"Breaking News! The Blacksmith's Pants Can Actually Be Pulled Down!"
CatKiller: You might not believe this, but not only did the blacksmith get angry, he actually broke my leg! This is the first time I've seen such a lifelike NPC!
Picture attached below — [IMAGE]
See that? SEE THAT?!
[Movement Speed -99%]
Did you all learn your lesson?!
First comment: Why can't I see the picture?!
—OP: Try refreshing.
Second comment: Learned it, learned it. I'll try it tomorrow. It's the blacksmith on the rightmost street, right?
—OP: That's right, it's him, the one with the thick beard.
Zishu: Let me go off-topic, I didn't know a broken leg reduces movement speed that much.
—OP: Well, that's not exactly it. I was too excited and asked him to do it again, then he broke my other leg too. You don't need to learn that part.
Fourth comment: Let me add something - don't touch the guard's armor at the spawn point. He really cherishes his armor, and if you touch it, he'll hit you with his shield. Look— [IMAGE]
[Concussion — All attributes -1, lasts three days]
Fifth comment: Let me add something else. Better not stare at his armor, or he'll glare at you. From the moment you register until you leave, he'll keep staring at you intensely. I suspect this guard has some mental issues.
Sixth comment: Let me add one more thing. Never call him poor or say his armor has cracks, or he'll hit you with his shield. The fourth commenter already posted the picture, so I won't post mine.
Seventh comment: I heard him asking the registrar for leave, saying he was going home to repair his armor.
Eighth comment: No wonder there was only one guard left when I logged in.
Ninth comment: Does anyone know the official email address? I want to complain! The Rogue instructor has violent tendencies! She kicks me every time I go in! What did I do wrong?!
...
This post was particularly hot, reaching 17 pages in just one night. Yu Yu read for a while, quite surprised. So that guard would also hit people with his shield? Good thing she left quickly.
But the NPCs in "Eternal Darkness" were so lifelike!
This game will definitely be a hit when it goes public!
After happily reading three or four pages, Yu Yu exited the post and checked the time—it was only four in the morning. She had been battling bugs all night, and just as she was about to completely clear out the bug nest, the game said she was mentally fatigued and kicked her offline without any explanation.
But after logging off, Yu Yu felt energetic, as if she had slept all night. To be honest, she had never woken up this early before. Because it was summer, the sky outside was already growing light. She opened the window, took a couple of breaths of fresh air, and felt particularly happy.
Carefree and content.
However, the fog seemed quite thick. She opened a packet of instant noodles, sat back by the window, played music on her computer, poured a cup of hot water, and ate while browsing.
Her phone screen lit up. Yu Yu casually glanced at it: [Orange Fog Warning].
She swiped it away and continued browsing the forum.
"Eternal Darkness" had no official website, so players had built their own forum. Though there weren't many people, it was very active.
"@Officials, I wasn't tired at all, why did you kick me off! Give me one more night, and I could have reached Silver Moon City!"
Yu Yu understood—everyone had been kicked off.
"I actually died! I don't even know how I died!"
Yu Yu had just scrolled past when she saw this poster immediately post again—
"@Officials, have you made up your minds?! One death and I can't log in for three days! I want to complain!!!!"
Yu Yu couldn't help but click on it and commented: [Is that true? What's the death penalty?]
The poster quickly replied: [I don't know! I DON'T KNOW!!! I can't log in anymore! It gave me a countdown, and if I'm not mistaken, I can't log in for three days!!!]
Soon the post was pushed to the top, and amid everyone's surprised comments, the poster grew even more furious and said they were going to email a complaint. Yu Yu thought for a moment, exited the post, and continued browsing the forum.
"(Secretly photographed), when I was walking toward the North Gate, I saw a beautiful NPC flying in the sky, and she was riding a really cool black wolf"
Yu Yu checked the ID and found it was the same person who wanted to walk to Silver Moon City but got kicked offline. Looking at the post, it was indeed a very cool black wolf. The black wolf had sleek black fur, but with a ring of silver-white long fur on its chest, and white ears and paws...
Yu: [If I may say so, doesn't it look a bit like a Husky?]
OP: [stunned.jpg]
Third comment: [Hahaha I can't recover from this hahaha, what idiot would ride a Husky to travel?!]
Yu Yu left quietly, concealing her role in this revelation. After finishing her meal, she put the instant noodle bowl aside, stared at her bank balance for a while, then looked at the calendar.
August 4th.
"Sigh."
Although she'd only been eating them for a few days, Yu Yu was already developing a physiological aversion to instant noodles; just looking at them made her nauseous. She missed fried chicken legs, spareribs soup, minced meat with eggplant...
With such yearnings, she washed the bowl, changed her clothes, and prepared for work. Looking at her small rented room, she patted her face and rallied her spirits. Come back and play the game, cheer up!
Her new job was ordinary, recommended by an old friend. Yu Yu wasn't a talkative person, and the first day passed without incident. Returning home and logging in, the bug corpses were still on the ground. After gradually clearing most of the bugs in the nest, Yu Yu also gradually moved her position, appearing on a pile of rocks not far from the bug nest, spying on it.
She had already cleared out all the small bugs inside, and now there were bug corpses all over the ground. But that millstone bug hadn't moved; Yu Yu couldn't lure it out no matter what she tried. She looked at her single-digit health, crouched miserably on the rock, and stared at the bug nest.
Maybe she should just set it on fire?
Since she couldn't use spontaneous combustion, she'd use fire from rubbing wood!
...A moment later, Yu Yu returned to the spot.
She had brought a torch from the city gate, planning to return it after use. Looking at the motionless giant bug, Yu Yu arranged the bug corpses one by one in a line, forming a path straight to the nest. After this period of bug killing, Yu Yu had discovered that the bugs had low perception and a small aggro range, so she could be bolder.
The inside of the nest was dry and had bug silk, making it easy to burn, and furthermore...
Under the torch's power, the bug corpses indeed caught fire. Yu Yu began chanting her Gust spell.
Wind fuels the fire!
Watching the fire line burn toward the nest, Yu Yu actually felt a sense of pleasure. In the previous game, she had steadily held the first position on the warlock leaderboard, but had never felt such joy. These bugs loved dry environments, and spontaneous combustion was so smooth—Yu Yu had guessed they would burn easily.
Now she discovered they indeed burned well. She sat on the rocky outcrop, blowing wind, watching the large bug waiting in the nest. The silver-white silk threads were licked by flames, gradually taking on a bright red hue. The entire nest suddenly came to life, and the arrangement of rocky outcroppings made it look like a burning fire lotus at this moment, intense and beautiful.
The giant bug didn't even try to escape; it just spun around in circles, trying to extinguish the flames. Yu Yu chanted her Gust spell again, and said aloud, "East wind, aid me."
This bug had a very long health bar. Yu Yu could only sit on the rock, watching it lose health bit by bit. Opening the log, Yu Yu saw the details.
Burning damage every three seconds, 11 points per time. It had already taken damage eight times but still wasn't dead.
Looking at the health bar, more than half remained. Yu Yu gradually became suspicious. With this much health, could a melee player of the same level withstand it?
She had browsed the forum for a few hours this morning and found that other classes didn't have much higher health than hers.
Normal players had 12-13 points, at most not exceeding 30 points. Wasn't this bug's health a bit excessive?
[Pest Extermination (1), Kill ten worker bugs (Completed).]
Looking at the quest, Yu Yu found that her quest was indeed complete; these small bugs were indeed worker bugs.
She didn't understand...
At this moment, the bug finally collapsed with a crash. Thin wisps of smoke rose, and Yu Yu waited until the flames dissipated before jumping down from the rock. There was a strong burnt smell in the air. Yu Yu pinched her nose and looked around. Soon, she picked up two dark blades from the ground.
[Guard Bug's Tooth Blade (Material)]
Quality: Common
Attack: 1-3
Durability: 100/100
Yu Yu was stunned for a moment. "...Don't tell me the loot was also burned?"
How careless!
Not giving up, she rummaged around for a while, and her mood improved slightly.
[Decayed Ironwood Short Bow]
Quality: Inferior
Attack: 3-7
Durability: 49/50
Weight: 6
Requirement: Strength 4
[Rusted Short Dagger]
Quality: Inferior
Attack: 2-5
Durability: 39/50
Weight: 1.5
Requirement: None
"...I guess these can't be burned."
Finally, Yu Yu could only pocket the tooth blades, carry the short bow and dagger, and return to the city. She had completed her quest and leveled up.
[Yu]
Identity: Townsperson
Class: Apprentice Spellcaster
Level: 2 (277/500)
Money: 0 gold -6 silver 0 copper
Reputation: 0
Looking at her experience, Yu Yu felt leveling up in this game was quite difficult; it took her two days to reach level two.
[You have reached level 2, +1 basic attribute point, +1 skill point, +1 passive skill point, gained the passive 'Language and Text (Alen Peninsula)']
Yu Yu now had time to carefully study how to allocate her points. The game had just launched, with no guides to teach her, so she could only figure it out herself. Her attribute points were quite unusual, with Spirit and Will both high, while other attributes were average.
Yu Yu looked for a while, then put her point into Spirit. Now she had Spirit 10, Will 7, with other attributes still ordinary.
Passing the city gate, Yu Yu casually inserted the torch back, continuing to ponder her skill allocation. There were many passives to choose from. Her options included 'Identify Magic 1', 'Language and Text (Regional)', 'Concentration', 'Insight', 'Use Magic Device', 'Brew Potion', 'Basic Weapon Proficiency', 'Spell Specialization', and 'Nightingale Meditation Method'.
Seeing Spell Specialization, Yu Yu immediately clicked on it. Soon, she disappointedly backed out.
Spell Specialization referred to specialization in a specific spell, only allowing her to choose from what she already knew, but she currently only knew cantrips.
After some thought, Yu Yu narrowed her choices to 'Concentration', 'Insight', and 'Nightingale Meditation Method'.
The first passive she could choose was important; she couldn't be careless. Returning to the magic hall to complete the quest, Yu Yu was surprised to find a familiar face at the counter—the one-time NPC who had registered her when she entered the game.
Was this NPC recycling? Why were the developers too stingy to give her a name?
"Hello, I want to turn in a quest."
"Oh, it's you," the black-robed woman looked up. "What quest?"
She actually remembered Yu Yu.
"Pest Extermination (1)."
The woman's fingers lightly tapped, and Yu Yu's quest showed as complete. [Experience +100, Silver +2, Academy Points +100, Obtained 0-level spell 'Magic Flame']
Yu Yu's assets successfully became -4 silver; making progress.
The black-robed woman looked at Yu Yu and casually asked, "Do you outsiders really like pulling down the blacksmith's pants?"
Yu Yu: "...No, never, don't say that, I never pull down people's pants."
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
The black-robed woman nodded, "The blacksmith was very angry today and broke many people's legs. You outsiders actually lined up to pull down his pants. Senior Kaan was so stressed, saying he would post a notice at the city gate tomorrow to warn you all."
Yu Yu: "..."
Outsiders getting a bad reputation.
"Who is Senior Kaan?"
"The town administrator," the woman said. "The town's finances are tight, so many tasks are delegated to us. Otherwise, do you think our academy would care about the Grand Administrator's inspection?"
She seemed genuinely friendly, so Yu Yu leaned on the counter to chat with her. "What's your name? I heard the guard asked you for leave to go home and repair his armor, is that true?"
"My name is Yunlun, I'm a second-year student at the academy, an apprentice spellcaster," she still didn't have a name displayed above her head. "Yes, you outsiders are too harsh. Why are you so fixated on his armor? He had no choice but to go home to repair it. He'll be back on duty the day after tomorrow; you can see him then."
Yunlun muttered, "He remembers you because you were the first person to say his armor was broken. He thinks you started a bad trend."
Yu Yu: "...That's really not something worth remembering."
"So, which quest do you want to take? I recommend the Black-Tailed Red Heart Grass planting quest. Although it takes time, it's not dangerous, and you can go play on your own after planting. Just come back to harvest when it's time..."
She swiped through the light screen, whispering to Yu Yu.
Since the academy seemed temporarily outside the range of player visitation, there were few players around. The handful who were there were quest-takers like Yu Yu, coming and going in a hurry. Yu Yu and Yunlun discussed for a long time, and she obtained a lot of information.
She accepted Yunlun's recommended Black-Tailed Red Heart Grass planting quest. The bug series quests were gone.
Because the Grand Administrator had arrived in Crescent Moon Town yesterday, the town administrator was severely reprimanded. He canceled the bug extermination quests.
The Grand Administrator also received the aggrieved blacksmith and listened to him enumerate the outsiders' outrageous behavior for a full half hour.
However, after selling her items, Yu Yu still decided to go out and kill bugs. Experience, proficiency, and loot—she didn't want to miss any of it. By now, she had set up a stall with her items in the spawn point plaza. Two tooth blades, one short dagger, and one short bow—all things she couldn't use. Although the game didn't restrict weapons, Yu Yu couldn't use a bow. She had tried on the way and couldn't aim at all.
She seriously doubted whether former archer players could actually hit monsters in this game. Yesterday, her Acid Ray had missed many times. She suspected that even that person probably couldn't hit anything.
She seemed to be the first one to set up a stall. As soon as her items were displayed, quite a few people gathered around.
"How much? I'll take it all!"
Yu Yu: "Tooth blades 2 silver each, short dagger 3 silver, short bow 4 silver."
She owed 4 silver, so she definitely couldn't sell cheap, especially since no one else was selling yet. Mainly considering that players had just entered the game and couldn't afford much, otherwise she would have set higher prices.
"Sis, I'm an animal, can you lower the tooth blade by 1 silver?"
Yu Yu raised an eyebrow at him, momentarily speechless.
"How about 6 silver for the bow and dagger together?"
Yu Yu detected something, snapping out of her daze. "Fine, money first, then goods."
A pale-skinned woman in hemp clothes pushed through the crowd. "You're pretty skilled. What class are you?"
Yu Yu accepted the six shiny silver coins. "Spellcaster."
"The spellcaster class is hard to get into. My friend went to test and was told their Spirit was too low," she swung the short dagger a few times and smiled. "Add me as a friend?"
Yu Yu readily agreed and saw her ID—
[7788], which was... quite unique.
7788 left with the short dagger and bow. Soon, one of the tooth blades was sold too. Yu Yu had earned 8 silver coins—enough to pay off her debt with 4 left over.
The "animal guy" was still squatting in front of her stall, looking at Yu Yu with big, pitiful eyes. Yu Yu squinted, staring back at him without saying a word for a long time.
Finally, the animal guy was the first to give in. "You win. I'll give you 1 silver, plus send you 100 yuan, how about that?"
Yu Yu immediately smiled. "Deal."
Animal guy: "Your account number."
Soon, the animal guy left with the tooth blade, and Yu Yu packed up her stall. This quest wasn't a loss. She earned 9 silver, 100 yuan, plus the two silver from the quest, along with the spell and experience—a profitable venture.
Yu Yu felt that combat quests were more lucrative. Could farming earn this much?
Yu Yu walked toward the academy, deciding to plant the field first, then go to the library to read. Yunlun said she lacked common knowledge and suggested she read in the library. The first floor of the library required 10 academy points to enter, which she fortunately had.
[Common Knowledge for Spellcasters (7th Compilation)]
After planting, Yu Yu entered the library and opened the beautifully bound thick book.
[Spells are generally divided into seven schools: Evocation, Necromancy, Conjuration, Elemental, Enchantment, Abjuration, Transmutation, and General, among which...]