ushernet Chapter 193 : Chapter 193
Chapter 193 : Chapter 193
Since its launch, Return had been running for a month and a half. Recently, it had undergone a beta version update. On the surface, the Closed Beta 2.0 version only added seven thousand new beta testers and lifted the restrictions on entering and exiting the Novice Village, seemingly without major changes.—That was only for ordinary players. Those official personnel, however, knew more and could deduce much more.
The changes in Closed Beta 2.0 were not just limited to these; there were many hidden changes, the most obvious being mission triggering.
All players who stepped out of the Novice Village could clearly feel that the game had become more realistic.
This was especially evident in accepting missions. In the Novice Village, NPCs would actively issue missions, but after leaving the Novice Village, no NPCs would actively issue missions. Instead, there was a condition to trigger them.
This condition was very random. You could even tie an NPC up and beat them to force them to give you a mission. These missions were usually very simple, and the rewards were pitifully small. Most crucially, doing so carried a certain probability of lowering reputation with the NPC's faction, along with the risk of being thrown into jail.
One might even get killed in retaliation. Ever since discovering the trick of forcing NPCs to issue missions, quite a few players on the forum had tried it. The results varied, mainly depending on the NPC's personality, status, and strength.
...Completely consistent with real-world logic.
That was why it was said that this world became more realistic after Closed Beta 2.0.
This also provided further confirmation for some of the higher-ups' speculations and inferences.
From the moment the first batch of players entered the game, their secret operations unit already had members dedicated to information gathering and analysis entering alongside them. The opening of the level leaderboard and the players appearing on it were also key subjects of their attention.
Anonymous.
The first player to successfully level up and thus open the level leaderboard. Ever since then, this anonymous player had never fallen out of the top ten on the leaderboard. Even if they occasionally dropped out, they would quickly catch up. Yet, hardly anyone knew this anonymous player.
He was like a shadow hidden among the players. No one knew his ID or appearance, and not even a rumor had ever leaked out...
Oh wait, there were some. Someone on the forum had once implicitly suggested that this anonymous player might be a GM from the game company hiding among the players.
After collecting this information from the forum, the intelligence department had specifically investigated this player's tracks. Unfortunately, any news about Anonymous was mostly based on hearsay, and nothing could be confirmed.
As a squad captain, [Ying Yi] had memorized all the players in the top twenty of the level leaderboard except for Anonymous.
The player before him didn't match anyone on his list in terms of appearance or the weapon used. Yet his strength was so formidable; it could only be that Anonymous whose data they had never collected.
These thoughts flashed by in an instant. [Ying Yi] met those red eyes, thinking of the classified documents he had seen for certain reasons and the speculations regarding Anonymous written in them. The corners of his mouth subconsciously lifted slightly, revealing a rather amiable smile. He was unaware of the turbulent waves crashing in the hearts of his team members upon seeing this smile.
Is this still our taciturn and unsmiling little captain?
As someone who had partnered with [Ying Yi] for a longer time, [Wangwang Squad] quickly understood [Ying Yi]'s intention. He recalled some classified documents [Ying Yi] had subtly mentioned before; although he didn't know the contents, he knew such documents existed.
Sensing the change in the captain's mood, [Wangwang Squad] subconsciously played along. "Yeah, the demonic beast we just fought wasn't very high level, so we thought the monster levels around here were all the same. We accidentally went too deep. But you seem very familiar with this place?"
Yan Yunqing could sense [Ying Yi]'s guardedness, but he felt nothing special about that polite smile which fit social etiquette perfectly. Hearing the other's words, he merely nodded.
"Alright, but your levels are too low. It's best not to go deep into the forest so soon. Further in, the demonic beasts' levels get higher. In that direction, there's a demonic beast over level fifty," Yan Yunqing pointed in a direction.
As for why he was so familiar with this place, Yan Yunqing offered no explanation.
Why would he? Because his real level was very high so he could sense the aura of nearby demonic beasts? That would be a bit mystical. Currently, players still relied on the strength given by system levels. Even at Yan Yunqing's level, one couldn't sense a monster's aura.
This was practical combat experience Yan Yunqing had learned at Sigret Academy.
"Level fifty!" [Fire's Loneliness] gasped upon hearing this. They had already struggled so much against a level thirty-four beast; facing a level fifty monster, wouldn't they be one-shotted?
[Demon Prison Cruiser] hugged his staff and yawned, continuing to look half-dead.
"I really don't understand the monster spawning mechanics in this forest. The monsters at the previous spot were only level sixteen. We just went a little deeper, and the monster level skyrocketed to thirty-four," [Bin Storm] complained.
Yan Yunqing's gaze fell on him, and he offered an explanation: "This forest doesn't have level-segregated zones for demonic beasts. You could encounter level-ten monsters after entering the forest, or you could encounter level-tens-of-something monsters. The monster levels on the periphery are low only because the guards from nearby cities often clear that outer ring. The ones you encounter are just fish that slipped through the net."
Hearing this concept for the first time, the five of them were momentarily stunned.
Seeing that they truly didn't seem to understand, Yan Yunqing realized they were just like other players, likely not having paid much attention to the game's background story.
"The Two Great Empires border Norman Forest. Several cities near the forest edge have established guard forces," Yan Yunqing explained. "Because demonic beasts running out of the forest easily harm ordinary people in these cities, both empires stationed guard forces in the border cities. Like Tangas City—it's a city in Bartovita near Norman Forest, and the Tangas Guards are quite formidable."
"Although they can't compare to the Sawyer Army stationed permanently on the border of the Sea of Death, they are still quite strong. They sweep the surrounding forest for demonic beasts every month."
The five were even more bewildered.
[Fire's Loneliness] was shocked: "Where did you get all this news?"
Yan Yunqing paused. "Uh... isn't this common knowledge in this world? You can find out by asking any NPC in a nearby city. Don't you guys pay attention to the game's background story?"
The five looked at each other. They had missions every day, either fighting monsters or collecting materials. Where would they find the time to follow the plot, let alone this kind of gossip?
"Then you guys should pay more attention. Sometimes NPC conversations contain a lot of information, and you might even pick up a hidden quest," Yan Yunqing said lightly. "I saw on the forum that someone in a Novice Village picked up a hidden quest before?"
He actually mentioned the forum?
A suspicion arose in [Ying Yi]'s heart but was quickly extinguished.
If the Anonymous before him really was... then it would be normal for him to constantly monitor the forum.
"Is there really anyone who plays games without skipping and seriously reads the plot?" Veteran gamer [Fire's Loneliness] exclaimed. "Even for the daily mission completion voice line, I only listen up to 'Towards the stars and...' before it ends."
Yan Yunqing revealed a subtle expression.
Ah, a skipper.
Coincidentally, he used to be a skipper too. But those bad habits were all corrected after playing Becoming the Demon King from Today. After all, skipping even a little bit of the plot in that game could lead to a Bad End or a failed battle; even UR cards might get destroyed. It forced Yan Yunqing to meticulously study every sentence from the NPCs.
He even studied historical data word by word just to recruit some powerful UR cards as retainers!
Thinking back now, he felt he must have been out of his mind at the time. To dig through historical materials for a game... if he had put that effort into his studies, he could have gotten into a... oh, sorry, he had just finished the college entrance exam before transmigrating, so he didn't know which university he got into.
Yan Yunqing looked away.
Surely it was the existence behind this game influencing him back then, right?
Both [Ying Yi] and [Wangwang Squad] noticed the change in Yan Yunqing's expression. [Wangwang Squad] didn't think much of it, but [Ying Yi] became even more puzzled.
If Anonymous really was as speculated by the higher-ups, why would he show such a... subtle sense of identification at a time like this? Does this Anonymous also play the game Li Yan plays?
Should I go back and have the people above research the game Li Yan plays...
Yan Yunqing's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Some games are worth delving deep into the plot."
[Fire's Loneliness] nodded repeatedly. "That's true."
"So, must we stand here and chat?" [Demon Prison Cruiser], who had been watching from the side and saw they were about to continue their awkward chat about games, couldn't help but interrupt. His face was pale, looking like he would fall asleep any second. "Perhaps we can find a safer place, sit down, and chat while resting?"
The melee fighter [Bin Storm], who had also consumed a lot of stamina, raised both hands in agreement. "I agree!"
[Fire's Loneliness] looked hesitantly at [Ying Yi]. Did they finish their mission for today? Shouldn't the captain end the conversation after a few words, then part ways so they could continue doing missions?
[Ying Yi] ignored [Fire's Loneliness]'s gaze and nodded. "That works too."
[Fire's Loneliness] was astounded. "Huh? We aren't going to continue fighting monsters to level up here?"
[Demon Prison Cruiser] subtly stepped on [Fire's Loneliness]'s foot, earning a pained gasp and a glare.
[Fire's Loneliness]: What are you doing?
[Demon Prison Cruiser]: Otakus should listen more and talk less.
[Fire's Loneliness]: I told you I'm not an otaku!!!
"The monster levels here are still too high, let's call it a day," Captain [Ying Yi] turned to Yan Yunqing and said, "Thanks for your help just now. How about adding each other as friends? We're planning to run a dungeon later, want to join?"
Yan Yunqing blinked and went with the flow. "Sure, let's add friends. You guys have dungeon resources?"
Saying that, he reached out and swiped, summoning a semi-transparent panel in front of him. He glanced at [Ying Yi]'s game ID and clicked 'Search Friend' in the game's friend panel.
[Ying Yi]
Add Friend → Friend Request Sent.
[Ying Yi] received the friend request and quickly clicked accept. At the same time, he glimpsed Yan Yunqing's game ID: [Ri'an]. He quickly ran through the list of famous players on the level leaderboard in his mind and confirmed he had absolutely no impression of this name.
Looking at the friend's level again: Level 19.
Good, confirmed. This is that Anonymous on the level leaderboard.
"It's a dungeon my teammates and I discovered while fighting monsters earlier. It's quite remote, so for now, probably only we know about it. But give it some time, and it might not just be us," [Ying Yi] said. "After all, it's just a level 15 dungeon."
Yan Yunqing understood.
Using a low-level dungeon resource to hook him. Since this level would soon be useless to him anyway, it didn't matter if it got exposed later.
As expected, none of the official personnel were fools.
"Eh? Captain, you added him? I want to add him too, I want to add him too!"
...Well, not necessarily.