Chapter 1: World Tree: Origin
Li Wen had a long and painful dream. In the dream, he gained much, but lost even more. He struggled as if drowning, unable to grasp even a straw.
Until the smart assistant’s heart-stopping alarm woke him up.
Li Wen lay in bed, covered in a cold sweat, his eyes met the familiar yet strange bright white ceiling.
“I… I’m back?”
*
Although Li Wen’s psychological resilience could be considered good, it still took him some time to calm down.
In the bathroom.
Li Wen looked at the slightly tired young face in the mirror. Beneath the youthful appearance was a mature but numb soul. He tried to smile, but what emerged was an awkward expression.
Shrugging, he picked up his toothbrush and began to brush his teeth.
The smart assistant, with its stiff voice, announced the time, weather, and schedule:
“Good morning world! Tianhai time June 25, 2050, 07:24:33. There is 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 27 seconds until class. The weather is sunny, and the atmospheric temperature is…”
“Shut up.”
Li Wen wiped the water from his face and then silenced the incessantly chattering smart assistant.
Fortunately, although Li Wen had forgotten the specific command, this older model smart assistant M2 was not unreasonable. After Li Wen’s warning, it honestly shut up.
Having lost the only source of sound besides himself, Li Wen felt a little lost.
He scanned his room, everything was still familiar: a simple single bed, a desk and chair, a bookshelf filled with books, a second-hand computer that could still last for another eight years, and a dusty old handheld console.
There were no flashy wallpapers or decorations, only basic neatness and simplicity.
Yet, Li Wen felt an unprecedented warmth and moved by this.
“I’m back, I’m really back…”
Once he was sure he wasn’t in a dream, Li Wen opened his phone.
The first thing he saw was a push notification stating that “World Tree: Origin” had exceeded 32 million simultaneous online players after only two days of release, followed by a social media app with +9999 unread messages. He opened several group chats, all of which were discussing the game, and the speed of their messages left him impressed, showing its immense popularity.
This was only natural. As a groundbreaking, epoch-making immersive adventure game, “World Tree: Origin” boasted 100% perfect simulation, full supervision by a super AI, and promised players an experience and freedom comparable to, or even surpassing, reality.
This was by no means an exaggeration.
From its inception, internal testing, to its official release, the online discourse surrounding “World Tree: Origin” had evolved from no one paying attention, to widespread online skepticism and mockery, to explosive popularity upon release, and now, its simultaneous online player count far exceeding that of similar competitors by several times, was proof enough.
Even with the rapid development of AI technology today, limitations in hardware performance and the barriers in the human neural field meant that implantable or neural-linked gaming equipment, as seen in science fiction, had yet to appear, let alone games.
Upon its release, “World Tree: Origin” had no rivals, easily claiming the title of best-selling game of the year. The game’s developer, WG Corporation, transformed from an unknown small company into a target for acquisition and collaboration by major console manufacturers, with game equipment sales alone sufficient to sustain them for a lifetime.
This development seemed excellent. Players received an unprecedented gaming experience, WG Corporation profited immensely, and everyone had a bright future.
But only Li Wen knew that “World Tree: Origin” was a complete trap.
One year after the game’s launch, all players who had registered an account, even those who hadn’t played the game, would be forcibly transported to the game’s world, without exception.
Initially, most players were delighted because their in-game levels and abilities were inherited. However, they soon lost their joy. Those transported lost their player status, making the game their reality. Death became real death, with no revival mechanism.
The first batch of skeptical players were still immersed in the game, considering themselves a “fourth natural disaster,” but they were quickly taught a lesson by reality. They were instantly killed in large numbers when facing natives and monsters.
This was when other players began to be more cautious.
Players with high rankings had natural advantages and status. However, as a realistic adventure game, “World Tree: Origin” was not as smooth in leveling up and ability growth as other RPG games. The majority of players were at lower levels, being casual players who primarily sought an alternative lifestyle.
Li Wen was one of them.
The difference was that Li Wen only started playing half a year after the game’s official opening, strongly invited by his classmates.
Moreover, after starting “World Tree: Origin,” he hadn’t invested much in the game, only logging in once a week for check-ins.
This resulted in Li Wen’s level still being within the beginner stage of level ten after the transmigration.
Fortunately, with the help of his classmates and his sister, his only relative and a game enthusiast who had a relatively high level in “World Tree: Origin,” he managed to survive the initial turmoil of the transmigration and successfully live in the human kingdoms of the game world.
But this was only the beginning. The world in “World Tree: Origin” was not a peaceful one. Wars between various countries and races, monster rampages, extraterrestrial enemies from the void, and the most terrifying disaster known as the “Tide” all threatened the survival of the weak.
Three years after transmigration, the town Li Wen lived in ceased to exist during a massive “Tide.” His classmates, friends, the natives he had befriended, and even his sister all perished in that “Tide.” Only Li Wen managed to survive.
Li Wen, who had survived, couldn’t even find a target for revenge. After a year of aimless wandering, he obtained some information from a player who was over level thirty.
It was rumored that among the high-level players, there was a “Strategy Team” that only recruited players meeting certain level standards. All information and intelligence within the group were public, and most importantly, they held the secrets concerning the “Tide.”
To join the Strategy Team, Li Wen constantly sought ways to increase his level and become stronger, even resorting to rituals that drained his life and spirituality for upgrades.
However, after another three years passed, he still hadn’t reached the required level, and his path upwards was cut off. He no longer had the potential to level up, and his level was permanently stuck at 30.
Fortunately, Li Wen had another path.
The Strategy Team had established a contribution leaderboard for all players, recruiting players through commissions to complete tasks. Completed tasks earned contribution points, and reaching a certain level of contribution points allowed one to become a member of the Strategy Team.
Li Wen had been taking on commission tasks over the years and had even joined a player guild for this purpose, but his accumulated contribution points were still far from enough to join the Strategy Team.
Having lost patience, Li Wen decided to take a risk. He unilaterally accepted a commission that was considered extremely difficult and dangerous. Almost everyone in the guild refused to participate, except for the companion who had recruited him.
The two set off together. This commission was to hunt down a frost giant and retrieve an item from it.
The hunt went surprisingly smoothly. The frost giant was easily defeated by their combined efforts. However, when Li Wen obtained the item required by the commission, he realized it was a complete trap.
Just as he was about to be killed by the trap, his companion sacrificed himself to save Li Wen.
Li Wen returned to base in a daze. His companion was dead, the commission failed, and he would have to face not only the accusations of other guild members.
However, what greeted him was a will. It turned out his companion had long anticipated that this commission wouldn’t be simple. Unable to dissuade Li Wen, he had prepared by writing his will.
The content of the will was simple: if he died and Li Wen survived, all his contribution points would be transferred to Li Wen. If they both died, then they would be transferred to the members in need within the guild.
The next day, Li Wen, having accepted his companion’s inheritance, applied to join the Strategy Team.
After a wait so long it was despair-inducing, Li Wen’s application was approved. In a starless night, a strange visitor arrived and guided him into the Strategy Team.
Immediately upon entering the Strategy Team, Li Wen requested to review the intelligence regarding the “Tide.” Relevant documents were quickly delivered. After Li Wen hastily finished reading them, he was filled with despair.
The so-called “Tide” was the precursor to a world-ending catastrophe called “Doomsday Twilight.” When the World Tree withered, the Twilight would kill all life, existence, and even gods could not escape, until all things perished and the world restarted.
And the moment the World Tree withered was the present. The “Tide” as its precursor had appeared frequently, and. “Doomsday Twilight” might arrive at any moment.
Breaking free from his memories, Li Wen let out a long sigh, calming himself.
He looked at the fervent discussions about “World Tree: Origin” in various group chats, his heart filled with mixed emotions. These people might never imagine that they would be involved in a life-and-death struggle because of a game, and even the top players among them would be powerless against “Doomsday Twilight.”
Li Wen knew the future course of events, and he knew it was something that would inevitably happen, but even so, he was powerless to stop it.
Even if Li Wen logged into the game forum now and posted that everyone who had played this game would be transported to another world, urging everyone not to play, no one would believe him. They would only see Li Wen as a clown seeking attention, and he might even be sued by the game developers.
All he could do might be to keep himself, and perhaps advise those around him not to touch that game… or could he?
No, perhaps this too was a mistake.
In the early stages of transmigration, since all the transmigrated individuals had played “World Tree: Origin” to varying degrees, they had no knowledge of the situation of those who hadn’t played the game.
A popular theory or rumor was that the original world had already been destroyed, and everyone who hadn’t transmigrated to the game world had died.
Some players went to the other extreme. They firmly believed it was a conspiracy by the unscrupulous development team, trapping them in the game to extort their families and friends in reality.
Li Wen heard that those people later chose to commit mass suicide, believing it was the only way to leave the game. Whether it was true or not, Li Wen dared not believe it.
