Earth Online: Eternal Land

"Ace!"

"No matter how many means you have, you can never defeat us... because... WE ARE GODS!"

Ace looked toward the starry sky in the distance, feeling helpless. A vast and deep darkness, resembling the Milky Way, loomed ahead. Within that darkness, countless pairs of eyes gazed down at him.

Then Ace looked down at himself. His body was already riddled with countless bloody holes, with blood dripping to the ground.

"Tsk, who cares if you are gods?" Ace glared upwards at the gods, his eyes beginning to spin like a Sharingan, and he disappeared on the spot.

...

[Breaking News: The #1 on the Assassin class leaderboard in Eternal Land, Shadow, had finally stepped into the spotlight, revealing himself to the public at the World Championship after two and a half years of secrecy.]

[Speculation is running wild among Eternal Land players regarding Shadow's unexpected appearance. "Is Shadow finally tempted by the prize pool of the World Championship, or does he want to prove himself against pro teams?"]

[Breaking News: The third server of "Eternal Land" will be launched on January 1, 2025!]

[Major professional teams and top guilds are speculating that the third server of "Eternal Land" will be the last server in the game!]

At this moment, Ace was sitting on the sofa, sorting through the memories of his third life (his second reincarnation) while looking at the news that popped up in his phone's notification bar.

"Sigh~ I'm back again. This is my third reincarnation," Ace muttered, standing up from the sofa, trembling slightly, and then continued, "That eyes... It's truly a magical, overpowered item. Every time I die and return to the past, I'm always amazed by its effect. Unfortunately, this will be my last chance." 

In Ace's first life, after discovering the newly launched Eternal Land, he was astounded by the game's realism—it felt almost like the real world.

In the days that followed, the game "Eternal Land" completely dominated the global gaming industry in just a short period of time.

As Ace became increasingly engrossed in the game, achieving incredible feats, completing nearly impossible tasks, and defeating near-invincible bosses, he eventually cleared the first server of Eternal Land, becoming the first player to complete it.

With the first anniversary of Eternal Land, a second server was launched. However, what Ace didn't expect was that he finally received his belated reward in his inventory for being the first player to complete the first server.

[Item: Reincarnation Eyes (Soul-bound)]

Rank: ???

Effect: The user has a chance to reincarnate upon death. Reincarnation 0/3 (The item will automatically unbind and be erased from Eternal Land forever after three uses.)

Description: A mysterious item with the power to control life and death. This item has no duplicates or replicas. Players who obtain it are fucking extraordinarily lucky.]

At first, Ace didn't believe the item's description: "Reincarnate upon death" He assumed it referred to in-game deaths, but everything changed during the mid-stages of the third server.

That was when the game merged with the real world. Monsters and bosses from Eternal Land began to appear and wreak havoc on Earth.

Even humanity's most powerful weapons—nuclear bombs, nukes, and missiles—could barely damage the higher-level monsters, let alone the bosses.

In the following days of war against the monsters, humanity discovered they could extract their in-game characters into the real world. With that discovery, humanity began to launch a counterattack against the invading monsters.

Year after year of battle and struggle to reclaim their homeland, just when humanity thought they still had hope, the skies above the land cracked open, and powerful gods emerged one by one, slaughtering humanity and shattering their hopes—including Ace's.

Just as Ace was about to die, his item, "Reincarnation Eyes," suddenly began to spin, bringing him back to the past, just as the third server was about to launch.

"In my first life, I knew nothing about the gods and perished alongside humanity," Ace murmured to himself. "In my second life, I rushed in too quickly out of panic and ended up missing many opportunities. In my third life, I fought alone, but I still couldn't defeat the gods."

Ace washed his hands and stared at his reflection in the mirror. "This is my last life. I have to fully maximize my opportunities this time. I can't rush or let myself be pressured. But—"

He paused, recalling the events that had happened in his memory a few minutes ago. "Why are those gods so strong?"

"...Even when I gave my all in my third life (his second reincarnation) and took the best possible route..."

"...I still couldn't defeat them." He scratched his head, "I had an SS-level talent in my third life, and it still wasn't enough. I guess only an SSS-level talent could defeat them, but... there's no information about such a talent in any of my lives."

"Sigh~ this is my last chance," Ace muttered, letting out a deep breath. After a moment, he spoke with determination, "Since this is my last chance, I'll go all in and gamble on the talent I discovered in my first life. (before he reincarnate)"

...

Eternal Land, the world's first 100% virtual reality game, allows players to connect their consciousness to a completely virtual game world through a game cabin. The Eternal Land world is incredibly realistic and can be considered humanity's second world.

When Eternal Land was released in 2023, it created a craze. As long as people bought the game cabin, they will definitely download the game.

It is said that the game's audience ranges from children as young as 6 years old and adults as old as 80 years old. After all, even if you don't enjoy fighting and combat, you will still appreciate the magnificent scenery in Eternal Land.

For the elderly, Eternal Land offers a chance to regain their youth, and for the disabled, it provides the opportunity to re-experience life with a healthy body.

And today marks the second anniversary of Eternal Land, and just like last year, a new server, the third server, will be opened.

Many major guilds speculate that this will be the final server in Eternal Land. In other words, from today on, no new servers will be launched.

Just as Ace walked out the door, a voice came from beside him. "Hey, Ace, in two hours, the new server of Eternal Land will open. Are you ready?"

"This time, we must get the first kill of the first dungeon before other guilds. With you joining our Bloodlust Legion Guild, we'll definitely be the first to clear the dungeon."

"I heard the guild master grabbed a particularly awesome assassin talent activation code for you. If you get it, we'll be absolutely invincible!"

Hearing these familiar conversations again, Ace recalled what had happened in the past few months.

In the World Championship two months ago, Ace, who had remained mysterious for two and a half years in Eternal Land's servers 1 and 2, finally participated.

He showcased his unparalleled skills and claimed glory for himself, earning the title of the strongest assassin in Eternal Land and the best team battle commander. Leading a group of random players to victory against pro teams.

In Eternal Land, every player receives a random talent, so the game cannot be said to be absolutely fair or balanced. However, due to the popularity of the game, many major groups in the real world buy sky-high-priced talents and give them to their respective professional players for professional competitions.

Those who can play professionally are basically on the leaderboard in Eternal Land. So, although the game has a talent system, it may not be fair or balanced, but professional games are still very enjoyable to watch.

As Ace recalled the events of the past few months, he sighed when he saw the bald head wearing a black mask, covering his mouth and exposing only his eyes, standing in front of him again.

"Gerald, the problem with your character's cosplay in the real world is really... forget it... I want to see the guild master."

Hearing Ace, Gerald just chuckled and replied, "It just so happens that the guild master also wants to see you."

Soon, under Gerald's guidance, Ace arrived at a luxuriously decorated office. Sitting in the boss's chair was a middle-aged man with bulging muscles, the guild master of the Bloodlust Legion, Adolf.

"Ace, I heard you wanted to see me," said Adolf, the guild master of the Bloodlust Legion, as he looked at Ace upon his entrance. He then continued, "Haha, perfect timing. I was about to look for you too. I have something to discuss with you."

Hearing the guild master, Adolf, Ace put his hands in his pockets. "No need to discuss. You came to tell me that the S-level talent activation code will be given to someone else, right?"

"And... sorry to tell you, guild master, though I just signed with your guild a short while ago, I plan to quit today."

"Wha...what?" Adolf's previously calm expression froze instantly.

Seeing Adolf's reaction, Ace turned around without hesitation. "Even though I just joined the guild, you never intended to give me the activation code for the S-level talent, right? So, I've come to inform you, Adolf. I won't continue working for the Bloodlust Legion Guild."

Ace then opened the door and walked out. Behind him, Adolf, the guild master of the Bloodlust Legion Guild, slapped the table and stood up.

"Ace, have you thought this through? If you breach the contract, you'll have to pay liquidated damages of 500 million!"

"I just checked your status in the real world recently... can you afford to pay 500 million just to leave the Bloodlust Legion Guild?"

"I know you've only made your public debut recently and won the World Championship two months ago."

"But you haven't even had time to secure advertisers or sponsors yet. Leave the guild? Do you really think you can earn 500 million that quickly?"

Hearing Adolf's words, Ace didn't look back but responded as he walked, "Don't make me laugh, Adolf! I'll pay the liquidated damages in due time. And don't think I don't know your reason for recruiting me."

"You secretly spread the rumor about the S-level talent activation code to tempt me, just to make me reject offers from other guilds."

He paused briefly, then added, "You recruited me because you also think I'm no longer in my prime and only want to use me to attract young players with potential, right?"

Ace looked back at Adolf. Then he continued, "So, you handed the S-level talent activation code to someone younger with more potential, didn't you?"

The third server was the final server in Eternal Land. If players didn't obtain good talents on the new server, they would never have the chance to create another account. This was because Eternal Land only allowed one account per player.

Even if players bought a new gaming cabin, downloaded Eternal Land, and attempted to create a new account, the game would simply reload their previous account.

This forced players who aimed to conquer the game to think twice and carefully confirm their talents when creating a character for every new server.

That's why talent activation codes had become immensely valuable in the real world. Professional teams and top guilds monopolized most of the talent activation codes, particularly the A- and B-level codes.

As for the S-level talent activation codes? Only two or three existed, at most. Even A-level codes were incredibly rare, let alone the coveted S-level talent activation codes.

Two months ago, after Ace participated in and won the championship, all the top guilds extended an olive branch by offering him S-level talent activation codes.

Although Ace showcased his flashy skills and performance in the World Championship, most of the guild speculated that he was losing his prime and was merely focused on making money, despite his characters on Servers 1 and 2 being ranked #1 on the assassin class leaderboard.

Judging by the fact that Ace always preferred to remain anonymous in the game, never joined any guilds, never participated in the World Championship, and consistently kept his in-game information private, the top guilds believed that his sudden participation was solely motivated by a desire to make money.

Still, the top guilds were willing to gamble on whether he was truly losing his prime, simply looking to make money, or merely seeking the experience of competing in the World Championship.

But... who would have thought that Ace's sudden participation was merely his way of seeking a breath of fresh air, wanting to take a break after clearing Server 2. His decision to join a guild was just a whim, as he simply wished to explore a different path during the next server launch—the third server.

So, after some consideration, Ace joined the Bloodlust Legion since it was close to his home, and their offer was the same as other guilds—the S-level talent activation code. Therefore, Ace rejected all invitations from other guilds.

However, the outcome Ace hoped for did not materialize after joining the Bloodlust Legion. The guild merely used him as an endorser or a tool to promote their name and recruit young, potential players.

In the end, Ace missed many opportunities in the third server and was ultimately killed by the gods. If not for the special item he earned as the first player to clear Server 1, this story would have ended in Chapter 1.

"Sigh~ Now that I think about it, in my first life, I was really too simple and careless. I didn't even read the contract on such an important matter and foolishly trusted the verbal promises of others. It was really too easy for me to stumble when dealing with these cunning, old-fashioned people in society," Ace sighed while recalling his first life for a moment.

After a brief moment of emotion, Ace waved his hand without turning back and said, "Adolf, I don't intend to be used by others. This is the end of our guild friendship."

"Wa-wait! Ace! Where are you going?"

"If you go to other guilds now, they won't take you in. The server will be launched soon, and their talent quotas have already been determined. They won't change their minds and gamble just for you!"

"Though I don't know where you heard about the S-level talent activation code matter, but if you stay with the guild, I can still offer you an A-level talent activation code. You don't want to start with a random talent, right?"

Ace didn't reply to Adolf's nonsense and simply descended the stairs. Adolf could only slap the table in anger. However, he faintly heard Ace's voice coming from below, "Don't tempt me again, Adolf! Well, see you in the game."

"But you'd better prepare. What I showed two months ago was just the tip of the iceberg."