Evening.
Beep!
[Damn it, after queuing for seven hours, I finally got it!]
In the group chat on his phone, Guan Suo sent a message, along with a photo.
It was a very advanced-looking helmet, with sleek lines that gave off a strong sense of technology, though the color was somewhat unsightly—a dung yellow. Who knows how the Tianyan officials came up with that design.
[You got yours? I'm still in line, with fifty or sixty idiots ahead of me. It'll take about half an hour more. I should've given you my ID to pick it up for me!]
Chen Ming replied, sounding quite frustrated, and attached a picture of a crowd queuing.
[Haha, hurry up. It's good enough if you can get it today. The servers officially open tomorrow!]
[By the way, Langzi, are you really not joining us in the game for an adventure?]
Guan Suo sent two more messages.
[Yeah, Langzi, our goddess Xi might also join the game. You might get lucky! (big laugh)]
Chen Ming chimed in.
"Goddess Xi..."
Chen Lang was speechless. Just as he was about to reply, his phone rang with a local unknown number.
"Hello?"
"Hello, sir. Your ordered Tianyan Premium Edition Helmet has been delivered to Building 3, Unit 2, Apartment 502 of Fushan Residential Community. If you're home, please sign for it."
A rough yet polite voice came through the phone—it was the helmet delivery.
"Okay, thank you!"
Chen Lang hung up and walked out of his room to open the front door.
"Hello, sir. Here's your Premium Edition Helmet. Please show your ID for identity verification."
At the door, a middle-aged man holding a square foam box greeted Chen Lang politely.
Without saying much, Chen Lang handed over his ID. The middle-aged man compared the information on his phone and then handed the box to Chen Lang.
Inside the room.
Chen Lang opened the box, revealing a high-end gaming helmet with a shimmering, mysterious blue-purple hue, looking much more sophisticated than Guan Suo's.
Chen Lang snapped a photo and sent it to the group, then picked up the helmet to try it on.
The helmet was lightweight, with a layer of molded latex inside that perfectly fit his head, making it very comfortable.
Ding~
"Brainwave scanning in progress..."
As soon as Chen Lang put on the gaming helmet, a pleasant female voice sounded, and he felt a wave of dizziness.
"Scan complete."
"Identity confirmation in progress..."
"Confirmation complete!"
Name: Chen Lang.
Nationality: China
Ethnicity: Han
ID Number: 3*************9533
[Do you confirm binding?]
"Bind!"
Chen Lang, somewhat surprised, confirmed directly.
[Identity binding complete]
[Phone number binding complete, allowing real-time calls in-game]
[Bank card binding complete, enabling cash transactions in-game]
Ding~
[Dear player, as the owner of a Premium Edition Helmet, you have one chance to participate in a system lottery. Would you like to draw?]
"There's such a perk?"
Chen Lang's eyes lit up. It seemed the ten thousand yuan was well spent!
"Yes!"
[Please proceed with the lottery]
As the system's female voice ended, Chen Lang's vision blurred, and a massive spinning wheel appeared before him. In the center was a stop button, surrounded by various icons spinning rapidly, making him a bit dizzy.
Chen Lang stared at the wheel for a moment, unable to discern anything, so he simply pressed the stop button.
"Ding~"
With a crisp sound, the massive wheel vanished, and a brilliant blue gem appeared before Chen Lang.
[Congratulations, player, on obtaining a rare item—Source of Mana]
[Source of Mana]: Accessory (Necklace), reduces mana cost for spellcasting by half and restores 10% of mana every minute.
(Mana: Blue bar)
"......"
Looking at the brilliant blue gem, Chen Lang was somewhat speechless. It was good, but it seemed not very useful to him unless he chose to be a Mage to maximize its benefits.
But it's still better than nothing.
"Ding!"
[Lottery ended, Source of Mana has been stored in your inventory]
[Dear Tianyan player, there are 18 hours, 7 minutes, and 19 seconds until the game opens. You may now choose a name for your game character]
[Would you like to name your character?]
"Yes!"
[Please enter a name]
"Tianya Langzi."
[Naming successful]
[Would you like to choose a profession?]
"Choose a profession?"
Chen Lang frowned slightly, puzzled.
Based on his previous novel-reading experience, professions usually required reaching level 10 and leaving the Novice Village for advancement. Why was he choosing now before even entering the game?
[Yes, would you like to choose a profession now?]
"Choose!"
After a moment's hesitation, Chen Lang nodded.
Being able to choose a profession right away wasn't bad.
He had already decided to choose Swordsman, capable of both offense and defense, a choice for the pros. He wouldn't give up his chance to become a god for a Source of Mana.
[Please choose your profession. Once confirmed, it cannot be changed!]
As the voice faded, seven magnificent figures appeared, representing the seven major professions of Tianyan, each with a brief introduction and growth star rating above their heads.
[Swordsman] Balanced offense and defense, a choice for the pros.
[Mage] Master of area attacks, ethereal as a fairy.
[Archer] Long-range strikes, unmatched precision.
[Knight] High defense and health, an indestructible body.
[Assassin] Shadowy ghost, swift as the wind.
[Priest] Healer of the world, saintly heart.
[Berserker] High burst and damage, unstoppable.
The seven professions were listed before him, and Chen Lang unhesitatingly chose the top-ranked Swordsman.
However, this time, the system's female voice did not respond immediately.
"What happened, did it crash?"
After a while, with no response from the system, Chen Lang was bewildered.
And this thing dared to claim it's a cross-era innovation?
"Ding~"
After nearly ten minutes, the pleasant voice finally sounded again.
[Player profession selection successful]
[Congratulations on becoming an Apprentice Assassin]
"......"
"What the hell, I chose Swordsman!"
Chen Lang was stunned, feeling completely off.
He had clearly chosen Swordsman, so how did he end up as an Assassin?
[Dear player, due to a system update, your selection was abnormal. We are providing you with compensation]
"Ding!"
[Congratulations on acquiring the Assassin-exclusive skill—Backstab]
[Backstab] (B Grade) (lv1): A common skill for 1st Advancement Assassins, launching a fierce attack from behind the target, dealing 125% damage and silencing the target for one second. (Cooldown: 15s)
(Silence: Unable to cast skills)
"......"
Chen Lang blinked, somewhat speechless.
A 1st Advancement common skill, as the name implies, is automatically learned at level 10 during the first advancement, meaning he just got it earlier than others...
"But it's not bad..."
On second thought, Chen Lang wasn't too disappointed.
After all, in the early stages of the game, most people could only rely on basic attacks. This gave him a slight advantage.
[Dear Tianyan player, your game character has been created. Please adjust your appearance and pain sensitivity. The Tianyan Alliance welcomes you to join in the fight against the dark forces!]
The pleasant female voice disappeared, followed by a countdown to the official game launch.
Opening the settings, Chen Lang made slight adjustments to his appearance. His facial contours changed slightly, but he still retained some of his original features.
The appearance settings offered three options: increase by 10%, decrease by 10%, and original appearance correction by 30%. Chen Lang chose the third option.
As for pain sensitivity, it could be set anywhere between 1% and 10%. Chen Lang set it at 5%, as having no pain at all wouldn't feel realistic.
...