After the dungeon ended, Von Ryker was teleported and enveloped in white light.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw an endless square.
All around me, shouts from various people mingled together.
"Are you kidding me! Where am I?!"
"Strange... I was just killed, then suddenly a voice told me my newbie rating was D, and now I'm alive again..."
"Me too. I was just going to school normally when the teacher suddenly pulled out a knife and tried to kill me... I barely managed to kill him, and then I heard some notification saying that I had cleared the game with a B-rank, and now I'm suddenly here..."
"A mass time travel? Or some kind of alien game?"
"Damn it, I just finished that damn project proposal yesterday, and the client just said they were satisfied, and then it started saying the game had begun..."
"Mommy, where are you, Mommy..."
People stood in the square just like him, and everywhere they looked was a sea of black people, turning the huge square into a giant crowd.
...Is this what they call the opening ceremony of Genesis Online?
What he just experienced was indeed a beginner's level tailored for everyone?
Von Ryker endured the noise around him, when suddenly, a large, snow-white rabbit jumped out of the sky above the sea of people.
The rabbit was quite deformed, standing three meters tall with huge limbs hanging down beside its body, and a huge scale pattern on its chest.
The next moment, Von Ryker found himself unable to move or speak. The others were in the same situation, as if they had all been placed under a spell to silence and immobilize them.
"—Whoosh—! Everyone's here—!" The eerie rabbit's reflection was like a giant, its shadow enveloping everyone's terrified gaze.
"Let me count... Hmm, one, two, three, one hundred thousand, one million, ten million... 1,114,279,878! Okay, the numbers are correct!" It laughed, spreading its cotton candy-like arms, and let out an extremely joyful shout:
"Welcome everyone to our Genesis!"
Fireworks rained down from the sky, showering the immobilized people with colorful ribbons.
Most of the gazes were filled with fear, doubt, incomprehension, and terror...
They were living normal lives, studying, going to work, etc., when suddenly a notification pulled them into a beginner's dungeon, where they experienced an unimaginable storyline before being forcibly teleported here.
Faced with such a situation that far exceeds our common sense, everyone is gripped by fear of the unknown.
Von Ryker calmed himself down.
It seems this rabbit is the organizer who started this game...? Or perhaps, a host-like figure?
He wasn't afraid at all. As a horror game content creator, this event, which was far beyond his daily life, opened a new window for him.
The beginner dungeons that the game previously simulated for Sera Frost and Anna Vane were very interesting. Judging from the system prompts, there will be various other types of game worlds later on.
"Hello everyone! Let me introduce myself first—you can call me Boss Rabbit! It's an honor for me to be the chief organizer of this game!" Rabbit smiled broadly.
"It is now 3 PM on September 30, 2144. Three hours ago, the Genesis online's individual beginner dungeon officially began!"
"The participants are 1,114,279,878 humans from Meta City! Congratulations on being chosen! You have the opportunity to change your destiny! You have become participants in the game, travelers traversing various other worlds!"
At the same time, a light screen lit up the square.
That's the view from Meta City. There's a time indicator in the lower right corner; it's exactly three hours ago.
The once bustling city, the pedestrians walking along the roadside, the farmers working in the fields... their smooth movements came to an abrupt halt the instant the clock struck twelve.
Von Ryker even saw himself leaving the coffee shop in it.
The moment I stepped out of the coffee shop, my figure, draped in a coat, froze at the doorway.
"Time on Meta City has been frozen at this moment forever!"
The rabbit continued speaking, but its tone had gradually become more impassioned and passionate—
"One billion 'chosen' human beings—"
...
[Welcome! You now have the opportunity to take control of your own destiny. Let's officially enter the World Game!]
...
"I think every player has already experienced the single-player instance just now—the great game organizers have given you unique trials tailored specifically for each player!" it said excitedly.
A look of understanding flashed across Von Ryker's eyes—indeed, everyone's experience was different. At the same moment just now, a billion players were thrown into different instances.
What he was facing was just a simulated instance, in which he was the only player, and the instance would end after he cleared it.
Sera Frost and that Anna Vane... weren't real people either, but rather the system using the images of people it knew to test itself... He wondered why Sera Frost would suddenly attack him; it turned out she was fake, a game instance.
For others, the beginner's challenge might be suddenly being poisoned by their boss, betrayed by a loved one, or involved in a car accident—attacks that are hard to guard against.
Regardless of whether they complete the beginner dungeon or not, they will eventually end up here.
In the square, people of different skin colors stared wide-eyed, their eyes filled with confusion and shock.
"Now—let's begin distributing the game rules!" the rabbit shouted. "There are six rules in total!"
Then, a bright blue panel appeared in front of each person, listing the rules.
...
[(Rule 01) To balance the game, older players have been reverted to their prime-age status. Disabled players also receive corresponding compensation.]
[(Rule 02) Game Participants: 1,114,279,878 selected Meta City players.]
[(Rule 03) The Billion Player Mission: In the future, players will collectively enter various game worlds. By completing missions within these worlds, players can earn points that can be exchanged for various magical items.]
...
These rules are similar to what Von Ryker guessed. There will be different worlds in the future: apocalypse, fantasy, science fiction, and more. These people become travelers and adventurers who travel between different worlds to complete corresponding tasks.
The rules are still in effect:
[(Rule 04) A player who dies in the game is not truly dead! A dead player will have all their points and strength reset and will become a spectator, watching others continue their adventure. After a certain viewing time, the dead player can restart the adventure!]
[(Rule 05) During the break after each instance ends, players have the right to decide whether to continue the adventure or become spectators.]
[(Rule 06) Players currently on an adventure will receive an extra bonus if they start a live stream!]
...
These three rules surprised Von Ryker somewhat.
If higher-dimensional beings are only there to drive humanity to explore other worlds, there's no need to establish such rules. It seems the game has both combat and casual players. There are forwards and support roles.
"The World Game will last for one year!" The rabbit stretched out its white hand:
"At that time, players will be ranked according to their scores to determine the rewards each player will ultimately bring back for Meta City. During the game, Meta City's time will be permanently frozen at the moment the beginner level began, until the end of the world game!"
Furthermore, if the total score of all players is too low, then all players will be eliminated! Among them, the higher a player's individual score, the greater its weight!
—As for the final fate of each player…"
Its blood-red eyes were curved into crescents, their lines extremely distorted:
"...Let's each handle it ourselves."
The next moment, everyone discovered that they had regained their ability to speak:
"Who exactly are you?!"
"Oh God, let me go back! Are you kidding me!"
"To be reduced to a tool for others' amusement...it's truly shameful..."
Those who weep and beg for mercy, those who are afraid of the unknown, are unaware of their origins.
But there are also those who are eager to try and break the usual rules:
"I've been wanting to leave school for ages, and the legendary The Nexus... is just what I need!"
"Survival of the fittest, elimination of the weak..."
"Sister, I'm scared..." A simply dressed little boy tugged at the skirt of the woman next to him.
A man, still in military uniform, with a resolute expression, raised his calm eyes from the chaotic crowd.
A noose was tied around her neck, like a necklace, and she gripped it tightly.
"—Next, I will announce the details of the beginner levels to all players!" The rabbit was completely unconcerned about the commotion below.
...
[The first beginner level, where combat relies entirely on individual physical abilities and instincts! 1,114,279,878 participants!]
[Among them, 16,527 people received an A-rank, 1,270 received an S-rank, and only 1 person received an SS-rank!]
...
The rabbit's voice was exceptionally enthusiastic, and it even screamed when it announced the numbers.
Von Ryker's heart skipped a beat.
The moment he heard the number, his mind raced.
He understood that the beginner levels were all tailor-made to be the most difficult level for each individual. For example, the condition for a soldier to pass might be disobeying orders from their superior, while the condition for a gangster to pass might be showing great kindness...
In the case of S-ranks, if someone suddenly has a brain fart and makes a completely different decision from usual, that's also possible. But SS-rank requires that the plot line be completely unbiased, with no hesitation from beginning to end.
If everyone could save and load their game, there would be many people better than him, and he wouldn't have achieved the best results.
Unless, this death-reload skill, this rewind ability... is unique to him/her.
Perhaps even the organizers in front of them are unaware of the existence of this skill.
After all, the game gave him a D-rank upon his first death. If the organizers knew he had a death rollback feature, they wouldn't have given him a rating immediately upon his death. It's highly likely that only he knew about this skill, and its origin is unknown.
Assuming this skill is unique to him, then, facing the pessimistic situation of humanity being ruled by the organizers... could he, possessing this ability to transcend the chessboard, have an opportunity?
—To become the "singularity" who overturns the chessboard?
Even the organizers and all the audience members will rewind with his death.
He may have become the only person standing outside the river of time.