"Crack—"
Under the gray sky, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck down, illuminating the world.
The sudden thunder startled Jiang Han awake, only to find himself standing atop a mountain peak. Before him lay a dark, deathly silent canyon, shrouded in mist. Faintly, the roar of a giant dragon echoed, sending chills down his spine.
Looking at this scene, Jiang Han felt a strange sense of wonder. However, knowing where he was, he remained calm and decisively said, "Skip!"
As a seasoned gamer, he knew this was the opening scene of the game "Eternal." It was likely followed by battles, chaotic elemental displays, or opportunities for players to show off a bit.
All fluff!
Who seriously watches this stuff? If interested, he could always come back later. The priority was to get into the game and seize the advantage.
As his words fell, a gentle and sweet female voice sounded in his ear—
"Ding!~"
System prompt: Dear player, would you like to skip the game opening? (Please note, skipping the opening scene will result in a 50% reduction in experience gain for one hour as a penalty.)
Jiang Han: "..."
Is this for real?
A more hot-tempered person might have already quit.
This penalty was too severe for the early stages. Helpless, Jiang Han had no choice but to stand on the mountain peak and watch patiently.
"Roar!"
In the distance, accompanied by a dragon's roar, a massive Silver Dragon over a kilometer long soared from the canyon, spreading its wings wide enough to cover the sky, rushing towards Jiang Han's position with a mighty gust.
Jiang Han raised an eyebrow. Even though he was used to grand openings, witnessing a ferocious Silver Dragon charging at him was still quite shocking.
At the same time, he noticed a man in a gray robe standing below in the canyon. The man's face was pale, but he wore a twisted smile, laughing hoarsely, "Even if the Dragon God himself came, he would fall here, let alone you."
With that, he leaped lightly, raising his right leg casually, kicking the Silver Dragon's head aside effortlessly, sending it crashing into the canyon's edge, causing rocks to collapse and dust to fill the air, creating a scene of great destruction.
"Slash..."
A sword aura, sharp as a blade, whistled through the air.
The gray-robed man disdainfully raised his hand, flicking his fingers, sending the sharp sword aura flying back, tearing a deep, bottomless scar into the rock wall: "With such strength, you don't even qualify for me to draw my divine weapon."
What a show-off!
Jiang Han silently commented.
"Today, I will suppress you here."
From the mist torn by the sword aura, a silver-haired man holding a sharp sword emerged, his expression resolute, seemingly with a determination to face death.
As expected by Jiang Han, the two engaged in a dazzling exchange of moves, each sustaining injuries, leaving the canyon in ruins.
Next, they were likely to unleash their ultimate moves to end the battle, right?
The opening scene shouldn't be too long. Jiang Han felt the time was about right, eagerly anticipating to showcase his skills in the game.
With dragons in the game, it was certain that his future mount would be a giant dragon, no, a Dragon God!
The officials claimed the NPCs were intelligent enough to match humans, so finding an impossibly beautiful NPC girlfriend wasn't too much, right?
Such a groundbreaking game surely had huge business potential. Earning a few hundred thousand as a seasoned gamer seemed reasonable...
Watching the battle, imagining himself reaching such a level, or even stronger, Jiang Han couldn't help but feel a surge of ambition, an adolescent delusion rising within him. He crossed his arms, standing proudly on the mountain peak, sneering, "Hmph, two ants!"
"......"
Hearing this, the two in the canyon paused, looking up at Jiang Han with puzzled expressions, their brows full of surprise.
For a moment, they were uncertain.
Who was this person, clearly weak, yet daring to stand there from the start, now calling them ants?
Or was he deliberately hiding his true strength, and they had simply misjudged him?
"?!"
Under their scrutiny, Jiang Han's expression turned odd, a bit bewildered.
He had to admit, the NPCs were indeed intelligent, but... this was a bit too much!
One second... two seconds...
The previously tense atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
"Hahaha..."
Jiang Han couldn't help but laugh dryly, then said seriously, "I'm just kidding, you guys continue, don't mind me."
"I want to see just how capable you are, daring to call me an ant!"
The gray-robed man couldn't resist testing the other's strength. Cautiously, he drew a blue sword that even the silver-haired man hadn't forced out, unleashing a domineering sword aura, as if to cut through the heavens and earth.
The sword aura whistled, enlarging in Jiang Han's pupils...
"Swish!"
A flash of white light, and the scene before Jiang Han changed. The two powerful figures and the canyon vanished, replaced by a magnificent palace, with grand music playing around.
"Ding!~"
System prompt: Would you like to create a character?
"......"
Suppressing the urge to report the officials, Jiang Han took a deep breath, calming his turbulent emotions, and nodded, "Yes!"
The next second, a young man in tattered gray and white clothes appeared before him. The young man's features were handsome, his build tall and slender, his eyes clear and bright, looking almost identical to Jiang Han.
"Can I modify my appearance?" Jiang Han asked.
Having the same appearance as in reality might cause unnecessary trouble.
For instance, making enemies in the game and being recognized in reality could lead to narrow-minded people seeking revenge. It's wise to be cautious and avoid such situations.
Moreover, if his high appearance caused a sensation, female fans might come knocking...
In today's world, it's dangerous for young men to be out and about.
"Ding!~"
System prompt: You can adjust your appearance by up to 20%.
"Swish!"
Explore the extended edition on pawread dot com.
A semi-transparent virtual panel appeared before Jiang Han, allowing him to adjust the character's appearance.
Without much thought, he made some minor changes and submitted.
"Ding!~"
System prompt: Adjustment successful. Please name your game character. (Note: Once created, the character name cannot be changed, please consider carefully.)
Naming...
Jiang Han thought for a moment and said, "The Mightiest in Kindergarten!"
"Ding!~"
System prompt: After verification, the player's age does not meet the criteria for this name, it has been automatically rejected, please choose another name.
Do I need to consider age when naming?
For a moment, he didn't know whether to admire the game's rigor or criticize its quirky sense of humor.
"Forget it, let's be serious." Jiang Han shook his head, thought carefully, and said, "Yi Jiang Han Shui!"
Honestly, he didn't believe anyone could connect his game ID to his real name, and he didn't think his name was particularly unique, there were plenty of people with the same name.
"Ding!~"
System prompt: After verification, the name is available, do you wish to confirm?
"Confirm!"
"Swish!"
Instantly, white light appeared around him, quickly enveloping his body. Jiang Han's vision shifted, and he found himself in a dilapidated village. The surrounding white light scattered, indicating that countless players, like him, had arrived in the Novice Village as adventurers.
First, get a quest!
Jiang Han scanned the area, immediately locking onto an elderly man with white hair leaning on a cane nearby. He squeezed through the crowd and hurried to the old man's side, asking, "Hello, sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
"You?" The old man glanced at Jiang Han disdainfully, "Do you even qualify?"
"......"
Jiang Han was momentarily stunned by the rhetorical question, then glared, "Old man, who are you looking down on?"
Damn, what's going on, are all the game NPCs this wild?