Chapter 116: Newbie Players
As the countdown hit zero, the dark sky was instantly lit up by fire. Countless meteors streaked across the heavens, falling to the continent below like a shower of celestial blossoms.
Ever since Zhou Ning's character became a viral sensation, combined with the game company's relentless marketing campaign, Apocalypse's popularity had only soared. Just how popular had it become? Whether on big or small screens, billboards, or posters—trailers featuring Zhou Ning as the protagonist were everywhere, bombarding people 24/7.
By the time the official launch day arrived, players already suffering from Stockholm syndrome due to the marketing blitz couldn't wait to strap on their gaming helmets. Those with money to burn even had full-dive game pods ready. Finding a comfortable position—lying flat or reclining—they logged into the game the moment the clock struck twelve.
...
"Holy crap, this is insane!"
West Lin Town, one of the newbie hubs in the Kingdom of Bryston.
In this otherwise unremarkable little town, one player after another appeared out of thin air, having just finished creating their characters. They looked around, stunned.
"This… this is the game world?"
"Damn, this is ridiculously realistic!"
"Ow… I can actually feel pain?" one player exclaimed after pinching himself hard.
"Whoa, whoa, you can even take your pants off!" another exclaimed as he removed his trousers and stared thoughtfully at the space between his legs, lost in contemplation.
"Does the game default to your own gender? I've got a crazy idea… what if I create a female character instead?" someone piped up after discovering a blind spot in the settings.
"Heh, go ahead and try it, buddy. If it works, share the experience with the rest of us," someone else chuckled.
"Don't get it twisted—I want to play a girl so I can be self-sufficient. If I get lucky and have high Charisma, maybe I can seduce Wayne Sturwell and marry into some perks!"
Everyone else: ...
The air instantly went silent, and a wide space quickly opened up around the creepy guy.
Before long, more and more players arrived. In no time, the square was packed with a crowd of one to two thousand—like a small army. The only thing that felt off was how rowdy the crowd was:
Some were bouncing around, others rolling on the ground. To the local townsfolk, they looked like complete lunatics…
According to Apocalypse's settings, there were two ways for players to enter the game. One was the standard spawn in a newbie village—stable, close to town, easy to find a job, with well-structured beginner quests for steady progression.
The other was the random transfer route, like what happened to XB. These players would inherit the identity of an ordinary person in the world.
This method was more unpredictable. If you were lucky—like XB—you might start in Darkland with an innate skill, a stable job, and decent talent.
In his past life, Zhou Ning had even seen some players spawn into special opportunities right away, gaining rare skills or unique traits.
But if you were unlucky… Zhou Ning had once seen some poor sap spawn as a wanted criminal. And since deleting your character had a cooldown period, that guy had a miserable time.
Naturally, the sudden gathering of so many people quickly caught the attention of the town's residents. Soon, an elderly man with a rugged white beard, looking uncannily like Karl Marx, rushed over and stepped into the plaza, calling out loudly:
"Welcome to West Lin Town, adventurers. I'm the mayor here—Brunson Meyer."
Brunson scanned the players present. Seeing that they were surprisingly well-behaved, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The night before, he'd received a divine message in a dream, telling him to welcome the chosen ones and help them integrate into the world.
At first, Brunson had been skeptical. But when the town guards reported that a large number of unidentified vagrants had suddenly appeared, he was so startled he rushed over at once.
"From today onward, you may stay temporarily in this town. But whether you'll be granted residency depends on your performance—and if you think the townspeople here will feed and house you like your parents, think again. You'll have to earn your keep by finding a job."
The players were stunned at first, then started murmuring among themselves:
"Dude, this NPC is crazy smart. His facial expressions and tone are just like a real person!"
"Maybe he actually is a real person…"
"Real or not, I'm not getting a day job. I'll just grind monsters to make ends meet."
"There's plenty of work around town. The lumber mill needs lots of loggers, and the tavern's hiring brawlers. The alchemy and engineering shops to the north also need apprentices. As long as you work hard, you won't starve."
Brunson, of course, had no idea what the players were chattering about and continued, "If you've got the skills, you can also help us hunt wild beasts or elemental creatures near the Tidal Weatherfront. I'll reward you based on the kind of prey you bring back. As for weapons… you'll have to buy your own. There's a weapons shop on the town's west side."
Thanks to Brunson's explanation, the players quickly understood their situation: early on, they needed to earn money in-game and build up their reputation in order to establish themselves.
In this newbie village, players could take up two lifestyle sub-classes: Alchemist or Engineer. As for choosing a main combat class, they'd need to figure that out on their own.
The rest didn't matter much—what really excited them was the fact that this place was part of the Kingdom of Bryston, and not far from Darkland. Just one map and a steam train ticket away.
Soon after, all the players in the square received the same beginner quest:
E-Rank Quest [Survival]: Find a job in West Lin Town, survive, and raise your reputation to "Unfamiliar." Try to actively integrate into this world.
With a clear goal in hand, the players excitedly scattered throughout the town, seeking employment and trying to gain favor with the locals.
Brunson was stunned. He'd thought he'd have to spend a good while persuading them.
But to his surprise, these "chosen ones" were far more obedient than he'd expected, jumping into job hunting without a second thought.
They looked no different from the locals, but their behavior was bizarre—they bounced as they walked, like kids on a field trip, touching and fiddling with everything in sight.
"A bunch of yokels who've never seen the world…"
Brunson muttered to himself with disdain.
...
Similar scenes were playing out across the continent.
In the Kingdom of Sepharic…
The Republic of Byron…
The Kingdom of Ruins…
The Kingdom of Cecilia…
Each country suddenly found itself overrun with vagrants. Unlike last month's small-scale arrivals, this time they were everywhere—like cockroaches. Many seemed outright insane: some babbled nonsense, others ate dirt off the ground, and a few even ran naked through the streets, seriously disrupting public order.
After a long and agonizing wait, XB finally logged in the moment the servers went live.
Since he was a beta tester, he naturally spawned in the same place he'd last logged off—in his in-game home, a dark, cramped little room.
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