Chapter 1: The Game Begins
Lucas Nightveil woke with a faint smile on his face.
A field of bones stretched endlessly around him, brimstone skulls staring blankly into the dark sky.
The scent of dried blood and death filled the air—a perfume that made his blood tingle with delight. His fingers brushed the fragile ribs beneath him, feeling the familiar texture of death.
Perfect for rebirth.
He rose with the graceful movements of a predator, memories of the past flashing for a moment—twenty-eight years as Lucas Hartanto, the dutiful accountant, the docile sheep. The man was dead. Thank goodness.
A translucent blue screen appeared in front of him, its light dancing across the scattered bones:
[WELCOME TO THE GLOBAL LORD REALM]
[8 BILLION HUMANS HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR ASCENSION]
[PREVIOUS EXISTENCE HAS BEEN TERMINATED]
[REBIRTH PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]
Lucas studied the interface with the cold calculation of a dissecter examining a corpse. His fingers trembled in anticipation as new text appeared:
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]