The Game Developer, to Prevent Players from Becoming Addicted, Chose Not to Let Players Log Off, Which Is Very Reasonable, Right?

Chapter 2: 002. The game developer decided not to let players log off to prevent addiction. It makes sense, right?

Azure Planet had perished long ago. It was precisely because of the Galaxy Civilization's 'Object Manifestation Movement' that players had the chance to leave the surface and head to Star Abyss, officially embarking on a legendary journey of cosmic adventure.

Yet, here they were, the creations of a long-dead and annihilated civilization, standing alive and well before him.

He observed carefully. The Caucasian corpse on the ground was not the common C3 'Luca' type Cosmic Human Race. As a cosmic race, they had no physical defects, their faces were clear of freckles, their pores were fine, and their general appearance was quite attractive.

However, the white corpse before him, 'Lanny Johns,' had a pockmarked face and his skin turned red after just a short time in the sun.

A stark contrast.

Li Si glanced around. The Global Development Bank - Frostplate Branch on the wall, the tightly shut back door of the bank counter, all indicated he was in the initial version.

The version where Azure Planet hadn't exploded yet.

"This isn't a Cosmic Human Race. It's a native Azure Planet race."

Li Si felt a headache coming on. Even as a veteran player, he felt confused in this situation.

His physical condition was extremely weak, completely at a mortal's level—this was definitely not his top-tier [Starcaller] account, which was ranked NO.96 server-wide! This wasn't a prank; something significant must have happened.

He thought of many possibilities, such as a BUG in the game, a sudden large-scale rollback, or even more likely, the recent network fluctuation had loaded him into the wrong game version, entering single-player mode.

But frankly speaking, for a game like "Star Abyss," which had been operating for over a decade and possessed a photonic intelligent computer, the above conjectures couldn't be said to be impossible, but at least absurd.

If, in the future, the photonic intelligence that handled all political affairs could make mistakes—then what else was right? Li Si calmed himself down. He figured he must have logged into the wrong account, perhaps the recent network fluctuation caused him to create a new account. But regardless, he needed to activate the game system first and quickly log off to contact customer support for a fix.

"Players appear in the game as 'Descenders.' To activate the game system, one must first recognize the identity, appearance, and interpersonal relationships they have 'descended' into."

The simplest way was to find identification and a mirror, then talk to someone to complete the descent.

Li Si was very familiar with this. He immediately started searching the pockets of the security uniform. But as he looked down and pulled out a set of keys, he felt a sudden chill crawl up his spine.

"Danger!"

Years of gaming experience made him react instantly. He immediately curled up and hid under a counter. It was only then that he realized he seemed to be in a bank from the Old Era.

Pat, pat...

From not far away, he heard footsteps. They were light, as if stepping on water, making a crisp sound. Li Si held his breath, gripping the baton tightly, trying his best not to make a sound.

The footsteps grew closer, as if something was approaching the counter. Li Si's heart pounded. The sound was right at his doorstep, as if just outside the counter, separated by a thin wall.

Tap.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. Li Si's heart seemed to skip a beat. The exposed skin on his body visibly misted over with a layer of water vapor. It was bone-chillingly cold, and he vaguely felt a gaze trying to peer into him.

"Spirit Wraith!"

Li Si immediately realized. It had been too long since version 2.0, and he had almost forgotten that Azure Planet was not a purely technological planet; it had spirit body creatures and a supernatural system.

"I should have realized... the white human's body had no external injuries, yet died suddenly. It's very similar to the work of a Spirit Wraith."

Spirit Wraiths were very basic spirit body monsters, immune to physical damage, capable of wall phasing, X-ray vision, and seeing through stealth—they were considered a deterrent for new players.

For a veteran player and streamer like Li Si, even without the system activated, he knew how to deal with a Spirit Wraith, regardless of his current body attributes or whether he had anything in his hands.

The mist on his skin gradually cooled and solidified. His body temperature was dropping. Azure Planet humans had weak constitutions; once their body temperature dropped below 30 degrees, any impact could be fatal.

Time to act!

Li Si pondered for a moment, recalling the method to drive away Spirit Wraiths.

He lowered his head and bit his right index finger fiercely. Blood gushed from the wound. The real pain instantly sobered Li Si up—thankfully, he had never turned off pain feedback.

Without a sound, he unbuttoned his clothes and quickly drew a spiral cross rune on his chest with his blood.

However, even so, the physical reactions of a mortal were far too slow. His body was immediately invaded and occupied by an invisible shadow. His blood quickly became viscous, his breathing became sluggish, and he was unable to move.

[It's a Spirit Wraith's possession—so troublesome! It'll take a while for a mortal body to adapt.]

Fortunately, his technique was quite standard. The exclusive rune, drawn from the [Lord of the Undead], was a great deterrent to low-level Spirit Wraiths.

After the rune was completed, he clearly felt the Spirit Wraith hesitate. The cold sensation and moisture on his body gradually faded and finally disappeared.

Cannot move.

The effect of this rune was to impersonate being possessed by a more terrifying spirit entity, in order to drive the other away. The entire exorcism process required absolute stillness, making the Spirit Wraith believe it was being possessed by the [Lord of the Undead].

This method of fighting poison with poison, magic against magic, was not without its side effects.

Li Si tensed his nerves, relying on the control he had developed over the years, precisely controlling the movement of his entire body's muscles.

A cold aura enveloped his body. If the Spirit Wraith wasn't expelled quickly, he would eventually die from hypothermia.

But he couldn't move to warm his body, because if he moved even slightly, the Spirit Wraith would see through it and possess him again.

Gradually, his body temperature slowly rose. The spirit entity detached from his body and moved outside.

Pat, pat...

The footsteps faded into the distance. Li Si breathed a sigh of relief, quickly bandaged his wound, and closed his eyes, muttering:

"1001, 1002, 1003..."

A person speaks an average of 4 words per second. Conversely, counting four numbers at a time would ensure basic timing accuracy.

"1025!"

Twenty-five full seconds passed. Li Si's eyes immediately snapped open, his body's condition restored. He shot out from behind the counter, and within seconds, he quickly turned his head. His peripheral vision caught a bright layer of white frost forming on the counter.

Time's up.

His current race was just a normal Azure Planet human. He possessed no spirituality or supernatural abilities. The rune made from his blood could only deter a Spirit Wraith for twenty-five seconds.

If it ran away, it meant the judgment was successful, and he would be safe. If it didn't run, the twenty-five seconds would be enough for Li Si to recover his state and clean up his wounds.

This was also enough for him to make a run for it.

When escaping Spirit Wraiths, one must never go to high places. Once possessed, the Spirit Wraith would control the body and jump to its death. Only by running downwards, relying on complex and thick walls to gradually weaken the opponent's spiritual power, could one have a chance to escape.

Li Si took out the keys he had just found and tried them one by one. He quickly opened the cellar door, closed it behind him, and quickly slipped underground. With agile movements, he slid down the handrail of the stairs, vaulted over the railing, and landed with composure from a height of over three meters. He rolled on the spot to dissipate the force, pushed off the ground with his hands, and sprang forward.

The Spirit Wraith had been deterred by his rune and was already far away from him. With Li Si's masterful parkour skills, the distance between them immediately widened.

Li Si hid behind a firefighting cabinet deep in the cellar. He had quickly scanned the cellar's map earlier. Years of game experience made him exceptionally sensitive to such maps, and he immediately memorized it thoroughly. If that Spirit Wraith managed to reach this area, he could completely use the vault beside him to take a detour and escape.

However, he had fled down three full floors. The Spirit Wraith in the novice village should not have the ability to traverse such a deep area.

As expected, after he stayed there for a while, the Spirit Wraith in the corridor, confused by his evasive maneuvers, circled for a few rounds and then gave up the chase.

Spirit Wraiths lacked intelligence. After failing a hunt, they would quickly leave to prevent pursuit by human transcendent beings.

Pat, pat...

The sound of footsteps wading through water receded. Li Si calmed his breathing. He checked his pockets and found his identification documents. Next, he just needed to find a mirror and chat with a living NPC to activate the complete game system.

It didn't matter if he couldn't find a living person right now. Players were born randomly, and the game system was very thorough in this regard. As long as two of the conditions were met, most of the game system could be unlocked.

Proof of Identity—Unlocks System Toolbar Appearance—Unlocks Personal Panel

Others' Evaluation—Unlocks Player Function Bar The best birth condition would naturally be in a civilized city, but it would be less convenient for fighting monsters, leveling up, and forming adventuring parties.

Therefore, most players would choose to unlock the system a bit later and be born in an environment close to the wilderness, suitable for fighting outside the city. For example, villages, mercenary groups, wanderer settlements, military camps, and so on.

Li Si wasn't sure if his origin was good or bad. However, since he was in a bank and wearing a security uniform, he was likely born in a rural area.

Spirit Wraiths did not dare to disturb large cities. Those places were bustling with people and gathered transcendent beings. Spirit Wraiths were not stupid; they wouldn't seek out trouble for themselves.

"What is this? A mission that normally takes less than 15 seconds to complete took so long."

Li Si muttered, returning to the surface. He used his key to open the counter door, turned the valve, found the restroom, cleaned his wounds, and bandaged them with cloth strips before looking up at his reflection in the mirror. He held his ID in front of him and seriously examined his 'descended' appearance.

His features were regular, his jawline sharp. His face showed distinct East Asian characteristics, but his physique and skin color exhibited a sickly milky white—a result of long-term lack of sunlight exposure.

"Frostplate person," Li Si identified. "The style and material of the security uniform suggest this is at least from the internal testing version."

This body had a well-proportioned physique, standing around 185 centimeters tall and weighing about 80 kilograms. It was a bit short of being strong, but not weak—this reassured Li Si somewhat. In "Star Abyss," it was better to be a bit overweight than underweight. Firstly, the development levels varied between planets, and a slightly heavier physique would be seen as 'dignitaries' by those less advanced civilizations, earning more respect.

Secondly, heavier individuals stored more energy internally, could endure hunger longer, and their accumulated fat was more resilient to damage.

The best physique was naturally that of a 'muscle-covered-in-fat' strongman, resilient and tough. For players without much equipment in the early game, having a better physique could provide a significant advantage.

After escaping the Spirit Wraith attack, his body temperature returned to normal. The previously solidified frost melted into water, wetting his black hair and making it lie flat against his head. His gray eyes were as sharp as steel, his features grand, his face handsome, exuding the aura of a kind and sunny boy next door.

It was evident his Charm wouldn't be low. Li Si immediately liked this body.

As he imprinted his appearance into his mind, a familiar light blue screen appeared on his retina:

——[Name]: Li Aozi

[Title]: None

[Race]: Carbon-based Lifeform - New Generation Homo Sapiens

[Gender]: Biological Male

[Age]: 21

[Template]: Ordinary Neutral NPC (HP Cap +10%)

[Faction]: Abyssal Layer - Galaxy Nebula - Fennec Federation - Azure Planet - Frostplate Republic

[Total Level]: Lv.2 ——[Main Profession]: Commoner Lv.1 (0/50)

——[Sub Profession]: Security Guard Lv.1 (0/100)

[Health]: 53/55 (Sub-healthy)

[Aura Value]: Unawakened

[Experience]: 20 [Attributes]: Strength - 4 (Physical strength and destructive power)

Agility - 5 (Speed and precision of movement) Constitution - 5 (Ability to resist damage, converts to HP) Charm - 13 (Attractiveness to the outside world)

Willpower - 6 (Resistance in the mental aspect; if converted to a spellcaster profession, this attribute will be proportionally converted to 'Intelligence') [Talent]: Racial Talent · Teamwork - New Generation Homo Sapiens possess extremely strong teamwork abilities. When in a team, experience gain increases by 50%, and it becomes invalid upon leaving the team.

[Feat]: None

[Owned Skills]: "Common Sense," "Intermediate Vocational Knowledge" - from [Commoner]; "Baton Strike," "Beating," "Bullying the Weak" - from [Security Guard]; [Stratum]: Mediocrity - Li Si didn't care about other stats and information. His gaze lingered on the [Template] for a full ten seconds.

"Ordinary, Neutral, NPC Template?"

He was stunned.

This, this wasn't right?

Players clearly had the [Descender] template!

He hastily opened the system's toolbar. What should have been toolbar items like [Game Settings], [Plugins], [Mailbox], [Videos], [Controls], [Graphics Card Optimization], [Exit], now only had a solitary [Mailbox].

"What the hell?" Li Si was dumbfounded. "Where's my [Log Off]? How do I quit the game?"