Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A small group of players split off from the main group and sped toward the west street!
“As expected, there are closed beta testers among the regular players too!”
As Ye Kong glanced over the group, he immediately recognized several more familiar faces. In his past life, he was in a hurry to get to the merchant street, and he didn’t pay attention to where the other players were headed. Now, as he took the time to observe the other players, he discovered the blind spots he’d had in his past life.
“After all, ‘Demon Realm’ went through four phases of testing, and no matter how rare the activation codes were, some were bound to end up in the hands of ordinary players. Of course, the kind of activation codes that ordinary players could get their hands on were limited to those for the closed beta test. There was no way for them to get access to any of the highly restricted early testing phases.”
Before the public release of “Demon Realm,” there were four phases of internal testing. Of these phases, the ‘Beta Test’ was the final phase of testing, and also the shortest, only lasting about half a month.
The right to participate in any of the internal tests could roll over to the subsequent phases (only login rights were retained; character data would be wiped). This meant that players who joined from the very first testing phase could experience all four phases of testing!
These four tests were simply referred to as the First Test, Server Load Test, Alpha Test, and Beta Test.
Normally, players who participated in any of the four test phases were grouped under the title of “alpha testers.” Therefore, to avoid confusion, players who’d actually participated in the “Alpha Testing Phase” were referred to as “real alpha testers,” or “3rd Test players.”
Closed beta players were at the bottom of the barrel when it came to the entire pool of game testers, but even so, they’d gotten a good grasp of the questing information in the later test phase of the game. Using this advantage, they accumulated strength for themselves in the early stages of the game and successfully pulled ahead from the ordinary players.
In Ye Kong’s past life, the top 200 players of the Yggdmillennia Server were pretty much all alpha testers. There were only a few rare exceptions to this, such as Ye Kong himself, who’d made it onto the leaderboard as a public release player.
“In the beginning, the alpha testers pulled away with an insurmountable lead, leaving me struggling to catch up with them!”
Ye Kong’s eyes flashed coldly, and a moment later, he pushed off the ground and sped forward with his full power!
“This time, it’s my turn to pull ahead!”
Ah!
Ye Kong charged toward the players at the very front!
alphabetkun was bringing another guild member to what he remembered as the residential district, or the western district in Qingmu Town.
“Those bunch of idiots are probably still stuck in the merchant street, aren’t they?”
alphabetkun couldn’t help but sneer. As he looked at the group of regular players, he felt a sense of superiority. The reason for this was that he’d personally received an activation code from the guild leader and had become a closed beta tester himself.
alphabetkun was one of the core members of the Yokai Legion Guild. This guild was one of the peripheral guilds of the Ethereal Mirage Guild, so getting a couple of activation codes was easy. Furthermore, the Yokai Legion Guild’s Leader, aotabo, was a real alpha tester (a player from the 3rd Test, one phase before the Closed Beta Test).
However, alphabetkun didn’t follow Guild Leader aotabo to the Eastern Plains to hunt mobs, because he had an important mission—to set the groundwork for the Yokai Legion Guild to snatch the first elite grade story event!
Story events weren’t like regular quests, such as those from the merchant street or the Eastern Plains NPCs. To put it simply, the quests that those NPCs doled out were attainable by a large portion of players, as the quest would be permanently there for the taking.
For example, in Qingmu Town’s merchant street, new players joining the game one month later would still be able to get the same gathering quests.
Story events were different. They were non-repeatable, and players could only participate in these events at a specific time or place, or when certain special conditions were met.
Additionally, the maximum number of players allowed in each story event wasn’t always the same. Some events were limited to a single player, while others allowed over a million players to join in. The types of quests given during these events were also varied, and came in all shapes and sizes.
Broadly speaking, story events were very rare, and it was more difficult to get these than regular quests. At the same time, the rewards for story events were extremely valuable, and even the most common normal grade story events had good incentives!
Story events had a tiered grading system, starting with Normal Grade, then Elite Grade, and ending with Super Grade…
The event’s difficulty, as well as the value and rarity of its quest reward, increased proportionately to the grade of the story event.
There were even higher quest grades beyond super grade events. However, at the start of the game, getting a super grade event was out of the question, as even normal grade story events were fairly uncommon.
Currently, the Yokai Legion Guild had a lead on an elite grade story event, and they were going to snatch it!
alphabetkun’s mission was to head straight for the residential district and be the first to snatch away that lead!
“Just wait till I find that lead and draw out the elite grade story event…”
While alphabetkun was lost in thought, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew from beside him.
Whoosh!!!
A black shadow flew by, overtaking alphabetkun, and rushed to the front of all the players!
“Who is that?!”
alphabetkun was greatly startled. He’d selected the Assassin class, which prided itself on its agility, and yet he was just overtaken by someone else!
Almost simultaneously, the other players’ chatter made its way to alphabetkun’s ears.
“Who is that guy? He can run so fast!”
“That’s unbelievable, that sort of body control. His adaptability to his new body is way too good!”
“No way, look at how coordinated he is! He’s got to have played for more than a month…”
“Where on earth did this master come from? I don’t remember seeing someone like him during the closed beta test!”
Even the player next to him, butterkid, couldn’t help but remark, “Boss alphabet, what’s that guy’s deal? How come he can he run so fast?”
butterkid was also a member of the Yokai Legion Guild. However, he wasn’t a core member but one of alphabetkun’s lackeys. His character class was the Ranger, a Dexterity-type class, so he was just as fast as the Assassin.
Even then, butterkid was also overtaken by this mysterious player. More importantly, as much as he struggled to keep up, he could only watch as the man moved further and further away.
“Crap!”
alphabetkun didn’t bother to reply. Instead, he started to swing his arms vigorously, exerting the full force of his body… but still, he was shaken off by the other player, and the gulf between them continued to widen.
alphabetkun could only watch in vain as the other player retreated into the distance!!!
Whoosh!
Ye Kong moved like a bolt of lightning, and every single player was left in the dust, regardless of their class!
The Swordsman class, while peculiar in many aspects, had one thing it excelled in, and that was its high starting Dexterity. Swordsmen started out with five points in Dexterity. Even the Assassin class, which was known for its high Dexterity, only had a starting Dexterity of four points—one point less than the Swordsman.
The key point here was that Ye Kong had added all three of his distributable stat points to his Dexterity, increasing it to a whopping eight points.
With stats this high, even an Assassin wouldn’t be able to catch him. As the Assassin’s skills didn’t require the Strength attribute, they preferred to allocate one stat point to Stamina to ensure their own survivability. This was because the Assassin class started with an even lower Starting HP than the Swordsman class (though with one point in Stamina, they wouldn’t have the lowest HP).
Very few Assassin players chose the “3 Dex” build. The most common way of allocating points was “2 Dex 1 Sta,” though even a “3 Dex” Assassin would only have seven Dexterity points.
As of now, Ye Kong was definitely the player with the highest Dexterity in the whole of Qingmu Town!
As for Ye Kong’s adaptability to his body, his was far beyond the other players. Whether they were beta testers or alpha testers, they’d only spent half a month, or a month at most, in this virtual reality.
Ye Kong had spent six years in real-time in “Demon Realm,” which was nearly an eternity in game time!
Adapting to the virtual body was a skill deeply ingrained in Ye Kong’s soul. No matter how he wanted to move, his body was fully cooperative. He made every move with incredible precision, like a butterfly dancing through the air.
In contrast, the other players were laughably clumsy, and they looked like waddling ducks when they moved around—
They were on a completely different level of existence!
Ye Kong maintained his position at the front as he quickly arrived at Qingmu Town’s residential district.
The residential district was situated in the west of Qingmu Town, and it was a group of buildings laid out in an oval. Keeping with Qingmu Town’s overall aesthetic theme, each house was in the Gothic architectural style and was covered in ivy, giving the impression of an elven forest.
Right at the center of the group of buildings (the center of the oval) was a bubbling, lively spring. This was Qingmu Spring, and the town of Qingmu was named after it.
“The three paths of progression in Qingmu Town are mob hunting in the Eastern Plains, the mail delivery at the residential district, and the Qingmu Spring fetch quest!”
Ye Kong looked at the scenery before him, and without hesitation, he decisively headed to the spring in front of him.
At this time…
The rest of the players, who were trailing behind, had finally caught up.
“He’s actually going to the spring?!”
alphabetkun was the second player to arrive, and when he saw where Ye Kong was headed, he almost burst out laughing. “Doesn’t he know that players don’t have enough time to complete the entire process of the Qingmu Spring fetch quest?
“In three-quarters of an hour, the Stygian Night Kingdom sends its forces to invade, and during that time, Pulitzer, the Qingmu Spring Horticultural Priest, will be assassinated by the enemy forces. When this happens, the fetch quest he accepted will also be discontinued!”
(One-quarter of an hour is equal to 15 minutes; three-quarters of an hour is equal to 45 minutes).
“What the hell is he up to?”
As alphabetkun studied Ye Kong, he noticed that he had novice sword strapped to his back, and that it was much longer than the Assassin’s dagger. When he saw this, everything became clear to him. “Oh, so he’s a Swordsman. Looks like he gave me a scare for nothing. He doesn’t seem to be an alpha tester—experienced players would never choose the Swordsman class, because the class is rubbish.”
“Swordsman players have a higher starting Dexterity. No wonder he was running faster than us,” butterkid said next to him, as he came to this sudden realization. Then, he shook his head sadly and said, “It seems like he put all his stat points into Dexterity. With such low HP, he’ll instantly be killed by mobs.”
“What a dumb class choice. This newbie is so stupid.” alphabetkun looked away from Ye Kong and started running toward another small alley in the residential district. “Let’s move. We have to finish the ‘Mail Delivery’ quest before the ‘Stygian Night Invasion.'”
Initially, alphabetkun was somewhat worried that this other player was also rushing to get the lead for the story event. However, from what he could see, this player wasn’t even aware of the “Stygian Night Invasion.” And to top it all off, he’d chosen the Swordsman class-—the most worthless class in the game.
Putting all these clues together, alphabetkun concluded that this other player was not an alpha tester and just happened to be at the spring.
Except his adaptability was a little too good to be true.
There were some people on Earth who were born with a natural gift for virtual reality games. It could be their very first time in the game, and yet they would be able to control their virtual body better than a closed beta player. He’d seen this happen before.
Therefore, alphabetkun didn’t pay any more attention to what the player did.
“That player called ‘lacuna’ is really wasting his natural talents.”
alphabetkun led the way for butterkid as they entered a small alley.
If lacuna hadn’t selected the Swordsman class, alphabetkun would’ve considered scouting him for the guild. After all, a player who could quickly adapt to his virtual body would definitely be useful in the early stages of the game.
But since he was a Swordsman, there was no point in scouting him.
By the time they trained lacuna to be useful, the other players would have already grown accustomed to their bodies. Therefore, the resources of the Yokai Legon Guild would be better spent elsewhere, instead of being wasted on a Swordsman.
With this sort of thinking, alphabetkun and butterkid vanished down the alleyway. They ignored the old beggar there and even subconsciously gave him a wide berth.
At the same time…
Ye Kong had rapidly made his way to the front of the spring. He was the first player to arrive, and Horticultural Priest, Pulitzer, took the initiative to ask, “Brave explorer, are you willing to serve the needs of the Horticultural Church?”
Pulitzer was the priest of the Horticultural Church, and the Church was the main religion in Qingmu Town. Each player who started out in Qingmu Town had a “Good” reputation by default. To illustrate, Ye Kong’s current reputation was as follows—
Starry Duchy: Good.
Horticultural Church: Good.
Starry Duchy’s reputation was a bonus given to all the players (limited to those starting in Starry Duchy). Similarly, the Horticultural Church reputation was gifted to players from Qingmu Town.
Reputation was ranked according to a tiered grading system. From worst to best, these grades were Hated, Hostile, Neutral, Good, Friendly, Revered, and Exalted.
A player’s reputation affected how NPCs reacted to them, and some regular quests in the game could only be accepted by players with a certain reputation level.
“I’m willing to share in your burdens, great priest of the Horticultural Church.”
Ye Kong offered a slight bow. He was being very polite.
Horticultural Priest Pulitzer nodded. He said with a small smile, “Very good. I’ve heard that the night watchman of the Dark Mist Forest has recently contracted rheumatism. He is a faithful devotee of the God of Horticulture, and we mustn’t let him suffer so.
“This is a flask of water from Qingmu Spring. It has received my blessing. It will be able to cure the rheumatism that plagues the night watchman, so please bring this to him. He is stationed at the perimeter of Dark Mist Forest.”
System Notification: Horticultural Priest Pulitzer has issued you a quest—”Cure the Sickly Night Watchman.”
System Notification: You received “Item—Small Blessed Flask.”
“As you will it, great priest.”
Ye Kong took the small flask, which was filled with clear, light-blue spring water. It was the key item for the fetch quest.
The Dark Mist Forest was at the far edge of the Eastern Plains, and players would have to cross the entire Eastern Plains to get there.
The two large guilds in Qingmu Town had occupied all the mob hunting areas in the Eastern Plains, but players could enter the Dark Mist Forest by going around the outskirts, where no mobs spawned, thereby avoiding the guilds.
The two large guilds wouldn’t have the manpower to stop every single player passing by, so as long as the players weren’t hunting the guilds’ mobs, the guilds were content to leave them alone.
The only problem was that players would need at least 40 minutes to cross the entire Eastern Plains (based on the average speed of a level 0 player). Even though Ye Kong was much faster than a normal player, he would still need about half an hour.
On top of that, he had to search for the NPC inside the Dark Mist Forest, and there was also the return trip to Qingmu Town to consider.
It would take over an hour to complete the entire process of the quest.
More than an hour!
Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. However, Ye Kong knew that in three-quarters of an hour, the “Stygian Night Invasion” event would begin in Qingmu Town, and the quest giver, Horticultural Priest Pulitzer, would be assassinated.
With the priest dead, the spring water quest couldn’t be completed.
The “Stygian Night Invasion” was a major story event!
Story events could influence the game’s environment, while important story events could affect an entire region. This was one of the unique draws of “Demon Realm”—all the environments were dynamic, and story events could change them.
“Demon Realm” wasn’t just a game. It was a huge, complex world!
The “Stygian Night Invasion” referred to the invasion story event by the Seventh Region, the Stygian Night Kingdom. The Stygian Night Kingdom directly bordered Yggdmillennia, and there was constant friction between the regions. After the “Stygian Night Invasion” event, the two regions turned hostile against each other.
Moreover, the location of the “Stygian Night Invasion” wasn’t limited to just Qingmu Town. It took place across the entire region of Yggdmillennia, and story events would start to appear. Of course, public release players had no idea about any of this. Only alpha players knew what was coming.
“There’s still some time before the ‘Stygian Night Invasion,'” Ye Kong thought. “I need to seize this chance and carry out my plan!”
With the small flask in hand, Ye Kong turned in the direction of the Eastern Plains!