Game Era – Lost Odyssey

The biennial Extreme Olympics took place in the picturesque coastal city of Luo City, the grandest stage for extreme riders to showcase their skills. Extreme sports originated in the early last century as an adventurous pursuit where humans pushed the limits of their physical and mental capabilities.

From the initial challenge of speed to testing guts, courage, skill, and reflexes, the sport evolved over time. Alongside the thrill came risks—crippling injuries or even death! Yet, this very danger fueled humanity’s desire to test their limits with their lives, transforming extreme sports into a global phenomenon.

The Extreme Olympics showed signs of overshadowing the traditional Olympics. Since the sport began with speed challenges, its earliest enthusiasts were jokingly dubbed “riders,” a nickname that stuck through the years.

In the streets and alleys of Luo City, you’d occasionally spot these extreme riders and their fans, decked out in bizarre clothing and quirky outfits. They were mostly young, their hair dyed in vibrant colors and styled into odd shapes. Their heads, hands, and bodies sported all sorts of peculiar accessories made from every imaginable material.

If you paid close attention, you’d notice that among the variety of materials, extreme riders favored aquamarine gems the most—aquamarine earrings, rings, bracelets, even buttons. Known as the “stone of the brave,” aquamarine symbolized calmness, courage, and intelligence, perfectly aligning with the spirit of extreme sports and earning it a special place in the hearts of enthusiasts. With even keener observation, you’d see that among all the aquamarine accessories, no one wore it around their neck as a pendant or amulet—except for one person, the only exception!

A young man in loose-fitting jeans strolled lazily down a wide, straight street, idly chewing gum. His sleepy eyes scanned a roadside billboard with disinterest. It read, “Welcome to the Holy Land of Extreme Sports—Luo City.” Around twenty years old, his sharp, angular features resembled those of a European, but he had black hair, yellow-toned skin, and deep black pupils tinged with a faint hint of aquamarine—so subtle it was invisible unless you looked closely. His open shirt revealed a lean, muscular chest, where a large aquamarine amulet hung, its bluish glow dazzling against his bronzed skin.

Passersby noticed the amulet and couldn’t help but stop, gazing at him with reverence as he ambled away. Judging by their expressions, if this weren’t the Olympic Village—with its strict “Do Not Disturb Athletes” rule—they’d have swarmed him for autographs.

The Olympic Village was far quieter than the bustling streets outside, with few people in sight. As the young man rounded a corner, he unexpectedly ran into a dozen trendy, oddly-haired peers. Adorned with aquamarine accessories, they too seemed to be competitors in the games. Chatting loudly and oblivious to their surroundings, they nearly collided with him—until they spotted the aquamarine amulet around his neck. Startled at first, they quickly parted to the sides. But once they got a good look at him, their reverence turned to fury, their faces flushing red.

“You’re not Dumas?” A tall, burly man with braids blocked his path, hands on hips, glaring at him with hostility.

“I’m not,” the young man replied, unfazed by the aggression, still casually chewing his gum. His response only fueled their anger further. A teenage boy pointed at the amulet and barked, “Only Dumas can wear aquamarine on his chest!”

“Why’s that?” The young man shrugged nonchalantly. His attitude enraged them even more. The burly man jabbed a finger at his nose and spat out each word, “I don’t care if you’re genuinely clueless or just playing dumb—I’ll tell you one more time! Dumas is the three-time consecutive Extreme All-Around Champion, the King of Riders. In extreme sports, he’s like Jordan in the NBA or Pelé in soccer. Jordan’s the god of basketball, Pelé’s the king of football, and Dumas? He’s the god in every extreme enthusiast’s heart! You can worship a god, but you don’t mimic him. Since Dumas wears aquamarine around his neck, no extreme fan in the world copies that—unless you can beat him.”

“Oh, I see,” the young man nodded as if enlightened, but made no move to remove the amulet. The group closed in with menacing intent, some cracking their knuckles, clearly itching to teach this ignorant kid a lesson. Only one, a calmer competitor, kept studying the amulet before muttering uncertainly, “If I’m not mistaken, this one-of-a-kind aquamarine amulet belongs to the King of Riders, Dumas.”

“No,” the young man’s face darkened suddenly, “it’s more accurate to say Dumas once wore this aquamarine amulet, but it’s not his.”

“Liar! Bullshit!” The group erupted in curses. The burly man swung a furious punch at his nose—but hit nothing. As he pulled back his fist, stunned, he saw the young man hadn’t budged an inch, still standing there lazily chewing gum. The crowd fell silent. Extreme sports pros all had superhuman reflexes, but dodging a sudden punch like that without moving from the spot? That was unreal.

“I’ve had the honor of meeting Dumas a few times and was lucky enough to hear him tell the story of this amulet firsthand,” the calmer competitor broke the silence. “It didn’t originally belong to Dumas.”

His words drew everyone’s attention. Curious eyes turned to this fortunate soul who knew Dumas, eager to hear about the amulet so cherished by the King of Riders.

“From the age of seventeen, when Dumas started competing in world-class events, he showed unmatched talent in extreme sports. Guts, endurance, skill, reflexes—he had no rival. But in private, he once said he wasn’t the best rider. The best was his friend from when he was fifteen, an Easterner named Xia Fei.” A hint of admiration crossed his face. “As a teenager, Dumas was obsessed with extreme sports, risking his life to push his physical and mental limits. Back then, he and his crew of young riders loved a game called ‘Death Train.’ At the signal, a dozen teens would race along train tracks toward an oncoming train barreling at over a hundred miles an hour. Amid the train’s deafening whistle, the last one to leap off the tracks was the winner—bragging rights or a couple hundred bucks pooled together as the prize. In that game, it wasn’t always the boldest or fastest who won. Only those with precise judgment of their reflexes, cool-headedness, and extraordinary courage could push their body and mind to the edge, getting as close as possible to the speeding train while staying safe.”

The group nodded slightly. Many had played similar life-or-death challenges and knew the tricks well. The speaker’s expression dimmed as he continued, “In those death matches, Dumas often lost to his Eastern friend Xia Fei. Until the last time, when Xia Fei slipped as he leapt off the tracks at the final moment, getting crushed to pieces by the train. All Dumas found at the scene was his friend’s only keepsake—this aquamarine amulet.”

A dreamy reverence filled their eyes. To normal people, risking death to test your limits was insanity, but to hardcore extreme sports fans, it was the pinnacle of the sport! There was no grace in it—just raw danger. How many times in a lifetime could anyone feel their heart leap into their throat like that?

The young man stopped chewing his gum, his eyes flickering with a strange mix of sorrow and longing.

“From then on, this aquamarine amulet never left Dumas’s side. As he rose to fame in extreme sports, it became his symbol. So, I want to know—how did it end up with you?” The speaker fixed his gaze on the young man.

“Simple,” the young man’s face turned serious for the first time. “I’m Xia Fei’s younger brother, Xia Feng. More importantly, I beat Dumas, and the stakes were this aquamarine amulet. I just took back what belonged to my brother.”

“You beat Dumas?” The group froze, then burst into roaring laughter, pointing at Xia Feng and gasping between chuckles, “You beat the King of Riders, Dumas? So you’re the best extreme rider now?”

“Who beat Dumas?” Before Xia Feng could respond, a sharp shout cut through from behind. The word “who” echoed from dozens of steps away, but by “Dumas,” the voice had rocketed to his side like lightning. A whirlwind swept in, stopping precisely in front of Xia Feng with the last lingering note. The sudden gust startled the group into stepping back instinctively, but Xia Feng stood unfazed, calm in the eye of the storm.

As the whirlwind dissipated, a black-clad girl on rollerblades stood steady before them. She had an athletic build and striking features, her chestnut curls tied loosely into a ponytail. In her early twenties, her sharp, icy eyes and frosty expression gave her an unapproachable allure. Silver high-top rollerblades made her tower half a head over the group, and her dramatic reverse-slide stop amplified her imposing presence.