Inside a ward at Dolren City's premier oncology hospital.
The acrid smell of disinfectant, the hurried footsteps of medical staff, and the moans of other patients filled the air as Ethan slowly opened his eyes on the hospital bed.
A wave of utter weakness instantly washed over his entire body.
Chaotic memories churned through his mind; after a long moment, Ethan finally recalled what had happened to him.
There had been a tumor growing in his brain. Three days ago he underwent surgery, but an accident occurred during the operation, sending him into a coma.
Ethan reached out his hand and gently pressed his temple—his painkillers were starting to wear off.
Right now it felt as though someone were using a power drill to bore into his skull.
The intense pain made Ethan's body tremble, yet his expression remained almost unchanged, as if he had long since grown accustomed to such agony.
He slowly withdrew his phone and began scrolling rapidly through social media updates.
When he saw the words "Dawnfall Online," his pupils constricted slightly.
"Dawnfall Online" referred to a line of translucent text that had appeared before everyone's eyes just a week ago.
He remembered the chaos it had unleashed: many thought it was a divine sign, or perhaps the work of aliens or otherworldly, higher-dimensional beings.
Unlike the panic of others, Ethan—who had a brain tumor and had been told he had less than a year to live even after surgery—felt a keen curiosity about this unknown phenomenon.
Unfortunately, judging from the information online, "Dawnfall Online" officially launched just as he lay unconscious on the operating table.
Other players had already been immersed in the game for three days; Ethan was only now waking from his coma.
Silently, he continued browsing everything about "Dawnfall Online." Because of the surgery, he now had less than five thousand yuan to his name.
Rent, utilities, unpaid university tuition, insurance premiums, follow up medical expenses... all told, he'd need around fifty thousand yuan just to keep his life on track.
But Ethan had just come out of surgery and could only lie here in bed—how could he possibly go out and earn money?
He'd endured pain beyond what most could imagine, solely to save a bit on painkiller costs.
Ethan sighed softly and murmured,
"Being alive without money feels just as suffocating as being dead with unspent cash."
"If I can't make some money soon, they'll probably kick me out of the hospital."
Suddenly, several trending topics on his phone caught his attention:
[Shocking! One incredibly lucky player killed a monster in Dawnfall Online and dropped a Blue quality Intel—sold it for 100,000 yuan!]
["Elite Gamer Logs Three Days in Dawnfall Online and Reaches One Conclusion: The Most Important Thing in Dawnfall Online Isn't Weapons or Gear, It's Intel!"]
["Severe Warning: Do Not Leave Safe Zones Without Sufficient Intel Data! Hundreds Have Gone Insane from the Agony of Death!"]
["Bounty! Lucas, Dolren City's Wealthiest Man, Is Offering Cash for Intel—Any Rare, High Quality Intel Will Be Paid for Up Front!"]
As Ethan kept clicking through every topic tagged "Dawnfall Online," his eyes grew ever brighter.
In his current situation, looking for any other job was sheer fantasy—he might as well try Dawnfall Online. If he got lucky and scored some valuable Intel, all his problems could be solved!
However, others had already been in the game for three days, and according to online reports, time in Dawnfall Online flows at twice the speed of the real world: one day outside equals two in game days.
That meant logging in now put him effectively six days behind everyone else.
But Ethan didn't care much—he had confidence in himself, having been exceptionally skilled at every game he'd ever played.
Adjusting his mindset, Ethan slowly raised his hand and tapped his temple, then closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind exactly as the forums had advised.
Soon, a few semi transparent lines of text appeared before him:
[Welcome to Dawnfall Online. Please Create Your Character.]
Just like those old face customization MMOs, he could choose his character's gender and appearance.
Ethan had no intention of hiding himself—he wasn't exactly famous, and aside from being strikingly handsome, he had nothing to conceal.
After toning down his looks to something more ordinary, Ethan dove straight into the game.
A flash of white light, and when Ethan opened his eyes again, he found himself in a world of pure white.
The bone chilling cold, the howling wind, and the gentle sting of falling snowflakes on his skin made it impossible to tell whether he was really inside Dawnfall Online or had been transported to some frozen realm.
It felt astonishingly real!
He could vividly sense the heat draining from his body. Looking down, he saw that his broad, muscular frame was clad only in a pair of white underwear.
"Nothing else? Just underwear?" Ethan muttered instinctively.
At that moment, a flash of white light appeared beside him, revealing a stunning woman in white lingerie—her figure scorching and her bust at least an E cup.
Ethan couldn't help stealing a few glances and whispered, "There are perks to wearing less."
However, more than admiring the beauty, Ethan was far more concerned with what to do next. According to the information he'd found online, Dawnfall Online had no newbie tutorial.
Ethan carefully recalled the guides other players had compiled. He raised his right arm and indeed discovered a skin toned wristwatch strapped to his wrist.
With a gentle tap, a semi transparent display appeared before him.
[Talent]: Pain Resistance (Blue)
[Status]: Hypothermia
[Equipment]: Cotton Underwear (Gray Quality)
Just as Ethan was reviewing his stats, he suddenly noticed the display begin to flicker, as if disrupted by some invisible force.
[Warning: Data Anomaly Detected!]
[Correcting... Unable to Correct]
[Error! Error! Error!]
[Congratulations! You have obtained the unique hidden special talent: Ten Thousandfold Intelligence Reward.]
[Ten-Thousandfold Intelligence Reward (Quality: Unknown)]: Upon killing a monster for the first time, you are guaranteed to receive an Intel reward. The stronger the monster, the greater the reward multiplier, and you will also obtain all information about the slain creature, including but not limited to: its distribution, weaknesses, traits, preferences...