Evolution:The Bloodthirsty Saga of the Magic Engineer - Chapter 54: bottles

In childhood, they were neighbors. Xie Zhen always bullied Li Yu.

Deep Sea, the mental network connecting the Five Continents, is rapidly propelling human civilization forward, but no one knows that eternal night is coming. When the transcendence awakens, the grand buildings will collapse. When flesh and blood are bitter and weak, how can people ascend? The tale begins with an encounter and the receiving of a ruler carrying truth. Gu Shen, an ordinary young man, unveils a corner of the truth about this transcendental world and becomes the largest moth among thousands being drawn to a flame. When the bitter winter comes… I will ascend against the tide, overturn the thrones of kings, shatter the crowns of hypocrisy, and destroy the scepters of injustice. I will become humanity’s final Light Barrier.

It all started when the protagonist downloaded a game called “The Fool (Beta Version),” marking a pivotal shift in the style of his life. This was no ordinary game; it lacked visuals and music, composed solely of lines of text and a multitude of choices. Yet, each decision within the game had the power to alter the player's destiny, for on the other side of the game lay a real, unknown world.Players were unable to physically enter this otherworld or see its landscapes, experiencing the alternate realm solely through text, vicariously living each step of their character's journey.As the game progressed, not only could rewards from the game materialize in the real world, but creatures from the game began to appear in reality as well.Then came the day the game was released for global public testing.An era quietly unfolded, where the masses embarked on explorations and treasure hunts in an alternate universe through 'textual adventure,' heralding a new chapter of engagement and discovery.

In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online-a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other-opens its virtual doors, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in the game world by manipulating their brain waves to create a wholly realistic gaming experience.

But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG-a log-out button.

Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, “game over” means certain death-both virtual and real…