TAG Chapter 1

Ice-cold seawater surged over, piercing through the clothes like countless sharp needles, seeping into the skin, and expelling every trace of warmth from the body.

Qiao Jingting knew how to swim, but in the frigid winter season, how useful could swimming be when he had taken too many painkillers, rendering his brain numb and his limbs weak?

Surrounded by pitch darkness, behind the silent water wall seemed to lurk monstrous creatures ready to devour him. He was frozen, his whole body numb, his mind blank. With the instinct to survive, he desperately moved his limbs, but his soaked cotton jacket weighed as heavy as a thousand pounds, and his stiff fingers couldn’t even unzip it. His body became more and more sluggish, sinking further and further down. The suffocating fear quickly surpassed the cold, making him experience the threat of death for the first time. He knew his life was slipping away, but he was powerless.

He couldn’t help but think of some important people and events. He thought of his grandmother lying in the hospital, his muddled life, and everything that happened before he fell into the sea.

Did that bastard Qiao Ruidou fall down too?

He didn’t want to kill anyone, and he didn’t want to die, but now…

The bitter and salty seawater choked his mouth and nose, paralyzing Qiao Jingting’s entire body, gradually draining his strength.

He was going to die… He would die, what would happen to his grandmother… He was also a bastard…

Just as the light of his consciousness was about to fade, a soft warm glow suddenly burst out from the previously hellish darkness. That glow enveloped Qiao Jingting’s body.

He felt a tiny hint of warmth, and then that warmth rapidly expanded, spreading throughout his body. The cold, stiffness, and suffocation from a few seconds ago all disappeared, and he felt as comfortable as if he were soaking in a hot spring.

Qiao Jingting felt like he was experiencing a resurgence, or perhaps he was already dead, entering another world without pain. He couldn’t help but open his eyes, curious about what the world after death would look like.

But all he saw was a mass of light, unable to make out anything clearly.

Suddenly, a tender child’s voice sounded in his ear, “Hello, congratulations on being the lucky chosen one of the ‘Abyss Game.’ Please choose whether to enter the game.”

What? What game? Is he hallucinating?

The child’s voice continued, “The ‘Abyss Game’ is a real-life experience game. You will experience real progress, battles, or death in the game. If you choose to enter the game, you will have a chance to be reborn. If you refuse…” The child’s voice giggled mischievously and said, “Well, you can just go ahead and die now.”

Qiao Jingting felt a bit confused. Was he dead or not? If he wasn’t dead, then he must be hallucinating. But if he was dead… is this what it’s like after death?

The child’s voice grew impatient, “Hurry up and choose, don’t be so indecisive, man.”

Qiao Jingting thought, “To hell with it, what a mess.” Since he was already dead, what more could happen? So he “said” one word, “Enter.”

“Hehe, congratulations, new player. Please cherish this opportunity for rebirth. We look forward to seeing your grand achievements in the game.”

The mass of light suddenly brightened, and instinctively, Qiao Jingting closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

“There’s a newcomer.”

“And a young one.”

“Youthful and strong.”

The surrounding clamor grew louder, piercing through his eardrums with increasing clarity. Qiao Jingting’s eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes.

“Hey, he’s awake.”

As his vision cleared, he saw several unfamiliar faces—men, women, young, and old—looking at him with curiosity, indifference, or ill intentions.

Qiao Jingting sat up abruptly, looking around anxiously.

Above his head stood a towering tree, and around it were low but beautifully crafted houses radiating from the central tree. In the distance, there were undulating farmlands and stretches of forest. The weather here was bright, the temperature pleasant, the air pure and clear—a serene scene as if it were a utopia.

But where was this place?

Qiao Jingting touched his clothes, perplexed. He couldn’t find any trace of falling into the sea. He slowly got up from the ground, astonished, scanning his surroundings.

He was supposed to have fallen into the sea in the affluent district of the bay. He was supposed to be dead. But later, there was a burst of light, a voice within the light asking him to enter a game… Could it be that he really entered the game?

No, it must be an illusion. He must have been washed up somewhere and then rescued by someone.

“Hey, new guy, I know what you’re thinking,” a chubby guy grinned and looked at him. “First, you didn’t die. Second, you weren’t rescued. Third, this isn’t the real world; it’s a game world.”

Qiao Jingting frowned at him, “What nonsense are you talking about? Who saved me? Where am I now? Is it far from the coastal city?”

His words were met with laughter.

The chubby guy laughed so hard that his face trembled with fat. “Far, very, very far. Far enough that you can never go back in your lifetime.”

Qiao Jingting was bewildered. “What are you talking about… What are those things you’re all wearing?” He noticed that these people were wearing silver-colored metal objects, shaped differently and worn in various ways. Some were worn around their necks, some on their arms, and others as pendants, but the most common was a band around their wrists. The objects emitted an excessively dazzling silver light, not like silver or white gold, but rather… like mercury.

The chubby guy pointed to his wrist.

When Qiao Jingting lowered his head, he was startled to find that there was also a bracelet on his right wrist! It was a very simple bracelet, and he instinctively tried to remove the strange thing, but it clung tightly to his skin, unmoving.

The object had a cold, metallic touch and a delicate texture, which was extremely eerie.

The chubby guy said, “Don’t waste your effort. It’s impossible to remove. It’s called the ‘Silver Ice Device,’ which is the port for accessing the game system exclusively for you.”

Qiao Jingting was annoyed and said, “Are you all crazy? What nonsense are you talking about? How do I get rid of this thing?”

“Hey, you’ve got quite a temper,” the chubby guy said with a sinister tone. “You’re currently in the beginner protection time, so we can’t touch you. I advise you to be careful with your words. Otherwise, an hour from now, you’ll regret being born!”

Qiao Jingting raised an eyebrow and smirked. “No need to wait for an hour, I can show you right now.” He had been fighting with people for half his life, so he wasn’t afraid of this.

Before the chubby guy could say anything else, a young woman suddenly walked out from behind him.

Qiao Jingting was momentarily stunned but quickly controlled the subtle changes in his expression.

She was a slender and fair-skinned girl, but unfortunately, half of her face was covered in hideous burn scars. She used her thick black hair to partially conceal them, but it was ineffective. She appeared dark and terrifying. She interrupted the chubby guy and said softly, “Newcomer, your time is limited. I advise you to quickly understand your situation. Nobody is joking with you. You can open the Silver Ice Device, and inside, you’ll find everything you need to know.”

The chubby guy disdainfully avoided her.

Qiao Jingting felt like he had encountered a group of lunatics and said impatiently, “Open it? How do I open it? Do I need to use a knife to cut it off?”

“You just need to think about opening it, and it will open,” she replied.

Qiao Jingting touched the object called “Silver Ice” and, with skepticism, silently said, “Open.”

Unexpectedly, his consciousness was pulled into an illusory space. Cold metal silver stripes flowed around him, resembling a spacetime tunnel, dazzling the eyes. Suddenly, a large LED screen appeared in front of him, and two leather chairs descended. Sitting on each chair was a meticulously carved, approximately four or five-year-old child. They were a pair of twin siblings, with the little girl having long hair and bangs, holding a bunny plush toy with a cold expression, while the little boy with short hair had a cheerful and adorable smile. Their little legs swung lightly on the chairs. They wore black and white tuxedos with pink bow ties, looking exquisite and cute.

“Hi, player! We meet again,” the little boy greeted Qiao Jingting with a smile.

Qiao Jingting was surprised. Wasn’t this the voice that came from that glowing entity?

“Welcome to the player platform. Let us introduce ourselves. I’m Xiaoyuan, and this is my sister Xiaoshen. We are system spirits. We will often interact with you in the future. Now, we will explain the basic player rules to help you quickly enter the game state.”

“Hold on a moment!” At this point, Qiao Jingting could no longer treat this as a prank or illusion. Everything and everyone around him was so unimaginable. Who brought him here, and who designed all of this? What is the purpose?!

“Hmm?” The twins tilted their heads simultaneously, looking at Qiao Jingting.

Qiao Jingting’s cold sweat dripped. “What kind of game are you playing? A prank game? A TV show?”

“We’re not playing a prank game. We’re playing a real…” Xiaoshen said coldly, “killing game.”

Xiaoyuan smiled and said, “Player, I know you have many doubts. It’s okay; many people don’t believe it at first. We all felt the same way.” He clapped his small hands, and suddenly a throwing knife appeared. The knife seemed to have a homing ability as he skillfully threw it, swiftly attacking Qiao Jingting.

Qiao Jingting dodged to the side, but he felt a sharp pain. He looked down and saw a long gash on his arm! He angrily said, “What are you trying to do?!”

Xiaoyuan flicked his little hand, and a brightly colored sheepskin scroll appeared out of nowhere. He gently flicked it, and the scroll flew to Qiao Jingting’s side.

Qiao Jingting took two steps back, cautiously watching the scroll.

The scroll unfurled in front of him, revealing a pattern of leaves emitting a soft green light. The leaves enveloped his wound, and to his astonishment, he saw the scroll disappear, while the bleeding wound visibly healed at an incredible speed. Within seconds, the bleeding stopped, and new flesh grew, completely closing the wound.

Cold sweat broke out on Qiao Jingting’s forehead as he wiped away the bloodstains. The injury had completely healed, leaving only a faint, pale pink mark as evidence of the new skin.

Xiaoshen looked at him arrogantly and said, “So, can we begin now?”

Qiao Jingting felt a bit lost, unable to digest the surreal situation he had encountered. No matter how fearless he was, facing something so unimaginable was difficult to process. He looked helplessly at the two little troublemakers in front of him.

Could human technology accomplish what just happened? Instantly transporting his consciousness to an unknown space, a toddler less than a meter tall effortlessly injuring him with a throwing knife, followed by instant healing of the wound… All of this exceeded his realm of understanding. There were only two possible explanations: either he was dreaming, or he had truly entered a world beyond his imagination.

But he knew he wasn’t dreaming; the pain felt too real. He couldn’t help but doubt.

As for why he had come here and the meaning of this world’s existence, would these two little troublemakers tell him?

He wiped his face and forced himself to calm down. If he had truly entered a gaming world, it was a choice he made himself in the beginning. He wanted to see what kind of challenges and adversaries he would face. He stared at the twins and said, “Let’s get started.”

“Very well.” Xiaoyuan waved his small hand, and the words “Abyss Game” appeared on the LED screen. The characters stretched horizontally like a thousand-mile army, vertically resembling withered vines, firmly carved on the screen as if with an axe. Xiaoyuan’s adorable face bobbed up and down as he recited, “Player Qiao Jingting, male, 22 years old, born in the beginner village of the East Azure Dragon Continent—Heart Moon Fox.”

They even knew his name…

The scene changed, and the main interface of the system appeared. The interface had six main options: Personal, Enhancement, Items, Map, Quests, and Achievements.

Xiaoyuan explained, “Player Qiao Jingting, these six options cover various aspects of the game. Due to your limited beginner protection time, we will only explain the important content. You can explore the rest on your own or ask us later.” He selected the “Personal” option, and the interface opened, displaying a full-body photo of Qiao Jingting in the center of the screen. Several menu bars were displayed next to it, and the “Status” column, currently shown, included detailed data on more than thirty physical attributes such as height, weight, vision, blood pressure, nerve reaction speed, muscle mass, and biting force—tons of inexplicable data that even Qiao Jingting himself had no knowledge of. The other menu bars included options like Equipment, Storage, Enhancement, Evolution, and more.

“This is your personal interface, where most of your information in the game will be displayed,” said Xiaoshen.

Qiao Jingting was too shocked to know what to say.

Xiaoshen spoke again, “This game is a real-life immersive experience. Players have only one life in the game, and death in the game means real death. Don’t have any thoughts of luck.”

“How can I leave this place?” Qiao Jingting asked.

Xiaoshen replied coldly, “Don’t ask unnecessary questions.”

Qiao Jingting really wanted to kick her.

“The purpose of Abyss Game is to allow players to become excellent warriors through their own efforts. When you reach a certain level, you can return to your own world…”

Qiao Jingting furrowed his brow. “What level?”

“To become a ‘Respected’ level,” Xiaoshen answered.

“What?” Qiao Jingting was taken aback.

“Your beginner protection time is limited, and you can check that information whenever you want. We will only focus on important points,” Xiaoyuan said with an innocent and lovely smile. “Everyone starts at level 2. The only way to level up is by killing players of the same level and earning points rewards. The points can be used to exchange for skills, physical abilities, purchase items, weapons, and unlock maps, and so on.”

Xiaoshen continued, “Player, remember that you can kill players higher than your level. The higher their level is compared to yours, the higher the additional bonus points you will receive. However, you cannot kill players lower than your level. The first time you kill a player lower than your level, all your points, equipment, and items will be wiped out, all opened maps will be closed, and only your enhancement abilities will be retained. You will be sent back to the beginner village. The second time you kill a player lower than your level, the system will directly erase you.”

“You want me to kill people?” Qiao Jingting became more horrified as he listened.

Xiaoshen said coldly, “You can choose to level up or become a sacrifice for someone else’s leveling.”

Qiao Jingting suddenly remembered what Fatty had said. He was currently in his beginner protection time, and in one hour, he would… What kind of space had he entered?!

“Everything in the game is linked to points. Devouring other players is just one way to earn points. Besides that, you can earn points through killing monsters, completing quests, planting, crafting, trading, and various other methods. Please do your own research for more detailed information. There are also many hidden quests in the game that need to be discovered. In short, in order to level up, you need to constantly make yourself stronger, and to become stronger, you need points,” Xiaoyuan explained, holding his face and making a cute expression. “Isn’t it simple?”

Qiao Jingting narrowed his eyes. “I have a question.”
“Ask.”

“Why was I chosen?”

“We usually select individuals who are dying in secluded places, so your disappearance won’t cause widespread panic.”

Qiao Jingting’s eyes gleamed, and he suddenly spoke sternly, “What about the person who fell into the sea with me?” Could it be that Qiao Ruidou had also entered the game?!

Xiaoyuan shrugged. “There are four beginner villages in the game, randomly assigned.”

“How can I go to the other beginner villages?” If Qiao Ruidou was still alive, he wanted to find him. It didn’t matter if that jerk died, but Qiao Jingting didn’t want to owe anything to the Qiao family.

“To leave the beginner village, you need to reach level 6, but unlocking maps requires the payment of points.”

Qiao Jingting clenched and relaxed his fist. “Even if what you’re saying is true, what is the purpose of this game? Who built it, and who brought all these people here?”

Xiaoshen replied coldly, “You don’t need to know those things. Between death and rebirth, you chose rebirth through Nirvana. Please face your own destiny. Remember, the only taboo in the game is killing someone of a lower level than yourself. If you want to leave the game, then stay alive!”