a billion, the weight of a world...
There are businessmen who are wealthier than some countries, politicians with enormous power, and world-class superstars... but he was just a student.
His identity as the number one will definitely be revealed, and when that time comes...
What kind of fanaticism, criticism, admiration, or even faith will he receive?
He got up from the bed and walked out of the icey-white lab room. Outside was a long and dark corridor.
Since the mission is to find the antibodies, he might as well start searching through the research facility.
He moved down the corridor, fingers trailing along the rough wall, and managed to find his way into a pitch-dark room. Inside, it was quiet, except for the ticking sound of a clock.
Swish! A strong wind blew past his eyes. Su Ming'an raised his hand and grabbed onto the attacker's arm.
In the darkness, neither of them could see the other clearly. He drove his knee upward in a sudden strike. At the same time, oblivion energy flared from his hand, eliciting a sharp cry of pain as it seared into the attacker's arm.
As the attacker was distracted by pain, his knee slammed into their lower abdomen without resistance.
Bang!
The impact seemed to have sent them flying, their body slamming hard against the ground.
…
[World Game · Current Surviving Players: 1,117,676,882]