"Hey guys, let's get off work early today and play some rounds of Chenghai 3C tonight?"
"Sure, I haven't played in a while, let's call Han Xing to join us."
In an office building in Xinyang City, two men were talking.
Han Xing heard someone calling his name, but he didn't respond immediately and kept his head down.
He was playing a pixel-style survival adventure game on his phone called "Sky Island Paradise", featuring fresh graphics and cheerful music.
Players start on a floating block and explore other floating blocks to search for resources and expand their territory.
But as Han Xing played, he realized the game was more than it seemed on the surface.
Players will inadvertently trigger various side quests while exploring. These quests have different options, and every choice seems to determine the story's direction.
When the side quests are linked together, they seem to form a massive main storyline.
Besides the rich side content, the dialogue between characters in the game is also very deep.
When talking with the protagonist, the emotional authenticity unintentionally revealed by these characters made Han Xing feel like he was communicating with a real person.
As he followed the quests, pieces of forgotten history were uncovered...
All this made Han Xing wonder if this was really a pixel-style game under 100M.
Han Xing became immersed in it.
At that moment, a message appeared on the phone screen.
[This game will undergo maintenance in ten minutes. The new version will be available soon, please look forward to it...]
Maintenance? Hasn't this game just started its closed beta a few days ago?
Han Xing was puzzled, when he saw a brawny man appear beside him.
Cheng Jianyong patted Han Xing on the shoulder and, squinting, said with a smile, "Whose video are you watching? You didn't even hear us talking to you."
Han Xing put away his phone, saying, "I heard you."
"I was just surprised that our department's performance has not met the target this month, and Chen Ergou is watching us every day in the office, yet you dare not work overtime?"
Cheng Jianyong chuckled heartily, "Overtime? Like hell!"
"With such a low salary, they still want me to work my ass off every day? Even if a god came down today, I'm leaving work early!"
Cheng Jianyong spoke with determination, but Han Xing looked at him skeptically.
A man in a suit next to them laughed, "Han Xing, don't listen to this guy's bragging."
"This guy stepped into the grave of marriage right after graduation, unlike us, who only have to worry about feeding ourselves. If he doesn't work overtime, who will support his wife and kids?"
The man who spoke was called Shen Yun, and along with Han Xing and Cheng Jianyong, they had all graduated from the same university.
During the four years of college, they were assigned to the same dormitory, shared similar interests, and after graduation, they joined the same company. They were Han Xing's only friends.
Cheng Jianyong, feeling a bit embarrassed at Shen Yun's remark, muttered softly, "Just one day, it's no big deal..."
Seeing him like this, Han Xing and Shen Yun exchanged a knowing smile.
"Speaking of which, we haven't played games together in a long time," Han Xing said.
Shen Yun's face also showed a reminiscent expression, "Yeah, I really miss those college days..."
Just then, a shadow appeared behind the three of them.
"If you miss those school days so much, why don't you go back to school?"
Hearing this voice, the three of them had an ominous feeling.
It was the department manager, Chen Huai Bo.
In private, Han Xing and the others called him Chen Ergou, as he was a loyal lapdog of the boss.
Chen Huai Bo looked at them with a black face, questioning, "What are you three discussing? You haven't completed your performance, and all you're thinking about is playing games?"
"A bunch of good-for-nothings, complaining about a few extra days of work like you're pampered princesses!"
"Tell me, do you want to quit? If you do, get lost early! Don't occupy this spot without doing anything."
"Right now, there are plenty of recent graduates out there without jobs. If you don't want it, there are plenty of others who do! You uncouth bunch!"
Shen Yun stepped forward and said coldly, "Watch your mouth."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness.
The office suddenly fell silent, and a few other employees cautiously peered out, seemingly unable to believe anyone would dare confront Chen Huai Bo.
"What did you say?" Chen Huai Bo's face turned ugly, "Do you believe I can call the boss right now and have you pack up and leave immediately!"
Shen Yun just wanted to speak, but Han Xing waved his hand to stop him.
Han Xing looked at Chen Huai Bo, "Stop barking, you just want to kick us out so you can bring in your relatives, right?"
"Chen Huai Bo, do you think we don't know about your little schemes?" Han Xing scoffed.
"You..."
"What you, you can go ahead and report us to the boss. Let's see if he will fire us."
Han Xing was confident, knowing that even if the department's performance was lacking, the three of them were still the top contributors.
Chen Huai Bo was furious, shaking with anger, seemingly not expecting Han Xing, who was usually low-key, to stand up to him like this.
He just wanted to reach out and grab Han Xing's collar, but saw Cheng Jianyong suddenly standing in front.
"Chen Ergou, are you planning to lay hands here?" Cheng Jianyong squinted, his tone carrying a threatening undertone, and his tall and sturdy presence was quite intimidating.
Chen Huai Bo retracted his outstretched hand, looking at the three united front with a face as dark as a stormy sky.
Han Xing pulled Cheng Jianyong back, about to advise him not to fight here, when everything suddenly went black.
At that moment, everyone heard a system notification.
"The new version update of the game is complete. In three minutes, all humans on Blue Star will enter this game."
"Game notice: This is a world without land, where countless islands float in the sky, each hiding opportunities and dangers, but first, everyone needs to figure out how to survive."
"Later, a piece of floating land will be generated for each player, which is your core territory and the foundation for future Sky Island construction. If it's destroyed, you will lose everything."
"You can control your territory to move in the air, approach those cloud-covered islands, explore them to obtain survival materials, and you can also occupy these islands to expand your territory."
"Islands contain opportunities, but they might also harbor terrible dangers. Each of you has only one chance to survive. The consequence of failure is death, so choose cautiously..."
"Elderly and children, as vulnerable groups, will be placed with their respective relatives a month after the game starts..."
"Now, welcome to 'Sky Island Paradise'."
When Han Xing's vision returned, he discovered he was floating at an unknown altitude, looking down into a vast emptiness with no land in sight.
High in the sky, a gentle breeze blew, and clouds floated by.
Immense fear filled his heart.
At this moment, a personal panel appeared before Han Xing.
[Name: Han Xing]
[Race: Human Race]
[Profession: None]
[Level: LV0]
[Power: 3, Agility: 2, Spirit: 4, Physical Strength: 5]
[Skills: None]
[Talent: None]
Then, a system notification came again.
"Please choose your career path swiftly."
"Currently, there are five major paths: Warrior, Mage, Holy Profession, Hunter, Stalker. Once players reach a certain level, they can advance their profession through Professional Scrolls."
Han Xing was momentarily stunned, his fear gradually turning into joy.
You can actually choose a profession!
Not only that, these five major profession paths are exactly like the game he played on his phone!
Although he didn't play that mobile game for long, compared to others, Han Xing had a deeper understanding of these professions.
From the names of these five professions, it's clear what they excel at. Warriors focus on melee combat, and at a certain level, they can change into Swordsmen or Berserkers, with advanced paths to Sword Master and Mad War God...
Mages control elements with magic to deal damage to enemies, later transitioning into Elemental Masters and Illusionists, with advanced paths to Elemental Tutor and Weaver...
The other three professions are similar, each having two transition paths and advancement routes.
If there's nothing unexpected, most people can only choose from these ten professions.
"I played as a Hunter before, I should continue choosing Hunter to leverage my advantage."
"Moreover, the crucial thing is, when I was playing that mobile game, I heard from npc dialogues about a hidden profession for Hunter..."
That hidden profession is called Wild Ranger!
If the early game process is still the same as the one on his phone with no changes, Han Xing can get a head start and secure this hidden profession first!
Thinking of this, Han Xing had already made a decision. Just as he was about to choose the Hunter profession, a solemn notification rang in his mind.
[Detected that player 'Han Xing' has a destiny compatible with this world, personal talent Divine-level Artisan has been activated.]
[Divine-level Artisan (SSS-level, Hidden Unique): You will never fail when crafting any items. The probability of creating high-quality items is greatly increased.]
Han Xing stood frozen for a moment, shocked, murmuring, "What the heck???"