"Eh?"
Seraphine noticed a palm-sized, black-covered booklet manifesting where the Cyber-Cowboy had vanished, glowing with faint, rhythmic pulses of light.
She stepped over and snatched it up.
Glancing at the cover, she read:
[ Hellfire Crash ] (Extra Skill).
Skill Summary: When I run, nothing can stop me.
Upon activation, Mana is converted into flames that permeate the entire body. The player enters a Dash state (Speed x 10) while a cloak of boiling fire envelopes them. Any entity that makes contact takes burn damage (Base Damage x 0.5). Costs 50 MP per second. Can be toggled for continuous automatic use. (Max level).
"An Extra Skill, huh? Interesting."
A glimmer sparked in Seraphine's eyes.
As she enthusiastically studied the skill book, several strangers appeared outside the barrier of the [ Mad Town ] instance.
...
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
『 Uncle Client 』, sporting a slight potbelly, stood at an angle atop a golden dune. He clapped his hands loudly toward a floating screen in front of him and announced:
"Alright everyone, according to the official game data, even though [ Mad Town ] is a Level 30 instance with only a 'Normal' difficulty setting, the veterans on the forums say that to clear it safely, your level should be at least 5 levels above the instance requirement."
As he babbled away, messages continuously scrolled across his stream's chat.
"Here we go."
"Uncle says 'stable' is just another word for 'cowardly'."
"Say it with me: 'The King of Cowards'!"
"Boring. If I could get into the game, I'd charge into the instance at Level 1."
"Uncle, fly high! Mommy's right behind you!"
"No 'mommies' please."
"Daddy Client, I love you!!! (Tongue-out.jpg)"
"↑ That guy is a serious heavyweight creep."
『 Uncle Client 』 suddenly let out a smug laugh.
"Heh heh, I've got some good news for the fam. After days of grinding, my five buddies and I have gloriously reached Level 40! Applause, please!"
He clapped for himself.
The chat stream exploded again:
"I am dead! But I am still the West~ Rat~ King~!"
"The rats in Flame City are almost extinct because of you guys!"
"The Rats: I had a farm, I had land, life was good, and then..."
"Rubbing Uncle's little belly."
"Zero challenge."
"Then why are you still watching? Are you masochistic?"
"Daddy Client, I love you!!! (Tongue-out.jpg)"
"↑ Enough already! (Nauseous.jpg)"
『 Uncle Client 』 extended a chubby arm and pointed dramatically toward the blurred town a hundred meters away, which was completely enveloped by the shimmering light screen. He laughed boisterously.
"Watch closely, fam! Today, I lead the team! We! Crush! This place!"
Chat stream:
"Why are you yelling so loud?"
"Then go talk to management!"
"Just blustering."
"↑ Are you an anti-fan? You're here every day with your passive-aggressive BS."
"Nom nom."
"Daddy Client, I love you!!! (Tongue-out.jpg)"
"↑ I'm out! (Bowing-smile.jpg)"
Checking his viewer count, 『 Uncle Client 』's mouth curled into a smirk.
A long time ago, he was just a middle-aged construction worker. But one morning, upon waking up, he surprisingly found a beautiful invitation—seemingly crafted from a crystal material—under his pillow.
Perplexed, he opened it, only to be stunned: it was a legendary invitation to log into "Brilliant Games"!
The discovery nearly made him faint with shock.
Even as a mere construction grunt, he knew exactly what Brilliant Games was and what it represented.
On his home planet, Aqutar—a world with seven continents and four oceans—the existence of Brilliant Games had been woven into human history for nearly a thousand years.
Information regarding this mysterious, super-spatiotemporal game was common knowledge, known by everyone from world leaders and high-ranking officials to merchants, nobles, and commoners.
Naturally, the elite and the nobility possessed far more detailed and profound knowledge, while the information available to the masses was much more vague and simplified.
However, almost every human on the planet was well aware of the existence of the game's magical invitations.
But the catch was that obtaining that vital invitation—and the subsequent magical tattoo that allowed a player to permanently log into Brilliant Games—depended entirely on luck.
Pure, unadulterated luck.
Unless the original recipient was foolish enough not to use it and instead sold or gave it away, or was robbed of it before they could even open it, there was no other way for those less fortunate to acquire one.
However, according to the information 『 Uncle Client 』 later investigated, out of the tens of billions of people on Aqutar, there were currently three million who had received invitations and possessed the magical tattoos.
Mathematically, with over 10,000 cities worldwide, each city averaged several hundred players.
In truth, that was quite a significant number.
Furthermore, 『 Uncle Client 』's country had long ago issued a directive: any player of "Brilliant Games" could hold a position in the military, receive an exceptionally high salary, and be provided with housing—often more than one residence.
Initially, 『 Uncle Client 』 hadn't understood why the policies toward players were so generous; he had even been quite envious and resentful.
It wasn't until he began leveling up and allocating attribute points in the game that he made a shocking discovery: his physical body in reality was also being enhanced!
The attribute values of the in-game character were somehow being fed back into the player's actual physique.
Incredible!
Gaming could lead to evolution!
From that moment on, 『 Uncle Client 』 was convinced that "Brilliant Games" wasn't something created by any company or even any nation. The entity behind the game was either aliens or gods!
Confirmed.
Within Brilliant Games, 『 Uncle Client 』 had chosen his Class, Specialization, and Path: [ Exosuit Soldier ] - [ Bio-Armor ] - [ Demon Muscular ].
He diligently followed the attribute allocation strategy from the top-rated posts on the Game Forum, investing points into Strength and Constitution at a 3:2 ratio with every level.
Upon reaching Level 40, his Strength attribute reached 290.
In reality, however, he had already been able to easily lift a multi-ton, four-wheeled sedan with one arm back when he was only Level 30.
Those ridiculous stats... were enough to crush every gym rat on the planet several times over.
He could have easily swept every strength-related competition in the world.
Thus, 『 Uncle Client 』 had a realization: if a low-level player like him was already this monstrous, then those Level 100 veterans who had undergone multiple Ascensions... in reality, they were probably human nukes, each capable of shattering mountains or erasing cities.
Thinking even further—could the true behind-the-scenes rulers of the world's nations... actually be those high-level veterans?!
It was highly likely. In fact, almost certain.
No wonder, then. No wonder such policies existed.
These policies were purely meant to recruit and appease the elite powerhouses of Brilliant Games.
With his physical health, career, and family all flourishing thanks to the game, a thriving 『 Uncle Client 』 had a sudden inspiration: he would start livestreaming.
He quickly discovered that this was a massive, untapped "Blue Ocean" market.
Most players in "Brilliant Games" likely viewed themselves as transcendent beings and acted increasingly aloof in reality, distancing themselves from the common populace. Consequently, there were very few—if any—who were genuinely interested in livestreaming.
The general public, however, had always viewed this spatiotemporal game as if looking through a thick fog. While they had a general idea of its existence, they had few ways to satisfy their curiosity for more detailed information.
Thus, thanks to his humorous, self-deprecating wit and undeniable talent, 『 Uncle Client 』 quickly rose to prominence. He became a superstar streamer on Aqutar with a massive international fan base.
Fame and fortune followed in rapid succession, turning his already prosperous life into an even brighter inferno.
"Ahem..."
『 Uncle Client 』 smoothed his hair, faked a cough, and smiled. "Now, let me introduce the crew for today's run."
Winking at the light screen, he gestured toward a flashy youth to his right, who wore purple tights and carried a mechanical longbow. "This is 『 Mommy's Little Net-Puller 』, a [ Rainbow Archer ]. Also a fellow resident of Aqutar."
"Sup everyone," the archer said with a smirk.
『 Uncle Client 』 then pointed to a short, bald man with glasses on his left, and a dazed-looking cyborg beside him.
"This here is 『 Bro's Guide to Adulthood 』, a [ Gun Butcher ]. And this is 『 Invincible Guide-Maker 』, a [ Silicon Sculptor ]—I like to call him Wei. These two are also our Aqutar compatriots."
The two looked at the screen and said in unison, "Hello everyone."
Next, 『 Uncle Client 』 gestured toward two individuals standing slightly further back.
One wore flowing white robes, projecting a somewhat forced, dashing air. The other was a brawny, honest-looking man shouldering a thick Totem pillar.
『 Uncle Client 』 smiled at the screen. "These two aren't from Aqutar; they're good friends I met in-game.
Allow me to introduce them: this handsome fellow is 『 Game Over You 』, an [ Interstellar Knight ] from Plangu.
And this muscular hunk is 『 Back Off and Watch Me Carry 』, a [ Cyber-Savage ] from Pageo.
They are all human compatriots from parallel spacetimes."
The handsome youth in white robe awkwardly brushed aside the two thin strands of hair on his forehead, deliberately tilting his sharp chin toward the screen as he smirked. "Hello everyone."
The brawny man beat his chest and let out a boisterous laugh. "Good afternoon, fam!"
Clearly, 『 Uncle Client 』 felt no need to hide the fact that his teammates were from other planets... or rather, from different spatiotemporal realities.
Why was that?
Simple. Because of Brilliant Games, governments of countless planets—Aqutar, Geo, Pangu, Terra, Gaia, and many others—had long since established a degree of communication and exchange by having players "pass notes" to one another in-game.
This flow of information had spanned the long histories of many civilizations.
Through these prolonged exchanges, the tens of thousands of "Earth" civilizations made a shocking discovery: their home star systems—the Solar Systems—were almost identical in terms of spatial coordinates, as well as the mass, volume, and alignment of every planet within them. Furthermore, the terrains, material compositions, and gravity constants of their respective "Earths" were nearly the same. Even the races, cultures, languages, writing systems, and historical origins of the various human civilizations were remarkably similar.
The degree of similarity reached a staggering 99%.
As for any deeper collaborations or agreements reached between these "Earth" civilizations, 『 Uncle Client 』, coming from the commoner class, had no way of knowing.
All he knew was that the existence of Brilliant Games allowed these scattered "Earth" civilizations to form various spatiotemporal alliances. While they might never be able to physically contact one another, they maintained close cooperation in the fields of culture, art, science, technology, and ideology.
Perhaps it sounds incredible.
Parallel spacetimes? Other-world humans?
Why was everyone so accustomed to it? Were people just that thick-skinned?
Actually, it follows a simple principle.
Science fiction author Douglas Adams once wrote what he called the "Three Rules of Technology." It wasn't an actual law, but a piece of biting satire:
Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
Anything that's invented between when you're 15 and 35 is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
Anything invented after you're 35 is against the natural order of things.
This doesn't just apply to technology; it's true for all forms of pop culture as well.
Culture born before we exist is "traditional."
Culture experienced during our youth is "classic."
But any pop culture born after we hit middle age is "degenerate, brainless trash."
As people age, their openness to new things naturally declines.
Conversely, once any phenomenon is seen and heard enough—once it enters textbooks and history—no matter how bizarre or abrupt it once was, it becomes "normal." It becomes a fundamental, immovable element of the world.
...
After 『 Uncle Client 』 finished his enthusiastic team introductions, the chat exploded once again:
"Squad goals! Everyone's a villain!"
"Rats: Guess I'll die?"
"Old Jack better start running!"
"This many people? Honestly, one Level 40 should be enough."
"Facts."
"↑ One Level 40 solo? Are you high? Don't just make crap up."
"Yo guys, I heard if a player under Level 30 solos this instance, they get an Extra Skill reward?"
Catching that last comment, 『 Uncle Client 』 just shook his head and laughed:
"Hahaha, I see a brother saying you get an Extra Skill for soloing [ Mad Town ] before Level 30. Hmm, that's not a rumor, but... honestly, it's basically impossible for anyone to pull that off."
Staring at the rows of flickering comments on his screen, 『 Uncle Client 』 patiently explained: "The devs actually added that 'Easter Egg' several patches ago.
The rule is: if a player under Level 30 solos any instance for the first time, they get a double EXP bonus and a rare Extra Skill.
Back then, plenty of 'pro' players tried it. But to this day, no one has succeeded. That's why I call it just an Easter Egg, it's not meant to be found."
"Actually, the [ Mad Town ] Easter Egg isn't the only one. Veteran forum users say that if a player solo-clears the instance above Level 30, while they won't get an Extra Skill, the Boss and Instance EXP will still receive a massive multiplier..."
Just as 『 Uncle Client 』 finished speaking, the massive light screen enveloping [ Mad Town ] suddenly flashed with two giant words: "INSTANCE CLEAR."
『 Uncle Client 』's eyes sparkled. He leaned his chubby face close to the screen and grinned. "Alright fam, the team that just cleared the instance is about to come out. Let's see what their levels are and how many of them were in the party."
"Hmm?"
A sudden idea struck him. He smiled at the screen. "How about we play a little betting game? I'll count down from ten. You guys type your guesses for the party size and average level in the chat. If anyone gets it right, I'll send them a brand-new Fuxi 6G smartphone!"
"Alright, the countdown begins now."
"10, 9, 8..."
"7, 6, 5..."
The screen was instantly flooded with a swarm of guesses and numbers.
"...3, 2, 1, stop!"
"Alright, let's reveal the answer!"
In that moment, 『 Uncle Client 』 and his five companions all turned their heads in unison, their eyes fixed on the rippling doorway icon on the massive [ Mad Town ] light screen.
Countless thousands of people across Aqutar watching the stream also focused their attention on the instance portal.
HUMMM
Under the gaze of the multitude, the massive instance screen rippled like ocean waves, reflecting brilliant, shimmering light.
BANG!!
After a sharp, resonant sound, an incredibly beautiful yet coldly inhuman young woman materialized outside [ Mad Town ].
It was Seraphine.
She glanced indifferently at the group standing frozen like statues on the dunes. With no intention of speaking, her entire body suddenly erupted into rolling, searing flames.
BOOM!!
Whisps of boiling fire-currents scorched the atmosphere, instantly emitting sharp, crackling sounds.
In the next heartbeat, Seraphine, shrouded in blazing crimson fire, blurred as she smashed through a sonic boom cloud. Under the stunned gazes of the six-man party, she sprinted into the endless desert at terminal velocity.
SWOOSH
A searing gale swept past, instantly messing up 『 Game Over You 』's long, carefully styled hair and shattering his poised expression.
Standing to the side, 『 Mommy's Little Net-Puller 』 muttered dazeedly, "She... she was Level 25."
『 Bro's Guide to Adulthood 』 took off his round glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, and stammered, "She was... she was alone."
"Could it be... that her teammates all died?" the 『 Invincible Guide-Maker 』 asked in a muffled voice from the back.
"Nonsense," 『 Back Off and Watch Me Carry 』 immediately snapped back. "You forgot? Players respawn inside the instance no matter how many times they die!"
"Uh..." 『 Invincible Guide-Maker 』 scratched his forehead, utterly bewildered. "Then how do you explain this? Is there really a player that insane? Soloing an instance?"
No one answered.
No one could.
And 『 Uncle Client 』, standing at the very front and staring at a screen filled with exclamation marks, felt his mouth twitch. "This time... uh, I'm guessing... nobody guessed right, huh?"
...
The sun hung high.
Illuminating every corner of the burning desert.
Under its radiance, the various dunes, some vast, some steep, appeared both majestic and mysterious.
The emerald oases and winding rivers reflected shimmering, illusory light.
At a glance, they looked like brilliant gems and silver necklaces inlaid within the vast wasteland.
Dunes, lakes, rivers, everything was so silent and beautiful, so magnificent and mysterious.
They inspired endless wonder and a desire to explore.
Just then, a line of searing red fire suddenly charged from the horizon.
The speed of this fire-line was immense. From a distance, it looked like a red-hot steel blade slicing the boundless desert in two.
As the fire-line closed in, the roar of scorched dust and sand became deafening.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
When it reached the foreground, the rolling flames revealed a tall, slender figure.
It was Seraphine, sprinting across the desert with [ Hellfire Crash ] active.
It must be said, this Extra Skill rewarded for clearing the instance was exceptionally powerful.
Without [ Hellfire Crash ], Seraphine's full-sprint speed in-game was already beyond human, rivaling a motorized vehicle.
But upon activating the skill, her speed instantly shattered the sound barrier.
If she pushed it to the limit, she could even reach several times the speed of sound.
At this speed, any normal street racer would be caught instantly. They'd likely end up in the "Seat of Regret" at the police station, shamed on local television.
One could imagine that if a normal player obtained this skill, they would treat it as a trump card, used only in emergencies. After all, a normal player's Mana pool couldn't sustain such a constant burn.
But Seraphine's Mana pool was very big; she had no such concerns.
So, much like [ Slash ], which she had already demoted to a normal attack, [ Hellfire Crash ] was "downgraded" by Seraphine into a basic passive ability, used for casual running.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
Sprinting across the scorched sand.
After creating countless beads of vitrified, crystalline sand, Seraphine soon arrived at the city where she had first materialized.
WHOOSH
Dispelling the layers of fire, Seraphine strode through the massive city gates.
...
"I want to organize a desert cargo convoy..."
"Skip."
"Ah, you are willing..."
"Skip."
"As long as..."
"Skip."
"I will be at..."
"Skip."
"Eh? You actually completed..." Beside a heavy hover-truck, a lanky man with three cybernetic eyes looked on in shock, beginning to speak.
"Skip," Seraphine said impassively, skipping the dialogue.
CLINK!
"You have received 5,000 EXP and 5,000 Currency."
"Hmm?"
Seraphine's Transcendental Perception suddenly caught a faint ripple of spirituality.
It seemed to emanate from the NPC before her.
When she tried to sense it again, it had vanished.
"spirituality ripples..."
Seraphine narrowed her eyes at the lanky man. "Are the NPCs in Brilliant Games... more than just simple AI programs?"
At that moment, the lanky man's expression reset instantly. With a stiff smile, he repeated: "I want to organize a desert cargo convoy..."
"Ah. A repeatable quest with no limit?"
Seraphine blinked. "Perfect. I'll farm him again."
"Skip... Skip... Skip... Skip... Skip..."
CLINK!
"You have received 5,000 EXP and 5,000 Currency."
This time, she felt no spirituality ripples.
Ah. Interesting.
Seraphine smiled faintly. "Like a puzzle game... Brilliant Games seems to hide many secrets. No rush. Solving it layer by layer is where the fun is."
With that, she turned and left.
She wanted to explore.
To enjoy the leisurely comfort of wandering aimlessly through a true sandbox game world.
Much like how she used to pass the time playing the Fallout or Elder Scrolls series.
The streets were bustling with life.
After wandering seven or eight kilometers with the flow of the crowd, Seraphine arrived at a corner connecting several gargantuan, intricately carved skyscrapers.
Though called a "corner," it was actually a plaza spanning several hundred square meters, covered in anti-gravity platforms etched with dense, dark blue electronic circuits.
Below the platforms lay the "underground" districts, composed of five or six layers of massive, low-altitude domes.
Seraphine glanced down. The area was dim, yet lit by a deluge of high-intensity neon signs. It was clearly the slums. If one wanted to pick up gang-related quests, that dark sector was the place to go.
Seraphine wasn't particularly interested in that.
She turned her attention back to the anti-gravity platforms and saw they were crowded with countless mobile stalls, ranging from luxurious to basic.
The owners of these stalls were all players, each displaying a variety of ID tags.
"So it's a flea market."
Intrigued, Seraphine strolled into the marketplace.
Suddenly, the infinite firmament erupted with divine light.
DING!!!
Players on the streets and stall owners alike froze, all looking up at the majestic sky.
A second later, a magnificent divine voice thundered through the world:
"System Announcement: Congratulations to the [Royal] Guild of this server for clearing the God-Slaying Mode of the three Level 250 instances, [Slaughter Universe], [Chaotic Megastructure], and [Doomsday Graveyard]. They have completed the [Throne of Deification] quest, becoming the 33rd guild among the 999 servers of "Brilliant Games" to activate the [Throne of Deification]."
"The Guild Leader of [Royal]—『 Royal Cold Youth 』—is hereby awarded: 2,000 Free Attribute Points, 100 Skill Points, 5,000,000 Currency, the Blade of Celestial Judgment (Mythic), Shield of the Myriad Stars (Mythic), Galaxy Armor (Mythic), 20 Level-5 Gems, 100 Enhancement Stones, the Eden Neutron Dreadnought (Mythic), Blueprints for a Celestial-Class Black Hole Engine (Mythic), Blueprints for an Dark-Realm Collapse Cannon (Mythic), a Controllable Titan Colossus (Mythic), the Raging Ares Bio-Armor (Mythic), and the Eye of Chaos Modular Mecha (Mythic)."
"The following participants of the [Throne of Deification] quest—『 Royal Golden Cloudsea 』, 『 Royal Misty Rain 』, 『 Royal Demonic Soul AD 』, 『 Royal Playboy King 』, 『 Royal Icefire Sea 』, 『 Royal Death A-B-C 』, and 『 Royal Red Apricot Over the Wall 』—are each awarded: 1,000 Free Attribute Points, 50 Skill Points, 2,500,000 Currency, 10 Level-5 Gems, and 50 Enhancement Stones."
As the divine voice faded, the players on the city streets erupted into a fever pitch of shouting and debate.
"The Royal Guild! Damn, those rewards are insane."
"The money, attribute points, and skill points are one thing, but the real prizes are the dreadnought, the colossus, and the blueprints. Large-scale space wars were never about individual power, they're won by warships, battle-stars, and superweapons."
"Exactly. A Neutron Dreadnought, man... one of those can punch through an entire battlefield. It doesn't matter how many thousands of starships the enemy has."
"And the Titan Colossus? How the hell do they even get cosmic monsters? Those things can wipe out a planet with a single breath!"
"That guild... feels so far away from us."
"It is. At least 2.5 billion light-years."
"Whoa. Even with the fastest ancient Stargate, that's a ten-day trip at least."
"Probably not that long, cut that time in half, then half again. But the real issue is the cost. Only top-tier guilds can afford to move those things; solo players can forget it."
"Hey, I heard the Royal Guild has already seized half of the Milky Way they're stationed in!"
"Yeah. How else would they have the capital to finish these insane quests? The pros on the forum say their starships are so numerous they could literally bury the entire Solar System."
"Heh. I bet every other guild on the server is pulling their hair out with envy right about now."
"Haha, definitely."
"Well, doesn't concern small fry like us anyway."
Quietly listening to the players' heated discussion, Seraphine shook her head and chuckled.
"Based on these rewards, the power ceiling for players in Brilliant Games is quite low. The peak is only at the Star-Destroyer level.
Tsk. I thought there'd be some Galaxy-Cluster level players, but it seems I was wrong. The developer's design for the power scaling... is a bit stingy."
At that moment, Seraphine felt that these players were incredibly sheltered. If merely destroying a planet caused such a stir, they'd likely go insane if they witnessed a battle between Peak Sages.