"Mr. Fangsheng, you and Miss Lewan have been selected as the Guardians of a five-star Western fantasy world. You now have one hour to prepare. Please enter the Star Gate when the time is up." A cold mechanical voice rang in Fangsheng's mind, accompanied by a one-hour countdown appearing in his field of vision.
As soon as the voice finished, Fangsheng stood up from his chair and walked quickly toward the door amidst the astonished gazes of the people around him. As he walked, he said, "Professor, I've been chosen as a Guardian." With that, Fangsheng had already left the classroom, leaving behind his classmates, who were only just snapping out of their daze, wearing baffled expressions.
The professor looked at Fangsheng's retreating back and immediately thought of the Guardian who had died in the news broadcast a month ago. Now that the Guardian had been dead for a month and the Star Gate had stabilized, it was indeed time to select a new Guardian. It was just unfair to Fangsheng—he was only a student!
While the classroom remained silent, Fangsheng had already returned to the vicinity of his home. Seeing the special forces soldiers who had already cordoned off his two-story villa, Fangsheng said, "Uncles, please make way. I am Fangsheng, and I've been chosen."
The special forces soldiers exchanged glances and cleared a path just wide enough for one person to pass.
Fangsheng seized the moment and hurried inside. Upon stepping into the courtyard, he saw an ancient door standing right there. The door was wide open, and in Fangsheng's vision, what lay beyond it was not his two-story villa, but a scorched wasteland. Corpses littered the scorched earth, and broken flags, damaged weapons, and shattered limbs were scattered all around.
Looking at the miserable state of the world behind the door, Fangsheng frowned. A five-star difficulty Western fantasy world was already deadly enough, but seeing the world behind the door with his own eyes revealed just how much more terrifying it truly was.
"Hello, student Fangsheng. I am from the Guard Team, and I am deeply sorry for surrounding your residence." A gentle baritone sounded. Fangsheng looked toward the source and saw a suit-clad man and a heavily armed, tall man standing beside the Star Gate. The suit-clad man was the one who had just spoken.
Fangsheng shook his head to indicate that he didn't mind, then took the initiative to speak: "I understand the basics. Could you give me a detailed briefing on this world?"
Surprise flashed in the eyes of the two men at Fangsheng's composure. But surprise aside, business had to be conducted. The suit-clad man took a document from his briefcase, handed it to Fangsheng, and said, "Student Fangsheng, this is the information left behind by Lord Wang Ming. Please read it carefully to increase your survival rate after entering the Star Gate."
Fangsheng took the documents and asked as he read, "I'm not the only one who has become a Guardian; someone named Lewan was chosen as well. Can you tell me about her situation?"
A look of discomfort crossed the man's face. He weighed his words carefully and replied tactfully, "Student Lewan's situation is somewhat special. She has been blind since birth, and even though her father spent a fortune on magical potions and elixirs, he failed to cure her eyes. In the end, he had no choice but to settle for the next best thing and have student Lewan wear an eyepieces-like magical item so she could see the world again."
At the end, the man hinted cryptically, "Student Fangsheng, please prioritize your own life when the time comes." As soon as these words were spoken, the tall man who had been silent the entire time glared fiercely at the suit-clad man, though he did not voice any rebuttal.
Judging by this kid's current performance, his calm temperament, coupled with the contingency plans left behind by Lord Wang Ming, his survival rate wouldn't be low, even in the highest-difficulty world.
Yet his companion was a delicate female who had to rely on magical items just to perceive the world...
Fangsheng chuckled softly, said nothing, and continued reading the documents in his hand. After all, this was the highest-difficulty world; a single misstep could cost him his life. Still, he was lucky—at least he had the data left by his predecessor.
Time ticked away second by second. Fangsheng memorized the general situation of the world and, based on the scenery he had just seen behind the door, tried to deduce his landing point.
With only three minutes left, Fangsheng handed the documents back to the man and asked, "Do you have paper and a pen?"
The man retrieved a pen and paper from his briefcase and handed them to Fangsheng. Taking them, Fangsheng began to write his farewell letter. Hearing his parents moving around outside the villa, he smiled faintly, "Please help me give this to my parents later. Oh, and there's no need to let them in to say goodbye; I'm afraid of partings."
After finishing the farewell letter, Fangsheng took a deep breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and steadied his emotions.
To say he wasn't nervous would be a lie. After all, once he stepped through the Star Gate, he would no longer be an ordinary college student, but a Guardian carrying a heavy responsibility. Besides, this was no time to panic.
Handing the farewell letter to the suit-clad man, Fangsheng walked toward the Star Gate.
Up close, Fangsheng could finally see the scenery behind the Star Gate clearly. Across this land, human-looking soldiers lay dead everywhere, and blood soaked the earth, making it impossible to tell the original color of the soil.
However, until a Guardian entered the Star Gate, the perspective would remain fixed in this direction, preventing Fangsheng from figuring out his exact coordinates upon entry.
According to the records, the world was extremely vast. The south and east belonged to humanity, where numerous countries stood. Among them, the Yalan Empire and the Sute Empire were the most powerful. The north was home to the Orc Plateau, the Elven Forest, and the Frigid Lands of the North. As for the west, it was a chaotic zone—the gray realm of the world.
And as a level-five world of the highest difficulty, aside from humans, elves, and orcs—elements commonly found in Western fantasy worlds—it also boasted almighty gods dwelling on high!
In the data left behind by the senior Wang Ming, the gods of this world were immensely powerful, known only by titles with their true names remaining entirely unknown. From the records, it was clear that senior Wang Ming held deep apprehension toward these gods and left behind a warning: the Guardian who succeeded him must never show disrespect to the gods.
Recalling that information gave Fangsheng a headache. How vast is the data of an entire world? He had only managed to memorize some of the most important matters. If the Star Gate didn't prohibit bringing items from reality, he definitely would have brought the documents along, along with some self-defense tools.
It would be even better if he could have a gun.
Fangsheng took another deep breath, suppressed the wild thoughts swirling in his mind, steadied his emotions, and forced himself to stop dwelling on such things.
00:03
00:02
00:01
Just as the time was about to hit zero, Fangsheng heard a cry from behind: "May fortune favor your martial endeavors!" The unison shouts of the crowd echoed through the courtyard. Hearing this, Fangsheng smiled faintly and resolutely stepped into the Star Gate.
The man looked at Fangsheng's retreating back and thought, "I hope he can protect this world!"