The reason for their excitement was simple.

  The Julian Thorne in the video wasn't just handsome, making it easy for Players to project themselves onto him. He was also incredibly composed, even in the heat of battle. Every move he made was calculated, as if he had everything under control.

  In short, he was the embodiment of coolness.

  Although it was a bit embarrassing, Julian himself was enjoying the video quite a bit.

  It's a strange feeling, watching a video where others are praising you. The more they praised, the more bizarre it felt.

  But it wasn't just praise. With over 2,000 Apocalypse arena matches and an 89% win rate in his past life, this was simply a statement of fact.

  The video continued.

  In the clip, Marien, consumed by rage, took a deep breath, clearly about to unleash a powerful attack. The Players watching the video held their breath for Julian.

  But their worries were unfounded. The Julian in the video didn't hesitate for a second. He dashed forward, narrowly dodging Marien's ultimate move, "Banshee's Howl," while the Curse Cult members surrounding him weren't so lucky.

  Then, as Marien pounced, Julian casually drew his gun and fired. When the bullets ran out, a shotgun suddenly appeared in his hand, and he blasted Marien three times, killing her instantly.

  The scene was visually stunning.

  The video was nearing its end.

  As Marien collapsed, transforming into countless tiny spiders, the live comments exploded again.

  "Damn, he did it again!"

  "Show off, yes, but also incredibly cool!"

  "He's just too good..."

  "So much charisma, and so handsome. Anyone who doesn't think he's the protagonist is crazy, right? Right?"

  "Dude, everything in Apocalypse, including this video, is generated by the Super AIs. Theoretically, there's no such thing as a protagonist."

  "Even if he's not the protagonist, he's at least a Chosen One! Calling him the protagonist isn't wrong!"

  The scene flashed again.

  It was a familiar setting: the entrance to Vickers University.

  A young man with a scar on his face, dressed like a new student, raised his hands and clenched his fists. "I'm going to be the Son of Weather!"

  The name above his head read: Apprentice Alchemist - Leandro de Pesa.

  The scene shifted once more.

  A girl with fiery orange hair and a voluptuous figure, wearing patched-up clothes, was running a street stall, hawking her wares to passersby. When someone tried to haggle, she smiled and said, "My Family Motto is 'Fair trade, haggle over every penny.' You won't get a single Roshen more from me."

  The name above her head read: Apprentice Swordsman/Merchant - Chris Bladensburg.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The live comments were instantly flooded with the word "Wife."

  The scene shifted again.

  In an endless darkness, a book lay still. Though no one was touching it, its pages began to turn on their own, flipping rapidly.

  It was filled with densely packed names.

  After a moment, it stopped on a particular page.

  The first name on the page was - Wayne Stilwell.

  The screen went black, and the video ended.

  Julian: ...

  Ending it there was just cruel!

  He was curious about what that book was. It gave him a bad feeling. But the Super AI had chosen to end the video at that exact moment, a truly despicable act.

  As for the two people before, they were familiar, and their lines were incredibly cringey, making him feel second-hand embarrassment.

  In the original Apocalypse game, this cringey guy was the Chosen One of the game, Leandro de Pesa, a genius alchemist and an idiotic Meteorologist. And the cringey girl was also kind of a Chosen One, named Chris Bladensburg. She was pretty cute, had a large chest, and was known as "Wife" by many Players in his past life. There was even a saying: "The doujinshi section can't live without Chris, just like instant noodles can't live without the seasoning packet."

  He remembered that these two were new students this year. School would start in a few days. He should find some time to meet them and see if he could ride their coattails.

  Wait a minute... This time, he was featured in the video alongside these two Chosen Ones, and his screen time was clearly more than theirs combined. It seemed like he was really getting the protagonist treatment. He should be the one they are trying to ride the coattails of.

  If he didn't know that Apocalypse had no protagonist, he would have believed it.

  Julian took a deep breath and scrolled down to the comment section.

  The video had just been released, so many people were probably still watching it, but there were already a lot of comments.

  "Calm, wise, handsome, powerful... Standard protagonist template. I'm betting on this guy."

  "Same here. I'll follow him when Beta Testing starts."

  "This promo video is good, but can it be longer?"

  "Am I the only one who thinks that Leandro is the protagonist? Cringey, black hair, scar, standard shonen protagonist."

  "It says Beta Testing, when does Beta Testing start? I'm getting impatient!!"

  Looking at the comments, about half of the people seemed to think that he was the predetermined protagonist of the Apocalypse game.

  Honestly, it was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

  Because he was also a Player, he knew how strong Players could be. If he could build up his reputation among the Players, it could definitely help him thrive in the game.

  As for the plot...

  Who cares? It shouldn't change too much. In his past life, the plot of the first expansion revolved around the ancient underground god Nyastora. A little adaptation, like changing the protagonist, wouldn't hurt.

  [Ding! You have significantly impacted the world of Apocalypse. You are rewarded with 1 random Skill Point.]

  Julian: ...

  He had just been thinking about the Transmigration Simulator, and it suddenly gave him such a pleasant surprise.

  Random Skill Point +1!

  Julian's eyes welled up.

  This was too touching. Games that gave out random Skill Points so readily were rare. Was this the legendary "conscientious game" everyone talked about?

  So, not only did he get rewards for impacting the simulated world, but he also got rewards for impacting the game world...

  He had been worried all day and was planning to rest early, but now he wasn't tired at all.

  Let's transmigrate!

  [Preparing for transmigration... Transmigration Coin -1]

  [Matching with a parallel version of you...]

  [Would you like to spend another Transmigration Coin to re-roll your Talents?]

  Having become wealthy, Julian didn't hesitate to choose yes.

  [Please select three of the following ten Talents as matching criteria]

  [1. Athletic Genius (Blue): You possess exceptional athletic abilities.]

  [2. Crooked Mouth Dragon King (Purple): Every time you smirk, things get easier. Just do it, NIKE.]

  [3. Zidane (Purple): You have ball skills as godly as Zidane, but as a consequence, your hairstyle is identical to his at age 35.]

  [4. Tony Stark (Purple): Like Iron Man, you're a typical playboy, a bit sarcastic but intelligent and ingenious, and a scientific genius, although not as great as him, but not far behind.]

  [5. Interracial Love (White): You are naturally a furry, and you especially liked the Tauren when playing World of Warcraft.]

  [6. Sail-like Back (White): Your back muscles are exceptionally developed.]

  [7. Verbal Tai Chi Master (White): You're a master of verbal Tai Chi, gracefully deflecting any conversational attack with the fluidity of the martial art.]

  [8. Wisdom at Forty (Green): You will become wiser when you reach the age of forty.]

  [9. Mechanical Ascension (Purple): Flesh is weak, ascend with machines. Note: You may find that this world does not have the parts you need.]

  [10. Honest and Reliable (Green): You never lie.]

  [Please choose!]