Chapter One: The Game of the New Sun

Tick, tick.

Eleven o’clock in the evening, at the bus stop, the sky was shrouded in thick clouds, and filthy rainwater battered the ground ceaselessly.

At this midnight hour, the streets lay empty and desolate.

Chen Qi sighed.

“If only this rain would stop soon.”

Chen Qi, an orphan, had just graduated from university, working as a programmer; the company he was employed by had just announced its dissolution.

As a fledgling worker, Chen Qi opened his weary eyes, his mood as bleak as the rain pouring before him.

Jobs were hard to come by now, especially for someone who grew up in an orphanage. The requirements for new positions were far too demanding.

Forget it, he thought, no point dwelling on these worries now.

In this lonely midnight at the public bus stop, Chen Qi could only pass the tedious hours with his phone.

He glanced at his Morning Star bracelet, then scrolled through short videos.

For the past three months, perhaps due to climate change, the city had witnessed rare weather phenomena, and many obscure places had suddenly become trendy destinations.

But none of that concerned him; Chen Qi had neither the money nor the time to travel.

“If only this rain would stop soon,” he murmured again.

Suddenly, a group notification from the “New Sun Game Group” on his phone stood out.

[Luo Qing (Deputy Group Leader, Dragon King Emblem): @everyone, here are four activation codes for the game “New Sun.” Please ensure you use them in a place where no one is present, and refrain from sharing any information from this group. Thank you so much.]

Below the deputy leader’s message was a fifty-megabyte game installation package and four concise activation codes.

“Huh? New Sun game? This game actually exists… aren’t these people just playing a phantom game?”

He knew the people in this group weren’t exactly “normal.”

This group, named “New Sun Game Help Group,” had been recommended to him by Uncle Li, whom Chen Qi met at the orphanage.

Each member’s imagination was wildly unorthodox, their penchant for dramatic flair overwhelming; it felt like a grand internet art experiment.

Among them were: a high school student who broke a steel pipe after a quarrel with his father; a botanist attempting to combine rabbits with pitcher plants to cultivate walking man-eaters; and a fortune-telling girl who proclaimed daily apocalyptic prophecies every morning.

All the members spoke with conviction, often weaving real news into their imaginative creations.

One claimed responsibility for the city-wide deep-sea jewel theft; another took credit for the recent bull escape from a local farm, declaring it a test of his strength.

Despite their absurd conversations, these group members were peculiarly earnest, strictly abiding by group rules and rarely discussing anything outside the game.

To Chen Qi, it seemed like a trolling group or some unique role-playing community.

Though their dramatic flair was excessive, Chen Qi rather enjoyed the group; the conversations were engaging, and the group was full of talent.

He never expected that the game they spoke of, New Sun, truly existed.

He drew his legs up, gazing tiredly at the rain that seemed unlikely to stop soon.

Perfect, he thought. Might as well see what kind of game these eccentric group members were obsessed with.

He installed the game, launched it, entered the activation code, and began.

A text-based game?

The interface was predominantly dark, no flashy opening animations, no exquisite character illustrations, no captivating voice-overs, no card draws, and no need for a network connection.

So rudimentary—and yet, this was the game that entranced these people, driving them into fits of passion—a simple single-player text game.

Few people played text games these days; most preferred card draws, nurturing systems, or competitive games.

Curious, Chen Qi began, and lines of white text appeared.

[New Sun First Closed Beta: 10,000 testers.]

[Soul from another world, welcome to the realm of New Sun—a world teetering on the brink of destruction.]

[Centuries ago, humanity in New Sun had just ended a war and was advancing steam technology when the Custodians of myriad realms suddenly descended, disrupting history. Unending disasters began to devour this world.]

[At first, it was minor calamities—ghostly rains, hounds prowling at night—overlooked and unheeded, ravaging villages and borderlands. People dismissed them as mere tricks.]

[By the time humanity recognized the disasters, they could scarcely delay their advance.]

As calamities spread, human civilization sank into utter chaos; war and hunger ravaged the land.

Finally, as the sun that sheltered humanity for a thousand years was extinguished, four great revelations descended: the Puppet Play, the Blade Wars, the Famine Wilds, and the Flood of Suffering. Under these omens, the once-glorious human kingdoms were dismantled, never to return.

Zealous followers of the gods fueled the disasters further, and the world spiraled into collapse.

[After endless struggle and countless lives lost, humanity realized disaster could never be quelled; their world was doomed, irretrievable, and only by reaching the legendary High Heaven could one escape the torrent of calamities.]

[The sun is dead; the laughing moon rises forever; the world ends; only in High Heaven may peace be found.]

[In the hour of despair, the last humans raised a counterfeit sun, building their final refuge at the heart of the world—the “New Capital.”]

[New Capital is humanity’s tomb, their last hope, and your birthplace.]

Chen Qi stroked his chin, analyzing this text game: it was a Western-style post-cataclysmic world. He wondered what role he would play.

He continued.

[You, traveler from another realm, are known as a World-Walker. You are protected by the power of the King of Worlds, able to manipulate characters and explore this world.]

[You are one of the lucky few in New Sun, among those with hope of reaching High Heaven. Traveler from another realm, proceed with the King’s blessing.]

[Before the game begins, your soul’s reflection requires a body—it will replace a dead and feeble person, and your adventure will commence.]

[Now, you must seek a resting place for your soul’s reflection.]

[Please randomize your character.]

Randomized character? No option to choose, not even basic gender selection?

No way to customize the avatar—what a pity. As a player, Chen Qi liked to craft quirky characters.

He touched his chin and tapped the button.

[Randomization begins.]

[Your soul’s reflection wanders New Capital, seeking a body to contain it.]

[After a long journey, at last, you find your reflection.

It is in District 8 of New Capital, on the outskirts of Black River Prison—a derelict underground cell battered by storm, where a mutilated corpse lies.]

[Your soul’s reflection slowly enters this fresh corpse; its shattered heart beats anew, cold flesh regains warmth.]

[You have found your reflection’s vessel: a prison night watchman.]

[Basic character introduction:]

[Your origins are tragic, the lowest rung among New Capital’s citizens. You were created to fill the population gap—an “orphan.”]

[Presently, your job is Night Watchman, a lowly post at Black River Prison. You suffer from severe Blade-Stone Disease, drastically shortening your lifespan.]

[To survive, you labor ceaselessly for money, day in, day out, hoping one day for a healthy body.

Yet, endless work and countless horrors keep you forever trapped in Black River Prison, a land of wails. You have never glimpsed the world’s entirety.]

[Even so, your terrifying supervisor frequently withholds your meager wages; your life remains hard to prolong.]

[Instinctively, you sense—even if you save enough for Blade-Stone Disease treatment, New Capital may no longer exist by then.]

A night watchman in prison? How miserable—even in the game he was a wage slave, starting off with a serious illness.

Chen Qi glanced over: the randomized occupation seemed bad. He wondered what jobs other players started with.

Then, a character stats panel icon appeared in the top right of his phone. He tapped it and browsed his basic attributes.

[Gender: Male.]

[Occupation: Night Watchman]

[Age: 17]

[Level: 1 (Everything begins anew)]

[Money: 2 silver coins (Hardly wealthy)]

[Standard Base Attributes (Normal characters: 10):]

[Health: 20/20]

[Strength: 17]

[Agility: 14]

[Inspiration: 25 (Note: Inspiration affects perception, mental resistance, skill learning speed, etc.)]

[Spirit: 10/10 (Note: Spirit points are spent on special techniques, replenished by sleep, etc.)]

[Constitution: 10 (Affects health, stamina, disease resistance, etc.)]

[Other Attributes:]

[Reputation: 10 (You are a nobody for now)]

[Charisma: 10]

Chen Qi skimmed his stats panel—strength and inspiration were above average, especially inspiration, but spirit was ordinary.

He continued playing.

[Assessing your Affinity: Affinity grants unique buffs, impacting every aspect of your adventure.]

[Your initial affinities: Blade and Lamp.]

[Blade: Blade is the instinct for combat, primal slaughter, the urge to trample, and desire to conquer.]

[With this affinity, all kill and combat experience increases, and combat options are more likely.]

[Current affinity value: 6/20 (20% bonus experience for kills and combat)]

Not bad.

In most games, buffs that increase experience are extremely powerful.

Chen Qi checked his second affinity—Lamp.

[Lamp: Lamp is courage against darkness, curiosity toward the unknown, brave exploration, and the guide for uncharted paths.]

[With this affinity, you trigger Lamp in new environments; inspiration and mental values stabilize, less easily disturbed by chaos and darkness, and exploration events are more likely.]

[Current affinity value: 6/20]

More likely to trigger exploration events!

From Chen Qi’s gaming experience, such buffs were usually positive, though sometimes they led to tricky situations.

[World-Walker, to aid your survival in New Capital, the King grants you three blessings.]

[Blessing One: Extra Lives. Besides your own life, you have two additional chances at resurrection to offset your reckless deeds.

When all three lives are spent, your soul in the real world will completely dissipate.]

Chen Qi frowned, his eyes reflecting confusion. Though two extra lives were nice, the last line of the blessing sent a chill through him.

He glanced at the rain under the streetlamp—the water seemed more turbid.

So cold—

Was he catching a chill?

Chen Qi exhaled, warm breath clouding the air. He wrapped his coat tighter and pressed on.

[Blessing Two: Fate Talent. To aid your journey in this dangerous world, the King grants you a unique talent—Fate Talent.]

[Fate Talent reflects your destiny, linked to your affinities, abilities, fate, and luck.]

[Please tap to draw your talent.]

Drawing talents—such games relied on initial talents for rapid early development.

Let’s hope for a good one.

Chen Qi rubbed his hands and tapped “Draw”!