Chapter 1: The Last Player’s Awakening

In 2052, The Extradimensional World (TEW), a virtual game that once swept the globe, was on the verge of decline. It was the world’s first globally developed virtual reality game and had enjoyed immense success.

Running for twelve years since 2040, TEW had seen countless new players evolve into veterans, boasting a diverse array of gameplay styles. Alas, as the saying goes, ‘the waves behind push the waves ahead.’

Over TEW’s decade-plus run, an entirely new game, built upon its foundations, emerged. This newcomer instantly siphoned off ninety-eight percent of TEW’s total player base.

The remaining two percent, however, clung to TEW with an air of indifference. With the new game’s launch still some time away, they could use this interim period to tie up any loose ends in TEW.

“Are you truly abandoning our faith?”

Inside the guild’s stronghold in the world of TEW, Yue Wu slammed his hand on the table, glaring furiously at the other few people present.

“Yue Wu, you must see it too. We’re not abandoning TEW; TEW has simply reached its end. We’re merely moving with the times.”

A burly knight, arms crossed over his chest, sat in his chair with closed eyes, shaking his head as he spoke.

“So, you’re going to abandon me and our faith?!”

Yue Wu exclaimed.

“We can start anew in the new game. We’re not going our separate ways.”

A female Summoner chimed in.

“That’s acceptable.”

Yue Wu nodded, a satisfied expression on his face.

“I really don’t know how you managed to win over Sister Fei Fei in this game.”

The female Summoner shook her head.

“Well, since we still have time, why don’t we go…”

Yue Wu was cut off before he could finish by the burly knight.

“No, it’s already quite late. I need to pick up my daughter from kindergarten soon, so I’m logging off. See you all in the new game.”

With that, the burly knight logged off.

“Me too. I have to work on my graduation thesis.”

The male Mage then logged off.

“I also…”

…

One by one, the guild members logged off, until only Yue Wu and the female Summoner remained.

“Wenwen, how about we…”

“No, today’s my eleventh birthday, and I have plans. I’m logging off too.”

The female Summoner shook her head.

“Well then, happy birthday, Wenwen.”

Yue Wu paused in surprise, then offered his birthday wishes.

“Thanks, Old Man Picking His Toes.”

The female Summoner teased.

“I’m only 31, not an old man yet, and I certainly don’t have a habit of picking my toes.”

Yue Wu retorted.

“Alright, I’m logging off. The guild leader position has been transferred to you. All our consumables and materials are in the guild warehouse; take them all. You’re still going to play, aren’t you?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Those materials combined must be worth at least several tens of millions.”

“Indeed. If you could sell everything in the warehouse, you’d be instantly rich.”

“I can certainly try.”

“Then I wish you good luck. Logging off, bye-bye.”

“Mm, bye-bye.”

After bidding farewell to the last person, Yue Wu sat alone in his chair, reflecting on twelve years of memories within the game. In the end, only he remained.

‘No point dwelling on it; it’s a waste of time. I should just clear out all the consumables and materials from the guild warehouse first.’

‘Then I’ll head to the Demon King’s Relics, farm some bosses, and level up. I’m only two percent away from reaching the level cap of 500.’

Yue Wu emptied everything from the guild warehouse, transferring it all into his inventory. Seeing his backpack slots filled to the brim with consumables and materials, each stack displaying a quantity of 9999+, brought him immense joy. This was the wealthiest he had ever been.

The world map of TEW was largely based on Earth’s geography, with additional maps requested by players in later stages.

The Demon King’s Relics, located on the 100th floor of a dungeon east of the European continent, contained only a single boss: a low-level avatar formed from the residual energy of the Demon King.

Although TEW’s level cap had been updated to 500, the developers hadn’t managed to release new maps in time. Perhaps they felt it was unnecessary, opting to simply raise the level cap instead.

Consequently, the highest level for regular monsters and bosses in TEW never exceeded 500, maxing out at 490. Before the 500-level update, the cap was 490. The subsequent increase to 500 had forced players to grind experience day and night.

[Ding~! Congratulations to player ‘Yue Wu’ for being the first to reach the level cap of 500.]

The moment the Demon King’s avatar vanished, Yue Wu leveled up, his heart pounding with excitement as he collected the boss’s drops.

Yue Wu’s Personal Attributes Menu:

Class: Priest

Guild: Ten Rings of Authority (Guild Master)

Level: 500 (Max)

HP: 845,678,920/845,678,920 (Cap: 999,999,999)

MP: 900,584,620/900,584,620 (Cap: 999,999,999)

Strength: 5,350 (Cap: 10,000)

Constitution: 9,898 (Cap: 10,000)

Endurance: 9,658 (Cap: 10,000)

Intelligence: 9,915 (Cap: 10,000)

Spirit: 9,903 (Cap: 10,000)

Physical Attack: 2,675,000

Physical Defense: 19,796,000

Physical Immunity: 50%

Magical Attack: 4,957,500

Magical Defense: 19,806,000

Magical Immunity: 50%

Critical Rate: 13%

Critical Damage: 20%

Agility: 7,061

Charm: 100 (Cap: 100)

Equipment:

Weapons: Fulcrum of the World (Staff) (World-tier), Universal Truth (Holy Tome) (World-tier)

Runes: Evil of the World (Body Rune) (World-tier), True God’s Sanctuary (Hand Rune) (Mythic-tier)

Armor: Goddess of Life’s Blessing Set (Tunic, Trousers, Pauldrons, Greaves, Belt, Boots) (Mythic-tier)

Accessories: Elf Goddess’s Favor (Ring, Necklace, Bracers) (Mythic-tier), Divine Dragon Bone Ring (Ring) (Legendary-tier), Gate of Babylon (Ring) (Legendary-tier), Chains of Heaven (Ring) (Legendary-tier), Six Paths (Human Path Ring, Deva Path Ring, Asura Path Ring, Naraka Path Ring, Preta Path Ring, Beast Path Ring) (Legendary-tier), Divine Recluse (Cloak) (Sacred-tier), Medusa’s Gaze (Headpiece) (Legendary-tier)

‘I’m actually the first person to reach level 500! I’m a genius! Hahaha~’

‘Rewards, rewards, rewards.’

Upon realizing he was the first player to hit the level cap, Yue Wu was both thrilled and eager to see what rewards awaited him.

However, after waiting several minutes, Yue Wu noticed that the system announcement, which should have heralded his rewards, remained silent. Instead, an unsettling quiet filled the air.

“What the hell?! No rewards for achieving this? Is it a bug?!”

“Calling GM.”

“Why no response? Calling GM!”

“Damn it! What is this nonsense?! What’s the point of playing if there are no rewards? I’m done, logging off, logging off!”

After several futile attempts to call a GM, Yue Wu decided to give up and log off. However, as he tried to summon his personal menu interface, it failed to appear. In that instant, every nerve in Yue Wu’s body tensed.

‘No way, could it be like in those novels?’

‘Has TEW become a death game?’

‘That, that shouldn’t be possible, right?’

Yue Wu persistently tried to summon the interface, but no matter how he called for it, it simply wouldn’t appear.

Over an hour later, Yue Wu finally gave up. By then, he had thoroughly calmed himself.

The reason was simple: a couple of anomalies he’d experienced minutes earlier had made him realize that his current environment and world were very real.

A rumbling sound emanated from his stomach.

In TEW, a stomach wouldn’t growl from hunger, nor would bleeding occur. Coupled with the distinct sensation of pain, these factors solidified the reality of his situation for Yue Wu.

‘This is truly over. I’m on the hundredth floor of a dungeon. Without a map, how am I supposed to leave this godforsaken place? Forget about escaping; simply eating will determine my survival.’

‘If the interface can’t be summoned, it means the system is unusable. If the system is unusable, then I’m just an ordinary person now. All these powerful pieces of equipment are useless to me.’

‘What good are three World-tier pieces of equipment if I’m going to die in this unfamiliar world anyway? I haven’t even seen Fei Fei yet! I’m still a bachelor, I’ve never been in love—what a regret!’

‘Why did I insist on staying? I should have just logged off like everyone else; then I wouldn’t be in this situation. If only I had something to eat right now. I’m so hungry.’

Yue Wu sat on the Demon King’s throne, his gaze fixed on the staff and holy tome floating beside him. He then looked down at his fingers, adorned with ten uniquely designed rings, before letting out a sigh. In an instant, a wave of despondency washed over him.

However, just as he was sinking into despair, the golden ring on his left index finger suddenly flashed with a golden light. A coarse loaf of bread materialized in his hand out of thin air. This miracle caused Yue Wu’s eyes to widen; he had never imagined such a thing could be triggered.

“Thank you, heavens, for your mercy! You are my second parents!”

With that, Yue Wu snatched up the bread and began devouring it. As the saying goes, ‘of all things under heaven, eating is the greatest.’ He would figure out his next steps after a full stomach.

After finishing the bread, Yue Wu sat back on the throne, carefully examining the ring that had brought forth the miracle.

‘I remember this one—it’s the Legendary-tier equipment, Gate of Babylon, right?’

Just as Yue Wu confirmed the name of the golden ring, another miracle occurred.

Gate of Babylon (Legendary-tier)

Type: Ring

Description: Connects to a spatial treasury, allowing items to be freely withdrawn from it.

The long-absent information interface suddenly appeared before him. Though it lacked attribute-boosting details, Yue Wu felt instantly revitalized, as if brought back to full health. He leaped from the throne, eager to inspect his other equipment.

Fulcrum of the World (World-tier)

Type: Staff

Description: A fragment of the World Tree.

Universal Truth (World-tier)

Type: Holy Tome

Description: A book formed over millennia from the remnants of an external star cluster that collided with the continent, blocked and absorbed by the World Tree. It is said to be able to summon meteorites and stars from beyond.

Evil of the World (World-tier)

Type: Body Rune

Description: Gathers all the evil in the world.

True God’s Sanctuary (Mythic-tier)

Type: Hand Rune

Description: Grants the recognition of a true god, making the wearer a chosen one.

Goddess of Life’s Blessing Tunic (Mythic-tier)

Type: Garment (1/6)