Godmode: The Dead Game Odyssey

Chapter 1: Eclipse Port

Chapter 1: Eclipse Port

Liam Watson woke up in the back seat of a car. The interior was cramped and narrow, and the worn-out seatbacks exuded a faint smell of smoke. Droplets of water slid down the windows. He could barely make out the drizzle outside. The sky was dim, and it was impossible to tell whether it was dusk or night. A faint, unpleasant smell of salted fish lingered in his nostrils.

In front of him, a floating panel appeared with the words—[Game Instructions].

Liam furrowed his brow.

Where was he? Why was he here? Moreover, what was this panel?

The panel seemed to sense his confusion and began displaying answers individually.

[You are in a deadly game. You ended up here because we detected a strong desire for money after your unemployment, triggering the game's activation.]

As the words appeared on the panel, Liam began recalling some things.

Yes, that is right—he had lost his job.

He had always had an intense desire for money, to the point that it was almost abnormal. Since childhood, he had been obsessed with wealth, to the extent that a psychologist diagnosed him with [Money Hoarding Disorder]. The doctor had warned him that if he did not control his craving for money, he would eventually do something reckless for the sake of it.

When he had a job, Liam had a steady income that allowed him to control his desires somewhat. However, when he lost his job, he was consumed by an uncontrollable urge to hoard money, to the point that he wanted to disregard everything else. His psychologist said it was a common psychological reaction for unemployed people and advised him to relax, go out, and see the world.

Liam sneered. Without money, how could he see the world? He would be seeing hell, not the world.

Liam sarcastically asked the psychologist, "Will seeing the world make me rich?"

The psychologist replied, "Of course not! You'll get poorer."

Liam stared at him, silent.

The psychologist continued, "But once you get poorer, you'll realize... being poor isn't so bad. Money is just an external thing, so why torment yourself?"

Liam, expressionless, asked, "Does it hurt to deal with patients like me?"

The psychologist hesitated. "Yes... it does."

Liam grinned, "So why are you torturing yourself like this? Why don't you quit your job and travel?"

The psychologist, defeated, answered, "Because of money. I can't afford to leave."

Liam chuckled. After making several psychologists cry, he realized poverty was the best weapon against humanity.

It hurt others, and it hurt yourself even more.

Thankfully, the psychologist was free at the community center; otherwise, Liam would have been even poorer.

———

After losing his job, Liam sank into a state of extreme anxiety. He could not calm down, and even in his dreams, he saw himself becoming rich overnight, laughing joyfully at piles of money. However, when he woke up, the stark contrast between his dreams and reality made him even more despondent, as his savings barely reached five figures.

In this unbearable state of anxiety and inner conflict, Liam often daydreamed—if only there were a way to earn money through high-risk ventures. He was willing to risk his life for money!

He shared his thoughts with a friend, who tried to comfort him. "See that book on criminal law on your bookshelf?"

Liam nodded.

His friend said, "Just open a random page, pick a law. It's a high-risk way to make money. If you try hard enough, you might even make it to the urgent list this month."

Liam replied, "..."

Liam did not want to break the law. Surely, there had to be a way to make money quickly without committing a crime. His friend replied, "Dreaming is a faster way."

Even if it meant risking his life, he wanted money—Liam thought to himself as he lay in bed, losing consciousness and being sucked into the game.

Liam looked at the floating game panel before him as the memories faded.

A new line of text appeared:

[Yes, your strong desire activated the game. If you complete the game, you will get everything you want.]

Without hesitation, Liam said, "I want money."

Forget the game; he just wanted to get rich.

A few moments later, Liam asked, "Is this game legal?"

The panel responded: [... Legal.]

[By completing the game, you will earn points, which can be exchanged for money and anything else you desire.]

Liam asked again, "What kind of game is this? How do I earn the points you mentioned?"

The panel responded: [This is a horror escape game filled with ghosts, murderers, and incredible creatures. Your task is to identify their weaknesses, complete the storylines, and survive the game.]

[Loading game copy... Complete.]

————

[Game Copy Name: "Eclipse Port"]

[Level: One (A level one game has a death rate below 50%)]

[Mode: Single-player Mode]

[Summary: This is an exciting blend of action and puzzle-solving, popular among players but seems quite unforgiving to newcomers, with a very high death rate.]

——————

[Player Information Loading... Complete —]

[Player Name: Liam Watson]

[Health: 100 (Attack power decreases if health drops below 60, and the player dies when it reaches zero)]

[Stamina: 80 (Fully energized)]

[Agility: 25 (You sit at a desk all day, not very agile)]

[Attack: 30 (Your attack power is about the same as a high school girl swinging a backpack)]

[Intelligence: 89 (Surprisingly intelligent)]

[Luck: 0 (You have consistently been extremely unlucky; if the company lays off one person, it is going to be you)]

[Skills: None (You do not have any skills yet)]

[Mental Health: 100 (You are the first player this year to enter the game with full mental health)]

There was a small note under the Mental Health stat.

(Note: Please maintain your mental health above 60. If mental health drops below 60, your stats will be halved; below 40, you will see hallucinations that do not belong to the game, increasing the difficulty; below 20, you will enter a state of madness, and your attack stats may randomly increase, allowing you to kill any creature; at 0, you will be completely assimilated by the copy and become a monster.)

[Player Status Evaluation — F Rank Player, the lowest rank. However, this rating is uncertain due to unusual mental health and intelligence stats. Final player rank recorded as — F (?)]

Liam glanced over his character panel, his eyes fixed on the question mark after the "F." He felt like he was being subtly mocked. He dismissed the panel, and another one popped up.

[You have logged into the Newbie Zone TV screen (1/100). No one is currently watching you. Player Liam Watson has zero popularity and zero spending rate.]

Liam furrowed his brows. "What is this?"

The panel responded: [Your gameplay will be displayed on a small screen in the Newbie Zone for others to watch. However, no one is watching your progress, and no one is spending money on your game. You are currently anonymous.]

Liam understood now; it was like being a game streamer. However, that did not matter. His focus was on the "spending rate" part. "If someone spends money on me, I get points, right?"

The panel responded: [Yes.]

[The game is starting now. Good luck, Newbie Player.]

The panel flashed a bright white light and vanished from his view.

A small screen suddenly lit up somewhere in a game lobby, showing Liam's clear, fair face. Around it were other screens displaying the terrified faces of other new players—some curled up like hedgehogs, clutching their heads, refusing to accept reality, while others were crying and hitting the screens, trying to escape.

Liam, however, had a calm expression, completely different from the panicked newcomers around him.

Everyone looked up at the screen that had just turned on, discussing it with interest.

"Another newbie entered. Wonder how long this one will last."

"Look at the background—this is the 'Eclipse Port' game, right?"

"These new players are really unlucky. The death rate for new players in 'Eclipse Port' is so high. Last time, out of a hundred, only one survived."

"The random difficulty for new players has been insane recently. But watching these newbies freak out is pretty hilarious!"

"Wait!" Suddenly, a passing player seemed to notice something extraordinary. He leaned closer to Liam's screen, staring at his character stats in disbelief. "There's a new player with 100 mental health!"

"What?!"

"Move, I want to see too!"

"Damn! Are all the new players this insane now? 100 mental health?!"

"The last one with 100 mental health is now in the top ten on the game's overall leaderboard."

"A potential seed! Let me see!"

Liam's screen blinked, and a mechanical voice flatly reported:

[Fifty people are crowding around to watch player Liam Watson's screen. Player Liam Watson has unlocked the "Newcomer Achievement," activating the one-click triple system.]

[Twenty-eight people have liked Liam Watson's video, and fifty-six have saved his small TV screen. No one has charged Liam Watson's battery yet. Please continue, Player Liam.]