Chapter 18: Almost Cast a Fireball
After instructing Dylon to arrange for the Whispering Bats, Li De did not follow him.
It was still noon, and although he was not afraid of sunlight, it was not the right time to return to Green City immediately.
What he wanted to do now was...
Return to Earth.
The time ratio between the Glory world and Earth was 3:1. Three days in the Glory world equated to one day on Earth.
Although Earth was safe and his body would not face much danger, it was still necessary to go back.
After instructing the vampire guards, Li De lay down on the soft bed in the master bedroom of the manor.
With a thought.
Earth.
A small, ordinary residential area far from the city center of Shanghai.
Li De's eyes snapped open, and the sunlight streaming through the window made him dizzy.
His legs felt stiff from lack of movement, and he struggled to sit up, propping himself up with his hands on the bed. He turned his head to look at the familiar furnishings in the room and gradually relaxed.
He was back.
He let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, nothing had gone wrong.
Reaching for his phone, which was still charging on the bedside table, he saw the date: October 11, 2050, 9:00 AM.
Li De felt a strange sensation. He remembered entering the game on the evening of the 10th.
Two days had passed in the game, but only about ten or so hours had passed in reality. It was truly miraculous.
After returning to Earth, Li De immediately relaxed. Sitting on the bed, he felt a deep sense of security.
Although in the Glory world he was a powerful high-level mage and the Progenitor of a vampire clan with two hundred descendants, there was always a sense of danger that forced him to work hard and stay vigilant.
Returning to Earth was different. Even if he lazed around all day, the only thing that would change was his wallet slowly emptying. At the very least, he wouldn't be hunted down as a vampire.
Li De's place wasn't big—a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment of about seventy square meters. It was left to him by his parents after they passed away.
In a first-tier city like Shanghai, owning a house was something most people would strive for their entire lives.
"This is really incredible..."
After regaining his composure, Li De savored the experience. Even though he had only lived in the Glory world for two days, it still felt unbelievable.
The sensation of that world fascinated him. Experiencing a life in another world was a million times more thrilling than watching dramas or surfing the internet on Earth.
He moved his body slightly, and his eyes caught sight of the water glass on the computer desk. Suddenly, he felt thirsty.
Subconsciously, he snapped his fingers.
Crack~
Li De's eyes widened as if he had been electrocuted, and a sharp pain shot through his head.
He clutched his head with both hands, desperately trying to alleviate the tearing pain.
It took a full ten minutes for him to recover slightly.
Li De lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. The shock in his heart was far greater than the pain in his head.
He had just subconsciously tried to cast Mage Hand, a Tier 1 spell.
What shocked him was that he had almost succeeded. In the end, the spell failed due to insufficient mana, causing a severe magical backlash.
But what did this mean?
What had just happened filled him with immense confusion.
Could magic be used on Earth as well?
He raised his hand, about to experiment again, but immediately dismissed the idea. The terrifying backlash was more unbearable than any torture.
On Earth, he was not the powerful high-level mage he was in the Glory world. He wasn't even a mage apprentice.
He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the shock in his heart.
This was too astonishing.
He had originally thought that entering the game early was just a minor advantage, and that not being able to physically enter the game made it less useful. But now, he immediately discarded that thought.
He had almost cast a Fireball spell. How could that be considered "less useful"?
This was going to change everything.
Looking out the bright window, his thoughts were in turmoil.
This sudden revelation meant that many of his plans would need to be redesigned—the development of the vampire clan, the study of magic, the arrival of players, and so much more.
The chaotic thoughts left him momentarily at a loss.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Li De quickly got up and went to the computer desk. He turned on the computer and, with practiced ease, navigated to the official website of "Glory."
He wanted to see if he could find any clues online.
Logically, the 100% realism of "Glory" should not have been achievable with current technology. Moreover, the release of this game had been too sudden.
It was as if it had appeared overnight. The five major gaming companies in China had suddenly announced the successful development of a groundbreaking virtual online game, with the release date set a year later.
At the time, it hadn't seemed unusual, but now Li De realized that the gaming companies' actions were full of irregularities.
Shaking his head, he stopped overthinking it.
Opening the official website, he was greeted by the familiar homepage he had seen dozens of times before.
Since the game had not yet launched, the official website didn't offer much valuable information.
Most of it was background lore and class introductions, which were of little use to players at this stage.
Li De had been the same before. Although he had flipped through the information several times, he hadn't paid much attention.
But after experiencing that magnificent and real world, his previous indifference vanished.
In its place was an unprecedented level of focus.
He began reading the homepage from top to bottom, word by word.
First, the world background. It didn't differ much from what he remembered.
"Glory" was a magical world with dozens of coexisting races.
Despite this, humans remained the dominant force in this world.
All races lived on the main plane, which humans referred to as the "Glory World"—the same name as the game.
In "Glory," gods were not abstract concepts. These powerful beings, who had established divine kingdoms in the stars beyond the main plane, possessed unimaginable power.
Every city had temples dedicated to the gods, and divine miracles often occurred. Human nations were deeply devout in their worship of the gods.
The Nolan Empire, where Li De currently resided, was located in the southernmost part of the main plane. It was one of the twelve human empires, with a moderate level of power. Its population is as high as a billion, and it is home to countless powerful professionals.
However, it was worth noting that several races in "Glory" were still formidable, even rivaling the might of human kingdoms.
In the far south, the Beastmen inhabited the barren wastelands. They controlled a territory no smaller than the Nolan Empire, and their individual combat prowess was extraordinary. They were natural warriors.
Among them, the wolfmen, tigermen, minotaurs, and centaurs were races that had once struck fear into the hearts of humans. They were in constant conflict with the Nolan Empire.
In the central part of the continent, the ancient forests were home to the most unique and superior race in the world—the elves.
These long-lived beings were natural artists and powerful spellcasters, but they were most famous for their beauty.
On the eastern edge of the main plane, the Storm Sea was the domain of the sea races. The number of races living beneath the waves was as countless as the leaves on the Tree of Life.
And within the Storm Sea lived the most powerful race in Glory—the dragons.
Dragons were at the pinnacle of all races in any world. If not for their low birth rate, the world would have long been ruled by dragons.
Finally, there were the dark elves and serpent-folk of the underground world, along with other powerful races that were briefly mentioned on the official website but could not be ignored.
Such as the vampires, dwarves, goblins, demons, and more.
Li De read carefully, but he couldn't find the information he was looking for—why he could cast spells in reality. Although the attempt had failed, the sensation was unmistakable. He even had a premonition that, given enough time to familiarize himself...
He would eventually be able to cast a Fireball.