Volume One: I Was Originally Lonely
Prologue: A God Descends
“Impossible! Why am I the one who is defeated!”
The Flaming Abyss, where fire rained from the sky.
A mythical creature, the thirty-meter-tall Abyssal Tyrant, stood before the throne in the Valley of the Abyss. Its very presence shrouded the valley in a suffocating stillness. Dark red demonic flames danced in the Tyrant’s eyes. It possessed a maw of sharp teeth that would not be outmatched by any dragon, and its thick, heavy scales shimmered with a fiery-red metallic luster, reflecting the light and illuminating that hellish world.
When it roared, beacons of fire lit up the sky, making it resemble a primordial beast of sin and destruction bathed in flame. Whenever it swung the massive blade in its hand, several magma dragons would erupt from the ground, scorching the earth.
Although the Tyrant still appeared powerful, its swaying form betrayed its terrible condition. It roared and charged forward, its steps already faltering, yet each one was still like a clap of thunder that shook the very ground.
Ahead of it, an elite squad of several dozen people watched with grim vigilance. The drifting flames painted their faces red, hissing as they landed on their armor before turning into wisps of smoke and fading away.
The ground was littered with the bodies of more than a dozen players who had fallen in battle, none of whom had survived the Abyssal Tyrant’s final forbidden spell, “Scorched Wasteland.”
Now, the surviving team members spread out in a semicircle, waiting on high alert, but they couldn’t hide the excitement and joy on their faces.
The Abyssal Tyrant’s figure continued to sway as it advanced on the ants before it, forcing itself to brandish the Blade of the Abyss as it closed in on the players. But by now, the brilliant fiery light of its scales was flickering, a clear sign that it had reached its limit.
“I will not accept this!”
As the Abyssal Tyrant raised its great blade with its last ounce of strength and let out a heroic, tragic roar, its body finally staggered and collapsed, crashing to the ground.
Bang!
Dust and ash filled the air, and the flying stones kicked up by its fall unfortunately killed two unlucky squad members. At that moment, the fiery red scales on the Abyssal Tyrant’s body rapidly dimmed as its power faded. The dancing demonic fire in its eyes had quietly been extinguished, and the massive blade, as long as the creature was tall, was now plunged diagonally into the earth. The burning, dark red hellfire on its broad blade grew still with its master’s eternal slumber until it finally stopped flickering, becoming nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.
The battle was over. Dressed in white robes, Chen Ran waved the dust from his eyes. Once his vision cleared, he looked at the golden announcement on the world bulletin.
“Congratulations to player ‘Amakusa’ for completing the Level 100 Legendary Quest. Please retrieve the holy relic sealed within the body of the Abyssal Tyrant Tirsuni…”
A look of pride filled Chen Ran’s face. Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, he slowly climbed onto the Abyssal Tyrant’s enormous corpse and waved the priest’s scepter in his hand at his raid members.
“Brothers, we’ve won! We finally cleared the legendary hidden quest!”
“Long live the boss!”
Everyone present raised their arms and cheered. Even the teammates who had died and hadn’t logged off yet were shouting their victory through voice chat.
Standing on the Abyssal Tyrant, Chen Ran watched everyone celebrate, a dazed look on his face.
Everything in the game felt like a single thread that had woven through his entire life. It all started when he unexpectedly changed his class to Holy Spirit Priest, a hidden, purely support-focused branch of the Priest class. The hidden luck bonus from this class eventually allowed him to make a name for himself in the game, and he gradually became a professional player.
The difficulty of this quest was considered impossible. Furthermore, the quest could only be attempted once; failure meant there were no second chances.
If he hadn’t accidentally discovered that he could use the dungeon’s unique high-grade materials; if he wasn’t the only equipment master in the game proficient in crafting and enchanting for every school; if he hadn’t crafted a full set of excellent-grade gear—darkfire-resistant armor and ice-elemental weapons—for all fifty team members… they would never have been able to withstand the endless corrosion of the Flaming Abyss’s demonic fire rain or barely endure the Abyssal Tyrant’s super-powerful darkfire attacks. Without all those “ifs,” they could have never hoped to narrowly take down the legendary quest boss, the Abyssal Tyrant.
But he had done it.
Just then, a hole of light began to form on the Tyrant’s body. A pillar of pure white light emerged in front of Chen Ran. Within the light, an incredibly magnificent, platinum-gold greatsword slowly rose.
The beauty of its smooth, bright silver blade was beyond words. The body of the sword was engraved with fine golden runes that twinkled, adding a touch of mysterious splendor. Furthermore, a faint halo of twelve alternating colors shimmered around the blade, casting the world where Chen Ran stood in a hazy, fantastical glow.
Chen Ran walked over, unhesitatingly tossed aside the worn-out staff in his hand, and grasped the hilt of the greatsword. He lifted it, holding it before his chest with both hands like a devout paladin. The feeling was indescribable.
The first legendary weapon in the game was his!
Twelve Canticles of Dawn (Legendary): An essential item for the Holy Spirit Priest class change.
A torrent of holy light erupted from beneath Chen Ran’s feet, enveloping both him and the Abyssal Tyrant’s corpse. The light grew more and more solid until it reached its limit, then suddenly exploded, scattering into a sky full of stardust. Chen Ran’s body remained shrouded in a dazzling light. A few seconds later, when the radiance faded, a brand-new image appeared before everyone.
A white, hooded cloak, embroidered with all sorts of golden magic patterns. The large hood revealed only the lower half of his face, giving its owner an air of mystery. A white, gold-trimmed, tasseled battle skirt exuded grandeur. Most striking of all were the three pairs of light-wings behind him, which gently flapped, refracting the light and making the entire world behind him seem illusory.
Chen Ran floated a few inches above the ground, his solemn image inspiring an urge to worship.
The golden announcement appeared again.
“Congratulations, player ‘Amakusa Sen’ has successfully class-changed to the hero class, Holy Angel, and is granted one hour in ultimate form to complete the follow-up story.”
Chen Ran checked his profile. A “Hero” tag had appeared after his name, distinguishing him from ordinary players.
A group of sycophants immediately surrounded him, showering him with praise.
“Guild Leader, this outfit is too damn cool!”
“Our guild is on its way to becoming the number one guild in the world!”
“If I had the boss’s glorious image, picking up girls in the world chat would be a sure thing every time!”
Because he was floating, Chen Ran seemed to stand a head taller than everyone else. He smiled and slowly lowered the divine sword in his hands. Since the upper half of his face was hidden, the smile at the corner of his mouth seemed somewhat profound and mysterious. Then, he slowly drifted in front of a female swordsman in sexy, crimson battle armor and suddenly struck a cheesy “Thinker” pose. “Little Bun, what do you think of your great Guild Leader now? Feel the urge to devote your life to me?”
Chen Ran was asking the guild’s belle, “Cutie Little Bun,” who was also from a wealthy family. Although Chen Ran was the guild leader, he was also a veteran tech otaku and was still single… He decided to use this great moment to try and change that…
“Hmm, the clothes are pretty cool,” the beautiful girl known as Little Bun said, resting her chin on her hand and sizing Chen Ran up. She answered very objectively, “As for your character, I’ll reserve my opinion, based on past experience.”
Failure. Inevitable failure…
Chen Ran’s head drooped. The great and invincible Holy Angel had suffered a blow more severe than the Abyssal Tyrant’s ultimate skill in his very first moment of glory, and he was utterly crushed…
However, her next words rekindled his hope of escaping singlehood.
“But seeing as someone put in so much effort, and I haven’t had dinner yet… I’m exhausted after working for so many days. I wonder if a certain someone is willing to treat me?” The guild belle turned gracefully, shaking her luxurious crimson battle skirt. She took a small floral fan from her backpack and fanned her chest to cool down.
Chen Ran was overcome with excitement. Just as he was about to make his move, a few guild members walked over, grabbed his shoulder, and pointed to the NPC soldiers in the distance who were holding off the demon army to buy them time. “Guild Leader, now’s not the time for flirting! You look cool and all, but now that you’ve successfully changed classes, how are we supposed to retreat? Those cannon fodder NPCs holding back the Abyssal Army can’t last much longer. Are we supposed to just die our way out?”
“Retreat? The script is still in my hands. You think this one-hour ultimate form is for show?” Chen Ran scoffed, his face full of confidence. “The even cooler part is yet to come!”
In a flash of teleportation, Chen Ran suddenly appeared dozens of yards up in the sky. His battle skirt billowed without any wind, his sleeves fluttered, and a dreamlike radiance flickered across his robes, making him shine like a small sun.
Great Prophecy!
Suspended in the sky, golden holy fire ignited in Chen Ran’s eyes. An earth-shattering authority emanated from him, as if he were a god declaring a divine decree.
“Turmoil and chaos, boundless sin abounds. God tells me the world needs tranquility…”
It sounded like a soft prayer, yet the voice seemed to echo in everyone’s ears. Following a sudden explosion, a shocking shockwave radiated out from Chen Ran, and the entire world trembled in an unbelievable fashion…
The shockwave swept through, scattering the swarms of abyssal demons that were as numerous as locusts. Amidst the sky-rending, mournful wails, their bodies began to break apart, turning into humble dust and dissipating into the endless horizon. In the blink of an eye, not a single one was left. It was completely clean.
Everyone was dumbfounded. This magnificent scene was awe-inspiring, but the climax was still unfolding.
“Cold and desolate, heaven’s grace has not yet reached this barren world. God tells me the world needs life…”
Countless rays of light descended upon the fallen children of god and the sacrificed players. Statues of holy angels danced above them. If it were a single-target skill, no one would be a stranger to it—it was the Holy Spirit Priest’s signature resurrection skill, “Angel’s Tear.” But the sight of a mass resurrection was far more magnificent than any super-destructive magic.
Tens of thousands of fallen warriors rose to their feet once more. The divine light resurrected every single one and healed all their wounds. A rain of starlight fell from the sky, extinguishing the scorched earth of the Flaming Mountains and putting out every last flame.
All the children of god knelt down in collective worship. The earth cheered. The Flaming Mountains were about to reclaim their original name: the Eternal Valley.
High above, Chen Ran calmly accepted everyone’s prayers, a faint smile on his lips. In that moment, he was a god.
He raised the Twelve Canticles of Dawn high. A holy white beam of light shot from the sword, piercing through the entire sky. The thick, dark clouds that had gathered churned violently, and under the searing holy light, a massive hole was burned into the sky. Behind the dark clouds was a world of light…
“Primordial chaos, boundless darkness cannot take away the eyes that await the dawn. God said, ‘World, let there be light!'”
A pillar of light that connected heaven and earth shone upon the world, spreading outwards at a visible speed.
Gradually, everyone was enveloped by the light. It was a warmth, a comfort, and an inexplicable sense of vitality rose in everyone’s heart.
When the light finally faded and their vision returned, a brand-new world appeared before everyone’s eyes.
The thick dark clouds had dispersed. Looking up revealed a clear, tranquil blue sky. The surroundings were no longer barren; fresh green grass and large trees were everywhere. In the distance, the massive crater was now filled with clear lake water, making one want to dive in for a swim.
It was like a divine miracle!
“Magnificent!”
Watching the world change, the feeling was beyond words. In a daze, it made them understand that destruction did not signify true strength; only creation was the world’s greatest power.
But when everyone looked back to where Chen Ran had been standing, the figure had quietly vanished.
“Where’s the boss? Did anyone see where he went?”
“Didn’t see him…”
“He didn’t disconnect, did he…?”
And at that very moment, everyone suddenly and simultaneously received an emergency system notification in red text.
“Emergency Announcement, Emergency Announcement. A system error has occurred. The system will be restarting shortly. All players, please log off as soon as possible to avoid any unnecessary losses. Emergency Announcement…”
“Fuck, what the hell is going on!”
Before the crowd could finish cursing, they were forcibly logged out by the server, turning into streaks of white light one after another before vanishing…
