"Damien Arrow, if we're going down, we're going down together!"
In the small rental apartment, the young man, handsome yet filled with rage, roared as he suddenly opened his eyes.
He was breathing heavily, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot, looking like a wild beast ready to pounce.
But then, Tristan froze.
He had clearly perished along with Damien Arrow, so why was he still alive?
Looking around, his long-forgotten memories slowly resurfaced.
This was the place he lived in when he had just graduated—a small house in the city outskirts of Jianghai.
But there was a problem. After the fusion of ExoGenesis and Terra, Jianghai City had been taken over by BOSS-level entities and had been leveled in the ensuing battles.
Instinctively, Tristan pulled out his phone, and the date displayed clearly read December 22, 2035—
The very day ExoGenesis was launched!
"I've been reborn! And it's ten years ago, the day ExoGenesis was first launched!"
Tristan suddenly understood.
A mix of complicated emotions surged up within him, but he quickly suppressed them.
Having experienced countless life-or-death battles, his mindset was now as calm as still water.
Though rebirth seemed miraculous, after the ExoGenesis fusion and the arrival of the gods wreaking havoc on Terra, Tristan thought that such a small thing as rebirth wasn't so extraordinary anymore.
Yes.
ExoGenesis would merge with Terra.
This game, boasting to be a 100% simulation of reality, had exploded in popularity worldwide from the moment it launched, attracting millions of players.
But what truly set ExoGenesis apart was not just its groundbreaking technology, but that players could spend real-world currency to extract their abilities from the game and bring them into reality!
The era of the extraordinary had begun.
But before humanity could get too excited, monsters from ExoGenesis started appearing all over Terra.
As time passed, stronger and more powerful BOSS-level creatures began wreaking havoc.
And eventually, the gods descended.
In his previous life, Tristan had fought his way up, relying on his incredible game sense to rank among the top ten global players, fusing all his abilities into himself.
Yet, even then, facing the gods from another world, all his efforts could only result in a one-for-one exchange.
Thinking about the gods' overwhelming power, Tristan couldn't help but feel bitterness rise in his chest.
Could humanity really win?
But soon, Tristan felt his spirits lift.
Since he was reborn, he had to change the original outcome.
Calming himself, Tristan looked around.
In the small room, there was a sci-fi-looking game pod.
This was something Tristan had bought with all his savings, aiming to make money by farming game currency.
Yes, Tristan's initial goal in entering ExoGenesis was to farm currency and improve his life. However, his innate gaming talent was so high that he quickly gained fame.
"I have to level up as fast as possible in this life!"
Tristan thought to himself.
In his previous life, he had worked hard in the game, but he had no knowledge of the impending world-ending crisis behind ExoGenesis. Many opportunities had passed him by.
But in this life, Tristan was determined to fight ExoGenesis to the very end.
Glancing at the time, there were still over six hours until the game went live. He could still go buy some snacks and water to prepare.
Just as he thought about it, his phone began ringing nonstop.
It was his work group, with his boss constantly @-ing him.
"@Tristan, there's a task you need to fix."
"@Tristan, what does 'read but not reply' mean? Do you still want to keep your job?"
"@Tristan, you've got three minutes to get back to the office, or I'll fire you!"
Before Tristan could respond, his colleague Dawson messaged him privately.
"Tristan, the manager's furious. If you can't make it, I'll cover for you."
Tristan replied, "I'll handle it."
He opened the work group chat.
"You fat bastard, I've put up with you for long enough. If you want something done, do it yourself. I'm officially quitting!"
He left the group chat.
A moment later, his manager's private message appeared.
Tristan immediately blocked the number.
Dawson messaged again, trying to persuade him.
"I know the manager can be a bit over the top, but jobs are hard to find these days. Just endure it, and it'll pass."
Dawson was known for being a nice guy, and when Tristan first joined the company, it was him who helped familiarize him with the work.
Tristan replied, "Dawson, I've made up my mind. You don't have to convince me."
After a moment of thought, Tristan sent another message.
"You should check out the new ExoGenesis game, it's really trending. I plan to develop my career there."
Dawson replied, "You mean that 100% realistic simulation game? Sounds a bit unreliable, don't you think?"
Tristan understood Dawson's concerns. Dawson had a family, a mortgage, and car payments. He was also getting older, and convincing him to play a game was impossible with his family responsibilities.
Tristan knew how important ExoGenesis was, but he couldn't tell Dawson everything. He could only try to persuade him through text.
"From my experience, the money-making potential in ExoGenesis is pretty high. You might want to consider it."
He put the phone down.
He'd said all he could. Now, whether Dawson took the chance was up to him.
The urgent task at hand was to prepare food and wait for the game to launch.
By the time Tristan finished shopping and returned to the rental apartment, it was already past seven in the evening. There were less than five hours before the game went live.
After a quick wash, Tristan lay down in the game pod.
Although the game wasn't available yet, he could still do some prep work.
Like drawing his talent and selecting his class.
In his previous life, Tristan had drawn the "Conqueror" talent, which allowed him to stack attack power during combat. Paired with his Heavy Armor Warrior class, he was an unstoppable force.
"If nothing goes wrong, I should get the Conqueror talent again. As for the class... maybe I'll stick with Warrior, since I'm already familiar with it."
While thinking, the game pod started scanning his body.
"Player data collected. Constructing game character…"
"Ding ding ding!"
"Alert! Divine Will Fragment Detected!"
"Initiating cleanup!"
Faintly, a frantic scream echoed in Tristan's mind.
"Mortal! You shall die!"
Cold sweat broke out on Tristan's back.
He would never forget that voice.
It was Damien Arrow!
Tristan never expected that the fragmented will of Damien Arrow, who had perished with him, would come back along with his rebirth!
As expected of a god, his methods were truly extraordinary!
However, the following turn of events was something Tristan hadn't anticipated.
The game pod actually cleaned up Damien Arrow's will fragment?
What kind of black technology was this?
Oh, it's ExoGenesis, so it's probably fine.
But wait… how could ExoGenesis, backed by the gods, eliminate Damien Arrow's will fragment?
Tristan vaguely sensed that the gods, who were collectively referred to as such by humans, might not be a unified group; there were factions within them.
But no matter what, the sudden turn of events stirred up a sense of urgency within Tristan.
He had to improve his abilities as quickly as possible, so that when the gods descended, he could change his fate.
Normally, the next step would be to modify his character details after the scan, and then choose his talent and class before the game officially opened.
But now, with this disruption, Tristan didn't know what to do next. He could only wait patiently.
Fortunately, the results came soon enough, and the game pod emitted another emotionless electronic voice.
"Cleanup complete. Beginning talent draw."
"Ding! You have acquired the SSS-level talent—Sniper God!"