Volume 1: Entering the Future for the First Time
Before Shu Xun could trigger any mechanism, the item in front of him suddenly made a sound. “Respected General Ye Jian, our company’s latest developed game ‘Winter’s End’ will begin open beta on the 16th. We cordially invite your participation and provide a complimentary top-tier SSS-grade nutrition pod. StarPlay Entertainment wishes you a pleasant gaming experience.”
Shu Xun, who had quickly hidden under the sofa, listened to this announcement, organizing the acquired information. Firstly, he finally had some understanding of the homeowner, a general named Ye Jian, undoubtedly an Awakened. Additionally, this is a gaming nutrition pod? This is rather strange; would a general have time to play games? Or is there a problem with the game itself?
I must say that Shu Xun’s speculation is already very close to the truth. In today’s era, the development of the internet can be described as rapid, especially after the appearance of the Phantom Clan, the fusion of the internet and mental power has been further optimized. As of today, the virtual world has become an inseparable part of the real world.
Internet goods have also developed rapidly, and the gaming industry has become a leader among them. The diversification of games has attracted a large consumer base, especially in this infinite universe, where the virtual network world has become the place where the five major races communicate the most.
Today’s games are no longer just games, and gaming nutrition pods are not just containers; they are more like the existence of a space transfer station, which is what Shu Xun understands as a teleportation array.
People in the nutrition pod can experience different game worlds, which can be virtual but also real. For example, the simplest is the leisure travel category.
These games have a background that actually exists, constructed in various star systems. People entering the gaming nutrition pod will separate their spiritual bodies. This spiritual body has all the perceptual abilities of the physical body, allowing them to appreciate the scenery of different star systems, experience different cultures, and taste different foods without leaving home… The higher the level of the nutrition pod, the more complete the separated spiritual body, and the more realistic the perceptual ability. Even now, there are nutrition pods that can teleport the player’s essence to the real world of the game, of course, this game world must be the real world.
The game warehouse in front of Shu Xun is the highest level, which can transport the entire person into the game world.
With the development of the real gaming industry, the leisure and entertainment category can no longer satisfy people’s adventurous psychology. So various real adventure, adventure, survival, and combat games began to appear.
These dangerous real games are usually built on extremely hazardous primitive planets, or even on the last path planets where disasters occur. Participating in these games requires high demands on the nutrition pod because if the perceptual ability is not sufficient, it is likely to encounter a crisis.
And these dangerous real games usually have bounties. At the same time, after death, the spiritual body will suffer some damage and will need some time to recover. The danger and reward are directly proportional.
Wealth, passion, glory…
Countless people have immersed themselves in these real games, and indeed, real games have achieved countless legends.
Currently, Shu Xun still cannot understand the true meaning of games or what games signify. After all, the era background is too different, and understanding different concepts truly takes time.
Shu Xun examined the usage of this small nutrition pod and found that it had not been set with any permissions; it was in its most primitive factory state.
“The highest-level nutrition pod, LD001, has been activated. Scan complete. The user’s body size is too small, and the nutrition pod is already in its minimum state, unable to shrink further. Please confirm whether the user wishes to continue.”
The sudden voice almost made Shu Xun run away again, but he quickly realized it. Holding onto the idea that there might be a glimmer of hope, Shu Xun chose to continue using it.
The glass cover of the nutrition pod slowly opened. Shu Xun walked in place for a while and ultimately jumped in without hesitation. The pod door closed again, and at the same time, Shu Xun inside felt a strange sensation, as if his consciousness was connected to something.
Soon, Shu Xun understood where this sensation came from. A light screen appeared on the transparent glass cover, with only one icon floating on it. Below the icon were the words “Winter’s End,” the name of the game.
Shu Xun extended his finger and tapped the icon. Soon, a piece of information appeared in his mind. It was the relevant introduction to “Winter’s End.”
“Winter’s End,” a large-scale real survival game developed by StarPlay Entertainment. The nutrition pod requirement is high-grade AA+ or above, and there are no special restrictions on the participant’s race. Game background: Winter Epoch star system cluster. Specific locations are for players to explore. Game rewards: 100 interstellar points for every surviving game day, other rewards are for players to explore.
Seeing this, Shu Xun’s originally round eyes immediately curved into crescents. During this period, Shu Xun had already learned about the unification and evolutionary history of currency from the books. Substantial currencies were abolished when entering the interstellar era, and now what is needed for consumption is interstellar points.
Interstellar points can be stored in personal consumption terminals, making them versatile for both real-world and virtual-world expenses. The widespread use of light brains has made this consumption model extremely convenient, and now, such a consumption pattern is well-established.
Shu Xun tried connecting his consciousness to the game icon of “Winter’s End.” The scene in front of him suddenly changed as if he had been transported to another world. He found himself in a pitch-black environment with large snowflakes gently falling like feathers in the quiet night, creating a vast snowy landscape. If it weren’t for the countdown numbers in the sky, Shu Xun would almost think he had traveled through time and space again.
The countdown in mid-air made Shu Xun realize that it wasn’t yet time for the game’s public test.
Shu Xun exited the game, and the scene before him reverted to the view inside the nutrition pod. There was still only one icon on the glass cover in front of him. Shu Xun couldn’t believe that with such highly developed technology, one nutrition pod could only correspond to one game. So, he earnestly studied the operation of the nutrition pod. In reality, with the usage permissions, all operations became straightforward because today’s technology has reached a high level of intelligence, especially with instruments connected through consciousness.
Shu Xun only needed to concentrate his thoughts, and the nutrition pod would automatically recognize what he wanted. Soon, changes appeared on the light screen of the nutrition pod, with various icons arranged on it. From daily shopping to leisure travel to adventure and survival games, the variety was incredibly diverse, and the number was vast.
Shu Xun selected a shopping icon, a travel icon, and even picked several adventure and survival games to practice. Later, he discovered an icon named “StarPlay Live” and downloaded it one by one after reading the introduction. The software loaded extremely quickly, taking only fractions of a second for each.
After exiting the menu, Shu Xun planned to thoroughly explore the software he had downloaded. He quickly found that among them was a shopping app also produced by StarPlay Entertainment, the developer of the “Winter’s End” game.
It seems that StarPlay Entertainment is not ordinary. The software Shu Xun downloaded has the highest download volume in its category, far surpassing the second place. Moreover, the game developer knows the address of a general’s residence and has obtained mailing permissions. Is it just a coincidence?
Thinking about it more won’t yield answers. Shu Xun shook his little head, shifting his attention to the light screen. The first thing Shu Xun checked was the price of light brains. Mobile personal terminals are the foundation of a person’s standing in society and serve as a bridge for communication with the outside world. The prices of personal terminals vary from thirty thousand to a million, with a significant difference. The higher the price of a personal terminal, the more privileges it enjoys.
Shu Xun started counting on his fingers, calculating how many days he would need to live in the game to buy a personal light brain. Of course, before that, the game nutrition pod could serve as Shu Xun’s personal terminal but couldn’t be carried around.
With two hours left until the public test of “Winter’s End,” Shu Xun exited the shopping app and connected to StarPlay Live.
From the software description, Shu Xun learned that this so-called live streaming platform provides a firsthand perspective of the game from the viewpoint of the participants, called streamers. However, in addition to individual streamers, each game has an official live-streaming entrance. The open hours are adjusted based on the game’s progress, and there’s also systematic commentary on the game.
After the game became more realistic, the range of players participating in the game expanded once again. Professional gaming teams gradually became representatives, and now, various races have military-formed teams participating in games. This is because the rewards for certain special games are crucial resources.
The upcoming public test of “Winter’s End” has created a buzz even before its release due to its powerful developer and the promotional effect spanning several galaxies. Although the entry requirements are high, according to the information released by StarPlay Entertainment, the rewards for this game will reach their peak.
As a result, after Shu Xun opened the live streaming platform, the yet-to-begin “Winter’s End” already claimed the top spot, standing at the forefront of various games. Although the screens of various streaming rooms below only showed a single snowy background, the continuously decreasing countdown in the air excited countless people.
Various streamers were ready to go, and many of them made various speculations before the broadcast. Some streamers even formed teams to exchange experiences in survival games. Along with the slowly falling snow, the scene was extraordinarily lively, giving people a sense of boiling excitement.
Shu Xun can now be considered the ultimate rookie, not to mention extremely challenging survival games; he hasn’t even participated in casual tourism games. He knows very little about the rules of the gaming world.
Author’s note:
The game world in this story is part of the real world, and the game is just a medium for Shu Xun to explore the vast universe. Little angels who don’t understand can treat the game nutrition pod as a teleportation array, similar in function and purpose. The first dungeon is about to begin, and the male lead will make an appearance in it. Hehehe. Also, there will be a “surprise” when the male lead meets Shu Xun for the first time. O(∩_∩)O~
