Prolouge

Three months. Eighty-eight days. Two thousand one hundred twelve hours. That's how long I, Alex, had been staring at the same screen, fingers drumming a relentless rhythm on my keyboard. The culprit? The Old Quest, an MMORPG that exploded in popularity the moment it launched. But unlike the millions chasing fleeting glory, I wasn't driven by fleeting thrills. I was on a relentless pursuit of a different kind—the pursuit of an endpoint that didn't exist.

The Old Quest was unlike any game I'd ever played. It threw out the tired concept of a max level, dangling the promise of limitless progression before our bloodshot eyes. It was a siren song, and I, a shipwreck in its thrall. Sleep was a luxury I couldn't afford, meals became hurried affairs shoved between grinds. The world outside my window blurred into a monotonous backdrop as I battled fantastical creatures, explored uncharted landscapes, all in a relentless quest for the next level.

Level 600. That was the number that haunted my dreams. Three months of relentless effort had brought me to the precipice of this uncharted territory. My body ached, and my mind felt like a fogged mirror, but a sliver of grim satisfaction kept me going. I was the first, the lone pioneer who dared to breach the stratosphere of The Old Quest.

Then, the world shattered. A system message, stark and unexpected, pierced through the game's usual fanfare.

[Congratulations, player Alexander! You have achieved the highest level in The Old Quest. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the game will be undergoing a permanent shutdown.]

Disbelief turned to a cold fury. I sacrificed three months of my life for a digital carrot that vanished the moment I reached for it. With a numb acceptance, I logged in for one last time, expecting nothing but a desolate server message. Instead, a blinding light erupted from my monitor, engulfing me whole. When the world solidified again, I was no longer in the familiar confines of my room. A colossal window, shimmering with otherworldly light, hung suspended in the air before me. It bore a single, enticing inscription:

[Become a God Race.]

The game was over, but it seemed, the true quest had just begun.