Chapter 1: The Apocalypse Game
Zhou Ning was feeling rather dejected.
As a staunch atheist, he had never imagined that he'd become a professional transmigrator.
And yet, in just over two years, he had somehow transmigrated twice!
The first time was over two years ago—after a typical night of drinking, he woke up to find himself on Blue Star, a world similar to Earth in some ways, but where the entertainment industry was incredibly underdeveloped while the gaming industry was flourishing.
In this world, there were no Naruto, One Piece, or Bleach, no Jin Yong, no Harry Potter, no Marvel... Everything was completely different from his previous life.
It should've been the perfect setup for a plagiarist to dominate the world, but unfortunately, a highly advanced and dirt-cheap neural interface device—and a virtual reality game called Apocalypse—quickly made him forget all about that original plan.
Initially, he'd only entered the game out of curiosity to experience some otherworldly tech. But soon, he became addicted. Despite joining late, his superior gaming talent allowed him to catch up quickly. He began to stand out and even formed a powerful guild that became a major force among the players.
But good times didn't last.
One second, he was rallying a large group of players to tackle the Level 70 dungeon, the Hero-difficulty "Jasonat Haunted Manor." While waiting for teammates, he absentmindedly launched a freshly downloaded mini-game on his neural interface to kill time.
The next second, a beam of light swallowed him whole—and he found himself here.
Rotted window frames, a dim and gloomy atmosphere, shadowy figures, flickering candlelight… The visibility was less than half a meter, yet he could still make out that he was in a dilapidated room.
Cold sweat ran down Zhou Ning's back.
His hands were tied behind him—bound tightly with rope—and he couldn't break free. Nearby, he could hear quiet sobbing. There seemed to be a lot of people around.
Seeing this scene straight out of a horror film, Zhou Ning couldn't help but panic. He scooted closer to the candlelight, hoping to find a sliver of comfort—only to be startled by a twisted, pudgy face right next to him.
Upon closer inspection, it was a chubby boy whose face was covered in tears and snot, muttering as he cried:
"It's over, it's really over this time…"
"I don't want to die! I want to go home!"
The kid's muttering had a voice that pierced the gloom. And with only those two lines on repeat like a broken record, even someone as composed as Zhou Ning couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Two minutes later, a door creaked open in the distance, letting in a shaft of light. Three men entered—each wearing a hood and draped in black robes. Zhou Ning felt the chubby kid next to him flinch violently and instantly go silent, reducing his sobs to stifled sniffles.
By the light coming through the doorway, Zhou Ning saw the black flame emblem on the left chest of the robed figures and froze slightly. "That insignia… it looks like the Curse God Cult?"
The lead figure pointed coldly at a young man not far off. "You. Come here."
"No! No, I don't want to die—help me…" the boy wailed in despair. But before he could struggle, the other two robed men dragged him off, his scream trailing behind.
Bang! The door slammed shut, sealing away both the light and his cries for help.
Zhou Ning shivered. There was no doubt now—those three robed men were cultists from the Curse God Cult in Apocalypse.
This cult preached that the apocalypse was near, spread plagues everywhere, and were fanatically obsessed with using live sacrifices in bizarre rituals to summon dark gods—though most of these attempts ended in failure.
Which meant… he'd somehow transmigrated into the game. And unfortunately, he was now one of the sacrifices.
No wonder everything looked so familiar—wasn't this the very place he was about to raid just minutes ago? This was "Jasonat Haunted Manor"! The very first trailer for Apocalypse had used this dungeon as its backdrop.
In Normal Mode, "Jasonat Haunted Manor" had a simple plot:
Several cultists from the Curse God Cult capture a group of live humans and bring them to the manor where they're holed up, attempting to use incantations from the Book of Ethanweir to appease a dark god. The players' goal is to stop the ritual.
As a beginner-level dungeon, its difficulty wasn't high. Most cultists were just regular humans, with only the priest Nyam possessing supernatural powers.
But now there was a problem. That was a game. In reality, no one was coming to the rescue. So what the hell was he supposed to do now?
"This is insane!" Zhou Ning could only look up and sigh.
As mentioned, Apocalypse was a global sensation in the full-dive VR gaming world. When Zhou Ning first transmigrated, the game had already dominated the top spot for three consecutive years.
The game incorporated countless elements from fantasy games and novels. It was simulated and evolved by a next-gen super neural computer, completely beyond human interference. What's more, the settings, characters, and storylines were frighteningly realistic—practically a world of its own.
According to the game's lore, the world resembled 19th-century Europe in aesthetic. Like the real world, it had developed firearms and steam engines—alongside a dazzling, supernatural civilization.
From the dungeon background, he deduced that this must be the early phase of the game. Supernatural beings were rare, and the Curse God Cult had yet to surface in public. Most cultists were still playing clown roles, wandering around with handwritten copies of the Book of Ethanweir, trying to conduct sacrificial rituals. But for two years straight, none had succeeded.
Yet now, this so-called joke of a cult posed a deadly threat to him.
Worse still, based on the dungeon's storyline, if no one stopped them, this time the ritual would actually succeed.
Just then, a line of text flashed before Zhou Ning's eyes:
[Sacrifice deceased. Current progress: 26/36.]
"That's… a dungeon prompt?" Zhou Ning was alarmed. It looked like the ritual was nearly complete, and time was running out.
"Open character panel!" he commanded mentally. To his relief, a familiar game interface popped up before him.
Name: Zhou Ning / Wayne Sturwell
Race: Human
Template: NPC [Beta test countdown: 48 days, 3 hours, 42 minutes]
Age: 23
Level: 2
Class: Teaching Assistant [1/10]
Natural Force Affinity: 0
Arcane Affinity: 0
Talent: Hidden
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Agility: 8
Constitution: 8
Willpower: 8
Spirit: 9
Charisma: 98
Health: 80
Willpower Points: 7/8
Mana: 0
Life Skills: Basic Alchemy
General Skills: None
Personal Traits/Specialty:
– Dexterous Hands: Your hands are exceptionally nimble, suitable for precision tasks.
– Encyclopedic Memory: Your knowledge far surpasses most. +1 Spirit.
– Extreme Calmness: You remain composed at all times. +10% learning speed.
Clan Motto: None
Influence: None
Legend Points: 0
[A completely untalented nobody with no redeeming features besides a stunning face.]
Having a character panel was reassuring—but those stats were just sad.
In Apocalypse, Natural Force Affinity was a prerequisite for becoming a warrior. A score of zero said it all. Zero Arcane Affinity meant he was out of luck as a mage, too.
As for attributes, 10 was considered average for a commoner. His strength, agility, and constitution were all subpar. A spirit stat of 9 was barely above average. The in-game note about having no cultivation potential wasn't an exaggeration.
And that sky-high Charisma? That had to be a mistake.
He must've accidentally dumped all his starting points into Charisma.
In Apocalypse, 100 was the cap. Anything over 70 was considered highly attractive, and 90-plus was supermodel-tier. With a starting Charisma of 98, he was practically a one-in-a-million Adonis.
But so what? Looking good didn't help you survive. In this world, strength was everything. Otherwise, you'd just end up as someone's plaything with no time to even scream.
Also, judging by the NPC status, he probably wouldn't get the multiple resurrection chances that players had. If he died… he might actually be dead for real.
What a joke. Apocalypse had been live for three years, and no one had ever disappeared from playing it. Why was he the unlucky one?
"Hmm? What's this?"
Zhou Ning suddenly noticed an option labeled [Traversal Simulator] in the bottom-right corner of his attributes panel. Wasn't this the mini-game he'd just been about to try before getting isekai'd?
Could it be that this little game was his Sword Art Online moment?
He tried tapping it mentally—and a flurry of prompts appeared in front of him:
[Welcome to the Traversal Simulator. Downloading game resources… 95%… 96%… 99%… Load complete.]
[Traversal Simulator is launching… Also known as Ten Thousand Lives of Me. Enjoy your experience.]
[You currently have 2 Traversal Coins. You'll receive one coin as a daily welfare drop at midnight. Additional coins can be purchased.]
[Dying in the simulator won't kill you in real life—it may just be a life from a parallel universe.]
[Complete special achievements or influence the world to earn rewards.]
[The simulator protects your mental health, but remember: gaming in moderation is good for the brain, addiction is not.]
"Looks shady as hell," Zhou Ning muttered, reading every line carefully before turning his attention to the interface.
As a seasoned gamer, his verdict was: this UI is way too minimalist.