Numerous job opportunities abound in the Western Capital. The recruitment office at the sentry post allows enlistment into the Star Dragon Army. In the slums of District 8, certain criminal factions are hiring staff—exclusively male, starkly revealing workplace discrimination against women. Countless daily quests are available at various street-side shops. Perhaps even stopping a passerby could trigger tasks like 'Find the Missing Wallet' or " Catch a Tree-Climbing Kitten—the sort of mundane errands. Shops also advertised part-time positions for extra income, confirming Eternal Moonlight's theory that the new map held boundless opportunities.
Naturally, as a high-level map, many areas of Western Capital remain inaccessible to low-level newcomers. Eternal Moonlight and his companions encountered their share of setbacks: Jiang Yuluo inquired about Western Capital Academy only to be turned away, leaving her thoroughly disheartened; while Flash Fried Rice ventured into District One, only to be driven back at gunpoint by sentries, narrowly avoiding a maiden death.
The following day, Eternal Moonlight, Jiang Yuluo, and Flash Fried Rice opted to enlist in the Star Dragon Army, becoming soldiers and finally unlocking the combat class [Recruit]. They threw themselves into the various training missions with relish. Their faction affiliation became more precise, shifting from 'Star Dragon Nation' to 'Star Dragon Army,' and their status changed to [Private].
Eternal Moonlight hadn't forgotten the lone-wolf Mad Blade Raging Sword. They added each other as friends while still in the vehicle. Eternal Moonlight kindly informed Mad Blade Raging Sword over comms that he could join the army. However, Mad Blade Raging Sword dismissed it with a few perfunctory words before cutting the connection. This left Eternal Moonlight rather disheartened, assuming Mad Blade Raging Sword wasn't interested. Shaking his head, he decided not to pursue it further.
Eternal Moonlight Everlasting realised that Mad Blade Raging Sword couldn't care less about his offer. The man was entirely preoccupied with clinging to the powerful influence of Xiao Han, revelling in the exhilaration to the point of ecstasy.
To thoroughly test the limitations of task issuance, Xiao Han continuously assigned Mad Blade Raging Sword bizarre assignments. These included: 'Kick ten passers-by in the backside,' 'Remove a patrol officer's trousers,' 'Perform a swan-style one-legged spin for five minutes,' and 'Stick your bum out and shout "Behave yourself, boy!" three times'...
After testing, Xiao Han finally confirmed that as long as his reward quota met the difficulty standard, he could issue tasks of any content without restriction.
Yet Han Xiao offered several times the experience of novice tasks. For that gain, Mad Blade Raging Sword shattered his pristine moral core and submitted.
Why are my eyes brimming with tears? It is a despairing lament for this world of depraved tastes.
The reward for abandoning decency propelled his rapid levelling. He learned various basic skills from Xiao Han, contributing another chunk of experience to the master.
Though the closed beta had caught Xiao Han off guard, it posed little threat to the greater scheme. Scattered across the Blue Planet, the beta players were but a drop in the ocean compared to its population. To influence the newbie planet's landscape, they'd need considerable time to grow. Twelve days was insufficient for any meaningful impact.
A minor, unremarkable cyclone on the vast ocean only becomes a world-sweeping storm through continuous accumulation.
The beta players were all penniless, offering little immediate profit. Yet in the long run, players constituted the largest consumer base.
Xiao Han controlled the mission experience, granting more than novice quests but only marginally. This slight boost aided Mad Blade Raging Sword's growth—part of his strategic plan. Through Xiao Han's missions and equipment purchases, Mad Blade Raging Sword would shine when others were still developing. Even if Mad Blade Raging Sword wished to remain low-key, their club wouldn't consent. Promotion was inevitable, sparking other players' curiosity about Mad Blade Raging Sword's opportunities and expanding his potential clientele. When the time came, a call to arms and proactive outreach would flood him with experience points and cash. Xiao Han understood Mad Blade Raging Sword's desire for exclusivity, but dismissed it as human nature.
Time passed.
...
[Open Beta Countdown: 126 days, 11 hours, 32 minutes]
Beyond crafting high-explosive ammunition to grind experience, Xiao Han spent his downtime browsing the player forums.
These forums served as the authoritative hub for player interaction, typically used to pass the time while setting up stalls or awaiting respawn. Currently, only beta testers posted within them.
'The women of Rui Lan on Blue Planet are stunningly beautiful!'
'Urgently seeking players for Yellow Sand Bandit raid. Location: Changge Star - Falling Dragon Valley, coordinates...'
'Snapshots of Paleton's magical floating city.'
'Randomly spawned as a tentacle monster! How do I change species? Waiting online!'
'Bloody hell, I'll swap with you! I want to be a tentacle monster!'
Posts typically sought assistance, shared intelligence, or showcased guild progress to boost reputation.
A dozen novice planets featured diverse civilisations—magic, ancient, sci-fi, martial arts, religious—each with distinct races and social structures.
The most popular was Frostwinter, territory of the Void Fiends and one of the Extinction Legion's strongholds. Most players there weren't human.
Though their ideology—'extinguishing the sparks of civilisation'—was self-consistent, Xiao Han still felt a peculiar twinge of irritation whenever he saw the Extinction Legion's name.
Suddenly, a new post appeared, instantly pinned to the top, catching his attention.
'The first B-grade mission!'
Xiao Han uttered a surprised 'Eh?' He recalled that the first B-grade mission appeared only after the public beta launch. How could anyone in the closed beta possibly encounter such a high-tier mission?
Curiosity piqued, Xiao Han clicked in. Below, a flurry of players were engaged in frenzied discussion and spamming.
'You're pulling our leg, mate. I've never even seen a D-grade mission.'
'You're a bloody idiot, mate. The post has screenshots as proof!'
'It's definitely photoshopped. Why else would they only show the mission name and not the content?'
'That's ridiculous. If they released it, would they let you take the mission?'
'The difficulty must be sky-high. We haven't even passed the beginner stage. How could we possibly complete it?'
'The poster is from the Divine Clan Guild. They're elite players. Maybe they have a way.'
'Any big shots care to say which planet this is?'
'Laughing at all you lot.'
'Apologies, my mutt pet dog got out.'
'666666'
'A literary genius emerges!'
'Did I just get impregnated?'
'You lot, this is decades old!'
Xiao Han smiled knowingly, a hint of nostalgia rising. He carefully read through the dozen or so pages of replies before turning to the content itself.
The post contained only a screenshot of a mission name, and that image instantly made Xiao Han narrow his eyes.
'B-Rank Mission: [Investigation Zero].'
Xiao Han immediately thought of the Sprout. Glancing at the poster, he saw an officially verified ID: Divine Clan Guild.
'The Temple Club guild?'
The Temple Club, a powerhouse in the professional circuit, had produced countless elite players and built its own industrial chain. Xiao Han had once crossed paths with them, accepting a revenge contract that saw him take down the Guild Master of the Divine Clan multiple times. He'd then staged the corpses in humiliating poses, snapped screenshots, and sold them on forums under titles reminiscent of sensationalist tabloids: "Shocking! Why Did the Divine Clan Guild Master... !" He'd made a quick fortune before facing a month-long manhunt by the entire Divine Clan.
'How I miss the thrill of hunting players...' Xiao Han mused, turning to face Mad Blade Raging Sword.
Mad Blade and Raging Sword froze stiff, sensing the malice in Xiao Han's gaze. Terrified, he dared not move, standing rooted to the spot like a wooden statue, sweat beading on his forehead.
Xiao Han shook his head, lost in thought.
In his previous life, the Divine Clan Guild had joined the Sprout faction, becoming one of its largest player guilds. It seemed that hadn't changed.
Even a group of beta testers could receive quests to investigate him. It seemed that Sprout harboured a resolute intent to eliminate him. Xiao Han's eyes flickered, a hint of coldness flickering within.
Suddenly, Xiao Han knew which Sprout base to target next.
Their reasoning was straightforward: since the setting of Sterllaris Legend revolved around cosmic stars, technology must be the dominant theme. Consequently, the Guild was assigned to Blue Planet and promptly pooled funds to purchase the map. After careful deliberation, Guild Leader Jupiter selected the Sprout as their initial faction. Conveniently, a Sprout Base lay near Ravenwood Town, where they had been born.
Jupiter reasoned that the Sprout must be the most formidable faction—one that maintained stable existence despite being at odds with every nation on the planet. Their influence must be profoundly deep and unfathomable. As for which NPC faction's ideology was correct, that was none of their concern. Only late-stage internet addicts would care about the fate of a bunch of NPCs—they all needed a dose of Yang 'Tech cure'.
The Divine Clan Guild was not disappointed. Upon joining the Sprout faction, they were transported to a new location called Dark Raven Valley Base, formally becoming junior members of the organisation and receiving a barrage of training missions.
The greatest surprise was the B-rank mission [Investigation: Subject Zero]. Even the Divine Clan Guild hadn't anticipated such a substantial reward, the prospect of which had them utterly enthralled.
The mission brief was scant, merely indicating that Subject Zero was located within the Star Dragon territory, with no further clues provided.
At that moment, the Divine Clan Guild was holding an urgent meeting, deliberating on how to accomplish this mission.
Jupiter remarked gravely, 'This is our first B-rank mission. It appears combat isn't required, and at our current level, completion is feasible. The rewards are exceptionally generous—enough to put us ahead of all other players. Whether we can suppress other guilds in the future hinges entirely on seizing this opportunity!'
'We only know Zero is in Star Dragon,' replied Poseidon, a core member. 'That's a vast area—like searching for a needle in a haystack. The odds of locating an NPC are minuscule. Moreover, the closed beta period is nearly over. To complete this mission, we must pin our hopes on the open beta. Until then, we should conduct preliminary investigations.'
The others nodded in agreement, voices buzzing with diverse suggestions.
Jupiter, who relished uncovering hidden mechanics, pondered, 'The quest hint subtly suggests that Zero and Sprout are adversaries. If we capture or even eliminate Zero, might there be additional rewards?'
'Sound reasoning, as expected from Old Pig.'
'That would likely be an A-rank difficulty,' Poseidon remarked pessimistically.
'No mission is impossible; we've merely yet to discover the shortcut,' Jupiter declared, tapping the conference table. 'The public beta launches one week after the closed beta. During this period, the other elites must devise a strategy. We'll tackle this mission during the public beta—it will be our breakthrough point.'
Vice-President Shiva stated proudly, 'By the public beta, we'll have guild resources backing us. If even we can't complete this mission, no one can.'
'Quite right,' Jupiter nodded in agreement.
Poseidon proposed, 'Leveraging other players' efforts would be far quicker than searching alone.'
Jupiter's eyes lit up. 'That makes sense. Post Zero's likeness publicly, offer a bounty. Anyone providing valuable leads gets paid.'
The Divine Clan Guild was a wealthy establishment, flush with resources.