Ash's eyes snapped open.
White ceiling. Cheap apartment.
He sat up slowly, his mind racing.
This room...
He knew this place. He'd lived here ten years ago.
Before everything went to hell.
Before Marcus betrayed him.
Before Crimson Dawn Guild took everything he built.
"Impossible."
Ash grabbed his phone from the nightstand. The date glowed on the screen.
March 15th, 2024.
The day MMORPG Tycoon launched globally.
He'd been given a second chance.
[DING!]
A translucent blue screen appeared in front of his face.
[GLOBAL NOTIFICATION!]
MMORPG Tycoon has officially launched!
10 Billion players worldwide!
Build your game. Dominate the rankings. Become a legend.
Ash dismissed it with a thought.
He already knew what was coming.
In his past life, he'd built the #1 MMORPG for three years straight. Millions of players. Billions in revenue.
Then Marcus sold his game data to Crimson Dawn for a pittance.
They stole his players. His developers. His reputation.
He died in a car accident six months later.
Was it really an accident? Didn't matter now.
Ash stood and stretched. His body was younger. Healthier.
Twenty-two years old again.
He pulled up his system interface.
[Player Profile]
Name: Ash Corvus
Rank: Unranked
Current Game: None
Total Players: 0
Daily Revenue: $0
Reputation Points: 0
[DING!]
Another notification appeared.
[UNIQUE QUEST TRIGGERED!]
Quest: Create Your First MMORPG
Reward: Beginner's Package, 10,000 RP
Time Limit: 24 Hours
Ash smirked. He didn't need a tutorial. He opened his laptop and logged into MMORPG Tycoon.
The interface loaded instantly. A blank canvas. Endless possibilities.
Most players would spend hours on character design. World building. Lore.
Idiots.
Speed was everything. Ash's fingers flew across the keyboard.
Game Name: Dark Ascension
Genre: Dark Fantasy MMORPG
Key Features:
Permadeath System Player-Driven Economy Territory Wars PvP Focused
He clicked through the menus with surgical precision.
No handholding. No safe zones. No casual bullshit.
Hardcore players would flock to it.
Streamers would rage about it.
Controversy meant attention.
Attention meant players.
[DING!]
[GAME CREATED SUCCESSFULLY!]
Dark Ascension is now live!
Generating servers...
Calculating initial player interest...
Three seconds later, the results came in.
[PLAYER ANALYSIS]
Projected First-Day Players: 247
Genre Appeal: High (Underserved Market)
Controversy Rating: 95/100
Viral Potential: 87/100
247 players.
Most developers would panic.
Ash knew better. He didn't need millions on day one. He needed the right players. The ones who'd kill for an advantage.
[DING!]
[QUEST COMPLETE!]
Reward Claimed!
+10,000 RP
Beginner's Package Unlocked!
A new screen materialized.
[BEGINNER'S PACKAGE]
Contents:
x1 [Random S-Rank Game Feature] x3
[Marketing Boost Tokens] x1
[Developer Recruitment Ticket (Gold)]
Ash opened the Random S-Rank Feature.
The roulette spun. Lights flashed.
[DING!]
[S-RANK FEATURE ACQUIRED!]
[Adaptive AI Director]
Effect: Your game's AI will dynamically adjust difficulty and create unique events based on player behavior. Increases player retention by 300%. Cannot be copied or stolen.
Ash's eyes narrowed.
This changed everything. In his past life, player retention was his weakness. People got bored. They left for newer games.
Not anymore.
He immediately integrated the feature into Dark Ascension.
[DING!]
[INTEGRATION COMPLETE!]
Dark Ascension has been upgraded!
New Rating: A-Tier Potential
His phone buzzed.
A message from Marcus.
"Yo bro! Did you start playing yet? We should team up and build something together!"
Ash stared at the message.
Marcus. His "best friend" from his past life.
The same person who'd shake his hand while plunging a knife in his back.
He deleted the message without responding.
Another notification popped up.
[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT!]
Top 10 Games - Day 1 Rankings
Eternal Kingdom - 2.4M players
Fantasy Legend Online - 1.8M players
Dragon's Path - 1.2M players
...
Dark Ascension - 247 players
Rock bottom. Exactly where he wanted to be.
Ash cracked his knuckles and opened the developer console. He had 24 hours before the first Territory War event.