Chapter 1

"Dad! Can you buy me a game pod?" Jiang Fei asked his father with great anticipation.

"Don't even think about it!" His father, who had been smiling, immediately put on a stern face.

"Fei, you're already in high school. You can't be as obsessed with games as you used to be!" His mother, standing nearby, earnestly advised.

"Mom! This game is different! It's a masterpiece that Shengshi Company has meticulously developed for thirteen years, known as the second world of humanity! Moreover, 'Dawn' uses special technology to accelerate time in the game, allowing players to have a longer life in the game!" Jiang Fei explained to his parents with great seriousness.

The game called 'Dawn' that Jiang Fei mentioned was indeed another innovation in human history. It was not only a model of virtual reality games with a near 100% level of realism but also used a new technology that allowed players to experience a completely different life through eight hours of sleep at night. Through this technology, the body enjoyed eight hours of high-quality sleep, while the mind could experience twenty-four hours of a completely different magical life!

"Don't listen to those ads; they're just lies from game companies! Believe it if you want, but you're not getting it! Your job now is to go to school. Once you get into college, you can play as much as you want!" His father remained unmoved.

"Dad! Why are you like this! This game is promoted by the state! It's not a scam. This game won't affect your studies; it can even help you rest better!" Jiang Fei persisted.

"For the last time, no! If you don't go back to your room and do your homework in the next twenty seconds, your allowance for next month will be cut by fifty percent!" His father said sternly.

"Old stubborn!" Jiang Fei muttered under his breath, but he knew there was no point in arguing. His family's financial condition was good, and his father wasn't unwilling to buy the game pod; he just had a rigid mindset and absolutely didn't believe that playing games wouldn't affect his studies!

...

"Bro, how's it going? 'Dawn' is going to officially launch tonight. Are you ready with your game pod?" As soon as the bell rang and the teacher left, a chubby boy behind Jiang Fei patted his shoulder and asked.

"Ha! Don't even mention it. I won't be able to play with you guys this time!" Jiang Fei said with a bitter smile.

"No way! The guys are counting on you!" The chubby boy, Zhao Feng, said anxiously. This chubby boy was one of Jiang Fei's few friends in school. Jiang Fei's class, Class 9 of Grade 1, was the school's key class, but his grades were average, and he wasn't good at sports or socializing, so he was essentially a transparent person.

"Ah! What can I do if my dad doesn't agree?" Jiang Fei rolled his eyes. He was completely open with his only friend.

"Maybe the guys can chip in to buy one for you?" Zhao Feng suggested. Because their conditions were similar, both being average in all aspects, these two transparent people who were ignored by teachers and classmates had a very good relationship.

"Am I short of money? But where would I put it? A game pod is so big; if I bring it home, my dad will smash it!" Jiang Fei said helplessly. As long as he couldn't convince his father, playing games was almost impossible!

"Ah! Poor Fei! Life won't be easy without you, bro!" Zhao Feng shook his head.

"Forget it! Let's wait and see. Maybe in a while, my dad's prejudice will be gone!" Jiang Fei consoled himself.

"Hopefully!" Zhao Feng nodded.

Jiang Fei had always loved playing games, especially realistic ones. As a boy, who wouldn't want to wield a sword and be a hero? Every man dreams of carrying a three-foot sword and achieving great deeds. However, in a peaceful era with highly advanced technology, there was no war, and even if there was, it would be just pressing buttons. So, to experience the thrill of battle, one could only do so in virtual games!

But this time, Jiang Fei had no hope. Since entering high school, his father had imposed a strict entertainment ban, sealing all the gaming equipment at home, and online games were out of the question!

Finally, after school, Jiang Fei walked home listlessly. It was only around six in the evening, but it was already dark because winter had set in.

"Huh? What's that?" While walking home, Jiang Fei suddenly noticed a faint glow under a tree.

"Hey! Who dropped this ring? It looks pretty nice!" Upon closer inspection, Jiang Fei found a silver-white ring. The design was simple, just a circle with no decorations, but its simple and smooth shape was quite appealing.

"It doesn't look like anything valuable. I'll just wear it for fun!" Jiang Fei said as he slipped the ring onto his finger.

Back home, he ate dinner as usual. During dinner, Jiang Fei tried to gauge his father's attitude, but the result was still the same: no way! Thinking about the launch of 'Dawn' that night, Jiang Fei locked himself in his room in a huff!

Around ten o'clock, Jiang Fei had finished his homework. He lay on his bed, looking at the wall clock as it ticked closer to ten, feeling a bit down.

The launch time for 'Dawn' was at ten o'clock that night, and it would run from ten to six the next morning, allowing players to experience a full twenty-four hours of game time without disrupting their normal lives!

"Ah! It's about to start! Such a great game, and I can't be a part of it!" Jiang Fei muttered, absentmindedly stroking the ring on his finger.

"Receiving strong mental waves, target associated with the game 'Dawn'! Connecting to target..."

"Target connection complete! Establishing channel..."

"Channel established, virtualizing equipment..."

"Equipment virtualization complete, ready for use!"

"What the heck is this?" Jiang Fei's mouth dropped open as he stared at the ring on his finger, which was emitting a faint glow, too shocked to speak!

"Buzz!"

A flash of white light, and Jiang Fei's vision blurred. When his sight cleared, he was no longer in his room!

"Welcome to the 'Dawn' world! Assistant number 34784 is here to serve you!" A clear female voice rang in Jiang Fei's ears.

"'Dawn'? Is this the login interface for 'Dawn'?" Jiang Fei asked, hardly believing it, all his previous fear forgotten!

"To be precise, this is the character creation interface!" the assistant replied.

"Is this a dream?" Jiang Fei still found it hard to believe. He didn't have a game pod, so how could he enter the game? Maybe this was just a dream! He must have been too tired after finishing his homework and fell asleep on the bed. The mysterious ring might just be part of the dream. Daydreams often become night dreams, and he must have been too eager to play the game!