Chapter 45: First Day for Players
Ever since Apocalypse, the game hailed as a "second world," was released, XB had been closely following its development as a professional gamer. Not only did he stir up the forums with a well-received professional review post, but he also managed—by sheer dumb luck—to snag one of only 200 global closed beta slots.
And the game didn't disappoint.
The moment he entered the game world using the official VR setup, he was blown away by the hyper-realistic experience.
It was like being dropped into a medieval European street. Behind him stood a workshop; nearby bustled a lively marketplace with a strong stench of fish wafting through the air. Street vendors shouted as they passed by.
Just a few steps away lay the busy city streets, a sea of people moving like an ant colony. Though it was raining, visibility remained high—he could clearly make out the facial features of the trio of heroic statues over twenty meters away.
But what shocked XB most was that the environment matched the promotional trailer exactly. On one end of the street, thick snowflakes blanketed the area, while just a few steps away, it was merely drizzling. The two weather systems were separated by a sharp black-and-white line—absolutely stunning. This wasn't some texture-swap like in other online games; this was something else entirely.
"When did Earth's tech get this advanced? Wait… don't tell me I've transmigrated or something?"
Suddenly remembering something, XB frantically reached down to check himself…
Phew, thank God. Everything's still there.
He gave himself a pinch. Ow—it hurt! Damn, this is next-level!
"I wonder if it works though. I heard there's a red-light district in the game… gotta check it out when I've got some cash."
Watching a man with his hand in his crotch muttering to himself, passersby shot horrified looks at him and quickly gave him a wide berth.
XB blushed, pulled his hand out and shamelessly sniffed his fingers.
"Tch. Gross."
Smelled exactly like the real thing. Damn, this game's too real. I freaking love it!
Following the newbie guide from character creation, he opened up his character panel.
Name: XB
Race: Human
Age: 24
Level: 1
Class: Engineer Apprentice
Natural Force Affinity: 42
Arcane Affinity: 25
Talent: None
Attributes:
Strength: 12
Agility: 9
Constitution: 10
Willpower: 12
Spirit: 12
Charisma: 45
HP: 10
Willpower Points: 12/12
Mana: 0
Skills: None
Specialties: None
Clan Motto: None
Influence: None
Legend Score: 0
The stats looked pretty solid. Not only did he start out with a profession—Engineer Apprentice—but his Natural Force Affinity was a whopping 42. XB felt like his future in Apocalypse was bright.
He'd done his homework before playing. According to official info, players would either be assigned to fixed newbie zones with default identities or receive randomized starting points, including class and origin.
Looks like he drew the latter. With a Natural Affinity of 42, warrior-type builds should be optimal. But XB, ever the ambitious type, scoffed at that.
"Warriors? Please, even a dog wouldn't touch that. I'm going gunslinger, baby!"
He clenched his fist, full of ambition.
"There are only three days for this beta. I've gotta milk every quest I can out of this world, rack up the XP, and try to latch onto my husb—cough, I mean Wayne Sturwell's coattails. The devs said this world is alive—everything from reputation to relationships with NPCs carries over to the full release."
"But still, it's just a game. Alive, my ass…"
He rolled his eyes, brimming with determination—when suddenly, a voice bellowed from the workshop behind him—
"XB! If you still want a paycheck, get your ass in here! I don't pay freeloaders!"
"Coming, coming!" XB instinctively shouted back and rushed inside.
A few hours later, XB finally clocked out. Looking at the coins in his hand and the Engineer Apprentice level now at 3, he was both aggrieved and amazed.
"This game... is freaking incredible!"
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
The world of Apocalypse was in total chaos. Refugees with no identities began popping up everywhere—most didn't even seem like normal people.
Some were hitting on women in the streets, some muttering to thin air, and some even dropped their pants in public...
Of course, the number of such idiots was small. In other nations, cities, or newbie hubs, most players were like XB—quietly grinding.
Some inherited NPC identities, while others teamed up in the starting zones, running around eagerly completing quests.
The game's opening was highly varied—deeply immersive, challenging, and fun. The hyper-realistic environment pulled players in completely.
…
At the same time, Zhou Ning lay on his bed, browsing Apocalypse forum threads.
The forum was buzzing.
Ten hours into the closed beta, player-related posts were popping up one after another—most of them useless fluff.
Still, everyone agreed on one thing: the game felt real.
Painfully real. No other game came close.
[Anyone else feel like leveling is super slow? Ten hours and I'm only level 3!]
[This game is toxic. I meant to log off by 10, now it's midnight. Getting yelled at by NPCs and secretly enjoying it—am I becoming a masochist?]
[Did you guys notice how real this game feels? I talked to a bunch of NPCs—every single one had their own backstory. Insane.]
After browsing a while, Zhou Ning stumbled upon an interesting post.
The author? XB—his old acquaintance and a minor celebrity on the forums. The post was short and full of his trademark smugness.
"Sup, my dudes. Day 1 of the closed beta—I spawned on the streets of Darkland, not far from main character Wayne Sturwell. Started off with a stable job and XP source. Already hit level 4.
This game is crazy real. My boss in-game is this old man who chewed me out all afternoon—not once did he repeat a line. I swear he might be a real person.
Hahaha, I'm heading to Vick University tomorrow morning to scope out the main character and maybe trigger a quest.
Any other Darkland starters? Let's team up tomorrow!"
Zhou Ning chuckled. Of all people, this guy had to spawn nearby.
In the comments, replies were already piling up.
"XB, get lost! Go back to your pro career. You got beta access and a good spawn? Don't rub it in."
"Sobbing as I pass by from Ruins City."
"I've got it worse. Spawned way up in northern Mortel. It'll take me half a month just to reach Bryston Kingdom."
"XB, if you actually meet Wayne, stream it for us! Give us poor non-beta scrubs something to drool over."
XB replied:
"Don't worry, folks! Stream's already up. Room ID: XXXXX."
Seeing the banter, Zhou Ning had a good idea of the player distribution.
Not many spawned in Darkland. They wouldn't stir up much trouble—and probably not much opportunity either. He could just focus on questing.
But if XB really streamed his meetup with Wayne… well, that'd be another chance to grab the spotlight.
…
The next morning,
Zhou Ning got up early.
He splashed cold water on his face, chose a sharp-looking white shirt, black vest, and black coat, even tied a bowtie for once.
Looking in the mirror, he thought he looked more refined—his face now bore a scholarly edge.
Downstairs, John was already dressed to the nines, playing with Bobby the dog.
Zhou Ning wasn't surprised. It was freshman registration day. Self-proclaimed playboy John obviously wouldn't miss a chance to scope out cute junior girls. Honestly, most guys were thinking the same.
When John saw Zhou Ning, he let out a whistle. "Looking sharp!"
"Thanks," Zhou Ning replied, donning his black half-top hat with a smile.
Clack, clack, clack—they descended the stairs and made their way toward the university gates.
It was only 7 a.m., but the atmosphere had changed. If yesterday was the warm-up, today was full-on festival mode.
Welcome banners were up at the gates. Each department had set up booths, and long lines were forming. Students buzzed around passing out flyers.
Zhou Ning scanned the crowd and immediately spotted Cherry—tall, curvy, and impossible to miss. Then he saw Ian—harder to recognize today since he was wearing a wig that cleverly hid his receding hairline.
They were both in Vick University uniforms… and sitting at the Alchemy Department's freshman registration booth.
Pretty gutsy.
John nudged Zhou Ning. "That hottie's from the Alchemy Department? Never seen her before."
"If she's sitting there, she probably is," Zhou Ning replied with a crooked smile.
Because he knew exactly what John was going to say next:
"Let's go talk to her."
And sure enough—
"Let's go talk to her." John pulled him toward the booth.
As their eyes met, Zhou Ning gave Cherry a polite nod and followed John over. With Bobby nowhere in sight, the two empty seats beside her were wide open. John sat down right next to her and started flirting.
Cherry looked startled but kept chatting with John while handling registrations.
She didn't notice Bobby, bored out of his mind, crawling under the table—until he lifted a leg and peed on the hem of her skirt.
Zhou Ning: …
He silently looked up at the sky. Is this his way of not seeing things?
He didn't have the heart to say anything, nor did he sit down. He simply stood, scanning the area.
By now, more freshmen were arriving. Tradition said that around 9 a.m., each department would kick off its opening performances.
According to Sherlock, an alchemical bomb wouldn't be small. Zhou Ning swept the crowd, spotting no clear suspects—until he noticed a sneaky, familiar figure in the distance, ID floating above his head.
Zhou Ning blinked in surprise.
Wasn't that… XB?