Guan Shanhai was a writer.
He collected scraps of information about Mystic Realm exploration from newspapers and turned them into martial-arts-style stories set inside the Realms. His writing had great immersion, and he had already gained some fame even before Guan Yi was born. In fact, Guan Yi's mother, Mo Lin, had once been a loyal fan of his novels.
In all the 18 years they lived together, Guan Yi had never found anything unusual about his father. Instead, it was his mother whose thought processes often felt… abnormal.
She clearly could cook extremely well, yet she always loved to experiment randomly. For example, right now she was making grape-braised fish in the kitchen. Guan Yi could easily guess her logic:
Fish stewed with beer smells great → Wine tastes better than beer → So adding grapes must be the most fragrant of all.
But the most ordinary things were often the most abnormal.
It happened the afternoon after the college entrance exam ended. His father received a phone call and hurried out. Guan Yi, who stayed home, noticed scattered manuscripts on the desk. He thought he'd help tidy them—and maybe peek at his father's latest story to offer some inspiration.
Instead, among the manuscripts, he found a letter.
The letter was short, written in Demon Script. With his excellent grades, Guan Yi could translate the gist:
"So-and-so, years of infiltration have been hard. The time is near. Complete your task as soon as possible."
What time?
What task?
Guan Yi didn't know, but Demon Script was extremely rare. For his ordinary, unremarkable father to possess such a letter…
The possibility that his father was a Demonfolk instantly shattered the normal 18 years of life he had lived.
Report him?
After 18 years of raising him? After a life of comfort and warmth?
Guan Yi couldn't do it.
Confront him?
There were two possible outcomes:
Guan Shanhai, cold-hearted and ruthless, kills him.
Guan Shanhai bursts into laughter:
"So you found out? Yes, I'm Demonfolk. And you, my little demon cub—let's overthrow Tiger City together!"
Even though Guan Yi had never found anything unusual about his own body…
It was an unsolvable dilemma.
He tossed and turned for days. He realized that studying wouldn't change anything. And he might not even get the chance to live a peaceful four years of university.
He needed power—Mystic Mark Warrior power.
He needed strength before the situation erupted.
He had to climb into the higher tiers of society to face whatever might come.
So, amidst everyone's confusion, he signed up as a Mystic Realm Exploration Volunteer.
But he wasn't going in completely blind.
Late at night, lying in his bed, Guan Yi sank his consciousness deep into his mind, where a book hovered quietly.
Or rather—a file.
The "Mystic Realm Changes Fate: Support & Achievement Program" Project Proposal.
In his past life, Guan Yi had been a professional soccer player, though not a successful one.
With dreams of soccer but mediocre talent and doomed by the bleak soccer environment of his country, he squandered years and gradually lost his spirit.
Just then, his team launched a charity program called "Soccer Changes Fate: Support & Achievement Plan." Guan Yi volunteered to go to a mountain town in Guizhou to teach soccer to the local kids—passing his dreams to the next generation.
And honestly, he rediscovered the joy of soccer while playing with those mountain kids. It was the happiest six months he'd lived.
But before the mountain kids' fates could change, a landslide changed his.
After dying and reincarnating into this world, the only thing he carried—aside from his memories—was this project proposal.
Except… the soccer project had transformed.
What changed fate was now Mystic Realms.
And the recipient was no longer mountain children—but Guan Yi himself.
Maybe this is the universe's way of repaying me for my volunteer work, he thought as he opened the first page.
[Recipient: Guan Yi]
[Target Mystic Realm: Not Activated]
[Supporter Realm: Matching Pending]
[Project Vision: Locked]
The rest of the pages wouldn't open.
It was obvious: this proposal wouldn't activate until he entered a Mystic Realm.
Its function was likely to bring in another, more advanced Mystic Realm to support Guan Yi in clearing whichever "primitive Realm" he entered. As for how the support worked… he didn't yet know.
"Tomorrow, I'll find out."
Originally, Guan Yi had planned to enter a Mystic Realm after graduating from university—after learning more, maybe even becoming a Mystic Realm Strategy Planner. Then, he'd use the proposal to ascend safely.
But life never follows plans.
It seemed he was destined to be an athlete after all.
…
The next day, at the subway station.
Mrs. Mo Lin gazed sorrowfully at her beloved son. "Are you sure you don't want us to see you off? At least let us accompany you to the high-speed rail station."
"That's enough." Guan Shanhai gently pulled his wife back. "The school already booked his ticket, and someone will pick him up. If we go too, he'll get teased by his classmates. It's just the neighboring city—not far."
"What's there to tease?" Mo Lin muttered. "Heartless man."
"Mom, give me a hug."
Guan Yi stepped forward and hugged her, cutting off her complaints—and her insistence on escorting him.
"Love you, Mom. I'll call you the moment they let us use phones. Uh—Dad, the train's coming. I have to go."
Giving Mo Lin one last tight squeeze, Guan Yi nodded at his father and left.
He couldn't let them see him off.
He wasn't going to the high-speed rail station at all—
He wasn't even leaving Tiger City.
Just a few stops later, he got off and walked to the Mystic Realm Explorer Service Center, checking in with his ID.
"Hmm… Guan Yi. You'll be exploring Purple-Class Mystic Realm No. 605. Follow me."
Purple, as expected.
In the past millennium, Mystic Realms had been classified into six ranks based on difficulty. Greater difficulty meant higher quality Mystic Marks—but also greater danger.
White — Easy
Blue — Normal
Purple — Hard
Red — Purgatory
Gold — Legendary
Color — Unknown, immeasurable, nearly impossible to clear
Realms requiring volunteers would never be White—those had over 95% survival rates and were practically bonus rounds.
Most volunteers were sent into Purple-Class Realms: early exploration runs usually had ~60% survival. A few lucky ones got Blue, and extremely unlucky ones got Red Purgatory.
Don't underestimate Purple difficulty.
To be ranked Purple meant:
Either war and disease ravaged the Realm,
or terrifying beings capable of smashing boulders and splitting rivers existed—
beings who could kill with a flick of a finger.
The survival rate remained at 60% only because many people entered and barely explored, prioritizing safety above all.
Soon, the staff led Guan Yi into a waiting room. Three people were already seated: a lively young man, a pretty young woman, and a rugged middle-aged man—likely his teammates for this Realm.
They had already chatted. When Guan Yi entered, all three looked surprised.
"You're also assigned to Purple 605?"
"So young! Barely looks adult!"
"Don't be fooled," Guan Yi said with a straight face. "I'm twenty-eight."
(Age from his past life, heart steady, face unreadable.)
"Nonsense," the rugged man snorted. "You're freshly eighteen at most. Why'd a kid choose something this dangerous? Look at me—forty-six, alone, nothing accomplished. That's why I grit my teeth and volunteered."
Guan Yi looked to the other two.
The rugged man nodded toward them. "Little Ye is here because he's chasing the girl he likes. Jiang Xue is here because her family is forcing her to marry into a rich household."
"I haven't even graduated yet, and my mom wants me engaged to her boss's son…"
Jiang Xue brushed back her hair. Her delicate face, tinted by sorrow, looked even more beautiful. "Honestly… I regretted it the moment I got the volunteer notice."
"Sigh… What about you?"
Guan Yi paused for two seconds, then shook his head wistfully.
"I'm also… troubled by feelings."
Family feelings are still feelings.
The rugged man chuckled, Jiang Xue sighed, and only the spirited young man—Ye Huohuo—jerked upright.
"Your childhood sweetheart was taken by a Mystic Mark Warrior, too?! Those bastards!"
Childhood sweetheart?
Guan Yi pictured Cui Cui—who cussed like a sailor and punched like a truck—and shivered.
"…Yeah. Worse, actually. Her dad is a Mystic Mark Warrior. He looks down on me…"
Ye Huohuo's face filled with righteous fury. "These Mystic Mark Warriors always treat us ordinary people like trash! Just wait till I become one—then I'll—"
Guan Yi realized he'd poked a hornet's nest and had to chat idly with him until the door swung open again.
A young man in military uniform entered—posture straight and sharp, though his hair was a bit messy.
"Guan Yi, Jiang Xue, Ye Huohuo, Zhang Sangu—everyone present?"
"Yes!" The four stood.
"Follow me."
They exited through a side door and boarded a large, boxy modified military vehicle. Though spacious, the windows—except the front—were sealed. Lighting came from lamps; ventilation from a high-tech air system.
"The location of the Mystic Realm entrance is confidential. Don't try to peek forward—you'll cause trouble. You have more important tasks."
The officer handed them four files.
"The Realm you're entering—Purple 605—has been explored twice before. These documents contain intelligence from the first two runs. All top-secret. You have about two hours before arrival. Read everything at least three times."
Did they give documents now?
Strict. Anti-spy measures?
…Oh. To prevent situations like his father's.
Fair enough.
Guan Yi calmed himself and opened the file.
[Mystic Realm Name: Navy & Pirates]
[Difficulty: Purple — Hard]
[Cycle Entry Limit: 100 people]
[Realm Cycle: 3 months in reality, ≈ 9 years in Realm time
(Sea Calendar year 1515 → early 1524)]
Mystic Realms were called "Realms" instead of worlds for a critical reason:
Before explorers performed certain key "strategy actions"—in simple terms, before the Realm was fully cleared—the Realm had no future.
It operated on a loop within a fixed time segment. When it reached the endpoint, it would eject all explorers and reset to its initial state.
Like a slice of real history cut out from a world.
The Realm Guan Yi would have existed only from the Sea Calendar year 1515 to 1524. After that, all explorers would be kicked out, and the Realm would reset to 1515—allowing a new exploration cycle.
Nine years in Realm time.
Just three months in reality.
"Three months… I can hide it from Mom. But… Sea Calendar?"
It looked familiar.
Where had he seen it before?
He read on.
[Realm Background:
This Realm consists mostly of oceans and islands. Its vast seas gave rise to a special profession—pirates. Sea thieves, or sea bandits. They sail the waters, plundering to survive.
Those tasked with capturing them are the Navy.]
[In Sea Calendar year 1498, the Pirate King Gol·D·Roger was captured by the Navy and publicly executed…]
Snap.
Guan Yi closed the document sharply.
The sound drew the attention of the other three. Guan Yi blinked rapidly, eyes suspiciously warm, rubbed them, and slowly opened the file again.
[During the execution, Gol·D·Roger publicly announced the location of his treasure—fame, wealth, power—thus igniting the Great Age of Pirates!]
"…"
F*. Not an illusion.
I'm about to enter One Piece?!
I'm going to become the Pirate King?!