Chapter 25: Version Update

Chapter 25: Version Update

With the 13 million Sacrificial Power gifted by Ice Blade, Qi Sheng immediately initiated the third recruitment round, releasing ten thousand player slots this time. His primary targets remained players eager to experience Darklands but unable to afford the game or secure a copy due to high demand.

Promoting under the guise of a new title wouldn’t attract fresh players—no matter how enticing the description, most would dismiss it as fake advertising. Qi Sheng decided to continue using the "Darklands" name to rapidly expand his player base.

That evening, links to Qi Sheng’s game spread across numerous gaming groups. Most groups immediately ejected him, mistaking him for a scammer, but enough curious players downloaded the game to trigger a chain reaction. Within two hours, all ten thousand slots vanished.

By 9 p.m., masses of players flooded into the game. The previously empty resurrection point at Dizhong Village overflowed with new arrivals, forcing fresh spawns to scatter across the village instead of clustering at the respawn zone.

"Holy crap, this game feels so real! That 128,888 was totally worth it!"
"Stayed up all night fighting for three drops—finally got in! Hahaha!"
"Streamer here looking for a party! Any big spenders need a lowly sidekick?!"

Dizhong Village buzzed like a bustling market. Newcomers immediately began testing the game’s realism with antics like eating dirt, sprinting madly, and self-harming to test pain feedback systems. The results left them awestruck.

Despite exchanging tips, players stayed suspiciously silent about their download links. Protecting the mysterious "Welfare Officer" who gifted them the game—and fearing disqualification—they assumed everyone else had paid full price, with many proudly claiming they’d "won" their purchase slots through luck.

Under Qi Sheng’s watchful eye, these recruits quickly grasped the game’s basics through guides before venturing out of Dizhong Village. As their numbers swelled, the player army grew teeth.

Resurrecting Cursed Soldiers (Malevolent Entity) became prime targets for early grinding, often cut down before they could even stand. Competition for kills sparked fierce arguments, flooding regional chat with curses.

In a northern corner of the Ancient Battlefield, a player entangled by three Black-Scaled Serpents begged, "Bro, I’m sorry! Let me live!"
"Who told you to steal kills? Die and go back to Novice Village!" his killer roared.

Elsewhere, a player in the form of a Hawk-Headed Demon flapped frantically down the eastern battlefield, pursued by a mob screaming, "There he is! Don’t let that bastard escape! He thinks he can backstab Cursed Soldiers? We’ll kill him instead!"

To the west, two factions clashed over Cursed Soldier kills in a full-scale monster brawl.

Within ten minutes, over a hundred players were sent back to Novice Village, entering Respawn Cooldown. Yet their chaos breathed life into the Ancient Battlefield, showcasing the raw power of sheer numbers.

Contrast this with the first batch of players—like Li Zheng—who had once advanced cautiously, fearing ambushes by multiple Cursed Soldiers. These new recruits charged recklessly, fearing only missed kills. Every rising Cursed Soldier drew swarms of players like cats to fish, turning early exploration into a bulldozing stampede.

Qi Sheng watched, equal parts amused and exasperated. Their behavior validated his vision: forging an unstoppable, limitless super-army to crush entrenched monster forces, contain Primordial energies, and reclaim lost territorial nodes.

Suddenly, his Guide appeared:

"Boss, Yan Ming reports the test space is complete."

A hologram materialized, showing Yan Ming’s stoic face: "Mission done. I added several known Primordial Abilities to the test database—might not be found now, but useful later."

"Appreciate it", Qi Sheng nodded, summoning the Challenger System.

Light and shadow enveloped him, revealing new blue-coded text within the system’s stream:

Yan Ming spoke again: "Xiao Qi, the framework’s set. Now we need a physical structure to connect players to the test space."

Qi Sheng thought briefly. "Build a facility in Dizhong Village to access the test space."

"Understood." Yan Ming’s hologram vanished.

Thirty minutes later, a system announcement echoed in all players’ minds:

Challenger Announcement: Version 1.1 Update Live!

Update Notes:
1. Test Tower added to Dizhong Village. Players may simulate Stellar Vein Inlay, Body Forge Ranks, ability combos, and item testing here. Each session costs 1 Sacrificial Power.
2. Forum added to the Function Panel. Post discussions, share guides, reward posts, and stream gameplay. (Accessible during Respawn Cooldown via virtual interface.)

(Online update complete—no downtime required.)

Dizhong Village trembled as the ground shook. From the western ruins, a tower erupted skyward, its black stone walls shimmering with blue-violet light. A massive crystal sphere rotated slowly atop its needle-like spire.

Crafted by Yan Ming, this Test Tower used spatial rules to generate isolated layers for each player. No interference, just personalized testing.

The new structure ignited chatter across regional channels and the nascent forum. Veteran players exploring Gloomspire Caverns especially welcomed the update—they stood at critical junctures in their second and third Life Soul choices for Stellar Vein enhancements, desperate for the Test Tower’s growth simulations.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end