When the game shut down, I took my skills with me.

Ye Tian held the ice-cold Coke bottle, frozen in place like a weathered sculpture. The sea breeze blew by, bringing a salty, damp coolness, but it couldn't dispel the absurd feeling of burning heat and icy coldness intertwined within him.

He had just personally electrified a lost city that only existed in mythology, indirectly triggering a global system update and thus gaining a powerful blessing buff that lasted for 24 hours and had an almost insane effect.

Then, he received his full reward for this "epic main quest"—a bottle of iced cola that retails for three dollars.

At the same time, players all over the world were in an uproar because of that [World Announcement].

The official forum for "Gods and Demons Era" crashed instantly due to the flood of posts. The servers were expanded three times in an emergency to barely accommodate the massive influx of billions of players from around the world.

"Holy crap! Atlantis? That legendary ultimate map that even level 150 players in top-tier gear wouldn't dare to set foot in easily, how come it's open now?"

"This anonymous player is amazing! It's definitely the same person! They annihilated the Demon Dragon King, purified Gotham City (this player imagined the toilet purification incident as another miracle), and now they've activated a new map! Is this person the GM's favorite?"

"Team up! Players along the eastern coast of China, form teams immediately! Charter a ship, head out to sea, and be the first to reach Atlantis and feast!"

"Don't be silly, upstairs! Didn't you see it's an 'Epic Map'? Going there now is just suicide! And can you even swim there? Someone tried it by boat earlier, and there's an invisible barrier fifty nautical miles from that glowing city. The boat shattered when it hit it!"

Major player guilds also took action upon hearing the news.

At the headquarters of the "Sword of Oracle" guild, Guild Leader Xiao Xue looked at the announcement on the screen. For the first time, her usually calm and composed phoenix eyes were filled with solemnity and longing.

"Investigate! Utilize all our intelligence resources to find out who this 'anonymous' player is! Win him over at all costs! If we can't win him over… at least find out his motives!"

No one knew that this "version update" that stirred up the world was simply a result of a certain salted fish tycoon wanting to change his taste in fish and, incidentally, find something for his new errand boy to do.

On the beach, Ye Tian finally recovered from the huge impact.

He glanced at Lu Yuan, who was leisurely lying on the "Moonlight Sand" as if he were indifferent to everything in the outside world, and made an extremely difficult, yet extremely quick, decision in his heart.

Forget about the dignity of the reborn, forget about the script for the future, to hell with it all!

In his previous life, he struggled for ten years, crawling out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Everything he pursued—power, strength, wealth, and status—was as fragile as a joke in front of this man.

The most powerful force in the world is right in front of him. If he were to turn around and leave now, he would be the biggest fool in the world!

The moment he made up his mind, a pale blue virtual interface, visible only to him, suddenly unfolded before his eyes. This was the first time since his rebirth that he had seen such a clear and formal system notification.

[A special opportunity is triggered: a crossroads in life]

[You are at a critical juncture in your life. Please make your choice. Your choice will determine your future path and is irreversible.]

[Option 1: Break free from the control of the "World Administrator," travel to Atlantis using your reborn memories, compete with players worldwide for opportunities, and forge your own path to power. Reward: Legendary skill book "Raging Seas."]

Option Two: Abandon the illusory identity of "protagonist," swear allegiance to the "world administrator," and accept the fate he has ordained for you. Reward: Unique quest item "Imprint of Loyalty."

Ye Tian's heart began to pound.

The system! This is the system he knows! He knows what to choose!

He stared at option one, his breathing quickening. The legendary skill book, "Raging Seas," was an ultimate ocean-type treasure in his previous life, enough to trigger a guild-wide annihilation war for it! With it, and relying on his memories of the interior of Atlantis, he was absolutely confident he would become the biggest winner in that lost city!

This is the path a protagonist should take! With a mighty roar, he gathers followers, encounters countless fortuitous events, and ultimately tramples the entire world under his feet...

But his gaze involuntarily drifted toward Lu Yuan, who seemed to be almost asleep on the recliner.

He remembered the lava dragon that had been arbitrarily modified to be fire-type.

I was reminded of that lost city that was salvaged from the seabed by a single sentence.

I remembered that pebble that could be turned into a teleportation artifact with a breath.

To "compete for opportunities" with such a being?

What if they get unhappy and slap Atlantis back into the sea? Or what if they think it's too bright and delete it altogether?

Cold sweat instantly slid down Ye Tian's forehead.

Protagonist? What does "protagonist" even mean? A protagonist is someone who follows the will of Heaven! Someone who defies Heaven is a villain!

And the one in front of us is, without a doubt, "Heaven"!

Without hesitation, he chose option two with his mind.

"I choose option two! I am willing to offer my loyalty!"

[Confirm your choice. A wise decision.]

[Congratulations on obtaining the unique quest item "Imprint of Loyalty". Upon use, you will officially become a servant of the "World Administrator" and begin your exclusive quest chain. Your destiny is now bound to the supreme being; the road ahead is filled with unknowns, but also with infinite possibilities.]

A virtual brand that emitted a faint glow appeared in his inventory.

Ye Tian did not hesitate at all and chose to use it.

A warm light enveloped him and then disappeared. He felt a faint, almost imperceptible, soul connection, akin to a master-servant contract, between himself and the man before him.

"Hmm?" Lu Yuan seemed to sense something, took off his sunglasses, and looked at him strangely, as if he had discovered that his pet dog had suddenly learned to open a can of food by itself.

"You're still here? Perfect, I'm about to take a nap. Could you keep an eye on things here for me?"

Lu Yuan pointed to the surrounding beach, speaking casually as if he were asking his roommate to help him collect the laundry.

"This place is now part of my private fishing grounds and beach. Don't let any random people come in and disturb my rest."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Tian's task panel popped up with a "ding".

[Family-exclusive main quest is now activated: Beach Guard (Stage 1)]

[Mission Description: For the next 8 hours, protect the "World Administrator's" afternoon nap. Prevent any unauthorized units from entering the 100-meter radius around the beach chair.]

[Task Rewards: 100 Experience Points, 1 Iced Cola Coupon]

[Failure Penalty: The "Loyalty Mark" will be revoked, and favorability will be reset to zero.]

Ye Tian looked at the task, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

He went from being a reborn person destined by fate to becoming an NPC who looked after the fishing grounds for a big shot, and now... he has officially changed jobs to become a beach security guard.

……

Meanwhile, on the command ship of the Dragon Shield advance team.

"Report! Director Qin! We've detected an unprecedented and intense energy fluctuation emanating from 'Chosen One' Ye Tian! This fluctuation has stabilized and seems to... have formed a special 'domain'! He appears to have merged with that beach!"

Qin Shiyue suddenly stood up from his seat, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Domain! I understand!" He paced excitedly back and forth in the command room, his brain's "Dihua" engine running at overclock. "The Master has 'authorized' him! He has granted Ye Tian control over a portion of the divine domain! That beach, seemingly ordinary, has actually become the 'dojo' and 'testing ground' bestowed upon Ye Tian by the Master!"

"He didn't really put Ye Tian there as a security guard! He was having him 'guard the Dao'! He was letting him experience the power of the Master, to become familiar with that area imbued with divine power! Every breath, every heartbeat, was a form of cultivation!"

The chief of staff suddenly realized: "You mean, becoming a 'security guard' on that beach is itself an unparalleled honor and opportunity?"

"That's right!" Qin Shiyue said decisively, "This is the most basic and also the most important step! The master is tempering his character and testing his loyalty! Once he passes, Ye Tian will truly embark on the path of extraordinary achievement and become the master's first 'Guardian General'!"

"Pass on my order!" Qin Shiyue pointed to the small beach marked on the nautical chart and gave the order in an unquestionable tone.

"Raise the security level of this area to the highest level! Name it 'Divine Realm Number One'! Dispatch the most elite observation team to observe and record every move of Ye Tian, ​​the 'Guardian of the Divine Realm,' from an absolutely safe distance, 24 hours a day, analyzing every detail of his protection of the dojo! We must not allow anyone to disturb the example that Master has set for us!"

On the distant beach, Ye Tian, ​​the newly appointed "Guardian of the Divine Realm," held a bottle of cola with a tragic expression, beginning his eight-hour security guard duty.

He quickly got into character, standing like a javelin beside Lu Yuan's recliner, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

His first challenge came quickly.

A crab the size of a palm, probably attracted by the vibrant life on the beach, waving its pincers, crawled sideways out of the sea, its target the flip-flops at Lu Yuan's feet.

Ye Tian instantly felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy!

He dared not make too much noise to disturb the gentleman, so he lowered his center of gravity, stretched out one foot, and carefully blocked the crab's path.

This scene was clearly captured by the high-magnification telescope on the distant command ship.

"Look!" Dr. Chen exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the screen. "Ye Tian's stance! It looks simple, but it subtly aligns with the Seven Star Steps, perfectly blending his own aura with the energy field of the beach, achieving a state of 'unity of heaven and man'! He's not catching a crab; he's using himself as the core of a formation, constructing a defensive barrier!"

"That crab is no ordinary creature!" another expert added. "Every time it slithered sideways, it perfectly struck the weakest point in the divine energy field! This represents some kind of 'law of chaos' that we cannot comprehend! Ye Tian is trying to understand the balance between 'order' and 'chaos' through his confrontation with it!"

A group of China's top elites engaged in an academic discussion that lasted for several hours, filled with metaphysical and charlatan-like elements, over a scene of a security guard stopping crabs.