Woke Up to Find the Game I Made Came True

After leaving the Boundless Realm, Ye Bai opened Aurora's message in her personal space on the Star Network.

Since she spent most of her time in the Boundless Realm, Ye Bai and Aurora's communication on the Star Network wasn’t real-time. Instead, they exchanged messages offline, usually with a cycle of 3 to 5 in-game days.

The last time Ye Bai replied to Aurora, she had fabricated a brief newbie gaming experience to share—of course, she claimed she was born in a small town far from Sola City in the Giant Sea Star server.

The 'calendar' marking the message timestamps was based on the first in-game day of Ye Bai’s territory development, calculated according to the Boundless Realm’s time system for easier comprehension.

After all, Giant Sea Star was much larger than Blue Star, with different rotation and revolution speeds—a day and a year in Phantom Sea Star weren’t 24 hours and 365 days. Aurora lived by 'Phantom Sea Time.'

Day 52

"Being born in a small town isn’t bad, but it’s a shame you’re so far from Sola City. Otherwise, I could’ve helped you out after work… Still, if you follow the guides, you won’t be too far behind. You wouldn’t believe how swamped we are lately—ever since that Master-level announcement from White Night Territory, we’ve been flooded with new research topics!"

Day 55

"Big news! You must’ve seen it in-game too, right? White Night Village has already upgraded to a Tier 4 territory, becoming a town! The most developed territory in our Giant Sea Star server is only Tier 2!"

"I’m seriously speechless. Why are people still suggesting replicating Boundless Realm equipment in real life at this stage? And my advisor actually approved it, saying we won’t know until we try—but isn’t this just a waste of time?"

"Now we have to take detailed scans of equipment with attributes, then recreate them in reality using 3D printers. What are these people thinking? No matter how accurately we replicate the appearance, we can’t possibly duplicate the exact material composition from the Boundless Realm!"

Reading this, Ye Bai couldn’t help but twitch her lips. Researchers were bold in experimentation, but this attempt to recreate in-game gear in reality was… questionable, to say the least.

"At the root of this is the energy weapons that appeared in White Night Territory. The Boundless Realm is truly incredible—it skipped straight from melee weapons to energy weapons in one leap. A normal civilization would need at least three technological revolutions to achieve that… And then there’s the Tree of Genesis, essential for territory development."

"My latest research topic is about the Tree of Genesis. I think it might be a natural superbrain—perhaps it’s some kind of advanced lifeform in a symbiotic relationship with the people of the Boundless Realm!"

Ye Bai’s lips twitched again. While Aurora’s theory wasn’t entirely off the mark, finding a Tree of Genesis in reality was impossible—because its true nature was simply the territory management interface for player lords.

Interstellar scholars had fallen into a verification trap in their research on the Boundless Realm. They treated the three major schools of supernatural knowledge as advanced technology, believing it must contain principles beyond their understanding. They even tried to replicate in-game equipment in reality at a 1:1 scale.

To them, anything they couldn’t decipher must be the product of a higher civilization—and White Night, ahead of all other factions, must belong to some grandmaster.

Shaking her head, Ye Bai’s gaze sharpened as she read the next section:

"I just passed my Water Element Mage class transition, so now I can finally answer your question about learning magic…"

Previously, under the pretense of curiosity about mental energy enhancement and career prospects, Ye Bai had asked Aurora about players’ experiences with class skills after transitioning.

In the Boundless Realm, the skills Ye Bai unlocked were directly mastered in reality. But as players leveled up, she grew curious about how interstellar players learned their skills.

Physical classes were straightforward—just a combination of real-world martial arts and mental energy enhancement. But what about magic?

Information on the Star Network was scarce, with only a few complaints about how difficult magic was to learn, which only deepened Ye Bai’s curiosity. The next line confirmed Aurora’s frustration:

"Magic is seriously hard to learn!"

"…Though maybe it’s because we Phantom Sea natives originally lived in the ocean—genetic memory might’ve given me a bit of an affinity for Water Magic."

"Physical class skills just require martial arts and mental energy infusion, but if you have the choice, I’d recommend a magic class. Current research suggests it’s a form of mental energy application."

"Before, our use of mental energy was so crude—either relying on innate racial talents that couldn’t be replicated or enhancing our bodies for combat. Now, most mainstream players in the Boundless Realm are choosing magic classes precisely to train their mental energy manipulation."

Ye Bai nodded to herself. This aligned with her earlier suspicions—leveling up improved mental energy, learning magic trained it further, and magic classes would likely become the interstellar players’ top choice in the future.

"It’s hard to describe the feeling of casting magic. I just managed to fire my first Ice Bullet in reality, and it was way weaker than in-game. Maybe the game environment provides some kind of guidance, making magic easier to cast there. In reality, it takes more practice—almost like bringing something from another world into this one…"

"But don’t worry, the mental energy enhancement is absolutely proven. Just focus on leveling up, and you should reach D-rank mental energy soon…"

Aurora’s message mostly consisted of work-related rants.

Though Ye Bai and Aurora were both technically in the Boundless Realm, they didn’t have the frequent interactions typical of friends playing an MMO together.

Most civilizations that joined the Star Alliance had achieved post-scarcity societies. With abundant real-world resources, more and more interstellar citizens became full-time 'professional gamers.'

And because of the Boundless Realm’s unique ability to enhance real-world mental energy, being a 'professional gamer' wasn’t just about making money—it also meant tangible mental energy growth. Thus, among the vast player base, the 'professional' aspect far outweighed the 'gamer' aspect.

Very few in the Boundless Realm were true loners. Most were affiliated with small organizations or departments, which could ultimately be traced back to their respective civilizations.

For example, the current Aurora belongs to a research institute on the massive oceanic planet of Juhai, which in turn is managed by the research team of the Illusory Sea Civilization.

In the game "Boundless Realms," interstellar players aren’t truly "playing"—they’re essentially working in another setting. Their in-game actions are, at their core, part of their jobs. As a result, unless Ye Bai had "spawned" in Sola City, she would have had little interaction with Aurora, making it effortless to keep her identity concealed.

In contrast, Ye Bai now resembles the full-time gamers from that era’s online novels. Though she also spends most of her time in the game, she’s working for herself—well, technically, she’s also a lord, so the NPCs in her territory are essentially working for her too!

After replying to Aurora with some expected "updates" about her recent life, Ye Bai logged out of the Star Network, opened her eyes on the plush bed in her room, stretched, and got up to move around a bit.

Since settling on Illusory Sea, Ye Bai hadn’t stepped outside her rented apartment even once.

After all, if people in the Blue Star era ten thousand years ago could live as recluses, it was even easier in the highly advanced interstellar age.

"Gulp, gulp…"

Ye Bai retrieved a can of nutrient fluid from the safe and drank it.

She had initially overestimated things—after Aurora treated her to a bath costing over twenty Star Coins, she assumed the cost of living on Illusory Sea was similar to Blue Star. In reality, activities like bathing, which carried a sense of ceremony, were outright luxuries, and a real meal outside would cost about the same.

But with the same amount of money, Ye Bai had bulk-purchased thirty bottles of high-energy nutrient fluid.

Back on Blue Star, the nutrient fluid sold in vending machines at public parks cost 1 Star Coin per bottle, providing enough energy for a single day. At the time, Ye Bai had assumed that was the standard. Later, on the Star Alliance’s spaceship, she encountered nutrient fluid that could sustain her for two or three days, which she chalked up to the ship’s superior supplies.

When she arrived on Juhai and saw nutrient fluid advertised for around 1 Star Coin, she thought it was the same deal.

Only after trying it did she realize Blue Star’s prices were a scam. For the same 1 Star Coin, Juhai sold high-energy nutrient fluid—each bottle could last at least five or six days!

As a cosmic transit hub, Blue Star’s 1-Star-Coin-per-day nutrient fluid was as overpriced as instant noodles on a high-speed train.

Ye Bai checked her balance. After paying the rental deposit, she still had over nineteen thousand—well, technically, the decimal places weren’t in Star Coins.

In the vast cosmic economy, differing levels of development among civilizations and varying planetary resource distributions led to huge disparities in prices and exchange rates.

Only Star Coins, backed by the Star Alliance, were a stable universal currency. Unlike other civilizations that might peg their currencies to specific rare resources, Star Coins operated on an "energy standard"—1 Star Coin equaled 1 standard Star Alliance energy unit.

As a standardized energy unit, Star Coins couldn’t be subdivided. The decimal places Ye Bai saw were the result of the system converting her funds into Illusory Sea’s local currency, "Beni."

Aside from Star Coins, Juhai also used Beni, the common currency of the Illusory Sea Civilization. Ye Bai had set up basic financial management on her personal terminal, allocating 100 Star Coins. The system monitored the fluctuating exchange rate between Beni and Star Coins, buying when Beni depreciated and selling when it rose.

The decimal digits in Ye Bai’s balance were her "earnings" over the past few days—a trick Aurora had taught her to make some extra nutrient fluid money.

With nearly twenty thousand Star Coins in hand, accustomed to nutrient fluid, and lacking any extravagant real-world expenses, Ye Bai doubted she’d even need to exchange Star Coins for in-game currency through Aurora’s lab.

Then, recalling Aurora’s earlier mention of magic, Ye Bai opened the local marketplace and spent 10 Star Coins on a "fluid punching bag" designed for D-grade psychics.

Within three minutes of placing the order, a drone delivered the package.

The fluid punching bag resembled a blob of mercury. Following the uploaded instructions, Ye Bai willed it, and the blob morphed into a thin wall.

She tested every second-tier spell she’d learned in "Boundless Realms" on it, confirming once again that, unlike the practice-dependent interstellar players, her in-game skill upgrades translated seamlessly to real-world use.

Moreover, after upgrading her [Tenacity] talent last time, Ye Bai felt her physical condition had improved dramatically, as if she’d undergone some "body tempering" from xianxia novels. She’d downed seven bottles of high-energy nutrient fluid—about a month and a half’s worth—as if her body had consumed massive energy for transformation, just without the dead skin shedding.

After reverting the fluid punching bag to its original small square form, Ye Bai logged back into the game.

She wasn’t alone—compared to reality, most interstellar players probably spent more time in "Boundless Realms" anyway.

……

In "Boundless Realms," a new day had dawned in White Night Town. More importantly, this was the first day the town had opened to players since upgrading from a village.

After waiting three days, excited players flooded into White Night Town like tourists armed with cameras, eagerly screenshotting every corner of the still-under-construction settlement.

Though many areas were restricted, the residential district remained open.

The residential zone had clearly expanded, now featuring a completed school and an even grander structure under construction nearby.

Players learned from nearby NPCs that the massive building would become a theater.

At the four corners of the cobblestone-paved residential area, new security booths had been installed, manned by level 20+ town guards equipped with energy crossbows.

To players, these details felt eerily familiar—White Night Town was evolving into something resembling an NPC town, yet with features even standard NPC towns lacked.

—How much productivity could White Night possibly have? It had only been three in-game days since the upgrade!

Even as a village, White Night’s complete facilities had left other territories in the dust. Like its mysterious rating, this was one of the interstellar players’ greatest unsolved mysteries.

After sightseeing, players headed to the marketplace, where they soon discovered a new item—[Swift March Boots], another rare blue-tier piece of equipment. Ten pairs were listed, priced at "only" 7 silver coins each!

Buy, buy, buy!

After accidentally draining their savings again, players who had intended to keep sightseeing soon noticed another change—the NPCs in the upgraded White Night Town now had "more to do."

As more and more players from Blue Star Server arrived at White Night Town, the tasks occasionally issued by the local NPCs became highly sought after, leading to fierce competition among players. The demand far outstripped the supply.

Now, however, players barely had to walk far before NPCs stopped them, asking for help with various problems. Players who had been busy taking screenshots couldn’t help but halt in their tracks—after all, what player could resist a quest?

...

"What? You’ve already caught a criminal? That was fast!"

Ye Bai had just logged in and was planning her upcoming class change when Blaze delivered the report.

"Yes, we’ve already sent him to the newly built prison," Blaze replied proudly. As the town’s security officer, he hadn’t expected to rack up achievements so quickly.

Ye Bai was both surprised and curious. She had anticipated that players might end up in prison eventually, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. White Night Town had just lifted its lockdown, with new security posts added everywhere. Not to mention, the earlier display of the energy crossbows firing in unison should have been a strong deterrent. Weren’t these interstellar agents usually more cautious? Who could be so bold?

Ye Bai immediately stood up from her desk. "Let’s go to the prison. Tell me the details on the way."

"Yes! Here’s what happened..."

As they walked, Blaze recounted the incident.

It had taken place in the town’s advanced pastures—and the whole thing was… rather sudden.

Currently, there were two advanced pastures. One was the antelope pasture, where Qin, a specialist with an affinity for animals, worked. Wild antelopes still needed taming when first brought in, and Qin’s presence greatly sped up the process. The other was the black-gold sheep pasture, manned by two ordinary herders.

One of the herders had twisted his ankle and sent his companion to fetch medicine from the herbalist’s shop. Spotting a passing player, he asked them to help feed the two black-gold sheep in his stead.

It was clearly a temporary quest. But the player who accepted it, upon seeing the sheep’s unique wool, couldn’t resist sneaking a handful.

The black-gold sheep were still in the early stages of rearing, nowhere near shearing time. The player’s "harvesting" was more like plucking, causing the sheep to bleat in protest and alerting the herder, who immediately shouted for help, accusing the player of theft.

Nearby, three bored crossbowmen stationed at a security post sprang into action and promptly arrested the player on charges of theft, hauling them off to prison.

Well, well. Ye Bai was used to being the one who fleeced others—she never expected someone would dare try to fleece her!

She realized she had forgotten to update the security perimeter settings after relocating the advanced pastures.

Amused, she adjusted the settings. By then, she and Blaze had reached the prison and descended the stairs to the underground cells.

A prison should look like a prison. While the building appeared to be a single-story structure above ground, the ground floor was reserved for staff. The actual cells were in the dark, windowless basement.

Though technically imprisoned, the player wasn’t suffering the way a real prisoner would—this was still a game, after all. Instead, they were curiously examining their surroundings.

Ye Bai approached the cell, separated by iron bars. The female player inside, Xi Bei, spotted her and excitedly stepped forward to greet her.

"Lord White Night!"

If anything, Ye Bai was just as curious. She peered inside. "How is it in there?"

The cell had three black walls, lit only by a torch outside the bars. The only furnishings were a toilet and a pile of dry hay serving as a bed—not that a player would need either.

"It’s a novel experience. Want to come in and try it?" Xi Bei invited.

Ye Bai: "...I’ll pass."

Upon entering a new environment, Xi Bei, being an interstellar agent, had naturally taken screenshots of everything. She had even logged out briefly to share intel with her faction. The three-day sentence floating above her head also reminded her that jail time didn’t count if she was offline.

Xi Bei seemed to understand Ye Bai wouldn’t just let her go, so she didn’t ask for release.

Ye Bai observed for a moment longer before preparing to leave. "Well, I’ll be going now. Enjoy your stay."

She could proceed with her class change in peace. With this player’s example, others would surely think twice before causing trouble.

"Wait, please!" Xi Bei called out, her mind racing.

Though White Night Town had opened its gates, its ruler, White Night, remained an enigmatic figure, rarely interacting with players. Only a handful had ever had the chance to speak with the legendary leader.

After Ye Bai’s appearance during the battle against the three-headed vulture boss three game days ago, discussions about her had surged across the Star Network.

Xi Bei never expected to meet White Night in a prison cell—and to find her surprisingly approachable. Seizing the opportunity, she made an unexpected request:

"Um… could I take a photo with you?"

"A photo?" Ye Bai paused, puzzled. "How?"

In Boundless Worlds, screenshots were usually taken from the player’s perspective.

"I have a way." With that, Xi Bei plucked out one of her own eyes right in front of Ye Bai.

Ye Bai: "…!"

After the initial shock, Ye Bai remembered—this was likely a lesser-known tier-two talent, Limb Regeneration, which allowed players to regrow lost body parts at the cost of HP, energy, and stamina. Xi Bei’s species must have a similar innate ability.

Seeing Ye Bai didn’t refuse, Xi Bei stood by the bars, one eye open and the other closed, holding up the extracted eye like a camera. "Look here, please."

Through the iron bars, Xi Bei became the first player in Boundless Worlds to take a photo with White Night.

Before leaving, Ye Bai asked, "Which faction do you belong to?"

Xi Bei hesitated only slightly before answering truthfully. "The Dandi Civilization."

She had already asked for the photo—sharing it publicly would only increase its value.

"Goodbye." Ye Bai nodded and left, committing the name to memory.

After Ye Bai departed, Xi Bei eagerly logged out with the photo in hand, immediately contacting her superiors.

Meanwhile, Ye Bai returned to her office and logged out as well.

In the Star Network, Ye Bai discovered the Dandi Civilization within the vast cosmic currency market. After cross-referencing information, he confirmed it was the same race as that player he had encountered earlier in the prison cell—identified by traits resembling the [Limb Regeneration] innate ability. He then spent ten thousand star coins to purchase the Dandi Civilization's currency, 'Luo Yuan.'

Expecting to wait a while longer, Ye Bai switched back to cosmic news, only to see a breaking headline trending at the top:

[Dandi Civilization and Aurora Hold Friendly Meeting in Myriad Realms, Pose for Photos Together]

Ye Bai immediately returned to the currency market. The exchange rate for the five million Luo Yuan he had just bought began skyrocketing against star coins at an astonishing speed...

Ye Bai: New investment strategy unlocked.