"I get it. This is a contested roll. As long as your willpower is high enough, you can control these outside powers."
[Do Some Farm Work] declared confidently, then gave [Good Times Don't Last], the gaming newbie, another look reserved for idiots:
"You dared attempt that roll with only three points in willpower? A crippled stat like that would turn you into a cyberpsycho at the drop of a hat in another game."
[Zhongde] added:
"Don't forget those four special attributes. They might represent this world's current system of supernatural rules..."
Three players took part in the discussion, while the less experienced [Good Times Don't Last] stood to one side, nodding frequently like a bot in a praise group.
But verbal praise was all he could offer. Even if he wanted to clap, he couldn't, because Ed had just cut off his parasitized hand.
A few minutes later, [Howling Pothos] said:
"Let's make a little private chat group after today's test. We're short on time and have a lot to do, so we'd better grind some more monsters for now."
The other three wholeheartedly agreed, so they set their sights on another Deadwood Vine a hundred meters away.
In all fairness, Deadwood Vines weren't the easiest monsters to grind in this beginner village, but what could they do when [Good Times Don't Last]'s line, "Want to get rich? Punch trees first," had led everyone's thinking astray?
Since Ed had already decided on minimal guidance, he had no intention of correcting them. In a genuine open world like this, wasn't exploring however you liked the whole point? Holding players' hands and teaching them how to play was what really made things boring.
In a world where one out of every three people was an idea guy, there was never any shortage of good ideas.
After teaming up to take down several Deadwood Vines, the four players finally found a stand of trees without many animal traits.
Their branches still swayed back and forth without any wind, but at least they didn't howl or attack.
As the sharp axe fell, the tree actually twitched like an animal, as though it really could feel pain.
As for the players...
The players said nothing. They just kept chopping.
Finally, as night fell in the World of Disorder, the four gathered enough wood to lash together a small raft.
[Good Times Don't Last] sat panting on the ground. As the player with the highest strength, he had contributed a great deal to both chopping trees and grinding monsters.
Looking at the logs piled before him, he asked a question that had occurred to him long ago-
"Which of you... knows how to lash together a raft?"
Only the sound of wind passing through the wilderness near the castle remained.
Faced with this soul-searching question, the other three not only realized how shallow their understanding was, but also discovered with a start that it was getting late.
They seemed to have been immersed in this game for... twelve hours?!
When they realized this, a trace of horror inevitably appeared on their faces-
The game's realism seemed to far exceed anything they had imagined. They realized that over the past several hours, they had practically abandoned their original identities and devoted themselves body and soul to building basic infrastructure in another world.
The feeling was as alluring as it was frightening in retrospect, drawing them in as though they had begun a second life.
They fell silent for a while. Eventually, [Zhongde], who had work during the day, spoke first:
"I've still got work. I'll head back to the castle and log off first. We can talk outside if anything comes up."
The other three reacted much the same way. After returning to the "respawn point," they fumbled around with the translucent panels in their vision for a while before finally finding the logout button.
This so-called logout was fake, of course. After a player pressed logout, the command would first be sensed by the leaf belonging to Little Green inside their body, then passed on to his main body.
Little Green and Ed were mentally connected, and Ed had also shared some of his permissions. Only then could the corresponding player's Soul Webway be severed.
It sounded complicated, but in practice, the whole process took no more than a second.
Silence soon returned to the castle. When Ed walked into the main hall, he saw four bodies lying neatly in the corner, making the entire castle look more like a morgue than a respawn point.
What do you think of them?
In the silent castle, Ed asked his symbiote mentally. Little Green's voice soon came back:
They're full of energy, and... full of antics.
That's exactly what we need.
Ed thought so too, then said in a tone that seemed to be fishing for praise:
I didn't pick them at random. Each of these four has his own distinctive traits. They're the best candidates for pioneering.
Sensing Little Green's confusion, Ed explained:
All four filled out their questionnaires very carefully, and I was quite pleased with some of their answers.
For example?
Like the question about choosing an alignment. They all gave very unusual answers.
As he spoke, Ed pulled up the four players' questionnaires and shared them with Little Green so they could look together.
Question: [In your everyday gaming, which alignment do you lean toward:
A: Lawful
B: Chaotic
C: Other (please specify)]
Their answers were:
[Zhongde]: I want to be lawful, but I like doing things that cause chaos.
[Good Times Don't Last]: Sometimes chaos and law aren't absolute opposites. If I can choose, I'd like to follow my heart.
[Howling Pothos]: That depends on which side can give me greater power. After all, gaming is about winning.
[Do Some Farm Work]: Whatever my bro picks, I pick.
Well?
Ed asked smugly.
They all have ideas of their own.
Little Green gave a fair assessment:
Except the last one.
[You have completed the first day's test content. Body repairs in progress. Next server opening: August 3, 20:00]
In different locations in the same world, the four woke from a long dream, saw the flashing text before their eyes, then took off their helmets.
At this moment, they were no longer [Zhongde], [Howling Pothos], [Do Some Farm Work], and [Good Times Don't Last]. They had returned to their original identities, becoming ordinary people in another world once more.
One saw sunlight streaming in through the window, marveled that a fully immersive game really existed, was amazed by the abundant energy his body had after deep sleep, and was horrified that being late was about to cost him perfect attendance for the new month at work.
One saw the ceiling of his rented apartment. This world had already grown noisy, but part of his soul seemed to have been left in some corner unknown to anyone.
One saw over 99 unread messages from the same person on his phone screen-your friend having bad luck felt awful; your friend having good luck felt even worse!
And one saw his parents, red-faced with rage and ready to begin some real-life Mortal Kombat. "Dad, Mom, I can explain!"