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A room filled with gaming pods.

Mantou sat at his computer, eating a boxed meal, aimlessly browsing a gaming platform.

""Flashback 12", "The Walking Dead: Fated", "Order of the Dwarves"..."

"What the hell are these? Perfect for another garbage review video. Can I at least get some hazard pay for this crap?"

Mantou took a bite of his chicken leg and couldn’t help but complain:

"When will "Erezaghe" officially launch? I’m so bored lately I could die. Man, I miss the days of riding wyverns. I wonder how Noodle is doing these days."

As he chewed on his chicken, a notification popped up in his "Special Focus" list. It was a game announcement from the mysterious "Erezaghe" official account.

"Erezaghe" will officially launch for open beta in three days! Version 1.0[Northern Winds and Clouds]is coming soon!

"Heh, finally!"

Mantou rubbed his hands together, wiped the grease from his mouth, and clicked without hesitation.

As the video started, the screen was still dark, with no visuals loaded yet. Nevertheless, the screen was quickly filled with an avalanche of comments.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Wuhuu~"

"I’ve been waiting forever!"

"Do you know how I survived this past year?"

"Beta players crying—this was my childhood game!"

"European players, get lost! I haven’t even gotten a slot yet!"

"Damn, I’m not the only one cursed with bad luck."

This open beta for "Erezaghe" offered only fifty thousand slots, all claimed within three hours by fervent fans. If the game wasn’t tied to personal IDs, even just beta access could have sold for an astronomical price.

One unlucky forum user joked: "Being European is just the entry requirement for this game."

Seeing the barrage of comments begging for more slots, Mantou smirked mischievously: "Hehe, lucky I jumped in during the closed beta. That’s skill right there."

His smug face was completely unrestrained.

As the gentle and dynamic music began, the screen lit up, revealing a deer grazing on grass. The camera then rapidly zoomed out.

Wolves running across the plains, goblins hunting, and hill giants wandering appeared on screen. Lush forests, snowy desolate tundras, and rolling mountain ranges entered the frame as the music swelled grandly.

"Big-budget production!"

"What a spectacle!"

"Isn’t that Storm Highlands?"

"Hill Giant: Do you like my big stick? Eat this!"

"Damn, is this in-game footage?"

"Veteran player guarantees 100% authenticity!"

The narration began at just the right moment: "This is the Anzeta Wasteland, located in the northwest of the Erezaghe West Continent, encircled by the mighty Anstika Mountain Range. Its year-round cold climate has earned it the name ’The Land Without Spring.’

"Orcs, giants, goblins, and even dragons coexist in this vast and barren land."

Mantou picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks, chewing enthusiastically, grease dripping from his mouth as he exclaimed: "This is perfect with food!"

The narration paused dramatically.

"Like anywhere else, this land also conceals countless darknesses and endless evils."

"Oppression."

The screen shifted to show an emaciated serf trembling in the cold, mercilessly whipped by his master, collapsing into the snow.

"Damn, that’s realistic."

"Poor NPC."

"Time for players to liberate them!"

"Down with the Northern tyranny! Anzeta belongs to the kingdom!"

The comments kept coming as the narration continued in a low tone.

"Slaughter."

The scene flashed to a dark castle. Naked thralls were bound to stone pillars, singing eerie chants. A deranged vampire duke grinned wickedly, summoning a massive blood mist that drained countless humans to husks.

"This boss is terrifying!"

"Hahaha, isn’t that the perverted old creep everyone hates?"

"Tell us more about the pervert."

"Oh no, I just saw myself in the trailer—I’m the most handsome husk there!"

"With that wrinkled skin, who can tell?"

The comment frenzy continued, and the background music grew heavier.

"Pillage."

The scene switched to a blizzard sweeping across the tundra. Hundreds of frost giants advanced southward amid the howling snowstorm, shaking the earth with every step.

"Chaos."

The screen darkened, showing a cavern stained with filthy blood and dismembered bodies. Hideous demons emerged from the shadows, screeching wildly.

Deep in the cavern, on a grotesque stone throne adorned with twisted human faces, a corrupted giant smiled malevolently.

"Is this a new boss preview?"

"Damn, are we finally fighting abyssal demons?"

"New content at last. Veterans, rejoice!"

"Abyssal demons?"

Mantou shoveled pickled vegetables and rice into his mouth, eating quickly while keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

Suddenly, the screen went dark again, and the music became invigorating.

The narration grew bold and resonant.

"But a new power is rising, heralding a new era."

The screen brightened, showing wyvern riders soaring through the skies, fiercely chasing eagle riders in an intense aerial battle.

Mantou’s eyes widened, and he stopped eating entirely: "Isn’t that me? The devs really have an eye for talent!"

"You will shape this world."

Players unleashed dazzling spells, fired arrows, or transformed into bears to battle a variety of foes—human armies, vampire thralls, and dragon-like monsters.

Factories rose from the ground, steam trains spewed smoke, mechs traversed the land, and cannons arced gracefully through the skies—all changes brought by players to this world.

"Or destroy it."

A distant, resonant roar echoed, and the music reached a monumental crescendo.

A massive red dragon spread its wings, enveloped in flames, slowly flying forth, turning the horizon red. Beneath it lay charred ruins, with ash swirling in the air. It was the apocalyptic scene of Cassius obliterating tens of thousands of allied forces during the Battle of Tyriel.

"Erezaghe—Northern Winds and Clouds."

The final image froze on the red dragon’s fiery breath. In the center, the gilded words "Erezaghe" appeared, as a new wave of comment frenzy erupted.

"Epic scale!"

"That dragon looks badass! Is it the final boss?"

"Whose barbecue pit is this?"

"Cassius’s cameo, front and center at the end!"

"Long live the Ember Kingdom! Down with Northern tyranny—Anzeta belongs to the kingdom!"

"Hehehe, Lord Cassius, I’m thinking..."

Mantou gulped down his last bite of rice with pickles, knowing he was about to get very busy.