The dust stirred up by the troop transports gradually settled, leaving Robert and his ninety-nine "subordinates" behind. He looked at the crowd before him. The ten veterans were manageable; at least they had been through a battle. The ninety newcomers, however, were completely clueless. Some were curiously stroking the trench's earthen walls, while others tried to strike up conversations with the people beside them. For a moment, the scene was rather chaotic.
Command a bunch of players?
A trace of cold sweat seeped out on Robert's forehead. This had to be the most impossible task in the world. Players were notorious for doing whatever they wanted and refusing to take orders. Getting them to obey another player was about as difficult as teaching an Ogryn advanced mathematics.
Just as he was growing desperate, wondering how to open with enough authority to get these people under control, a pale blue virtual screen automatically popped up before his eyes.
[Main quest triggered] [Quest objective: Lead the other 99 players in holding the current position for at least one day (24 hours).] [Failure penalty: None] [Quest progress: 10/86400]
At the same time, a stir of delighted surprise spread through the crowd.
Ruthless Assassin hurried over to Robert, excitement written all over his face. "Boss! Boss! My system panel says I've triggered a main quest! It says [Hold the position for at least one day under the leadership of the newly appointed company commander, [Dr. Ruan]]!"
No sooner had he finished than the other players chimed in, saying they had received the same quest notification.
Warmth immediately flooded Robert's heart. He practically wanted to drop to his knees and kowtow to the game developer right then and there.
Dev, you really are my dear old dad!
If Bit had been standing in front of him at that moment, Robert would probably have rushed over without hesitation, thrown his arms around him, and planted a couple of big kisses on him. With a system quest backing him up, all he needed to do was borrow a little of its authority, and the difficulty of commanding these players instantly dropped from hell mode to the beginner tutorial!
The system notification also brought Robert back to his senses. This was no time to get sentimental. He quickly calmed down and opened his personal panel, wanting to see exactly what had been updated for the second closed beta compared with the last one.
The UI retained its minimalist style, without any flashy decorations, allowing Robert to spot the differences at a glance.
[In-game nickname: Dr. Ruan] [Position: Acting company commander, 102nd Regiment 13th Company, Pedetia Planetary Army] [Faction merit: Ordinary (3/1000)] [Renown: Unknown (0)] [Skills: Master Chainsword (x/x) (Temporary), Basic Shooting (13/100), Basic Combat (7/100)] [Physical data: Skull strength—10.3/10.5 (Current/Maximum), chest resistance—10.1/10.5 (Current/Maximum), liver function—9.6/10.5 (Current/Maximum)...]
Rather than puzzle it out on his own, Robert tried clicking each line with his mind. Sure enough, his beloved developer had thoughtfully added detailed explanations to every attribute.
[In-game nickname] needed no explanation. It was simply his ID in the game.
[Position] could be understood as his level of authorization.
The explanation for [Faction merit] was the most important: it served both as the "experience points" required for promotion and as the "currency" circulated within the faction. Promotion unlocked access to more and better equipment and supplies, while obtaining those items required spending merit. Notably, when accumulated merit reached the cap and resulted in a promotion, it would not be consumed. There were only two ways to lose merit: exchanging it for items in the panel's shop, or having it reset to zero upon death.
This meant players had to plan sensibly, striking a balance between "saving merit to unlock greater access" and "spending merit on equipment to stay alive." After all, once you died, no amount of accumulated merit would mean a thing.
At the end of the explanation, the developer had added a special note in small print: Unless your commanding officer is willing to approve a newcomer taking over the merit assets of someone who has died.
Robert's heart jolted at that line. Although the developer had already expressed support during their conversation in the first closed beta, having it written directly into the game's explanations still exceeded his expectations.
Only then did he realize just how much authority his position as "acting company commander" represented, and how much leverage it gave him over the other players! If he wanted, whether the faction merit they had painstakingly accumulated could be inherited after their deaths was entirely his decision!
Now it seemed that even without a system quest helping him, as long as he had any sense and made good use of this authority, he could still rally the other players around him to hold the position together.
As for [Renown], its explanation was vague. It only stated that it reflected a player's reputation within the Imperium, without specifying its effects. Robert did not pay it much attention. For a mere acting company commander on a remote planet, it was far too distant a concern.
The [Skills] section was also easy to understand. Robert took an extra look at his "Master Chainsword." According to the explanation, the skill's unquantifiable (x/x) status came entirely from the special effect of the Chainsword in his hand, named [Xenos Must Die], and had nothing to do with his own muscle memory or combat techniques.
The final section, [Physical data], was more interesting. The explanation stated that "maximum strength" referred to the character's baseline values after dying and respawning. Those values could be permanently increased through genetic modification surgery, intensive physical training, or even exposure to corrosive Warp energies, among other methods, while reducing them was extremely difficult. "Current strength," meanwhile, represented the character's present physical condition. Those values could decline quite easily, with ordinary conditions such as fatigue, injury, hunger, and illness all causing temporary reductions.
At this point, Robert's thoughts could not help wandering. With these mechanics, a Warp-born monstrosity like a Primarch probably only needs to flex his muscles and roar, "Power, I command you to emerge!" to raise his strength cap. His stats would shoot straight up as if he'd activated the Kaio-ken... except Guilliman.
While Robert was studying his panel, a loud voice suddenly rang out among the newcomers, carrying a hint of confusion and relief. "Huh? Look, everyone. Why does the failure penalty for this main quest say 'None'? Is this game really that forgiving? I thought failing would deduct merit or outright delete our accounts."
The remark immediately caught the other newcomers' attention. They opened their quest panels to check and found that it was indeed true.
"It really does say that. No failure penalty."
"Then what's there to worry about? Worst case, we fail to hold the position. We don't lose anything anyway."
"Haha, this dev's pretty considerate."
The discussion immediately became more relaxed. Some players even wore expressions of sudden understanding, as though the pressure of the quest had abruptly eased.
But just then, a quiet, eerie voice rose from the crowd. It was not loud, yet everyone heard it clearly. "Say... has it occurred to anyone that 'no penalty' might mean the system doesn't need to impose an additional penalty?"
The voice paused, then continued. "If the position falls, that usually means our entire defending force has been wiped out. We all die, and death itself is the greatest penalty—our merit resets to zero. At the same time, our acting company commander will be removed from his position for failing the quest. Naturally, he'll no longer be able to approve us inheriting anyone's merit. Isn't that the harshest penalty of all?"
Those words were like a bucket of ice water dumped over the players who had been chattering so enthusiastically moments before. The lively atmosphere abruptly froze.
Everyone fell silent. As they thought it over, they realized every word was on point, the logic airtight. Exactly—if they were all dead, what further punishment did they need? Death in this game was not as simple as waiting through a respawn countdown. It meant having their assets wiped clean.
A few seconds later, the newcomers burst into an even more enthusiastic response than before, but this time, their attitude had completely changed.
"Holy shit, that guy's analysis makes sense!"
"Commander! Dr. Ruan! Don't just stand there—tell us what to do!"
"Yeah, yeah! We're all newbies. How are we supposed to play this game? Teach us!"
"Commander, give us your orders! We promise we'll follow them!"
The newcomers eagerly voiced their support, looking at Robert with expectation and trust, as though he were the only guiding light who could lead them out of the beginner village.
Those words had also brought Robert to his senses. He glanced approvingly toward the source of the voice and silently committed that player's ID to memory—[Joker].
Hmm, Joker... Chinese male players choosing girls' names. Nothing unusual there. But this guy has a clear head. He's someone worth keeping an eye on.
Before you continue