The Second Game World, a high-difficulty game, had so many players for two reasons.
The first was people who wanted to get rich. One Gold Coin in the game was now worth nearly two million Blue Coins in reality.
The second was Noble Scions. The Aquamarine Empire's nobles had plenty of idle offspring.
They were the parasites kept by the major noble families, living off fixed allowances and waiting for death.
These Noble Scions also competed with one another.
But it would not do for them to actually fight and kill each other.
So these Noble Scions took on the Second Game World. Whoever did well in the game had prestige within their circle.
These parasitic Noble Scions had their own circles as well.
If noble prodigies competed in superpowers,
and in achievements in business and their careers,
then ordinary parasite-like Noble Scions competed in eating, drinking, and having fun.
Moreover, these parasite-like Noble Scions made up a large proportion of the nobility.
In a noble family, perhaps only one percent were geniuses. The other ninety-nine percent merely coasted through life.
Likewise, a large noble family only needed one percent of its members to manage it. Too many outstanding people would instead cause internal strife.
The harder the Second Game World was, the more it highlighted one's capabilities.
These Noble Scions were also surrounded by attendants, along with fair-weather friends who followed them around.
Those people joined the game as well.
And since the Noble Scions had plenty of money, they drove the price of Second Game World Gold Coins up to this level.
Naturally, that attracted game players short on money.
Many members of the Aquamarine Empire Swordplay Association also regarded the Second World as a shortcut.
As long as you played well in the game, wealthy players—that was,