C20 Nako's Diary and the Great Faker Faang

"Hey there, everyone! It's Nako here, the one who... well, ran out of experience points, so today... I don't have a single picture to show you!"

"Since I didn't battle any monsters today, naturally, I didn't earn any experience points! But your battlefield correspondent Nako was quite busy with other things!"

"I tallied up my gaming achievements for the day, which included providing Sohlin with 120 stones."

"And then there were the 10 logs. It's a good thing I teamed up with other players, because those logs were massive—over ten meters thick! (Puts hands on hips, pretty impressive, right?)"

"Nako's hard work didn't go unnoticed by the NPCs. Morphy was so considerate, he told me I could pick out a room in the fixed-up house for my own bedroom. And Uncle Sohlin? He crafted me a nifty little scimitar. (Super adorable and super fierce!)"

"You've probably seen the weapon in other posts. I was just as surprised to learn that stones could be turned into scimitars, so I had to ask Uncle Sohlin about it. He explained that it's a blacksmith's skill, capable of melting and forging almost anything in the world, even wooden swords. But to master the art of forging, you first need to master strength. (Muscles equal strengthᕙ(--)ᕗ)"

"As for this power, I'm sure you're all familiar with it—it's like the Battle Aura, Fighting Spirit, and Magic found in other games. Although we haven't encountered them yet, it's clear that the NPCs have harnessed this power."

"Here comes the highlight, folks. Based on what Uncle Sohlin said, we can make a frightening guess: if we find better materials in the future, could we potentially craft weapons out of anything? We haven't come across any monsters yet, but who's to say we won't encounter dragons or even Godzilla-like creatures down the line? And with all sorts of ores out there, maybe even meteorites? This suggests that the game's weapon and equipment system could expand far beyond our wildest dreams!"

"Tomorrow, your very own Nako will set out on an adventure to vanquish the Darkness Monster with my trusty little scimitar in hand. Wish me luck, and stay tuned for my next richly illustrated diary entry!"

Commenter with poor eyesight: "I've gotten used to Nako's lengthy videos; this post just seems lackluster by comparison."

Her Majesty: "Nako's doing great, showcasing our female prowess. I'm excited to see what you'll do tomorrow. But if anything can be turned into a weapon... does that include men?"

The young man, barely eighteen, exclaimed, "I bow down to the Queen above! Jill here got a shiver from that reply. I bet Her Majesty's thinking something different from me, right?"

The Queen chuckled, "Oh-ho-ho, you got it. I can't wait for the game to officially launch!"

Her Majesty the Queen had completely derailed a perfectly good thread, sparking a frenzy among countless players who debated what could be crafted into weapons. It was this very discussion that led many players to resolve that their future in-game profession would undoubtedly be a blacksmith.

As players grew increasingly convinced of the game's brilliance and its boundless possibilities, Faang Qiubai was hit with a grave realization: there simply wasn't enough energy to support the game's development in the short term. Even if all 200 players abandoned their daily tasks the next day to hunt monsters, it wouldn't suffice.

Faang Qiubai's initial plan was straightforward. These players had traversed the planar barrier as souls, which, compared to the energy required for a physical body to make the same journey, was a mere fraction—about 1%. To illustrate, if soul travel needed an energy level of 1, physical travel would demand close to 100. By Faang Qiubai's calculations, he could only summon three or four players with his available energy.

The game interface the players interacted with showed minimal energy drain; it was essentially a hypnotic effect on the soul, nothing more. As for the so-called experience points that players seemingly earned, they were actually accruing in Faang Qiubai's account, at a staggering ratio of 19 to 1 in his favor.

In other words, for every monster killed, if a player earned 1 experience point, Faang Qiubai banked 9, enabling him to gather enough energy to call forth a second group of players. But his decision-making had hit a snag this time around.

With the first group of players now armed, they were bound to venture beyond the safety zone. Equipped and organized, they would surely decimate the surrounding monsters.

While the accumulation of experience points was a boon, Faang Qiubai faced a dilemma: he couldn't enhance these players because, while souls could be easily hypnotized and treated on the cheap, the powers wielded by Morphy and the rest were rooted in the physical realm, not the spiritual.

In other words, players who only possess souls simply cannot harness power. If players amass experience points but fail to grow stronger, not only might they become disillusioned with the game, but how will they stand a chance against the mightier monsters?

To empower the players, they must be given physical bodies. Faang Qiubai discovered that creating a body within this world required less energy than bringing one through transmigration. Yet, it still demanded nearly fifty times more energy than a soul's transmigration, and the energy needed for healing was significantly greater. In essence, the combined energy players could gather from a day's worth of monster hunting might suffice to grant only a handful of them actual bodies.

Under these circumstances, if the players don't feel their efforts are worthwhile, most might adopt a laid-back, almost Zen-like approach to gameplay, which is far from Faang Qiubai's vision.

The only viable solution seemed to be to decelerate the game's pace while simultaneously providing players with incentives. But what could motivate them?

A spark of inspiration struck Faang Qiubai. What drives players? Naturally, it's the pursuit of the coolest armor, the mightiest weapons, the highest levels, the fiercest PvP battles, and the most prestigious status. With this shift in perspective, the solution seemed much simpler. If not all players could level up at once, why not just set up a few benchmarks? This could also serve as a subtle nudge, making the less fortunate ones believe they just weren't trying hard enough.

Having reached this conclusion, Faang Qiubai reemerged in the Other Plane. His arrival was immediately sensed by Morphy and the others, who came out to greet him, half-kneeling in respect. They were now less formal and anxious around their Father God, who had a penchant for appearing and disappearing without warning.

"You've all seen the condition of these Brave Ones. However, they haven't come in their true forms just yet. When they show up tomorrow, this is how you'll need to arrange things for them..."

Everyone nodded earnestly, committing Faang Qiubai's instructions to memory. Only the young girl, Shelley, seemed especially inquisitive. "Father, they seem so frail. Are they truly capable of saving the world?"

Faang Qiubai reached out and gently caressed Shelley's head. "You've all witnessed their efforts. True, they are quite frail at the moment, but in time, they will grow stronger. Our role is to nurture that growth, to teach them that strength is hard-earned, ensuring they don't lose control of their hearts from the shock of newfound power."

Morphy, Eve, and Sohlin bowed their heads to the ground in reverence and pledged earnestly, "By the God above, we will give our all!"