Chapter 1 Welcome to The Sundered Realms

Cynthia Ford had been having a rough time lately.

First, her advisor called her in the middle of her vacation and sent her deep into the mountains. Then she got caught in a sudden storm at the summit and ended up trapped there for two days.

After pushing through one hardship after another, she finally set up the equipment at the designated spot. The moment she turned around, her advisor, her classmates, and even the muddy ground behind them flickered like a glitch and disappeared.

Before she could even react, a dense, green forest filled her vision.

Already on the verge of collapse, Cynthia snapped. She thought, 'Did I push myself too far? No sleep and all that hiking—am I seeing things? Or is this a dream?

'But it feels way too real. I can smell the dirt, grass, and wood. And wait, wasn't my equipment right behind me? How did it turn into a creek? That's the lab's most expensive portable instrument.'

Almost on instinct, she reached into the pocket of her windbreaker for her phone. But there was nothing.

She immediately reached back for her backpack, only to feel the thick fabric of her jacket instead.

[Ding-dong!] A cold, mechanical voice rang out. Cynthia froze. She glanced around, heart pounding, but there was no one there.

[The Sundered Realms loading complete. Current survival version: Blue Star Edition.]

[Five billion Survivors deployed. The remaining Survivors were temporarily sealed due to not meeting current deployment conditions. They will be deployed as survival progress advances. Deployment rules will be released later.]

[The Sundered Realms Official Statement: In this world, all sensations and feedback are real. Death in this world is permanent. Survivors have only one life. You cannot reload saves.]

[This is a trial version. Complete the beginner tasks to unlock more features.]

[Beginner task released.]

A half-transparent notification suddenly popped up right in front of her.

[Beginner Task: Place Shelter.

[Task Description: In The Sundered Realms, a Shelter is necessary for survival. The location you choose will determine your future development potential. Please choose carefully.

[Time Remaining: 1:57:40.]

Cynthia lifted her hand and waved it in front of her face. Even when her palm was almost touching her eyes, the notification didn't move.

She shook her head from side to side, but it stayed fixed in the center of her vision. She even shut her eyes. It was still there.

Hesitating, she said, "Close notification."

The notification instantly broke apart like dust and vanished.

But when she murmured to herself, it came back. It was mind-controlled.

Cynthia's thoughts were a complete mess. She thought that either something in this place had poisoned her, or maybe the pressure had finally cracked her mind, and she was starting to lose it.

There was no way she had actually entered a place called The Sundered Realms. That was insane.

But she couldn't laugh it off. Deep down, she already knew.

From the moment the forest came into view, something had felt off. Broadleaf trees stood mixed with cypress. Thick ferns grew beneath jagged shrubs.

Plants from high altitudes were tangled with lowland species. Things that belonged in tropical climates sat right next to plants that should only exist in temperate zones.

Even if she were hallucinating, she couldn't have imagined something that broke the rules of nature.

Trying to steady herself, Cynthia opened the Menu. A shadowy outline appeared in front of her. She instinctively stepped back a few paces, letting the shadow fall fully across the flat ground by the creek.

[Confirm Shelter placement location. Yes/No.]

Cynthia chose no. It wasn't a bad spot. The ground was level, there was water nearby, and the forest and shrubs behind it offered cover.

But she still had time. She decided to follow the creek upstream for an hour. If she couldn't find something better, she could always run back and make it before the timer ran out.

What she hadn't expected was how hard the path would be.

The flat ground didn't last long. After a short distance and a turn, she found herself on a stretch of rocky shoreline.

She struggled across it, the sound of water splashing against stone echoing around her. Then, all at once, a cliff rose up ahead—nearly 30 feet high—with a waterfall crashing down its face.

Cynthia glanced to both sides, then stopped in front of a gentler route and studied it.

The rock face looked like granite and slanted slightly backward. Unlike most natural cliffs, it was full of small pits that made easy footholds and handholds.

There was no wet mud, nothing that might make her slip. It reminded her more of the climbing walls in some of the open-world games she used to play.

Before entering The Sundered Realms, she had gone through field training. Her hair was tied back so it wouldn't block her vision. Her clothes were easy to move in. She wore high-top hiking boots and a pair of non-slip gloves.

With all that, and considering the height of the cliff, the climb wasn't too dangerous.

It was time to move. Cynthia had some experience with outdoor climbing. By the time she neared the top, she still had almost ten minutes left before her planned return.

For the last stretch, she bent one leg and stepped onto a jutting rock, rose slightly on the toes of her other foot, and grabbed the edge of the cliff with one hand. She tightened her core, pushed hard, and pulled herself up and over.

Cynthia landed cleanly. She brushed the dust off her clothes and took a moment to steady her breathing, then turned to look around.

She had come up about 30 feet away from the waterfall. On the side opposite the cliff was a flat stretch of forest, thick with trees and bushes. Above the waterfall ran a river, much wider than the creek below.

She pushed through the bushes toward it. When her view finally opened up, she froze.

There was no winding river ahead. Instead, she saw a shallow pond, surrounded by trees on three sides.

The pond was about the size of a standard soccer field. At its deepest point, the water only reached her calf. In the middle was a small, raised "island" of about five thousand square feet.

On the right side of the "island" stood a tree. Unlike the tall, towering trees she had seen along the way, this one was only about 15 feet high. Its trunk twisted slightly, and its branches were bare.

Cynthia had sharp eyesight. If she wasn't mistaken, there were faint, glowing green strips on the trunk.

She took off her shoes and socks, rolled up her pants, and stepped into the pond.

The water was clear. Looking down, she could easily see pebbles and water plants at the bottom. It was warmer than she expected, and there were no signs of fish or any other aquatic life.

When she stepped onto a stone at the very edge of the "island," the tree came into clearer view.

The silver-green strips on the trunk weren't strips at all. They were thin green crystals. Some were embedded in the trunk, and even finer ones dotted the branches above. They caught the light and sparkled when she looked up.

Cynthia reached out and touched one.

[Warning: Survivor has not yet placed Shelter. Cannot appraise.]

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. Compared to her spawn point, this "island" would be harder to leave. It was surrounded by water and sat farther from the trees.

But it also had its advantages. The cliff stood behind it. Freshwater was right here. And most important of all, this tree was clearly not ordinary.

The travel problem could be solved. She could move a few larger stones and make a simple path across. The distance wasn't a big issue either. At worst, she'd just have to walk a little more.

In all the games and stories she knew, the unknown didn't just mean danger. It usually meant opportunity.

And Cynthia had always liked a bit of adventure. She stepped back a few paces and chose a spot on the right side of the "island," about three feet from the tree.

[Confirm Shelter placement location. Yes/No.]

[Yes.]

A thin mist spread over the chosen spot. Cynthia reached out, trying to push her hand into it, but it stopped her like thick, solid slime.

[Shelter placement successful. Survivor ID: 46-95083 officially logged in.]

As the mist slowly faded, a thatched hut took shape in front of her. At the same time, several clusters of faint green lights dropped into view. Cynthia looked up and saw something glowing among the twisted branches.

Then a clear, lively voice rang out.

[Survival Year 15400, Gentle Wind Season. Current location: Emerald Sea (District 46). Weather: Clear. Feels like temperature: 70°F. The Astral Society recommended activity: Logging (wood gathering efficiency slightly increased today).]

[Special Warning: Night hides unknown risks. Please return to Shelter before dark.]

[Survivor Menu opened. Resources officially deployed.]

[Beginner task rewards distributed. Random building draw successful. Congratulations! Survivor has obtained Basic Appraisal×1; Wooden Chest×1; Evolving Pier×1.]

[Talent unlocked. Congratulations! Survivor has activated the Talent, Surveying Engineer (Beginner).]

[Surveying Engineer (Beginner): A qualified surveying engineer should have a special map.

[Effect 1: Areas explored by Survivor will be displayed on the map. Survivor may freely mark and annotate it. After special Resource Nodes are collected, their remaining refresh time will be shown.

[Effect 2: Every three survival days, the map automatically marks the nearest treasure chest to the Survivor (Current cooldown: 2:14:53:59).

[Advancement: To be unlocked.]

[Novice Period activated. During this time, gathering efficiency is increased, more treasure chests will appear, and Shelter cannot be attacked. Time remaining: 2:14:53:01.]

[You are neither the first pioneer nor the last lone traveler. Countless footprints have sunk into the mire, and scattered starlight has brushed the sky. The journey that begins here will leave a new mark. The road behind stretches farther than the one ahead.]

The pale blue Menu spread open before her, lighting up Cynthia's eyes.

[Welcome to The Sundered Realms.]