Chapter 57: Darklands, Launch!

Chapter 57: Darklands, Launch!

“Unbelievable! The monsters outside are way too strong—it’s like they’re intentionally blocking newbies from surviving! Luckily, I managed to escape a Bloodfiend’s hunt with my quick reflexes. Before entering Underground Village, I even made the Bloodfiend chase me across ten streets just to shake it off.”

“Looking for a team! Any high-level players willing to form a group to explore outside with me? This place is terrifying!”

“This game is insane! The haptic feedback when touching my virtual girlfriend feels too real. Honestly, I can’t tell the difference from reality. No wonder I paid 128,888 for it—every penny worth it!”

“Veterans, please help! Total newbie here, clueless about everything. Can someone teach me how to optimize my Stellar Vein build?”

“Haha! Transformed into an Ember Chicken! Switching Stellar Veins is super fun. Time to start my Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird evolution plan!”

As new players flooded in, the Underground Village respawn point quickly became packed.

For this groundbreaking new game, all newcomers exhibited eerily similar behaviors: testing the game’s realism by every imaginable method, desperately trying to uncover potential feedback bugs.

Some players even overdid their “realism tests,” rolling on the ground in pain from the sensory feedback.

Others escalated into violent brawls after heated arguments over whose feedback-testing method was more authentic.

Passing veterans shot the newbies sideways glances of pity, silently judging their absurd antics—entirely forgetting that they’d once acted the exact same way, performing equally ridiculous tests on game realism when they first started.

Unlike the previous batch of players, this group had been dropped into the Last Quarter Moon scenario’s Underground Mountain Range.

Outside, no low-level Cursed Soldiers (Malevolent Entities) roamed, and the hunting difficulty far exceeded the Crescent Moon scenario. There was no gradual progression here.

The weakest Bloodfiend carried a minimum hunting level of 10, leaving players fresh out of Novice Village struggling to survive.

Soon, crowds of players returned to Underground Village to recruit teammates, hoping to continue hunting through group cooperation.

Others followed veterans’ advice from regional voice chats, heading to the Gloomspire Caverns entrance south of Underground Village to mine resources and build initial funds.

Meanwhile, major guilds seized the opportunity to recruit newbies, offering mining picks purchased with 1 Sacrificial Power, or even personally escorting them outside to hunt. These groups strategically nurtured loyalty, strengthening their guilds’ influence.

The arrival of these 2,000 new players transformed Underground Village into a bustling hub.

Watching from the shadows, Qi Sheng began anticipating the upcoming profit surge.

Though the newbies couldn’t hunt alone yet—needing groups or veteran support—their current returns barely covered their losses. Deaths deducted 10 Sacrificial Power, often leaving them in negative earnings.

But Qi Sheng remained confident. Given time, these players would adapt to Last Quarter Moon’s difficulty.

As they grew stronger, his daily Sacrificial Power income would gain fresh momentum.

He cared little for the initial losses from their deaths.

The deducted Sacrificial Power came directly from their own accounts.

Eventually, when players accumulated sufficient Sacrificial Power, the system would reclaim it. The real cost was merely the initial 1,000-point investment.

As Qi Sheng monitored the new players’ progress, reality shifted to Yelan City.

Tongxin awoke from sleep with a throbbing headache and aching limbs.

Outside, the night was hazy. Glancing at the computer clock, he stared in shock—28 hours had passed since he’d fallen asleep at his desk.

“What the—?!”

At that moment, a pop-up notification caught his eye:

[Download Complete - 100%]

“Holy crap! It actually downloaded?!”

The unexpected joy jolted him fully awake. He stared at the completion prompt, his earlier bitterness, envy, and frustration dissolving into tears of excitement.

After regaining his composure, he transferred the files to his Gaming Pod, then sat at his computer.

Opening the kindergarten chat group, he typed eagerly:

Kindergarten Director: @Everyone! Your Kindergarten Director is entering the battlefield! Hurry up and gather—carry me through leveling up!

Kindergarten Director: @Everyone, seriously! Bring me along for leveling and earning! Let’s go!

As he waited, he changed into his gaming suit.

After a long wait, the Gaming Pod’s green light blinked—file adaptation complete. He stepped in and pressed the start button.

One minute later, Tongxin lay inside the Gaming Pod, entering the virtual desktop.

The interface was minimalist. Besides the main game, hidden folders contained… less official diversions.

But Tongxin ignored those distractions. His eyes locked onto a monster icon radiating flames around its body.

“Darklands, launch!”

As his consciousness touched the icon, he already imagined the upcoming blissful gaming hours.

Suddenly, an error message popped up:

[Notice: Your game access was revoked due to inactivity within 24 hours. Game files have been erased. Please re-download to re-enter.]

Tongxin’s face froze before the screen.

Eventually, the Gaming Pod lid opened, but he curled inside, tears streaming silently:

“Waaah! How could they treat me like this?!”

“This is just… bullying… waaah…”

Half an hour later, the quiet kindergarten group chat reignited as players emerged from Respawn Cooldown:

Little Class-Drunken Healer: The director actually secured a slot! Congrats! We’ll log in in an hour to carry you!

Iron Hammer: Haha! The director’s back! Our team’s been waiting for your return to take charge. We’ll hand over guild leadership soon—Newbie Squad’s revival is near!

Black Ball: (celebration fireworks emoji) (celebration fireworks emoji)! Director, start mining in the caves first. We’ll join you right after our Respawn Cooldown ends!

Seeing their leader’s activation, members assumed he’d already entered the game.

Meanwhile, one rejected player still curled inside his Gaming Pod, sobbing quietly until exhaustion claimed him.

…

Four hours earlier.

Underground Village, Primordial Altar.

“Boss, one of the issued challenger slots remains inactive.”

Qi Sheng frowned slightly as his Guide delivered the report.

He distributed slots to players specifically to generate profits in Monster World. He couldn’t tolerate anyone hoarding a slot without contributing.

Turning to his floating Guide:

“From now on, immediately revoke any unused slots within 24 hours. Reissue this inactive slot to another player.”

“Understood.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end