A Game That Can't Offer Mindless Grinding Won't Last Long; the Same Goes for Its In-Game Economy

After a thoroughly enjoyable feast, a slightly tipsy Murphy set off for Scarlet Castle. On the way, he began considering a plan to recruit a large batch of new players before heading to the Land of Origin.

According to the Administrator System's statistics, with thirty new slots being added each week through natural growth, the player population had now reached 6,330. The player base had also developed some fairly obvious "class divisions."

The most elite players made up about a tenth of the total, a figure that had remained stable.

This tier consisted entirely of veterans who played regularly, generally putting in at least sixteen hours of high-intensity gameplay each day. They invested a tremendous amount of time and energy. Their combat prowess was formidable, their gear collections surpassed everyone else's in Transia, and their reputations and involvement in the storyline were on a level ordinary players couldn't hope to match.

Most regular players currently spent eight to fourteen hours online. After the pandemic in the Otherworld had been brought under control and restrictions were lifted, players had noticeably cut back on their gaming time. After all, they still had to eat.

No matter how fun a game was, it couldn't come before the pressures of work and making a living.

The nice thing about True Otherworld, though, was that players could play while they slept, so it didn't eat into their everyday work and personal lives.

That was more or less how the player base was divided. Murphy couldn't help reflecting that gaming, too, was a matter of talent.

Ordinary players could reach new stages with enough time, but those who had gotten ahead would keep their lead. And as they accumulated more and more resources, they were bound to affect the in-game environment.

If Murphy were really some