Chen Mo was completely absorbed in the game's loading animation, unaware of the power cut, short circuit, and sparks in the real world. His consciousness fully plunged into the virtual world of Star Era.
In the next second, he felt solid bluestone beneath his feet. A cool breeze brushed his cheeks, carrying the scent of grass, wood, and soil. Around him echoed noisy chatter and NPC hawkers. Before his eyes lay the ancient-style town square of Qingxi — orderly houses with blue bricks and black tiles, peddlers walking back and forth with shoulder poles, and the clanging of a blacksmith's hammer. Everything felt terrifyingly real, not like a game at all.
[Welcome to Star Era. Current location: Qingxi Town]
[No mandatory career guidance. Choose your initial weapon freely]
[Panel only shows Stamina, Health, and Proficiency. No extra stats]
Pale blue minimalist prompts flashed and vanished. No flashy pop-ups, no forced tutorial — total freedom.
Chen Mo looked around. At the square's center stood a row of initial weapons: wooden blade, short staff, iron sword, bow. All basic models, no glowing effects, no mysterious carvings, completely plain.
He hesitated barely a moment and walked straight for the iron sword.
The hilt was rough and uncomfortable, the blade heavy and dull. It felt weighty in his hand, exactly like the sword he'd imagined in real life. The second he gripped the hilt, an inexplicable familiarity washed over him — as if this sword had always belonged to him.
"Young man, new here?"
An old NPC in rough linen clothes, with a goatee, smiled and spoke beside him, holding a whetstone. "Fresh in Qingxi Town, you can't know nothing. Learn the basic stance, slash, and block first. Otherwise, once you leave town, even wild dogs will tear you apart!"
Chen Mo nodded. Following the old NPC's guidance, he stood with feet shoulder-width apart, lowered his center of gravity, tensed his sword arm slightly, and took the most basic sword-holding stance.
The move looked simple but was surprisingly tiring. Within minutes, his arm ached, and his Stamina bar dropped slowly. He gritted his teeth and kept going, repeating slashes and blocks over and over. The iron sword cut through the air with whooshing sounds, and Proficiency rose at a barely visible pace.
After about half an hour, Chen Mo stopped, gasping for breath. His Stamina was completely drained. He leaned against a stone pillar in the square to rest. Watching other new players flailing nearby made him feel a little better — everyone was starting from zero.
After resting a while, his Stamina recovered a little. Chen Mo thought of his desperate situation in real life: only 23 yuan left in his pocket, rent due soon, even food was a problem. The game ads said virtual currency could be exchanged 1:1 for real money. He had to earn in the game as fast as possible.
He scanned around and quickly spotted the blacksmith's shop beside the square. A wooden sign hung at the door:
Quest: Collect 10 pieces of Rusty Iron. Reward: Copper Coins + Basic Iron Sword + Basic Sword Sheath
Perfect for him!
Chen Mo hurried into the blacksmith's. Inside, a shirtless, muscular blacksmith named Lao Wang swung a huge hammer, sparks flying everywhere.
"Uncle, I'll take the Rusty Iron quest."
Lao Wang stopped hammering, wiped sweat from his face, and sized Chen Mo up roughly. "Kid, Rusty Iron's in the abandoned weapon pile east of town. Wild dogs roam there. Be careful — don't get killed right after leaving!"
"Got it, thanks, Uncle."
Chen Mo tightened his grip on the iron sword and walked out of Qingxi Town toward the abandoned weapon pile to the east.
The path outside town was overgrown with weeds. Trees stood thick on either side, and occasional low growls of beasts echoed. Chen Mo held the hilt firmly, moving carefully, eyes alert.
Not far ahead lay a pile of broken swords and rusted blades, the stench of rust filling the air. He bent to pick up the first piece of Rusty Iron — when furious barking exploded in his ears!
Three lean, gray-furred wild dogs burst from the grass, eyes fierce, fangs bared, charging straight for Chen Mo. Dark red blood stained their fangs.
Chen Mo's heart tightened. He instinctively took a slashing stance, his heart pounding. It was his first time facing a monster in the game; his palms sweated nervously.
The wild dogs were fast. The first one lunged at his arm, jaws open!
Chen Mo reacted without thinking, swinging the sword hard in the basic slash he'd practiced!
Clang!
The iron sword hit the dog. No instant kill, no critical hit — only a shallow wound. The dog yelped in pain and attacked even more furiously.
The other two closed in, surrounding him left and right. Chen Mo could only block and look for openings to counter. He moved carefully, dodging bites, slashing whenever he had a chance.
His Health bar dropped slowly, Stamina burning fast. Minutes of fighting left him gasping.
Finally, after a dozen slashes, the first wild dog whined and collapsed. Then the second, then the third.
Chen Mo sank to the ground, breathing heavily. Staring at the bodies, he sighed in relief. No instant kills, no cheats — only real skill and endurance. The combat felt terrifyingly real.
Following the game's prompt, he knelt and carefully butchered the dogs with his sword, peeling tattered hides. He found only a few worthless Copper Coins — monsters dropped no gold in this game. All materials had to be collected by hand.
After resting, Chen Mo kept gathering Rusty Iron. It was easy to find; in ten minutes, he had all ten. He brushed dust off his clothes, gripped his sword, and hurried back to Qingxi Town.
Back at the blacksmith's, Chen Mo handed over the ten pieces of Rusty Iron.
Lao Wang weighed them and grinned. "Not bad, kid. Made it back alive! Here's your reward!"
[Quest Completed: Collect Rusty Iron]
[Obtained: Copper Coins ×50, Basic Iron Sword ×1, Basic Sword Sheath ×1]
A pale blue prompt flashed. A new iron sword and black sheath appeared in Chen Mo's bag, along with fifty heavy Copper Coins.
It wasn't much, but it was his first money in the game. A long-lost sense of achievement surged in him. He stored the new sword, slid the old one into its sheath, and slung it over his back — suddenly looking like a real swordsman.
Earning his first cash boosted his drive. He was about to take another quest when a skill prompt popped up:
[Your Basic Sword Skill Proficiency is sufficient. You may learn: Sword Control Art (learnable at Lv.3)]
[Sword Control Art: Basic Immortal Sword mental technique. Channel inner warmth to control the sword. Energy must flow along a fixed path]
Immortal sword?
Chen Mo's eyes lit up. He'd chosen the sword — this skill was made for him!
He clicked Learn at once. A clear energy path and sword mantra appeared in his mind. At the same time, a faint warm current flowed slowly through his meridians — exactly the faint warmth he'd sometimes felt in real life!
"Control the sword… that's legendary sword flight, right?"
Excited beyond measure, Chen Mo hurried to an open area outside Qingxi Town, empty and perfect for practice.
He drew his iron sword, stabbed it into the ground, took a deep breath according to the mantra, and tried to channel the warm current. He focused his will on the sword and shouted:
"Up!"
The sword didn't move.
"UP!!"
Still motionless, like a stake rooted in the dirt.
Chen Mo refused to quit. He replayed the energy path in his head, adjusted his breathing, tensed his nerves, formed sword fingers with both hands, and shouted at the sword again and again:
"Up!"
"Get up!"
"Move, damn it!"
He stood in the open, flailing at a plain iron sword, gesturing, holding his breath until his face turned red, stamping his feet, yelling "up" nonstop. He looked ridiculous, like a fool casting air spells.
Several passing new players stopped, covering their mouths to snicker and whisper:
"Is this guy crazy? Yelling at a rusty sword to get up?"
"Probably new and lost his mind. Sword Control Art doesn't work right after learning…"
"So funny. Dumbest newbie I've seen all day."
The comments reached Chen Mo. His face burned with embarrassment. He wanted to crawl into a hole — but his stubbornness flared.
He wouldn't quit until he got it!
Ignoring the mockery, Chen Mo calmed down, adjusted the warm current's flow little by little, and practiced step by step. Sweat dripped down his forehead. His Stamina drained away, but he didn't care. His eyes were fixed only on the sword.
Time passed. In the real world, night fell. The clock inched toward 11:50 PM — only minutes left until midnight.
Fewer and fewer players remained in the open area. The mockers were long gone. Silence fell, broken only by insects and wind rustling leaves.
Chen Mo gasped, legs shaking. His Stamina was at its limit — but he still wouldn't give up. He gripped the hilt, took one last deep breath, focused all his will, and channeled the last of his warm current along the Sword Control Art path.
He stared at the iron sword, face flushed red. With every ounce of strength, he shouted at it, word by word:
"UP!"