1 Chapter 1: Transmigration
Chapter 1: Transmigration
June 4, 640 of the Morning Light Era
In the Gaia Main World, on the continent of Fanor, lay the Kingdom of Fis, with its capital city of Canlight.
At 36 Fis Street, the residence of the Cain family.
June was the hottest time of the year in the eastern plains of the Fanor continent, in the Kingdom of Fis. The stable boys at the manor sneakily moved a recliner to the back of the stables to rest, preferring mosquito bites over sleeping in their cramped and stuffy quarters.
The mansion, still enveloped in the previous day's heat, had yet to disperse it, yet the sky to the east was already showing a hint of white.
In the master bedroom, a young man lay on the bed. Even the light, breathable silk pajamas seemed unable to ease the heat of the summer night. The delicate fragrance drove away the annoying mosquitoes but did nothing to combat the heat of the summer night. The man, seemingly unable to bear it any longer in his sleep, muttered:
"Why is it so hot? Isn't the air conditioning on?"
William turned over, intending to continue experiencing his teachers' myriad martial skills in his dreams, but suddenly sat up with a start.
Something was wrong. Wasn't it January? Why was it so hot? Was the house on fire?
Sitting up, William looked around in confusion. Gone were the familiar immersive gaming pod and the expensive computer setup that ended up being used mostly for watching shows and managing his game leveling service. The spacious room contained nothing but the soft bed he was on, a luxurious carpet, and a small table with a few letters on it.
Had he been kidnapped? But this didn't look like it. Who treated their captive this well, with the room's window left open? Wouldn't a typical kidnapping involve gagging, binding, and lying on the floor, plus a menacing thug watching over?
Moreover, why kidnap him? Though he had made some money from his gaming studio, most of it had been sent to Father Weiss to support the orphanage he grew up in. What kidnapper would go to such lengths for the little he had left?
William was now fully awake, carefully observing his surroundings to figure out where he was.
Glancing outside the window, William's eyes widened in surprise.
Beyond the courtyard in front of the building, he saw the staggered two- and three-story buildings, but more striking were the white marble domes and tall, slender spires rising above the black rooftops, with something at the top of the spires shining a soft, white light like a beacon, warm and eye-catching.
"Isn't that the Dawn Cathedral from the city of Canlight in the game Gods Apocalypse?"
Suddenly, his head began to ache, and a flood of information poured into his mind. William rubbed his temples, grimacing as he absorbed this sudden influx of information.
After a while, William finally understood where he was.
"My name is William Cain? A court viscount of the Kingdom of Fis?"
"Have I transmigrated into 'Gods Apocalypse'?"
"Gods Apocalypse" was a groundbreaking immersive online game, offering a fully simulated experience through specialized gaming pods and attracting millions of players worldwide, with peak concurrent online numbers reaching an unprecedented fifty million, virtually eclipsing all other online games of the time.
The game's developers had struck a balance between game balance and playability, attracting numerous guilds and professional players with features like professional leagues and national wars, creating a virtuous cycle that pushed the game's influence to its peak.
William's gaming studio operated within "Gods Apocalypse," employing a team for grinding and power-leveling with quite a good income. As a top-tier player and expert, his mastery of fire magic ranked him among the top thirty mages in the world. He chose not to join a professional team to avoid management, running a successful studio instead, earning a reputation as one of the well-known figures among bosses and ordinary players.
Now transmigrated into the world of "Gods Apocalypse," William knew that a series of epic events were about to unfold, such as the "Total War" that would sweep across the six continents of the Gaia Main World, the "Floating City of Azela" still submerged in the eastern seas of the Fanor continent, the "Phillips Crystal" that opened gateways to numerous otherworldly realms yet to emerge from the void, and the "Crimson Invasion" that would see the Gaia World Tree, Yggdrasil, tainted by a seed of disaster still gestating in the abyss. The gods remained in their divine realms, unaware of the "Temporal Tide" that would soon cast them down.
While playing "Gods Apocalypse" was exhilarating for William, who wished to replace his in-game character and personally vanquish foes, the thought of facing the upcoming dangers and conflicts made him long for the peaceful life back in his great homeland, craving nothing more than to enjoy simple pleasures.
"Don't ask. Asking is the heart."
"Damn it!"
William suddenly jumped out of bed, his face contorted with frustration, wishing he could just bang his head against the wall.
"My collection of 5TB of 'academic materials' on a USB drive was still plugged into my work computer. If Father Weiss or the younger kids at the orphanage found it, that was one thing, but if the girls discovered it, what would become of the noble image I had maintained in their eyes?"
"Exhausted, let destruction take its course!"
William, feeling as if he had turned into a statue of ash, recalled mocking the protagonists of online novels for not securing their precious 'academic materials' before transmigrating. Lying on the carpet, he wished he could just disappear into the cracks of the hardwood floor below.
After writhing on the floor for a while, venting most of the anxiety brought on by his transmigration, William lay spread-eagled, quietly observing the dim crystal chandelier above.
"Could I ever go back?
Would anyone remember me?
Father Weiss would, and so would the younger brothers and sisters at the orphanage. As for others, it seemed I didn't have many close friends besides my studio employees."
William slapped his face to snap out of it.
"Now that I'm here in the world of 'Gods Apocalypse,' the most important thing was to survive well.
If I could wield powers I never had in my previous life, meet the influential figures of this world, and discover treasures buried in the mists of history, that could be a fascinating experience."
Trying to summon the game interface as he did in his previous life, William swiped his hand in front of him, and a light screen adorned with exquisite, mysterious patterns appeared.
"Indeed, my game system from my previous life had come with me to this world!" William excitedly started exploring.
The system interface, similar to the game's, featured "Status," "Forum," and "Inventory" from top to bottom, while "Friends" and "System Settings" were missing, and both "Forum" and "Inventory" were grayed out and unselectable.
"So, was my logout button locked, too?" William mused, half in jest, then opened the "Status" panel.
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Name: William Cain
Race: Human
Level: 30
Health: 1050/1050
Mana: 110/2040
Condition: Fatigued
Experience: 4396/170000 (Unallocated Experience Points: 0)
Primary Profession: Mage
Secondary Profession: None
Talent: Adapter
Attributes:
Strength: 35
Agility: 36
Intelligence: 68 (Attribute Modifier)
Charisma: 38
Mystery: 33
Stamina: 35
Luck: 3
Free Attribute Points: 0
Expertise:
- Magic Mind: Intelligence attribute receives a double value modification, mana recovery speed +50%, spell power +10%
- Intermediate Fatigue Resistance: Reduces the negative impact of fatigue on the body, physical recovery speed +50%
Skills:
- Tricks (Mage Hand, Cleanse, Flash)
- 1st Circle Spells (Fireball, Ice Arrow, Human Charm)
- 2nd Circle Spells (Ice Blade, Wind Walk, Earth Escape)
- 3rd Circle Spells (Chain Fireball)
Power Level: Bronze Level
Fame: 10 (National Level - Court Viscount)
Equipment: Emerald Amulet, Emerald Staff, Concentration Ring
"An ordinary, very ordinary mage, but seems to hide extraordinary potential."
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The familiar interface, data, and mage skills from his previous life were all there, but what caught William's attention was the "Adapter" talent listed on the panel, the colorful inscription silencing him for a moment. Could this be the kind of talent he was thinking of?
William took a deep breath and opened the detailed information for "Talent: Adapter." —
[
"Talent: Adapter"
"Tier: Legendary"
"Effect: Your talents break through limitations, allowing you to learn and master the specialties and skills of other professions. The more specialties and professional skills (excluding primary profession skills) you master, the faster your growth rate will be (Current extra experience value bonus: 0%)." —
]
Indeed!
William grinned, wishing he could jump up and shout out his joy without worrying about disturbing others in the mansion.
A legendary talent! In the game "Gods Apocalypse," the initial talent of each game character almost determined the player's future career and development direction. You can't very well play a warrior with a mage talent like "Elemental Affinity"; that's like playing Vayne with Aftershock in a chaotic game or Maokai with Lethal Tempo.
In "Gods Apocalypse," talents are classified as Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Legendary. Since the game accounts are bound to each person's real information, although players have three chances to rebuild their character and refresh their talent, the highest talent level they can obtain is Gold. Legendary talents are only seen in very few NPC panels, with powerful effects, and NPCs with legendary talents are always core figures in their respective forces, seen as celebrities by players.
For example, Princess Taya of the Fis Kingdom, with her legendary talent "King of Battle," is immune to negative status effects, and her attributes, physical defense, magic resistance, and tenacity significantly increase during combat, also gaining a 50% life and stamina recovery effect from the damage she deals.
Or the Sage Adela of the Southern Elf Forest, with her legendary talent "Heart of the Forest," doubles the power of her nature spells and significantly increases her attributes when in jungles or forests.
Compared to these known legendary talents, "Adapter" is not the least bit inferior, even surpassing them.
William could already imagine himself applying the Priest's "Blessing," then using the Rogue's "Stealth" to invisibly approach enemies, followed by a Mage's "Lightning Whip" for a sneak attack. If the enemy still stands, he could use the Ranger's "Binding Vines" for control, then finish with a Warrior's "Whirlwind Slash."
What a beautiful picture! William thought cheerfully, feeling this perfectly suited his straightforward combat style. After a moment of excitement, William finally began to gather his thoughts and check other information.
"Luck only 3 points, did all my luck go into drawing this talent?"
"Wow, intermediate fatigue resistance, how much do you have to grind for that? No wonder my mana is almost depleted, did I work myself to death?"
"I'm a court viscount too, that's much better than being broken and abandoned or jilted."
Suddenly, William frowned, his right hand unconsciously touching his chin.
"Wait, the name William Cain sounds familiar, a court viscount of the Fis Kingdom..."
Having spent his early gaming days in the Fis Kingdom in his previous life, William had a detailed understanding of the main storyline in the Fanor continent of the Fis Kingdom, and he quickly pinpointed the source of his unease.
"Damn!"
"Am I the head of the Cain family who was assassinated during the Holy Festival on the third day after the game launched, the spark that led to the 2.0 version of the Fanor continent human kingdom war?"
William stared blankly at the panel before him, murmuring, "So, I'm going to die soon!!!?"
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This is my entry in WSA 2024. Please show your support and I promise I will deliver more chapters to you. Have a great time reading this novel.
