On the noon of January 24th, Year 913 of the Star Era, the teachers at Artichoke Hill Public Middle School had just finished their morning battle of wits with the "little brats" and were sitting in their office, enjoying the brief tranquility of their lunch break.
"Speaking of which," said a white-haired veteran teacher, "does anyone else feel like the students were exceptionally distracted today?"
His words elicited a wave of weary murmurs of agreement.
"I thought it was just my class!"
"Those kids went wild over winter break; their hearts haven't come back to the classroom yet."
"Children didn't used to be like this. This is definitely the worst batch I've ever taught!"
The old teacher shook his head. "No, no, this isn't just a post-winter break issue. Usually, they're most distracted right after school starts, but it's been a while now. They've suddenly become restless. I suspect something has diverted their attention."
"...The Carnival?" a middle-aged female teacher guessed, frowning.
"The Carnival doesn't arrive until summer!" another teacher called out.
"Jazz? Adventure novels? Musical films? Oh, something must be poisoning our children!"
"You're all wrong, my dear colleagues," a male teacher whispered eerily. "It's Magic Games! I heard it from a student in my class, Andy Mohawk—his father actually works at Dungeon Entertainment. He said today is the launch of some 'new event' in that game. Those brats must have their heads filled with it!"
The others gasped in unison, looking as though they had just witnessed the most evil thing in the world.
"I think we should ban it, don't you? Teacher Meyer, what do you think?"
The veteran teacher's gaze turned toward the seat of the youngest teacher in the office—Mr. Meyer, who taught history.
Though young, this teacher had quite a formidable background. It was said the Mayor himself had introduced him to Artichoke Hill. He kept a low profile and never talked about himself; even when others tried to pry about his connections, he never let a word slip. This only made his identity more mysterious.
Some said he was the Mayor's brother-in-law; some said he was a young noble from the capital; others claimed he was the last descendant of an exiled foreign royal family. These rumors, true or false, turned him into a unique, untouchable entity in the complex interpersonal web of the office.
But Meyer's seat was empty. No coat hung on the chair, no half-eaten lunch sat on the desk, and no graded homework was in sight. It was as if no one had ever occupied the space.
"Teacher Meyer took the day off," the female teacher opposite said hesitantly. "He said he needed a... er... 'Gaming Day'."
"What?!"
"He plays Magic Games too. He didn't come to work today because of the new event."
"Welcome, Brave Hero from another world! Your arrival is proof that the gods stand with us! Come! Let us strike once more at the high walls of Ilion, plant our banners atop the city, reclaim Helen, and win victory, glory—and, of course, countless treasures!"
Chris listened with dwindling interest to the bearded, muscular man delivering the war declaration. The man was Agamemnon, commander-in-chief of the Greek Allied Forces. Having joined the Greek faction in the faction war, Chris had naturally entered his storyline.
Through Agamemnon's narration, Chris grasped the current situation. In the prologue, he had learned the backstory of Helen's abduction. The event began during the tenth year of the war. The Greek forces were camped outside Ilion, the capital of Troy, while the Trojan army held its ground thanks to superior tactics and ample supplies. Both sides had won and lost in equal measure, leading to a stalemate that had lasted a decade.
"They should have made Miss Yvette's grandfather the commander," Chris muttered. "The city would probably be taken in a day, and the allies could have a bonfire party by evening."
When the event started, he had been full of heroic passion. But after seeing the plot, his enthusiasm was being extinguished drop by drop.
This allied force was clearly not the "army of justice" he had imagined. The generals plotted against each other; unable to take Ilion, they raided and pillaged nearby small towns instead. And they were clearly in it for the treasure! Miss Yvette was absolutely right!
Chris wanted to defect on the spot, but once a faction was chosen, it couldn't be changed. He could only hold his nose and fight alongside these morally bankrupt Greeks. At least Achilles on his side seemed like a decent guy, and he was quite handsome to boot.
The event was divided into two phases. Phase One involved completing tasks assigned by the commander. Tasks could be grinded repeatedly for points; the higher the difficulty, the more points earned. Upon reaching certain point thresholds, players received rewards like gold, awakening materials, experience packs, or even Mana Crystals and new companions.
Phase One would last five days, followed by Phase Two. In this phase, players from the two factions would battle each other. They could fight solo or in group raids. The winning side would earn points for their faction. At the end of Phase Two, all players in the faction with higher points would receive unique rewards.
Chris pondered the rules. Everyone could participate in Phase One, and even newbies could get some rewards. Phase Two was different—the clash between players would decide the true winner.
In these battles, one could invite friends for assistance. By clinging to the "thighs" of a top-tier player, one could win while doing nothing. Conversely, if teamed with a "pig teammate," even a player like Chris with a full deck might face a total wipeout.
Most people on Chris's friend list were random adds. But now, it was different. He had to choose carefully and find powerful allies.
As he opened his friend list, wondering whom to kick to make room for new elites, he noticed that "Iris," who had been missing for ages, was actually online.
This player was now a legend. Rumors of his extraordinary luck circulated among players, evolving from "he pulled many rare cards" to "he was kissed by an angel at birth and won the jackpot on any lottery," and finally to "he can find gold in a pile of dung." The rumors became so fantastic they even made the newspapers, reaching the level of an urban legend.
But Iris had been gone for a long time. Chris thought he had retired from the world, so he was shocked to see him back for the new event.
He messaged Iris without hesitation.
"Big Boss! I've admired you for so long! Please support me in this event!"
"Oh," Iris replied with a single word.
So concise! Truly the mark of a master! Chris thought with reverence.
With the Big Boss's promise, Chris felt like he had a "tranquility pill." Over the next few days, he ground through tasks systematically. Since he had already spent money to get the event cards, he quickly claimed all the rewards.
On the fifth day, as Phase One ended, all players in the Trojan faction received a system-issued gift—the Trojan Horse.
"This is unfair! Why don't I have one?!"
In the Norelia University cafeteria, Chris stared enviously at the wooden horse on Yvette's slate, letting out a frustrated whine.
"Maybe because our faction has more points?" Yvette suggested.
"But faction points aren't counted until Phase Two!"
"I don't know then. Either way, it's a reward, right?"
Yvette shrugged and clicked on the description for the "Trojan Horse."
[A massive horse made of wood, requiring hundreds of men to drag. The Greek forces set sail and retreated in the early morning, leaving the beach in disarray with only this strange, colossal object remaining. According to a Greek prisoner, this was an offering to the gods to ensure a smooth voyage home.]
[The Trojans dragged it into the citadel. The horse stopped in the square; the Trojans argued, sitting around the horse. They held various opinions: to pierce the hollow horse with pitiless bronze, to drag it to the heights of a cliff and throw it down, or to preserve it as a treasure to please the gods. Ultimately, they followed the latter advice.]
[This trophy cannot be opened yet. It will be available when Phase Two begins.]
"How mysterious..." Yvette mused, resting her chin on her hand. "The description says it's hollow. What's inside? An item that helps with the game? A one-time-use tool? Or a treasure for companions to equip?"
Chris said sourly, "I'm jealous no matter what it is."
"Don't worry, Chris. I believe Mr. Lorne Dungeon won't be biased. Even without this treasure, you Greeks won't be at a disadvantage." Yvette closed her slate and picked up her fork. "Now, why aren't you eating? Don't you have class this afternoon?"
Chris looked at the steak on his plate. Compared to that mysterious trophy, his lunch suddenly lost its flavor.
"Have you picked your friends yet?" he asked.
"Just the usual ones. People aren't eager to add me since I don't have powerful cards. I think I'll have to rely on my own skills this time," Yvette sighed. "Though I did add a very impressive friend named 'Wallpaper.' Strange name, right? He's exceptionally lucky; he's used free Mana Crystals to pull every single card for this event. Maybe he'll break the legend of Iris."
Chris didn't like the sound of that.
"No one can compare to Big Boss Iris!" he said huffily. "Just wait, Miss Yvette. With Iris and me working together, we'll smash you Trojans to pieces in Phase Two!"
Yvette gave a provocative smile. "I'll be looking forward to it."
The next day at noon sharp, Phase Two of the Trojan War officially began.
Yvette stepped into the cafeteria, which was already split into two distinct groups.
One side was dressed like Greek soldiers, wearing ridiculous red cockscomb-like helmets.
The other side held wooden signs printed with Helen's face and slogans like "Greeks Get Out of Ilion" and "Make Ilion Great Again."
She walked toward the Trojan side without hesitation. Her "comrades" instinctively rose to give her a seat.
Students who didn't play the game huddled in a corner of the cafeteria, casting panicked glances that reminded Yvette of innocent civilians caught in a war zone.
The cafeteria staff sat bored behind the counters, lazily shouting, "When are you guys going to finish fighting? The food's getting cold!"
As the earliest adopters of Magic Games, Yvette and Chris had naturally become the leaders of the two factions. As soon as Yvette sat down, a junior from the Philosophy Department whispered in her ear, "Miss Yvette, can we start?"
Yvette nodded.
The bronze bell in the school auditorium tolled at that exact moment. The deep, lingering chime echoed through the cloisters built during the Era of Heroes.
The students opened their slates in unison.
[System Prompt: Please click your trophy 'Trojan Horse' to continue.]
Yvette followed the prompt.
[This was the Greeks' ploy. On the advice of Odysseus, they built the massive horse. A masterpiece of craftsmanship, it was the inspiration of the goddess Athena. They hid fully armed warriors inside the belly, waiting for nightfall.]
"What's happening? What just happened?"
"I only clicked the horse! Why am I in a battle?"
Cries of shock broke out everywhere.
Chris received a new system prompt on his end.
[The Trojans were silent, sleeping exhausted in the citadel. Then the entire Greek fleet, under the soft moonlight, sailed secretly in formation toward the old landing site. Suddenly, the King's ship gave a fire signal. The horse swung open...]
"Brothers, grab your gear and charge!" He jumped onto a dining table, waving his arms excitedly.
Someone across the room cursed, "Despicable Greeks!"
"It's called tactics! If you're outplayed, just own it!"
"All you know is how to cheat! Sneak attacks! You have no honor!"
"Eat sh*t!"
Colorful language flew across the cafeteria, adding a strange flavor to the students' lunch.
Phase Two had begun. Trojan players who opened the horse were matched with random opponents, while Greek players received system-sent challenges.
Chris was pulled directly into a battle. His opponent was "Wallpaper," and the invited friend was...
"Miss Yvette?!" Chris stared at the black-haired girl on the other side of the cafeteria.
Yvette said nothing, her fingers flying across the slate.
Chris gritted his teeth, opened his friend list, and sent an invitation to Iris.
With Big Boss Iris here, I don't care if you're 'Wallpaper' or 'Floorboards,' you're going down!
Once both sides were ready, the battle commenced. Chris had the hero Hector, whose skills synchronized perfectly with Iris's Loki. It was a godsend. After deciding on his action, he waited for Iris to move. If Iris used Loki's "Deception" to paralyze the enemy, and Chris followed up with an "All-Out Strike," victory would be theirs!
He waited with absolute confidence, already imagining the victory celebration.
Then...
[Iris uses a Basic Attack.]
"Boss, what are you doing?!"
Chris scrambled to fix the situation, but it was too late. Yvette and "Wallpaper" executed a seamless combination, landing a dizzying array of attacks. Had Chris not leveled his deck to the max to barely tank the hit, he would have lost instantly.
Chris hurriedly messaged Iris: "Boss, why didn't you use Deception?"
Iris did not reply.
Over the next few rounds, Iris was a disaster. Despite having powerful heroes, he acted as if he didn't know them at all. Forget cooperating with Chris—he seemed unfamiliar with the basic operations of the game.
The result was obvious. Cheers erupted from Yvette's side, while Chris stared at the word "Defeat" on his slate. He felt a surge of frustration so strong he wanted to bolt out of the cafeteria and run for miles.
After a long while, the slate "dinged." Iris's reply finally arrived.
"Sorry, I'm not very familiar with this game."
Chris: "???"
Chris: "Boss, what happened? Are you really Big Boss Iris? Did you get hacked?"
The official account had recently issued several warnings about account theft. A few of Chris's classmates had fallen victim, which scared him into setting up fingerprint and facial recognition overnight.
Iris: "I bought this account. The original owner stopped playing."
Chris's vision went dark.
This feeling... it was like calling for machine-gun support on a battlefield, having your ally promise to help, and then seeing them send a goldfish that could only blow bubbles!
Chris: "Then why didn't you change your name?!"
Iris: "How do you change names?"
Chris was speechless. He opened his friend list, deleted Iris without a second thought, then rushed to the item shop to buy a hundred "Loudspeakers" to start a "warm and friendly" greeting in the World Channel.
Seaside Avenue, "Cloud City" Cafe.
With a loud bang, Giuseppe Montari slammed his Magic Slate onto the table so hard that the corner cracked.
"He actually dared to call me a 'noob'!"
His friends shrank back, exchanging uneasy glances.
Since being rejected by Dungeon Entertainment, Giuseppe's mental state had been unstable. He alternated between self-doubt—wondering if his artistic path was wrong—and extreme arrogance, believing anyone who couldn't appreciate him was a blind fool. He would curse the distant Luca one moment and lock himself in his studio the next, claiming to be creating an epoch-making masterpiece. But when his friends forced their way in, they found nothing but unrecognizable scribbles on the canvas.
The more Giuseppe thought, the angrier he got. Who does Luca think he is? Even a freshman wouldn't look at his stuff. Why was he hired by Dungeon Entertainment and I wasn't?!
What exactly did that brat draw? I want to see!
To that end, he specifically bought a Magic Slate. Since the cards Luca drew were mostly high-tier ones obtainable only through spending, Giuseppe bought an account from a black market merchant for a whopping fifty gold coins!
He recognized Luca's work immediately. If he had to evaluate those drawings, he would say: Luca has all the skills a painter needs, except innovation.
How could anyone like this style that's been outdated for a century!
Then, Hero Legend 2 launched the new event. Giuseppe was spammed daily by system notifications: A friend has welcomed a new hero! Congratulate them!
—Turns out people really DO like this outdated style!
Once the event started, Giuseppe was mysteriously pulled into battle alongside friends. But he had no idea how to play, leading to defeat. Not only did that "friend" turn hostile instantly, but they even insulted him on the World Channel!
Who is this Iris person anyway?! Are they supposed to be famous?! He bought this account with his own money; why should he change the name? It's just a game. A loss is a loss. Why take it so seriously?
Giuseppe felt the world was becoming increasingly surreal.
"What a piece of junk! I'm done!"
He tossed the slate aside and grabbed his bag. "Whoever wants to play can have it! I'm going to the studio!"
He stormed out of the cafe, only to realize his friends hadn't followed as they usually did. He stepped back and peeked inside.
Each of his friends had a hand clamped onto a corner of the slate, struggling against one another.
"This is mine! Giuseppe gave it to me!"
"He didn't name you specifically! I have a share too!"
"Can't we just take turns? Let go, you bastards!"
The hostility in the game didn't just stay between players; it quickly spilled into the real world.
According to the Norelia Police Department, during the "Greeks vs. Trojans" event, violent brawls in the city rose by 20% compared to the same period in previous years. Many of the reasons for these brawls were related to Magic Games.
A pair of friends, because they supported different factions, didn't just clash in the game; they held a duel in reality.
A customer supporting the Greeks was brutally beaten after accidentally entering a tavern filled with Trojan supporters.
An underground gang split because the leader and the second-in-command supported different factions, leading to a gang war in the streets.
Another gang formed a temporary alliance with a rival gang simply because they happened to support the same faction...
The list of such incidents was endless.
"Which faction do you support?" had replaced "Good day" as the new greeting among the people of Norelia.
Residents who didn't play Magic Games lived in fear. There were always unlucky souls caught in others' disputes, becoming "collateral damage."
After five days of fierce combat, the Trojan War finally came to an end.
The people of Norelia breathed a sigh of relief, as if a brutal real-world war had concluded. Even during actual wars, people hadn't been this tense! At least in a real war, the whole populace was on the same side. Now, picking the wrong side could lead to bloodshed.
The Trojan faction won with 130 million points against the Greeks' 112 million. All Trojan players received rewards based on their contribution, and the top 1,000 contributors received an extra card: "Helen of Troy."
After the war—as the game plot put it—Helen decided to join the protagonist's party on their journey to the East.
"Men call me the most beautiful woman in the world."
In the event's epilogue, Helen stood barefoot on the beach outside Ilion, looking at the golden horizon. The Greek fleet sailed toward the sunset, white sails like flocks of birds on the waves.
"Men fought with swords to possess me and racked their brains to kidnap me. They chose a man to be my husband through a gamble, and the others swore never to turn their blades against him out of jealousy.
"Ah, how they cherished me. They treated me as a rare treasure, a unique pearl, a trophy worth ten years of war—but they never once treated me as a 'person.'
"They said: 'Oh, beautiful Helen, you are worth ten more years of war.' How many heroes' blood has stained the earth, buried in the sand? How many souls came on sails to slaughter strangers they had never seen in a foreign land, convinced it was a heroic act, only to never return home?
"Now this ridiculous and tragic war is over. I only want to leave quietly. Are you willing to take me? I heard you are going to the East. Farther east than Troy, farther east than Persia, to the place where the sun rises. Meeting you taught me that our world is but a fallen leaf on the sea, and that there are other worlds beyond our own. As for me? I want to see them."
The white sails of the Greek fleet vanished below the horizon. Helen, draped in a white veil, walked into the distance, leaving only two trails of footprints on the sand.
Yvette put down her slate and let out a long breath, leaning back in her chair.
The "Trojan War" had ended days ago, but every time she read that plot, her heart felt a strange fluctuation, as if something was blocked in her chest.
Over those five days, she and her comrades had worked together like they were in a real war, forming an orderly organization with commanders, logistics, and scouts. They pushed their points higher and higher until they finally secured victory.
The ending of the story was perfect, but everyone felt a lingering sense of incompletion. It was like a long epic had reached its finale, and no one wanted it to end.
When Helen spoke about her life, the future, gods, and mortals, Yvette caught a glimpse of an incredibly deep world through those words. It felt like it wasn't just a plot point or a story in a game, but... a real world. The plot they saw was merely a fragment taken from it.
Notably, after the event, the official account launched a "Post-War Tales" event divided into three chapters—"The Furies," "The Odyssey," and "The Aeneid"—telling the stories following the Trojan War from different perspectives.
"This isn't some small side-quest to maintain game popularity. I believe these three chapters of 'Post-War Tales' are the true story—the 'History' hidden behind the game."
In the Second Meeting Room of the Faculty of Philosophy and History at Norelia University, Yvette sat at the head of the table, speaking seriously to the attendees.
When Magic Games became popular among the students, some spontaneously organized the "Magic Game Fan Club." At first, it was just a group eating and drinking while chatting about the game. But gradually, they discovered that Magic Games weren't that simple.
Every line of text, every plot point, even the description of every item contained a massive amount of information that was terrifying to think about. Thus, the activity evolved from "play" to "research," and the organization's name was changed to the "Magic Game Research Society."
Today was the society's weekly meeting, and the theme was "The Story Behind the Game." Most attendees were students from the Faculty of Philosophy and History, each carrying a thick stack of notes, ready to discuss their new discoveries with fellow enthusiasts. Many upperclassmen even planned to turn their research into papers for academic journals.
Yvette was the first to speak.
"The three 'Post-War Tales' chapters review the Trojan War from three perspectives and tell the stories of its aftermath.
"First is The Furies. Its plot spans from before the war to after it, telling how Agamemnon, commander of the Greeks, sacrificed his daughter to the gods to pray for favorable winds. His wife hated him for it and murdered him with her lover. Agamemnon's son then killed his mother, bringing the wrath of the Furies upon him.
"The second story, The Odyssey, tells of Odysseus wandering for ten years after the war before finally returning home. The third, The Aeneid, tells the story of the exiled Trojan prince Aeneas. Both recount the Trojan War through flashbacks. In their words, the true ending of the war wasn't a Trojan victory like in our game. In the 'Post-War Tales,' the Greeks were the winners, and Troy was ultimately destroyed and razed to the ground."
Yvette looked around and said solemnly, "This further confirms my suspicion, colleagues. There is a secret hidden behind this game. The creator wishes to reveal the 'True History' to us through subtle clues and hidden threads."
Whispers filled the meeting room as the enthusiasts talked amongst themselves.
A boy with glasses raised his hand. "But why would the creator do this? What's the point?"
Someone immediately countered, "What's the point of a writer burying metaphors in their text? This is literature! This is art!"
Another added, "Maybe this is another game the creator is playing with the players. He wants us to find the truth."
A graduate student stood up and said, "Actually, I found something too. Have you looked closely at the item descriptions? The treasure 'Medusa's Dagger' has this sentence: Medusa, whose hair is ten thousand writhing venomous snakes. In the far East, there is also a woman related to snakes; she, with a human body and a snake's tail, is said to have mended the cracks in the heavens."
He looked at the crowd. "Does this Eastern woman refer to the Great Goddess Nüwa from Five-Colored Stone Match-3? Could the Eastern world the protagonist seeks in Hero Legend 2 be the world of Five-Colored Stone Match-3? Based on the descriptions, the Eastern world has an ancient civilization. This implies that the games produced by Dungeon Entertainment are not isolated; the backgrounds of every game are intricately linked... they might even take place in the same universe! I plan to write a paper on this, titled An Inquiry into Feminism in Magic Games..."
One stone stirred a thousand ripples. Others scrambled to speak, sharing the "secrets" they had found and the papers they planned to write. Others argued back fiercely. The noise in the room grew louder and louder, becoming as rowdy as a morning market. The acoustics designed for amplification only made the shouting deafening.
Yvette's ears rang. She had to grab the gavel and strike the table several times to quiet the crowd.
"Stop fighting! No matter how much you argue, your views remain at the stage of speculation. To confirm them, there is only one way," she said. "And that is to invite the creator of the game—Mr. Lorne Dungeon—to join our discussion."