Real world. Shanghai, China.
3:00 AM. A cramped rental apartment, barely ten square meters.
The air reeked of instant noodles and stale cigarette smoke. Takeout containers and empty soda bottles littered the corners. The only source of light came from a 24-inch monitor, its screen flickering with intense combat footage.
"Just a little more... just a little more!"
Lin Yuan's bloodshot eyes were glued to the screen, his fingers hammering the mechanical keyboard in a frenzied rhythm—clack-clack-clack. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes like bruises, his lips were cracked and dry, and his hair was a greasy, tangled mess.
On screen, the final hidden boss of *Age of Gods*—[Abyssal Demon God: Azathoth]—was unleashing its ultimate berserk skill.
A hundred-meter-tall monstrosity with six arms, each wielding a different divine artifact, its massive black wings blotting out the sky. Its health bar was nearly depleted—just 1% remaining.
But that final 1% had defeated countless top-tier players.
His character, "Eternal Night Sovereign," stood at the demon god's feet, as small as an ant. Yet this tiny figure had been fighting alone for six straight hours.
"Shadow Legion, full assault!"
Lin Yuan growled, his fingers dancing across the keyboard.
On screen, hundreds of summoned creatures launched their attack simultaneously—skeleton warriors, skeleton mages, shadow demons, death knights, liches... A seething mass of summons engulfed the demon god.
This was the ultimate summoner build he'd perfected over ten years.
[Lantern: Caron's Eye]— Summon count ×2
[Crown of the Dead]— Summon ATK +50%
[Eternal Night Sovereign's Robe]— Summon HP +100%
[Abyssal Contract]— Maintain 200 summons simultaneously
Four mythic-grade items. Each one unique across the entire server.
"Die! DIE!"
The final strike!
The demon god let out an earth-shattering roar as its massive body began to disintegrate, dissolving into countless black particles.
[Congratulations, player "Eternal Night Sovereign" has defeated the final boss and earned the achievement: Godslayer]
[Server Announcement: Player "Eternal Night Sovereign" is the first to solo the final boss!]
[Server Announcement: Player "Eternal Night Sovereign" is the first to solo the final boss!]
[Server Announcement: Player "Eternal Night Sovereign" is the first to solo the final boss!]
The golden announcement flashed across the screen three times.
Immediately, the world chat exploded.
[World][Sword Saint Wushuang]: Holy shit! Eternal Night actually solo'd it?!
[World][Archmage Descends]: Impossible! Our fifty-man raid couldn't even clear it!
[World][Holy Light Guardian]: Summoner build is GOD TIER!
[World][Night Assassin]: Master, are you taking disciples? I'll serve you tea!
[World][Dragon Knight]: Eternal Night Sovereign, the eternal legend!
Countless messages flooded the world chat, but Lin Yuan no longer had the energy to read them.
"I did it... finally... cleared it..."
He slumped back in his chair, a weary but satisfied smile on his lips.
Ten years.
A full decade of gaming. Thirty thousand hours logged. He'd finally completed every achievement in the game.
[Achievement List]
- Complete Bestiary: 10000/10000 (Server Unique)
- All Hidden Dungeons Cleared: 500/500 (Server Unique)
- All Mythic Equipment Collected: 50/50 (Server Unique)
- All Classes Mastered: 12/12 (Server Unique)
- Solo Final Boss Kill: 1/1 (Server First)
He, Lin Yuan, game ID [Eternal Night Sovereign], was the undisputed number one player in *Age of Gods*, hailed by players as the "God of Summoners."
On gaming forums, there were tens of thousands of strategy guides about him.
On streaming platforms, his gameplay videos had hundreds of millions of views.
Countless players idolized him, copying his tactics, studying his equipment builds.
But only he knew what he'd sacrificed for this.
No job—surviving on his parents' inheritance and money from selling in-game equipment.
No friends, no lover, rarely even leaving his apartment.
Every day was just eating, sleeping, and gaming.
To clear a hidden dungeon, he'd grind for a week straight.
To obtain a mythic item, he'd farm the same boss over a thousand times.
To optimize his summoner build, he'd created hundreds of Excel spreadsheets, calculating the value of every single stat.
For ten years, the game had been his entire life.
And now, he'd finally beaten it.
"Phew... time to sleep..."
Lin Yuan rubbed his temples and tried to stand.
But then, a sudden, sharp pain lanced through his chest.
"What... what's happening..."
He clutched his chest, his face turning deathly pale.
The pain radiated from his heart, as if an invisible hand was squeezing it with crushing force.
Breathing became difficult. His vision blurred.
"Damn it... is this... cardiac arrest..."
He tried to grab his phone to call emergency services, but his arms wouldn't respond.
His body was going numb. His consciousness was fading.
A high-pitched ringing filled his ears. The world began to spin.
The last thing he saw was his character on the computer screen, standing perfectly still.
"Eternal Night Sovereign" wore the black Sovereign's Robe, held the ancient bronze lantern, and was surrounded by a vast army of summons.
That character embodied ten years of his youth.
"If only... I could start over... in the game..."
That was Lin Yuan's final thought.
The next second, his body collapsed onto the keyboard with a dull thud.
On the computer screen, the game character stood silently before the Abyssal Throne, the lantern glowing with a faint golden light, as if waiting for something.
The world chat continued to explode with congratulations for "Eternal Night Sovereign," celebrating his historic achievement.
But they didn't know that this legendary player had already left the world forever.
"My lord! My lord! Please wake up!"
An anxious female voice echoed in his ears.
Lin Yuan's eyes snapped open.
What greeted him wasn't the familiar ceiling of his rental apartment, but an unfamiliar wooden roof. The beams were rough and ancient, with cobwebs clinging to the corners.
"I'm... not dead?"
He tried to sit up, but his body was terrifyingly weak—even lifting his arm took tremendous effort.
"My lord, you're finally awake!"
A delicate face appeared in his field of vision.
It was a young woman who looked to be around twenty years old. She had short golden hair, clear blue eyes that radiated determination, and sharp, heroic features. She wore worn but clean leather armor, with several deep scratches across the chest plate.
"You've been unconscious for three days. I thought..." The female knight's voice choked up. "I thought you'd never wake up..."
"Who... who are you?" Lin Yuan asked instinctively, his voice hoarse as if he hadn't had water in days.
"My lord, it's me—Anna." The female knight froze, worry flashing in her eyes. "You... don't remember me?"
"Anna?"
Lin Yuan frowned. The name sounded vaguely familiar.
Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his head, as if thousands of needles were piercing his brain.
"Ahhh!"
He couldn't help but cry out, clutching his head with both hands.
"My lord! What's wrong?!" Anna frantically tried to support him.
But Lin Yuan couldn't answer.
Countless foreign memories flooded his mind like a tidal wave, intertwining, colliding, and merging with his original memories.
It was another person's entire life—
Allen Gray, the second son of the Gray family—a minor noble house in the northern reaches of the Valen Continent.
He witnessed Allen's childhood: growing up carefree in the family castle, doted on by his parents, respectfully addressed as "Young Master" by the servants.
He witnessed Allen's adolescence: failing the awakening test, possessing no magical talent whatsoever, branded as worthless by the family. From that day forward, his parents' love turned to disappointment, his brother's kindness to contempt.
He witnessed Allen's young adulthood: desperate to prove himself, he trained relentlessly, but could never break through. In despair, he gave up on himself, drowning in wine and women, committing countless foolish acts.
Harassing innocent women, oppressing commoners, gambling away debts, causing drunken scenes...
Each transgression tarnished the Gray family's reputation further.
Then, he witnessed the humiliation from three days ago—
The Grand Cathedral of Light, the most sacred place in the royal capital.
Hundreds of nobles gathered in the plaza before the cathedral, dressed in lavish gowns and adorned with expensive jewelry, elegant smiles plastered on their faces.
Allen stood at the center of the crowd, wearing a brand-new noble's suit, gazing expectantly at the cathedral doors.
Today was the confirmation ceremony for his engagement to the Saintess Eliya.
Though this engagement had been arranged by their parents ten years ago, though Eliya had never once looked at him properly, he still clung to a thread of hope.
Perhaps the engagement would change everything.
Perhaps Eliya would accept him.
Perhaps he could regain his family's recognition.
But reality was cruel.
The cathedral doors opened, and a woman in white holy robes emerged slowly.
She had waist-length silver hair that cascaded like a waterfall. Her exquisite features seemed crafted by the gods themselves, her skin so pale it was nearly translucent. Most striking were her eyes—golden irises, clear and sacred, as if they could see through to one's very soul.
Saintess Eliya Holylight, the Saintess of the Church of Light, the most dazzling prodigy on the Valen Continent.
Awakened S-rank talent [Holy Light's Blessing] at eighteen, broke through to Tier 3 and became a Holy Knight at twenty, hailed as the "Incarnation of Light."
She stood at the cathedral entrance, looking down at Allen below, her face devoid of expression.
"Allen Gray." Her voice was cold and authoritative, echoing across the plaza. "I, Eliya Holylight, in the name of the Light, hereby annul my engagement to you."
The plaza fell silent instantly.
Everyone stared at the Saintess in shock.
Allen froze, his mind going blank.
"Why... why?" he asked, trembling.
Eliya looked at him coldly, her golden eyes filled with disgust. "A worthless piece of trash like you doesn't deserve me."
"Harassing innocent women, oppressing commoners, gambling away debts, causing drunken scenes... Everyone in the capital knows about your disgusting deeds."
"The shame of the Gray family—and you think you're worthy of marrying me?"
Each word stabbed into Allen's heart like a knife.
The surrounding nobles began whispering, some gloating, others sneering with disdain.
"The engagement should've been broken long ago. How could such trash be worthy of the Saintess?"
"I heard he hasn't even broken through to Tier 1. Twenty-five years old and still an ordinary person."
"The Gray family must have terrible karma to produce such a son."
At that moment, a tall man stepped out from the crowd.
He had short golden hair, handsome features, and wore magnificent knight's armor with a jewel-encrusted longsword at his waist. The family crest on his chest gleamed—the emblem of House Gray.
Roger Gray, Allen's older brother, heir to the Gray family, a Tier 3 Knight.
"Allen." Roger walked up to him, looking down from above. "Father asked me to inform you—from today onward, you are stripped of your inheritance rights to House Gray and exiled to Blackstone Territory."
"What?!" Allen's eyes widened.
"Blackstone Territory is the family's most remote holding, constantly plagued by magical beasts, with barren resources and fewer than a hundred residents." Roger sneered. "It's perfect for trash like you."
"No... please..." Allen tried to protest, but before he could finish, Roger cut him off.
"Enough!" Roger barked. "You've already disgraced the family enough! Now get out of the capital immediately!"
The surrounding nobles burst into mocking laughter.
"Blackstone Territory? That hellhole? This trash is as good as dead!"
"I heard the average lifespan of lords there doesn't exceed three years—all killed by magical beasts."
"Serves him right for being so worthless."
Allen stood there, feeling the mockery and contempt washing over him, his mind completely blank.
Broken engagement, stripped of inheritance, exiled...
Everything happened on this single day.
His life had completely collapsed.
Overwhelming humiliation and rage surged through him. Allen's vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.
When he woke again, he was already in a carriage heading to Blackstone Territory.
His only companion was a female knight—Anna.
She was the sole guard his father had assigned him, a Tier 2 Knight.
The carriage jolted along the rugged mountain roads for seven days and nights before finally reaching Blackstone Territory.
It was a dilapidated little domain—walls crumbling, houses decrepit, residents dressed in rags with numb expressions in their eyes.
Allen looked at it all, his heart filled with nothing but despair.
Then he lay on the broken bed in the lord's manor for three days and never woke up.
Until now—
"I... transmigrated?"
Lin Yuan opened his eyes, gasping for breath, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.
The two sets of memories had completely merged.
He was both Lin Yuan and Allen Gray.
"My lord, are you alright?" Anna looked at him worriedly. "Should I fetch a doctor?"
"No need." Lin Yuan—no, he should be called Allen now—shook his head. "I'm fine, just... a bit dizzy."
He looked at Anna before him, memories about her surfacing in his mind.
Anna Ironshield, twenty-three years old, Tier 2 Knight, formerly a member of the Gray family's guard.
After suffering a severe injury during a mission, her combat effectiveness had greatly diminished, and she'd been marginalized by the family.
When Allen was exiled, his father casually assigned her to accompany him, ostensibly for "protection," but in reality just discarding two pieces of trash together.
But Anna hadn't complained. She'd dutifully escorted Allen to Blackstone Territory and had stayed by his bedside for three days without leaving his side.
"Anna." Allen spoke, his voice still weak. "Thank you."
"My lord?" Anna froze, surprise flashing in her eyes.
The old Allen had never said "thank you." He'd always been imperious, treating everyone like servants.
"I mean, thank you for taking care of me these past three days." Allen said earnestly.
Anna's eyes reddened slightly. She lowered her head, her voice choking up. "It's my duty... I'm just so glad you've woken up..."
Allen looked at her, warmth rising in his chest.
In this strange world, at least one person genuinely cared about him.
He took a deep breath and looked out the window.
The dilapidated Blackstone Territory was shrouded in mist, with a few crumbling houses barely visible in the distance.
"I've transmigrated into the world of *Age of Gods*..."
"No, this isn't a game. This is a real world."
"My identity now is Allen Gray, a worthless noble abandoned by his family, exiled to Blackstone Territory."
"But I have ten years of gaming experience from my previous life. I know all the secrets of this world..."
Allen clenched his fists, determination flashing in his eyes.
"Eliya, Roger, and all those who looked down on me..."
"Just wait. I'll make you regret it!"
"In this life, I'm starting over!"