C15 Shock

With the arrival of a new wave of reinforcements, the relentless tide of monsters ultimately failed to overtake anyone. As Morphy and the rest entered the village's safe confines, all players simultaneously received a notification:

Mission: Establish First Contact with the Otherworld 1/1

Once Morphy and company were within the safety zone, the monsters, having lost their quarry, started to meander aimlessly. It was then that the players grasped the true meaning of a 'safe zone.'

Ding... A new main mission was unveiled:

Establish a stronghold and strike back against the darkness.

The unveiling of this new mission instantly revitalized the players, who were just considering a rest. Their attention turned to the one with the self-assured, dark complexion. His previous analysis had won everyone over, commanding respect like Shadow of Wind himself. Naturally, they were eager to hear his insights.

"What are you staring at me for? Based on the mission, we need to develop the Beginner Village. The quests are definitely tied to those NPCs. Let's go talk to them."

Upon entering the village, each of the four NPCs claimed a ramshackle house to stand before. Heeding the advice of their confident comrade, they approached Morphy against the backdrop of the setting sun. Before they could even speak, Morphy proactively said, "This place was once a fine village, now it's uninhabitable. You all, go gather more lumber to rebuild the houses!"

When players approached Eve, they found her much more approachable than at first meeting: "Gather food and seeds; they are essential for our survival."

The hint from Sohlin was clear: "There's an abundance of stone mines nearby. Collect them, and I'll figure out how to craft a furnace to forge weapons anew."

And Shelley? Each visitor was met with a smile and encouraging words: "Everyone, keep up the good work!"

After making their rounds, the players convened to strategize. The situation was becoming clear.

Shadow of Wind spoke up, "It seems we're tasked with building the village. Morphy appears to be linked to housing, and Eve to food—though isn't she a tailor? The one certainty is that the dwarf Sohlin is our blacksmith!"

"Let's get to it then. If we can craft weapons and armor before the next wave of players arrives, we'll be able to establish a significant lead."

"Wait a minute, if we can craft weapons, then so can the new players. How does that create any sort of gap between us?"

"Don't overlook the favorability system. Have you noticed how much friendlier the NPCs have become? If we keep up with the construction, our favorability will only go up. I bet the NPCs will offer us exclusive equipment, while the newcomers will still need to grind for their favor."

"Exactly, and right now, they don't have the same opportunity to build rapport with the NPCs in the safe zone. They're stuck with resource gathering quests and the like, which is how we're pulling ahead!"

Faang Qiubai pondered, should he equate their collective wisdom to that of Zhuge Liang? His strategy was seemingly anticipated by these folks. While he hadn't intended to deliberately increase the gap between player batches, competition breeds motivation. To maintain that gap, each group of players would push themselves, rather than coasting along passively.

As everyone set out to tackle the NPC's quests, a short-haired girl coughed to get their attention and shyly declared, "Um, you all carry on. I'm going to log off and share the video I just took. It used up all my experience points."

The players were astounded. While nearly everyone had tried out the recording feature, few were willing to spend much experience on it, opting instead for a few snapshots or brief clips. This girl, who recorded the whole thing, was truly an anomaly.

Driven by curiosity, since the heat of battle had left no room for thoughts of recording, the players were eager to see the footage. They pinned their hopes on this female player's unique perspective.

"Nako, better make it quick. Every second counts right now," someone familiar with her advised.

Nako nodded, logged off, and uploaded her video to the forum. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed a lengthy message, then she swiftly logged back in without realizing the stir she'd caused.

"Hey everyone, I'm Nako. I logged off just to share our recent adventure with you. It cost me all my experience points, so if there was a way to tip on the forum, I'd appreciate it (╥﹏╥)o."

"The video I uploaded was captured with the game's built-in recording feature, completely unedited and without any special effects. What you're seeing is exactly what we went through. That wave of monsters really got to me, but with everyone there, I wasn't scared, even when we were swarmed. I just wish I had taken down a few more of them."

I'm sure no one here wants to listen to me ramble on, so please, sit back and enjoy everything that unfolds in the game. I give you my word, everything you're about to see is completely authentic and unaltered.

Nako had previously posted a thread, and with her status as a first-test player clearly indicated in her username, the thread instantly attracted a swarm of netizens. Yet, to everyone's surprise, aside from a few quick comments claiming the best seats in the thread, there was an unsettling silence. This lasted for over twenty minutes until suddenly, the thread erupted, with the number of replies skyrocketing by the dozens and hundreds with each refresh.

"No way, this can't be real. Can a game actually be this lifelike?"

"You've got to be joking. This feels like just a CG sequence to me."

"It's definitely not CG. I just checked, and there's no sign of any edits. It's a continuous shot through and through!"

"Enough talk. I'll offer a million for an account, DM me if you're selling."

"Wow, big spender above! A million for a game account... If I had the cash, I'd be in on that too!"

"I'm still skeptical. It's just too realistic. Look at the NPCs' expressions—they shift subtly as players meet their demise!"

"Despite that, the combat is brutally intense and thrilling. Why don't I have an account?"

Nako's video had the forum in an absolute frenzy. Beyond the majority of netizens desperate to dive into the game, there were skeptics who flat-out refused to believe the gameplay was real. Alongside them, the neutral onlookers relished the chaos, all contributing to a virtual melee that nearly crashed the forum. For those unable to play, it was a bittersweet form of entertainment.

Meanwhile, the instigator herself, Nako, was in-game like any other player, stooped over as she hauled hefty stones from the outskirts back to the village, all to fulfill Sohlin's quest.