Translator: CinderTL
After finalizing his character name, the screen went black again, indicating a loading period.
The indicator lights on the virtual game pod flashed continuously, and the machine hummed with the sound of high-speed operation.
Having already established a neural connection with the pod, Feng Qi remained oblivious to the external activity.
Approximately two minutes later, a virtual options panel popped up before him:
Multiplayer Combat Mode (Ranked Matchmaking)
Multiplayer Combat Mode (Custom Rooms)
Domain Instance Mode - Solo Mode - Team Mode (Temporarily Unavailable)
Custom Instance Mode - Paid Download of Instance Map Library: 0 (Temporarily Unavailable)
Custom Instance Map Editor (23,215 Existing Map Assets, Temporarily Unavailable)
Simulation Training Room (Skill Release Training, Skill Combination Training)
Personal Space (Add Friends, Battle Records, Hall of Fame, Match Replays, Friend Communication, Clothing and Accessory Customization...)
Internal Testing Scenario 1 (Temporarily Unavailable)
Internal Testing Scenario 2 (Temporarily Unavailable)
Dawn was still in its testing phase, offering extremely limited content.
Meanwhile, Feng Qi also discovered that due to configuration issues with the virtual game pod, the game's loading times were noticeably sluggish. Each transition required a prolonged wait, leaving the screen blank for an extended period.
These were clearly issues that needed to be addressed in future updates.
Without hesitation, he immediately clicked the "Personal Space" option.
After a ten-second black screen delay, he found himself in a room, clad in a gray linen robe.
The room spanned approximately two hundred square meters and contained nothing but a "Hall of Fame" display.
Approaching the wall labeled "Add Friend," he tapped the "+" icon and selected "Search Nearby Players."
Soon, the original avatars and usernames of Lin Ran and the others appeared on the radar:
Lin Ran (Game Name: Deity-Tier Cultivation Technique)
Mu Qing (Game Name: Slurp)
Liu Yue (Game Name: Sword)
Xia Long (Game Name: Aowu Dragon)
Xia Hu (Game Name: Aowu Tiger)
Xia Bao (Game Name: Meowu Leopard)
Yan Yue (Game Name: Mountain-Lifting Might)
Jia Yi (Game Name: Half a Move Ahead of Heaven)
Yang Xiaoxin (Game Name: Cautious War God)
Cai Guo (Game Name: Life-Saving Veteran Physician)
Xu Hongyun (Game Name: Poverty Makes Me Stronger)
Huixu (Game Name: Kill Me and Your Mother Dies)
Each player's personal information was linked to the Scarlet Database, requiring real-name authentication before logging in.
As a result, everyone's real name appeared on the radar.
However, players could hide their real names in the settings, choosing to make them visible only to friends or completely hidden.
They could also block searches, preventing nearby players from finding them.
After adding Lin Ran and the others one by one and approving their friend requests, Feng Qi reopened his friend list and invited them all to his personal space.
Moments later, Liu Yue and the others materialized in his room.
Grinning at their shocked expressions, Feng Qi asked, "What do you think?"
"Brother Qi, what's going on with this game?" Lin Ran asked, his face full of astonishment.
"I brought Fang Zhiyou to Star City Academy some time ago specifically to develop this game. With the help of the Scarlet Research Institute, we've completed a preliminary version."
"That was way too fast! I thought your virtual game project was just a hobby. Who would've thought you'd actually create it? This is insane!" Lin Ran exclaimed.
"It's all thanks to the Scarlet Research Institute's support. Without their help, I could never have created a game like this," Feng Qi immediately attributed the game's success to the institute.
"Brother Qi, how do you actually play this game? Tell us quickly!" Xu Hongyun exclaimed excitedly.
"The gameplay is quite simple. Players combine skills to engage in combat. Let's start with a test in the simulation training space."
"Wait here for a moment," Feng Qi said before exiting his personal space and returning to the options menu.
He selected the simulation training space, and two options immediately popped up:
Combat Skill Training Room