Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In the Game of Eternal Life, Beginner's Village No. 688, At the central square paved with bluestone and adorned with a Taiji symbol, A flash of white light suddenly appeared, And five thousand people clad in Beginner's Cloth Robes were teleported in one after another.

Before anyone could react, a small screen materialized before their eyes.

"World Announcement: Welcome to the Game of Eternal Life. Here, you will compete against countless races from across the universe and battle endless demonic beasts. This is a place where immortality is possible, but also where infinite dangers lurk. Risk and opportunity coexist. Remember: You only have one life. Death is the end. We wish you a pleasant game."

A brief silence fell, Then the square erupted into chaos.

"What kind of joke is this?! This is way bigger than I thought! I assumed it was some legendary virtual reality game, but this scale is insane—spanning the heavens! Terrifying!"

"No kidding. Just the observable universe alone is 93 billion light-years in diameter. Even a fool could guess that civilizations within it must be as countless as grains of sand. And humans? We’re probably at the very bottom."

"Hearing you say that makes me think we don’t stand a chance against others."

"What’s there to fear? In real life, I’m just a screw-tightening laborer, already at the bottom. This game might actually be my chance—a shot at changing my fate."

"Bro, you’ve got a point. We’ve got nothing to lose anyway. If there’s a chance to rise, we might as well go all in!"

"No time to waste, let’s explore the game!"

Many clenched their fists in excitement and scattered in all directions.

Yet, there were also those who stood frozen, lost.

Their lives had been too comfortable, dulling their survival instincts.

Some of the more fragile ones even crouched on the ground, weeping.

"I want to go home… I want my mom."

"Baby, where are you? I don’t want to play this game."

Meanwhile, Qin Han had already sprinted toward the southern part of the village.

He remembered from his past life that within the first day of the game’s launch, several Unique Treasures had been claimed.

In this game, Every Unique Treasure possessed world-defying power.

In his previous life, Anyone who obtained one had almost invariably grown into a legendary figure across the heavens.

However, Acquiring such treasures required either supreme strength or sheer luck—neither of which was common.

Yet, There was one Unique Treasure whose location was particularly hidden, and even with Qin Han’s current Level 0 frailty, it was still within reach. If he could secure it, his path forward would become much smoother.

If he hurried now, he might just make it!

Outside the village, A small river flowed, shaded by lush trees, Beyond it lay an open grassland.

Scattered across the field, Jet-black Wild Bulls leisurely grazed on the green grass.

Two quick-eyed players had dashed toward the grassland almost simultaneously with Qin Han.

However, upon spotting a lone Wild Bull, The pair immediately surrounded it, Swinging their fists without hesitation.

Then, with a loud thud, The enraged bull charged, twisted, and sent both players flying in an instant.

"Oh no, I think my leg’s broken?"

"My ribs… I think they’re cracked too."

Fortunately, the Wild Bull didn’t press the attack, merely glaring at them before turning back to graze.

They looked pleadingly at Qin Han.

"Hey, brother… help us out, will you?"

At this moment, Qin Han's gaze was dark and unwavering as he strode relentlessly toward the depths of the grassland without so much as a backward glance. He had important matters to attend to and couldn’t be bothered with trivialities.

The game had only provided a Beginner's Cloth Robe at the start, leaving players with no equipment. These Wild Bulls were Level 1 monsters, relatively docile and considered one of the beginner-friendly creatures. However, even at such a low level and with their gentle nature, they were not foes two unarmed ordinary players could afford to provoke. The Game of Eternal Life was built upon reality with game elements layered on top—without proper weapons, those two likely couldn’t even pierce the hide of a Wild Bull.

The wilderness was no place to venture recklessly. Even a veteran player like Qin Han had to tread carefully. Fortunately, this was just the Wild Bull Grassland. Once other players arrived, those two might still be saved. Had it been any other wild zone, they would have long been torn to shreds.

Yet, their misfortune served as a stark reminder. Qin Han steeled himself and pressed onward with heightened vigilance.

The Wild Bull Grassland was vast, stretching over a dozen miles in depth. Qin Han alternated between walking and running, taking nearly an hour just to reach its boundary. Finding a large rock, he sat down to catch his breath. An hour of intense exertion had pushed his body to its limits, and with even greater challenges ahead, he had no choice but to rest and recover his stamina.

Meanwhile, after an hour of gameplay, the players of Beginner's Village No. 688 had undergone noticeable changes. The Plain Long Knives, Plain Long Swords, and Plain Bows and Arrows obtainable from village tasks had all been claimed. Aside from those still completing tasks, most players had already geared up and flooded into the wilderness to level up by slaying monsters.

In the Wild Bull Grassland, a burly man wielding a long knife moved with startling swiftness, sneaking up behind a Wild Bull. In a flash, his blade struck—

Thud!

The knife plunged deep into the bull’s neck, severing a major artery. With a sharp twist and pull—

Squelch!

The Wild Bull collapsed instantly. A wisp of white light emerged from its body and surged into the man.

At the same time, a Village Announcement suddenly popped up:

"Congratulations to player Liu Kuang of this village for being the first to reach Level 1! Reward: Constitution +1. Village chat function unlocked. Level rankings unlocked."

The moment the Beginner's Village public chat opened, it erupted.

"It’s barely been an hour, and someone already leveled up? That’s insane!"

"Of course it’s insane! My buddy and I tried fighting those Wild Bulls earlier—almost got trampled to death. Some people are just built different."

"Tell me about it. Three of us teamed up to kill one, and after all that effort, we barely managed three kills. Splitting the EXP means leveling up feels like a pipe dream."

"@Liu Kuang, Boss, mind sharing some tips?"

"Liu Kuang: Flattered, but I’m no boss. Used to work in a slaughterhouse, so I know exactly where to hit these bulls. Just kept killing them, and before I knew it, I leveled up."

"Wow, Liu Kuang actually replied! Boss, look at me—I’m Li Hao! Remember me!"

"Boss, how does it feel to level up?"

"Liu Kuang: Feels amazing! Got ten points in Constitution, plus an extra one as a reward. My body feels twice as strong as before," Liu Kuang said, then posted a screenshot of his stats in the public chat.

Liu Kuang, Level 1, Constitution: 22 points.

Qin Han, who was resting, glanced at it and smiled faintly.

In the game, there was only one initial attribute—Constitution.

As Constitution increased, all other aspects—agility, reflexes, strength, stamina, and health—would improve comprehensively and evenly.

The average person started with around 10 points in Constitution. Liu Kuang, now at Level 1 with 22 points, meant his base Constitution was 11 points (subtracting the 10 from leveling up and the 1-point reward).

In other words, even in real life, this guy was above average in physical fitness.

"Wow, Brother Liu Kuang was already strong, and now he’s the first to level up with an extra Constitution point. If this keeps up, the strong will only get stronger, and we’ll never catch up!"

"At this rate, Liu Kuang will dominate Beginner's Village No. 688. What if he bullies us later?"

"Liu Kuang: Don’t worry, brothers. I’m a straightforward guy. Once I level up, I’ll take good care of everyone."

"Hearing that from a pro like you puts my mind at ease. Hurry and grind, Brother Liu Kuang—build up that advantage!"

"Got it, brother. Time to hunt monsters and level up."

Qin Han skimmed the chat and shook his head slightly. Liu Kuang was clearly getting lost in the flattery of being called "Brother Liu Kuang."

That tiny one-point Constitution boost from leveling up had inflated his confidence.

But—

The Game of Eternal Life wasn’t just about grinding levels.

The starting strength of races across the myriad worlds was vastly different.

On Blue Star, the average human began with around 10 Constitution points.

In Low Martial Worlds, the baseline was roughly 20 points, with exceptional individuals reaching 100 or even 200.

And then there were the apex races standing at the pinnacle of the universe—some started with a terrifying 5,000+ Constitution points, with the most elite surpassing 7,000 or 8,000.

What did that mean?

Even a mere 20-point Constitution was already double that of a Blue Star human.

In other words, the weakest commoner from a Low Martial World could go toe-to-toe with a world-class martial champion from Blue Star.

And if you compared that to the apex races?

Even the most mediocre, ordinary member of an apex race—with just 5,000 Constitution points—could single-handedly slaughter every player from Blue Star and Low Martial Worlds combined.

The gap was beyond comprehension.

This game was inherently unfair.

The strong started absurdly powerful, while the weak began as insignificant as ants.

For all races, leveling up granted a fixed 10 Constitution points per level.

The maximum beginner level was 20, meaning even at full strength, a player would only reach 200 Constitution points.

In other words, even if Liu Kuang grinded to the absolute limit, his total Constitution wouldn’t even come close to the starting point of an apex race’s elite.

With strength like that, surviving even the early stages of the game would be a struggle.

Fortunately, In the early game, the strong faced the strong, and the weak faced the weak.

Humans wouldn’t have to confront those apex races—yet.

Only when reaching the Final Battlefield will people from all realms of the universe gather together.

Thus, the game still offers weaker races the opportunity to grow and develop.

As for whether they can seize it—

that depends on individual fortune.

Moreover, though the game’s initial strength is unequal, it still provides ordinary races with the possibility of surpassing their limits.

There are many things in the game that can enhance strength and transcend class.

Even if—

the probability of obtaining these things is incredibly low!

So low it borders on despair…