Chapter One: The Absolutely Neutral Hefan

December 31, 2048

Moten dragged his weary body home, staring blankly as a few men moved a massive rectangular box into the living room, then busily set to work assembling it for half an hour with deft hands.

Throughout the process, he quietly sat on his modest sofa, watching these employees of the “Innocent” corporation diligently at work.

Their task was to assemble the company’s first mental simulation product—the specialized game pod for “Realm of the Innocent.”

When finished, Moten politely bid farewell to the perspiring workers, then turned and sank into the expensive, spacious contraption he had waited in line for half a day to obtain. His right hand absentmindedly tapped the glossy black pod cover. After a moment, a faint, inscrutable smile crept across his lips.

It was clear that Moten was far from ordinary; in truth, he was quite abnormal…

Multiple Personality Disorder, a rare condition throughout the ages, has no effective cure. Its legendary symptoms have made it a favorite hook in countless films and novels, often guaranteeing decent sales unless the work is particularly poor.

By now, it’s clear that Moten, aged 21, suffers from this disorder. The reason he could still prepare to enter the latest virtual network game at home, rather than babble to himself in some psychiatric hospital, boils down to two reasons.

First: He self-diagnosed. By extensively researching and comparing his own symptoms, Moten was confident in his diagnosis by age thirteen.

Second: He was smart. Despite this difficult and uncontrollable illness, Moten concealed it perfectly, fooling everyone around him. Just how smart? Refer back to the first point.

Incidentally, the materials Moten studied were not the common knowledge easily found on a phone, but confidential data from major domestic and international medical institutions. To understand more cases, he had even hacked into police databases multiple times.

Of course, he had no criminal record.

In short, a story too complex for words.

Rather than a lengthy introduction here, I prefer to reveal his situation gradually through the unfolding tale. So, let us return to the story…

“Want to try living in another way? Here, you can have your truest self!”

Moten repeated the slogan on the pod’s cover—the promotional phrase of Realm of the Innocent—and chuckled bitterly. “As a broke, skeptical lunatic, what on earth made me buy this thing…”

He stood and stretched, then muttered, “Well, let’s start the experiment now. If the official claims aren’t exaggerated, the truth will be clear right away…”

He opened the pod but did not immediately lie down. Instead, he closed his eyes slightly and began deep breathing.

After a while, his wild, unruly demeanor gave way to a calm and peaceful expression—so drastic a change that one could immediately tell… he had switched personalities.

Indeed, it was so. Moten’s persona had shifted to a special one—the primary personality he adopted after giving up self-treatment, the one he used most of the time.

Then he lay inside the pod, set the sleep and wake times, switched the AI’s voice to a soothing female tone, and closed his eyes.

…

[Spiritual connection detected. Synchronizing personal information…]

[Realm of the Innocent welcomes you. Character creation will begin shortly…]

After a brief shallow sleep, Moten found himself standing on a platform adorned with countless intricate patterns surrounded by nothingness. A myriad of colorful, dazzling designs flickered in the void. With just a glance, he recognized many familiar constellations, plants, human outlines, as well as previously unseen geometric formations and ethereal beasts…

“Hmm, the realism is impressive,” Moten murmured, evaluating the space and his bodily sensations. “It said ‘character creation will begin soon,’ not ‘please create your character,’ so it must be close to what I expected…”

Before he finished speaking, nine colorful light spots suddenly appeared in the void. A growing, non-piercing whistling sound followed, and when Moten realized it, towering gates had formed around him.

“Uh?” Without any system prompt, Moten paused, then looked around and muttered, “Am I supposed to pick a gate to enter? If so, how is that different from actively choosing?”

He said this because he saw four large, distinct characters engraved on each gate, corresponding to the different auras they emitted…

Without hesitation, he approached the nearest gate: a dark red portal, faintly emitting black mist, resembling a hellish entrance, flanked by bones and pools of blood—eerily magnificent.

“Alright, let me create a character, experience thirty thousand bucks’ worth, then log off for a refund,” Moten muttered as he reached out.

He found, to his surprise, that his push had no force at all yet unleashed a deafening roar—then the gate collapsed.

It felt as if some desperate entity, sensing its predicament, had exploded itself in defiance.

“Hey! That’s too much… do you hate me that much?” Moten spat, staring at the ruin. “You could’ve just locked tight and refused entry, but you had to blow yourself up? What did I ever do to you?”

Despite his words, a smile flickered across his face. Far from disappointed, if Moten had been able to open this gate labeled [Chaotic Evil], he would have been truly let down.

He moved on to the next gate, black and white in color, and just as he reached out—

Crash!!

“Hey…”

Moten rolled his eyes at the gate sprawled on the ground, unsure what to say. Just now, it had suddenly fallen forward, trying to crush him.

This was the unstable gate marked [Chaotic Neutral].

“What a characterful faction~” Having gotten his answer, Moten shrugged and walked to a golden door adorned with white patterns.

“I guess you won’t open for me either, huh?”

The gate marked [Lawful Good] shifted slightly backward, politely but firmly rejecting him.

“Fine, I admit this Dungeons & Dragons-inspired system is pretty cool,” Moten said, stepping left and gently pushing open the pure white door before confidently stepping inside.

As he disappeared within, the [True Neutral] gate slowly closed with a rumble.

…

[Your alignment is—True Neutral. This stance is permanent. Calculating initial talents, race, and abilities.]

In the darkness, Moten heard the system voice again.

As expected, the game’s official website stated that the player’s initial alignment would follow their character permanently, with specific effects to be explored by players.

What the official did not mention—and which surprised Moten—was that the system would decide race and talents.

[Calculation complete. Your initial character data is:]

Race: Human
Gender: Male
Level: None
Alignment: True Neutral
Talent: Affinity (slightly increases goodwill from bland personalities)
Base Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Intelligence 7, Constitution 5

※ Hyperlink ※

Strength—Increases physical attack power, carrying capacity, specific skill damage
Dexterity—Increases movement speed, maximum dodge rate, theoretical accuracy, specific skill damage
Intelligence—Increases magic damage, maximum mana, magic resistance
Constitution—Increases maximum health, stamina, physical resistance

[Note: What you see is just the tip of the iceberg.]

“Well, that note basically invalidates everything above,” Moten said, closing the hyperlink with his mind and continuing.

Civil Attributes: Eloquence 5, Charisma 2, Knowledge 8, Leadership 0

“High knowledge because I know D&D rules well. Charisma and leadership… well, I admit, I lack charm,” he joked, even without opening the hyperlinks.

Combat Attributes: None

[Please name your character.]

Moten thought for a moment and said “Blackfan,” knowing this primary personality was not really “Moten.” He picked parts of his real name and tweaked the character “Fan” from “ordinary,” giving himself a slightly self-mocking name.

[Character name: Blackfan. Please confirm.]

The name appeared atop the profile. Since the system synchronized with the player’s mind, there was no confusion about homophones, but it asked again for confirmation.

“No need.”

[Would you like to adjust your appearance?]

At these words, Moten suddenly saw himself floating in midair, dressed in coarse cloth.

“No.”

[Character creation complete. True Neutral Blackfan, welcome to Realm of the Innocent.]

…

The darkness faded. As Moten regained control of his body, he opened his eyes.

White linen sheets came into view. He was lying face down on a reasonably large bed.

[Guide quest activated—]

A translucent window appeared in his vision. Moten quickly read the small text: Leave the Green Meadow Inn and join the Marshall Autonomous Army.

Simple, clear, and concise.

Moten got off the bed, noting his clothing matched what he had seen when asked about appearance adjustment. Following the tutorial in the manual he’d read while queuing earlier, he opened the equipment panel with his mind.

The character’s inventory had fourteen slots: head, shoulders, cloak, clothes, pants, shoes, bracers, gloves, main hand weapon, off hand weapon, two rings, amulet, and a special equipment slot. Except for the last, it was standard fare.

Moten currently only had clothes, pants, and shoes equipped.

No need to list specifics—just a linen suit with a total defense of 3.

He glanced at his character and skills panels; the former remained unchanged, the latter empty.

He did not immediately leave the room, trusting his experience that such places usually held some secrets.

After fruitless searches under the bed, through the wardrobe, and beneath the carpet, he finally found something behind a potted plant in the corner.

[A packet of basic potions]

Weight: 0.5 kg
Contents: One each of basic healing potion, mana potion, and antidote.

[Note: Why is this hidden here?]

“I’d like to know that too… why here of all places…” Moten panted, packing the potions into his bag before leaving. The brief search had cost him thirty percent of his stamina.

As he opened the door, a humanoid lizard-headed creature carrying an oak barrel jogged past, glancing back with what Moten took as a smile. “Sleep well, guest?”

“Uh, not bad,” Moten replied, surprised by the NPC’s humanity.

He descended to the inn’s lobby. It appeared to be afternoon, but besides a blonde female elf dozing behind the counter, the floor was nearly empty.

Moten considered greeting her. Before he could, the tired elf’s ears twitched, and she looked up lazily. “You’re up early. The recruitment station should still be open. Just turn left when you leave and keep walking. Good luck.”

“Ah?” Moten was taken aback; she answered before he could ask.

“What’s the ‘ah’ for?” She shook her ears and lightly scratched the corner of her eye. “Didn’t you say when you checked in last night that you planned to try your luck at the army today?”

Now understanding, Moten nodded slightly. “Thanks. I’m about to leave.”

“No problem.” The young innkeeper waved a hand. “No need to rush. The recruitment lasts three days. If you miss the first day, it’s fine—you can stay here another night. Of course, that’ll cost extra~”

Moten thanked her again and stepped outside. The air was fresh and dry; the scent of earth invigorated him.

“At least here, I don’t have to worry about losing health from air quality,” he mused, as if the twenty years of smog in reality had shortened his life. Then he strode forward, disappearing into the soft golden light of the setting sun.

Chapter One: End