Chapter 88: The Revival of Myth

After spending an entire day, Yin Jian finally finalized the contents of the milestone.

“All that’s left is the player interaction mode.”

Finishing the game update, Yin Jian began to ponder once more.

The interaction mode needed to retain the core gameplay, but also maintain balance.

“In that case, there are some keywords that can’t be used…”

It wasn’t just about the keywords; because a single round of “The Mystic” lasted too long, it was clear that the number of players online at the same time couldn’t be too large.

“Should I use a time-stop mechanism? The game progress freezes when a player exits?”

Yin Jian frowned, feeling this wasn’t an ideal solution.

“Or perhaps introduce AI—players could set their actions before going offline. That actually might work.”

After mulling it over, he decided to adopt this method.

“There are still a lot of details to refine… Well, never mind, I’ll just take my time.”

Rubbing his forehead, Yin Jian felt a little tired.

He was just about to rest for a bit—hadn’t even lain down yet—when he received a message from Zhou Shun.

Zhou Shun: “Brother Yin, I’ve finished my game, but I keep feeling like something’s missing. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Could you take a look for me?”

Yin Jian: “Sure, send it over.”

Without a second thought, Yin Jian agreed. First, he’d already promised Zhou Shun; second, he wanted to relax with a game himself.

After all, he’d been wound up tight lately and needed to loosen up.

Zhou Shun didn’t keep him waiting long—soon after receiving the message, he sent over the game’s resource pack.

Zhou Shun: [Mythic Revival]

Seeing the game arrive, Yin Jian clicked on it without hesitation.

His consciousness instantly plunged into the game.

His vision shifted, and when he regained his senses, he found himself on a platform.

At the center of the platform was a beam of light.

Under the radiant beam, an ornate golden crown slowly revolved.

[Please choose your faction]

After the prompt disappeared, points of starlight converged on the platform.

Soon, eight factions of different colors appeared before him.

There was red for Xiahua, earthen brown for Duyin, black for Zoufei, white for Oubei…

Yin Jian took just a glance before selecting Xiahua.

The factions vanished, replaced by a lineup of vibrant characters.

Each one bore a unique expression and pose.

Their names and stories were inscribed in elegant silver script.

Among them were mythic figures he knew well, and others he’d never heard of before.

From the descriptions, it was clear these were legendary figures who had appeared in the post-Earth, interstellar era.

Yin Jian looked around, then picked the one who appealed to him most.

With the character chosen, the game officially began.

…

…

Dense black clouds shrouded the sky.

Heavy rain poured down upon the earth.

The downpour was so sudden that the people below had no time to seek shelter—they were soaked through in an instant.

The sound of rain splashing echoed all around.

Listening to the rain in his ears and feeling the chill seep into his body, Yin Jian gradually came to himself.

He was kneeling on the ground.

Before him lay an overturned, mangled car.

From the gaps in the twisted frame, sparks flickered.

It was clear—a car accident had just taken place.

Suddenly, Yin Jian realized something warm was clasped in his hand. He looked down.

There he saw the face of a stunningly beautiful woman.

Even battered and rain-drenched, her beauty could not be concealed.

The warm sensation in his hand came from hers.

Her lips were pale. Seeing Yin Jian look at her, she offered him a sweet smile.

“Live well,” she whispered.

Her voice was soft, but somehow, even in the roar of the storm, Yin Jian heard her perfectly.

After a long moment, when he came to his senses again, he realized the beauty had already departed from this world.

Yin Jian tried to move, but only then did he realize: this was merely a cutscene.

He could not act.

He could only watch, in first-person view, as the body’s owner slowly rose to his feet.

For an instant, time seemed to slow.

An intangible force radiated from within, shattering the falling rain around him.

A power was awakening inside.

“Why?”

“We promised to stay together forever…”

The body’s owner croaked out these words, then stretched out his hands; with a sudden effort, he tore the wrecked vehicle in two.

From the wreckage, he lifted a figure whose lower half was a bloody ruin.

He clung to her tightly, as if trying to merge her into himself.

“Do you want to bring her back?”

A voice suddenly sounded from behind.

Yin Jian looked back—it was a man in black, his upper body concealed by an umbrella so his face could not be seen.

The body’s owner did not respond, clearly not believing the stranger’s words.

“You may find it laughable,” the man said, “but feel carefully the force within you.”

“Mythic revival, the war of gods is about to begin. The ultimate victor will have any wish granted.”

“How do I join the battle?”

“You may die.”

“Am I afraid?”

…

…

After playing through a part of “Mythic Revival,” Yin Jian exited the game and let out a heavy sigh.

He hadn’t finished—after all, Zhou Shun was waiting for his feedback.

Yin Jian: “Bro Zhou, that was awesome!”

Zhou Shun: “…Cut it out, just tell me what you think—any suggestions?”

Yin Jian: “It’s genuinely great, ascending to godhood in a single playthrough isn’t just a dream!”

Zhou Shun: “…I think I need to raise your rent.”

Yin Jian: “Just kidding, just kidding.”

Yin Jian quickly typed, then thought for a moment and wrote out his impressions.

Yin Jian: “The opening story is incredibly immersive, no question. The reincarnated deity concept works really well, it’s actually fantastic.”

Yin Jian: “But when it comes to the duel segment, I noticed your opponent is just a bunch of numbers on paper. The duels themselves are just a few lines, almost robotic. Even though I still got my butt handed to me, it felt like there was something missing—something human.”

Yin Jian: “I think it’s not enough to flesh out just the protagonist; you need to develop the opponents too. Both sides should have their own reasons for not being able to lose—that’s what would really elevate the theme.”

“Hm?”

Seeing no response from the other side, Yin Jian scratched his head. “Did I go too far?”

He felt a bit awkward, but then thought, Zhou Shun wasn’t that petty.

Yin Jian: “Bro Zhou? You still there?”

Zhou Shun: “Bro, you hit the nail on the head. I got so excited I went straight to tweak the game and forgot to reply—sorry about that.”

Yin Jian: “No worries.”

Zhou Shun: “Let’s leave it here for now. When I get a chance, I’ll take you to the Cosmic Zoo as thanks.”

“Cosmic Zoo?” Yin Jian read the message and stroked his chin. He remembered the place was quite far.

“I think I saw an ad before—they’d just captured a prehistoric twenty-first-century shut-in, revived from a cryogenic pod…”

“Does that make us fellow countrymen?”

P.S. I originally wanted to write more detail about “Mythic Revival,” but it’s too much content, so I’ll save it for the extras.