Author's Note: This chapter details events in the game Eternity before the protagonist's transmigration. Feel free to skip it if you're not interested in the game-related plot. This is not a gaming novel, this is done purely for context.
***
It was 6:00 AM, but for Archmage Adrian Vale, the clock held no meaning. He was deep within Eternity, the world's reigning virtual game, a digital god in a realm of pure fantasy. Billions played, but few achieved his level of mastery.
The game's realism was breathtaking. Sunlight, impossibly vibrant, kissed the horizon. Dewdrops glittered on virtual flowers, and a fresh, subtle fragrance—a coding marvel—filled the air. Even at this ungodly hour, Eternity hummed with life, every leveling spot in its vast wilderness teeming with players.
Adrian, a top-tier Archmage, and his elite team were poised on the chasm of legendary achievements. They were tackling the Hell Mode of [Icecrown Citadel], Eternity's ultimate dungeon, a challenge that had stubbornly resisted all contenders. The leaderboard for first clear remained a desolate void. Until now.
His pale blue mage robe shimmered with countless magical runes, his crystal staff pulsed with an ethereal glow. The accessory on his hand throbbed with a distinctive red light—the unmistakable aura of Epic-grade gear. His teammates mirrored his power, almost all clad in coveted Epic tier equipment.
They are, without a doubt, a lineup that would make lesser players weep with envy. Even after years, most still wished for a single Dark Gold item.
"The boss temple is just ahead!" The shield warrior, their grim-faced leader, announced, his voice a low growl of anticipation. Half a night of brutal raiding had led them here. The ravaged landscape, the broken walls, all bore testament to their relentless struggle.
Adrian took a deep, steadying breath, his fingers tracing the smooth crystal of his staff. "Let's go."
CRREEEAK!
The massive temple doors groaned open, unleashing a frigid blast of mist that clawed at them with bone-chilling cold. From within the swirling depths, a colossal, skeletal figure began to materialize, a terrifying silhouette of pure frost.
A hundred meters tall, bone spikes jutting from its skull like a macabre crown, eerie green lights flickered in its eye sockets—twin hellfires burning in an eternal night. Its form was still largely obscured by the swirling, icy veil, making it even more ominous, more mysterious.
"The… Frost Monarch!" The words were a collective gasp, a mix of awe and terror.
This was it. The ultimate challenge. Excitement battled with a primal surprise in the hearts of the top players, but years of disciplined raiding won out. Composure regained, the shield warrior launched himself forward, a blur of steel and resolve, leaving an afterimage in his wake. The others fell into position, silent, deadly. The healer, a statue of focused tension, held their breath.
Countless wipeouts, endless failures—all of it culminated in this moment. They would succeed.
The colossal Frost Monarch shrieked, a sound that scraped on their very souls, swinging bony arms with chilling ferocity. But the shield warrior stood firm, a mountain against the blizzard, his health bar barely flickering.
With the boss contained, Adrian and his teammates unleashed hell. Powerful skills rained down, a symphony of destruction, and the Frost Monarch's health bar began its slow, inevitable descent.
"This time… this time it's ours," Adrian thought, a surge of triumph washing over him.
The top players were a well-oiled machine. After nearly half an hour of intense, brutal combat, the boss's health dwindled to a precarious ten percent.
"It's almost down! Everyone, FIGHT HARDER!"
"Let's end this bastard and claim our divine gear!"
Victory, sharp and tantalizing, spurred them onward. Adrenaline coursed through their veins. The boss's health plummeted.
Ten percent.
Seven.
FIVE!
And then, a heart-stopping one percent!
DING!
The sound was a celestial choir. Adrian let out a long, shuddering breath as the boss's health bar hit zero, its massive form crashing to the ground with a final, echoing thud. The colossal skeleton disintegrated into dust and black smoke.
A breathless silence fell. As the first team on the server to clear Hell Mode [Icecrown Citadel], what treasures awaited them? Epic gear no longer stirred their greed. Now, their eyes burned with a hunger for something far greater.
As the smoke cleared, a golden, radiant treasure chest shimmered into existence atop the skeletal remains.
"HOLY CRAP! A golden treasure chest!"
"Divine gear! It HAS to be divine gear!"
Even these hardened experts, veterans of countless raids, felt their hearts hammer against their ribs. Golden-tier items. A step above the red Epic. The ultimate quality in Eternity—Mythic-grade.
Adrian Vale's entire body trembled, a tremor of pure, unadulterated elation. A golden Mythic-grade item, known as divine gear, was the sacred grail for every player. His usual rock-solid composure had shattered. His teammates were in even worse shape, the shield warrior practically frothing.
"A golden treasure chest, damn it! Am I about to witness the birth of the first Mythic item in this game?!"
The probability of a golden treasure chest appearing was less than one in ten million. Even in a Hell Mode ultimate dungeon, this was a miracle.
"Whose lockpicking skill is Grandmaster-level?" the team's priest stammered, swallowing thickly.
A golden treasure chest demanded Grandmaster-level lockpicking or higher.
Adrian, suppressing a fierce grin, managed to say, "I'll do it. My lockpicking skill is Supreme Grandmaster."
Six pairs of eyes turned to him, their intense gazes making his scalp tingle with electricity. He walked towards the radiant chest, taking another deep breath. His Supreme Grandmaster lockpicking skill flared, a cascade of rapid clicks and snaps, and the chest sprang open.
A blinding, brilliant golden light shot skyward, piercing the very heavens of Eternity. As the radiant hue washed over them, a collective roar of pent-up emotion erupted from the team.
It was real. A Mythic item!
"HA!" Adrian let out a gasp, his hand trembling as he reached in and swiftly retrieved the item. The golden treasure chest vanished, its purpose fulfilled.
Six pairs of eyes immediately locked onto his hand.
"This… this is…"
In Adrian's grasp was a thick book, its golden cover embossed with mysterious patterns that resembled a divine dragon coiling around an ancient tome. The golden light pulsed like a contained supernova, imbued with raw, destructive power. The ancient, profound tome felt neither like gold nor jade, its shimmering radiance clearly not of this mortal realm.
Another mage in the team breathed, "It's the [Book of Eternity]!"
The [Book of Eternity]!
Adrian's breath hitched. This wasn't just any Mythic item. For spellcasters, it was a legend, its importance eclipsing even general Mythic-grade equipment.
What was paramount for any class in Eternity? Skills, of course! And the [Book of Eternity] contained them all: magical potions, inscriptions, Elvish, Draconic, countless profound magical knowledge, rare skills, and even… FORBIDDEN SPELLS! An ordinary player, possessing this book, could instantly transform into a legendary mage.
All spellcasters on the team looked like hungry wolves, their eyes gleaming, mouths watering, ready to pounce.
Adrian instinctively clutched the [Book of Eternity] to his chest, a pure, unthinking reflex of any true gamer.
But before he could savor his victory, a cold, mechanical voice echoed through the world.
"Attention all players, an unknown system anomaly has occurred. Please log off immediately."
The announcement repeated three times, chilling them to the bone. Adrian tried to log out, but found his character unresponsive.
A sudden, dissonant jolt ripped through his body, followed by a searing pain unlike anything he'd ever felt. In the real world, his vision imploded into blackness, as he plunged into an abyss. His senses winked out, one by one, a solitary wisp of his consciousness spiraling into the dark chasm…
"My Book of Eternity!"
This was his last, desperate thought.