Chapter 2: Logging into the Game, Hidden Quest

Johnnie was moved; Crysic was one of the most loyal people by his side. In his past life, he was secretly betrayed by Tyrande. Crysic, on her own, infiltrated Tyrande's Canglan Guild, hoping to avenge him. But her strength was ultimately too weak. She was humiliated by Tyrande and vanished without a trace. Johnnie suspected that, knowing that wicked woman's methods, she was probably secretly killed. This time around, he wanted to make it up to Crysic. "Crysic, if you're following me now, we'll have to start over from scratch. Are you sure about this?" Johnnie was confident that he could rise to a higher status in the game, but the early stages would definitely be tough. "I'm sure." Crysic nodded without a hint of hesitation. "Alright, here's one million. Consider it an advance on your salary. Buy a game login crystal," he said, handing her a check for one million. The game Horizon required a special crystal to log in, a piece of technology that was not from Earth. Special agencies had studied it and speculated that it came from alien technology. This was one of the reasons why the game became so popular. Alien technology—who wouldn't want to give it a try? The price of the login crystal was initially set at one million, but it would drop rapidly. Eventually, it seemed to fall below a thousand, making it affordable for the average person. At that point, the entire world of Blue Star could be considered a gaming nation. It truly changed the world. Crysic glanced at the check but did not take it. She spoke up, "Johnnie, I've already purchased the login crystal." "You still enjoy playing games?" Johnnie was surprised. He remembered that Crysic was quite frugal. She usually wouldn't spend more than a thousand on clothes, and yet she had spent a million on a game login crystal. She seemed a bit embarrassed as she explained, "I don't spend much on anything else, but when I saw all the hype around this game, I just acted on impulse and bought it. It arrived the day before yesterday. Johnnie, are we going to start a game guild?" "We'll talk about that later," Johnnie replied. He did have that plan in mind, especially since he would need his own forces to face the Apocalypse, the invading alien races, and the gods in the future. But right now, he had more urgent matters to attend to. He looked at Crysic and said, "I remember your lease is up, and you're still looking for a place. Why don't you move in with me?" "Ah?" She gasped in surprise, blinking in shock, her face blank with confusion. Johnnie quickly explained, "Don't get the wrong idea. You don't have to take care of me. The room is cleaned by a housekeeper. All you have to do is chat with me from time to time." "Johnnie, I don't mind, but I'm worried Tyrande might misunderstand," Crysic hesitated. She wanted to agree but feared it might cause trouble for Johnnie. She didn't like Tyrande. Every time they met, Tyrande always wore a friendly smile, treating the employees well. But her intuition told her that the woman was deeply scheming and malicious. As Johnnie's secretary, Crysic was always careful, afraid to overstep and cause unnecessary trouble. "I've already broken up with her. There's no relationship left between us," Johnnie said indifferently, with no emotional shift in his tone. "Really?" Crysic's eyes brightened, her voice lifting in excitement. "Hmm? You seem happy that I've broken up with her?" Johnnie raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a puzzled expression. "No, no." She shook her head repeatedly, her cheeks turning bright red. She had accidentally let her true feelings slip out. "Uh, Johnnie, I need you to sign my resignation letter." She quickly changed the subject and pulled out a resignation letter. "You've already prepared your resignation letter?" Johnnie asked, surprised, as he signed his name. "Thank you, Johnnie. I'll go back and pack up, and I'll see you tonight." She felt lighter on her feet, a noticeable bounce in her step. She had been by Johnnie's side for six years and had never had a boyfriend. It would be impossible to say she didn't have feelings for him. But he was already involved with someone, and she could only silently stay by his side, never daring to overstep any boundaries. But now things were different. Johnnie had broken up with her, and he had left the company. She wasn't afraid of any gossip anymore. Even if she were rejected, as long as there were no other women involved, she would stay by Johnnie's side. ... After Johnnie finished handling the documents and completing the company handover, he went straight home. He lived in a high-end villa community in Sunset City, a more secluded area. The house felt a bit cold, with Mith not around. But he didn't mind that. He went to his bedroom, took out the game login crystal, and lay down on the bed, activating it. Vroom... The crystal glowed, and a strange energy wave enveloped him. His consciousness blurred as he found himself in an unknown world. In his previous life, humanity never figured out how the login crystal worked. [Beep, detected that this is your first login to the game, scanning identity information...] A prompt flashed, and he found himself in a vast hall. Dozens of lifelike giant statues stood on either side, resembling humans, but with features of beasts—some with double horns, others with wings on their backs... These were the gods of another world, the ones responsible for the invasion of Blue Star. "Gods, huh? This time around, I will crush you beneath my feet!" He spoke coldly, a surge of determination rising within him. [Beep, identity information scan complete, attributes automatically generated...] A character panel appeared before him. [ID: Johnnie] [Class: None] [Rank: Level 1, 1st Tier (0/100)] [Constitution: 5, Strength: 6, Spirit: 7, Agility: 4] [Health Points: 50 (Constitution * 10)] [Magic Points: 70 (Spirit * 10)] [Physical Defense: 2.5 (Constitution * 50%)] [Magic Defense: 3.5 (Spirit * 50%)] [Physical Attack: 6 (Strength * 1)] [Magic Attack: 7 (Spirit * 1)] [Speed: 4 (Agility * 1)] [Equipment: None] The attribute limit for ordinary humans was 10 points, and his attributes were quite average. [Beep, please select your class: Warrior, Mage, Knight, Archer...] The class selection menu appeared, displaying virtual images of each profession. His spirit attribute stood out, making him well-suited for Mage or Priest classes. In his past life, he had chosen Mage. However, this time, he decided to go with Warrior. He knew about a hidden quest: Warriors could eventually change to the rare class of Sword Immortal! This class had both physical and magical damage, making it one of the top-tier classes in the game. "Warrior." He chose the Warrior class without hesitation. [Beep, class selection complete. Would you like to enter the game?] "No!" He immediately declined. The game login hall had another hidden quest. In his past life, the first player to reach god-like strength, that invisible wealthy player, had completed this hidden quest. His strength skyrocketed, and he quickly surged ahead, becoming the first to achieve god-like power. Unfortunately, he was then targeted by the Apocalypse's covert schemes. Now, this hidden quest would be his. "Open the recharge interface." A thought passed through his mind, and the recharge interface appeared before him. In the game, the currency could be acquired through recharging. 1 Gold Coin = 100 Silver Coins = 10,000 Copper Coins. As for real-world money, 1 Dollar could be exchanged for 10 Copper Coins. However, this exchange rate would soon increase to 1 Dollar for 1 Copper Coin. In the future, real-world currency would also be tied to the in-game currency. He had over 200 million in his bank account, but he left just over 20 million. The remaining funds were all exchanged for game currency, giving him a total of 200,000 Gold Coins. At this stage, the wealthy players hadn't yet realized the game's unique nature, so 200,000 Gold Coins was an enormous sum. He still hadn't entered the game. Instead, he was searching around in the lobby. Soon, he found a narrow room in a corner deep within the lobby. It was a dungeon, and inside was a small, frail girl, lying on the ground with weak breath. Her bare, delicate feet were shackled to a nearby stone pillar by two iron chains. Johnnie studied the girl closely. Her body was covered in scars, and she had a pair of fragile wings on her back, cracked and torn. Her ears were also unlike those of a human. She must be an elf. "Human, can you save me? I am a god who has been deprived of my divine essence. If you help me regain my divine status, I will repay you," the girl spoke weakly, her voice trembling as she lay on the floor, pleading. At that moment, a prompt box popped up before Johnnie. [Beep, would you like to spend 10,000 Gold Coins to purchase the Divine Elixir?] Even at the current exchange rate, 10,000 Gold Coins was equivalent to 10 million. Ordinary players couldn't possibly complete this task. Even the wealthy players wouldn't consider spending such a vast amount for a virtual character. But Johnnie didn't hesitate. He clicked to purchase immediately. [Beep, you have purchased the Divine Elixir for the Goddess of Life. The Goddess of Life's physical strength has been restored, and her affection for you has increased.] A sparkling jade bottle appeared before the girl. She didn't hesitate and drank the elixir in one go, immediately feeling her strength return somewhat. "Human, thank you. But this is still not enough. Can you help me heal my injuries? I will repay you," the girl said again, offering more empty promises.