C19 Entering the Game Again

The next day, right at noon, the server went live, and the eager first-wave players all logged in simultaneously, fully prepared for the experience.

Upon glimpsing the village, however, they were momentarily taken aback. A small, albeit not particularly attractive, wooden house stood before them, fully constructed.

"What's the deal? Did an NPC build the house by themselves?"

"It's not out of the question. We logged off, but they need rest too. They can't just sleep on the ground, can they?"

"Good point. Let's check it out quickly. I hope our sudden log-off didn't cause a drop in their favorability. If we had built the house, our favorability might have shot up!"

After their initial surprise, the group made a beeline for the house. As they did, a series of white flashes signaled the arrival of the second wave of players, prompting the first group to pause and turn around, curious to see how the newcomers' reactions would compare to their own.

One of the new players started throwing military punches into the air: "Holy crap, this feels even more real than in the videos. Are we sure this isn't some kind of time travel?"

"Damn! You can actually create characters like this? Oh no, is there no way to reset my choices?" lamented a player, barely 5 feet tall and around 250 pounds, who looked like a sphere, as he let out a groan.

"This is epic! This game is just too epic!"

The original hundred players couldn't help but smile knowingly at the continuous stream of awe and praise from the new arrivals. They had reacted the same way when they first started and now felt a sense of pride watching others do the same.

Shadow of Wind was just about to offer some advice to the newbies, as one of the first players, when a piercing scream erupted from the group. The scream was so intense it almost burst everyone's eardrums, causing even a few NPCs to burst out of the house, weapons in hand, to see a young player kneeling on the ground, howling in agony.

The player's left hand was flat on the ground, a gaping, bloody hole in the palm, while his right hand clutched a sharp stone smeared with sticky blood.

He gasped for air, trembling, yet grinning maniacally. "It's... it's so damn... realistic... It hurts so much... I think I'm gonna pee."

The surrounding players gasped in shock. This guy was hardcore, testing the game's realism in such an extreme way.

"Pain sensitivity can be adjusted. Do it quickly. The statue over there can heal injuries, but it'll cost you experience points. You only get one free healing per day."

Morphy and his group emerged to find many players momentarily dazed. Upon seeing the one who had smashed their own hand, skepticism flickered in their eyes as if they were looking at someone insane. Eventually, they shifted their attention back to the first group of players.

"Our living quarters are up, but we're short on materials. Let's all try to gather what we can and work on building the village. One house is certainly not enough."

After issuing their orders, they headed back to their rooms without sparing a glance at the newcomers. Shadow of Wind and the others couldn't help but feel elated by the clear disparity in treatment.

"It's all about favorability," Black Face murmured with a confident smirk. "The NPCs completely ignore them. We need to step it up. Every extra hand is another person vying for favorability!"

With that reminder, the beta testers had an epiphany. They scattered, racing out of the village, leaving the new players bewildered.

Meanwhile, some of the newbies were still getting a feel for the game, kicking and punching the air, while others explored curiously, touching and examining their surroundings. A few, noticing the NPCs' lack of interest, muttered to themselves, "What's going on? Are we invisible? Where are the quests?"

"Didn't they say only the main quest would prompt us? What are they all running off to do?"

"Come on, didn't you hear the NPC? They need materials. Obviously, they're off to gather resources for a quest. We should join them!"

"I'm not interested in building. I'm here to battle monsters. And they don't even provide weapons? This is a rip-off!"

"You saw the video, right? They were fighting monsters with just sticks and stones. You can do the same. This game offers so much freedom."

"I can't see anyone's name. This is frustrating. Hey, Ah Q, are you there? Ah Q?"

"Right here, no need to yell. Let's follow the others and look for materials. Following the lead players can't be a mistake!"

After a nudge from one of their own, the rest of the players snapped out of their stupor. Rather than idly pondering, they decided to follow the lead of those who had gone before them. As they worked, they could also explore other aspects of the game. Soon, nearly every player was dashing out of the village, snapping branches, yanking up weeds, and hauling stones—activity buzzed everywhere.

From his cabin window, Morphy watched the Brave Ones spontaneously dash off to work and couldn't help but marvel, "They really are... completely indifferent to the rewards."

Gamers unable to play were glued to the forums, hoping for new updates from those in-game. And of course... many were spamming for a certain streamer to keep their promise.

The streamer in question, a real character, had broadcasted himself upside down in a maid outfit, slurping on a Kivak in front of his computer. Not only did he end up vomiting, but countless viewers followed suit. It was said that sales of keyboards, laptops, and monitors spiked that day, with many people claiming they lost their appetite for days afterward.

The two hundred beta testers in the game seemed to wish they could move bricks 24/7, as if struck by a malady that made them restless unless they labored. Yet, when they saw the cabins rising from the ground thanks to their collective effort, each face beamed with joy...

What thrilled the players most was Morphy's announcement that the cabins could be turned into terraced bedrooms for the Brave Ones' personal use. Meanwhile, Sohlin the dwarf, with the players' help, had managed to construct a stone furnace. He could now craft basic weapons for self-defense, though resources and energy were limited, so only a select few Brave Ones could be armed.

These "select few" were naturally the first hundred players. The clear preferential treatment only fueled everyone's drive to work harder. The later arrivals were particularly determined, barely taking a moment to rest, all in hopes of quickly earning enough favor with the NPCs.

When the server shutdown time arrived, players were booted off one by one, albeit reluctantly. They then flocked to the forums, bursting with energy, to brag about their exploits. The first wave of players, in particular, flaunted screenshots of their stone swords, knives, and spears. Surprisingly, these simple weapons dominated the images.

Happy Little B * stard exclaimed on the forum, "Wow, that's so awesome! So, the weapons require everyone to put in the effort at the blacksmith's shop first. I'm totally jealous of you guys."

Press F to enter the tank: "Psh, big deal. I'll have weapons of my own tomorrow!"

Fake Vanguard: "Isn't this setup a bit odd? It's not like we're in Minecraft. How can you make weapons out of stone? And that blacksmith actually went to the trouble of constructing a real furnace?"

Nako: "Oh, I've got the scoop on that! Just check out the game diary I just posted. It addresses that very issue. You've got to hand it to the developers for their attention to detail. Definitely not a BUG!"