C16 Hardworking Players

For Morphy and his companions, today's shocks came one after another, from the sudden appearance of the god to the resurrection of the Brave Ones from the Otherworld after death. What baffled them the most was the Brave Ones' peculiar willingness to embrace hard labor with their unlimited potential, despite facing monsters with fearless resolve.

Assigned by the god to perform a series of menial tasks without any apparent reward, the Brave Ones competed to do everything themselves. Each of the hundred reacted identically, their eagerness bordering on alarming.

While it might be expected for burly men to take on such grueling work, Morphy couldn't help but respect the seemingly delicate girls who tirelessly hauled massive stones to and fro.

Acknowledging their strenuous efforts, Morphy gave a slight nod and said to a Brave One returning with a log as thick as a man, "You've worked hard." To which the player beamed with joy and exclaimed to his companions, "Did you see that? That's a change in favorability! What a brilliant feature!"

Despite his bewilderment, Morphy clung to the god's directive: maintain a demeanor of cool detachment, sparing them only the occasional smile. He had heard that even more Brave Ones would arrive, and they were to be met with even greater indifference and harshness.

Yet, under such provocation, the players' zeal only intensified. They continuously brought back trees, stones, and an assortment of unfamiliar fruits and seeds. Sohlin either broke the stones or arranged them into a makeshift furnace, while Morphy deftly cut the logs into uniform pieces with his greatsword, piling them neatly.

Eve showed interest in only a few of the fruits and seeds, leaving the rest for the players to use as they saw fit. However, with the game's hunger and food systems yet unimplemented, these items were tantalizingly inedible.

Eventually, as the stockpile of materials reached a sufficient level, Morphy addressed the players still transporting wood, "We have enough wood now. Go clear the debris and rubbish from those houses. It's time to build anew!"

"The plan's changed—no more chopping down trees! Quick, clear the area; we're building houses now!"

A player's cry echoed, and like wildfire, the message spread among the First Survey players. In no time, a hundred of them had abandoned their tasks and returned to the village to tackle the long-collapsed, war-ravaged houses.

Morphy watched in a daze as each person, smiling unfazed, hauled away the decayed timber and skeletal remains. Within minutes, they had cleared a spotless expanse of land. Such fearless, tireless Braves—perhaps they truly had the power to save this world.

Lost in thought, Morphy was startled as the Braves vanished in an instant. The few who were alarmed, fearing some dire event, had just drawn their weapons when the shoddy statue in the village center began to glow with a comforting light—the unmistakable power of the Father God.

"Father God!" The four survivors of this world knelt, gazing at the effigy.

"The Braves have returned to their world. They'll be back tomorrow, and new faces will join them. Remember to tell them apart and heed my words—you mustn't show them too much kindness," Faang Qiubai, the Father God, clarified the players' disappearance and issued a reminder.

"Father... Such Braves deserve our utmost respect. To treat them with disdain..." Eve, typically the most reserved with the players, cautiously voiced her dissent.

"To prevent them from becoming overly complacent and losing their ambition, you must act this way. However, as I've mentioned, if some prove themselves, don't hesitate to offer praise. Later, when we've reclaimed more territory and gathered more resources, you can reward them with the less essential items, or even weapons and armor. Trust me, they'll appreciate that," Faang Qiubai advised before fading away, leaving Morphy and the others staring at the now lifeless village, a mix of melancholy and anticipation for the Braves' return stirring within them.

"Today's game testing session has concluded, and the server is now closed. Please log in again tomorrow!"

Upon receiving this message, players were abruptly kicked offline, leaving them seething with rage, their frustration akin to a cat clawing at their insides, desperate to dive back into the game.

After several failed attempts to reconnect, these players didn't hesitate to flood the forums with posts, unleashing their fury. As soon as the first post went up, it was bombarded with a frenzy of replies.

"Seriously? Who just shuts down the server without warning!"

"Exactly, what the heck? There was zero heads-up, and nothing about a time limit in the test announcement!"

"I don't care, I need to get back online! I've got trash to clean up, houses to build!"

The forums were suddenly swamped with posts, briefly dumbfounding other netizens. Once they caught on, they couldn't help but revel in the schadenfreude.

As the initial venting subsided, the forum saw a spike in game-related content, with players sharing photos and videos they had captured. Unable to play, they decided to make others envious instead. This drove the players without access to the game to the brink of madness, especially when one particular post garnered thousands of responses.

The poster was quite the character, having snapped a plethora of photos of Eve from every conceivable angle—profile, half-length, full body—without capturing anything else in the game.

Despite being clad in battered armor and smeared with blood, Eve's stunning, near-flawless beauty shone through. Next to her, even the most attractive celebrities paled in comparison, like mere sparks against the bright moon.

"Back off, she's my wife!"

"All of you can drop dead, she's my wife! She even gave me an extra glance while escorting me to the safe zone!"

"You monsters! My wife actually spoke to me!"

"Hey, tough guy above, think you can outrun my blade?"

The 'show off your wife' thread exploded in popularity, rivaling the excitement of a game update announcement. Even Faang Qiubai was taken aback by the fervor, yet he couldn't help admiring the players' passion. He mused that capitalizing on the craze with Eve figurines could have been a goldmine, but making money was never his true intention.

Amidst the heated debate, numerous individuals burst into the forum, fervently posting reminders: "Cut the chatter and check this out—someone's just dropped the first game review video!"

"Enough with the bickering, go watch it now—there's a fresh game review video for the first episode!"