Conquering OtherWorld Starts With a Game

While the server opening was at 8 a.m. for Earth players, to denizens of the magic plane, it was 4 p.m. in the afternoon.

Two hours before the server opened (OtherWorld time), Yang Qiu convened a meeting of the 19 advanced NPCs who were about to begin their duties. The meeting took place at the newly constructed "Town Hall" in the eastern district of Exile Town, which was a small square house built using earth magic on a flat terrain.

In the crowded hall, Yang Qiu looked satisfied as he surveyed his subordinates. "How is everyone doing? Are you guys getting used to the place?"

Other than Brother Bat, who seemed dazed and lost in thought, everyone else was expressionless.

"It's alright… but…" Hal raised his hand stiffly and pointed to the top of his head. "Why do we have these strange square characters floating above our heads?"

Roughly ten centimeters above Hal's head were two floating rows of green Chinese characters. The first row read, "'Razor' Hal Maxwell," and the slightly smaller second row read, "Assassin Instructor."

"This is… proof of our comradeship," Yang Qiu explained with a smile. "Only members within the matrix can see the names floating above each other's heads, which makes it easier for us to differentiate between friends and strangers."

On Yang Qiu's own head were three rows of floating Chinese characters that read, "Lord of Taranthan," "Undead Resurrection Master Yang," and "Mage Apprentice Instructor."

Initially, Yang Qiu hadn't intended to personally act as an NPC. However, considering that nearly all the advanced NPCs selected to serve players were former bandits, it was better to intervene and oversee from the beginning, to prevent any trouble between players and the native NPCs and avoid the need for extensive patch corrections.

"Our guests and we are within the same imprint matrix, and the mental connection allows us to easily understand each other's language and text, facilitating communication," Yang Qiu continued. However, his expression turned serious. "I want to remind you all that when these 'special guests' are not speaking to you, do not pay attention to their words. I repeat, when the guests are not engaging with you, disregard what they say."

Brother Bat… Weapons Master Charlie Rex, who was suffering from mental corruption, still showed no reaction and continued staring blankly at the ceiling.

Hal exchanged a doubtful glance with his trusted aide, Tuttle Joe, before raising his hand. "Sorry, Yang, I don't understand… It can't be that our guests have been contaminated by some elder god and would uncontrollably speak strange words, would they?"

"No, Hal," Yang Qiu said solemnly. "The madness exhibited by these 'guests' has no connection to elder gods, nor is it contagious.

"When you possess the power to increase their 'favorability' with you, which I have granted through the imprint matrix, the 'guests' are entirely safe and mostly harmless. This will always remain unchanged.

"Furthermore, based on this, you can assign tasks and give them instructions, allowing them to assist you in every way possible—within the limits of the tasks I have defined. However, be warned that any consequences resulting from exceeding those limits will be your own responsibility." Yang Qiu paused briefly, as to emphasize the severity.

"Trust me, if the 'guests' perceive you as bearing an evil label or as an enemy of Exile Town, even if they may currently be weak, they will unite to find ways to relentlessly eliminate you."

The expressions on the faces of Hal and the other former members of the bandit gang turned visibly grim…

Having been sort of deceived and brought to this ghost town hidden deep within the Taranthan Wasteland, this group of former bandits, who had hoped for an easy and carefree life, felt a chilling disappointment settle upon them.

However, before they could make the difficult decision of "falling out with a high-level black mage," they found themselves forcibly drawn into the mind imprint matrix… Despite their numerous reservations, they had no choice but to reluctantly acquiesce.

Even though the town's "inhabitants" included over a dozen ghastly zombies in addition to themselves, they had no option but to endure it with a figurative pinch of their noses…

"Of course, our 'guests' continue to be of great assistance in rebuilding this town and transforming the dilapidated Exile Town into a dream haven." Yang Qiu's tone softened as he smiled. "As the first official residents of this town, as long as you contribute to its reconstruction, I will spare no effort in providing you with generous rewards.

"I implore that you guys, during your interactions with the 'guests,' and with the aim of minimizing any undue disturbance or influence caused by their inappropriate words or actions, make diligent efforts to learn how to efficiently utilize the limited resources at your disposal, thereby effectively employing the 'guests' to work for you while simultaneously earning their favor and respect."

"Yes…" Hal and the others responded weakly.

To be fair, the new leader, Yang, hadn't treated them too harshly. Although he had somewhat forcibly coerced them into joining the imprint matrix, each of them had indeed received an unprecedented supply of daily necessities…

Following the conclusion of the mobilization meeting, Hal sighed deeply as he made his way back to his temporary dwelling.

"I can say that it's a relief that we aren't tasked with the arduous labor of rebuilding this decrepit town ourselves… I, Hal, the infamous 'Razor,' would absolutely abhor engaging in such menial work."

His trusted comrade, Tuttle Joe, sighed listlessly as well. "I can't shake the feeling that something is amiss, whether it pertains to this town or that ev—black mage." Tuttle nearly slipped up and uttered "evil" but quickly stopped himself and glanced around with unease before lowering his voice.

"Yang himself acknowledged that this town will soon be populated by a significant number of undead creatures, who will consider it their stronghold. It truly is confounding. We are being asked to manage and assign tasks to these undead creatures. How could that even be possible?"

"Hush, Tuttle!" Hal swiftly raised a finger to his lips. "Enough, don't say such things. Besides, Yang never demanded that we compel the undead creatures to work. If they refuse to comply, it is entirely their concern and not ours!"

"Ah!" Tuttle let out a sound of realization. "Yes, Hal, if the undead refuse to work, this town will never be built."

The two exchanged a knowing smile, both understanding how to safely deal with the arrogant self-proclaimed Lord of the Taranthan Wasteland, the evil black mage who was obsessed with using undead creatures to construct his domain—all they needed to do was stall!

He still has to provide for us after all, so what's the rush?!

Feeling confident that they had found a solution, the two individuals returned to their temporary dwellings with heads held high, preparing as instructed for the arrival of these "guests"…

Two hours later in OtherWorld time.

Hal, who was assigned the closest residence to the Crossroads, suddenly heard some strange and excited cries. Hurriedly, he emerged from his tent and craned his neck to look in the direction of the sound.

Due to the severe ruin of wooden structures within the town, Hal, standing two streets and a block away, could still clearly see the situation at the Crossroads. As a skilled assassin with good eyesight, he was left dumbfounded as he witnessed ancient skeletal remains, each adorned with floating green square characters above their heads, emerging in succession from the central earth platform at the Crossroads.

Hal, who had never witnessed such a horrifying scene, dropped the whetstone he held in his hand.

"U-Undead Calamity? Is this the image of the legendary Undead Calamity? That evil black mage has indeed—"

Before Hal could form any specific conspiracy theories in his mind, he was once again left dumbfounded as he noticed that… the army of undead emerging from the soil was different from what he had imagined.

These undead that quickly filled the heart of the Crossroads were incredibly lively. As soon as they "came to life," they made all sorts of astonishing noises, whether joyful or terrifying. Furthermore… a portion of them energetically broke away from the main formations, uttering strange cries as they dashed haphazardly in all directions…

Hal, who was unable to comprehend what was happening, witnessed one of the undead extend its hands and sprint wildly, only to crash into an earthen wall with a loud "Baam!" and crumble into a heap of bones.

Hal: "??"

"Hahahaha! Dayum! That's truly what it means to 'scatter while walking'!"

"What the hell, scatter while walking!"

"Oh my! Hahaha!"

The undead that had fallen to the ground struggled to get up, and from its boneless throat came a clear, youthful voice. "Stop laughing and help me pick up my bones!"

Hal, who was observing the undead from a distance, held his head in his hands: "??"

"Didn't we agree to huddle together after logging in? Stop running around!"

A few more undead broke away from the main group and ran toward the first few who had already left. Among them, one shouted loudly, "Stop playing, Xiao Zhou! Take your bro to go complete the quests for beginner gear!"

Upon discovering that the latter group of undead was actually wearing clothes, Hal was even more baffled. "???"

"Got it, Brother Qin," said the fallen undead as he put his bones back together. "Is my skeleton different from you guys? Why does it break apart so easily?"

A clothed skeleton from the later group replied, "It's not that you break easily. You just crashed into a wall. We Undead seem weak to collisions. We have to be more careful."

"If only we could get some armor like that zombie general. I reckon we wouldn't break apart that easily, then. But NPCs don't give us money for quests, and I have no idea how to obtain equipment in this game…"

Clothed and unclothed undead converged, chatting as they headed toward the street to the north.

Hal watched as the group of undead disappeared behind the wooden houses, then he slowly raised his hand and rubbed his stiff face.

With his mind a complete blank, Hal turned his gaze once more to the center of the Crossroads, where the massive host of undead remained.

This group of undead… was still very noisy.

It was as if all of them were chattering excitedly all at once, but Hal couldn't make out what they were saying.

Hal remained expressionless. He was certain that this group of undead definitely wasn't an "undead army"… He had never seen even the most disorganized militia as chaotic as this.

As if to verify Hal's speculation, these undead, who didn't resemble an undead army in any way, began to split into groups or act alone, dispersing in every direction…

"It's real, it's real! Ahhhhhh—! This game is real!"

A naked undead exclaimed while recklessly charging through the trash-covered streets.

"Hey, come over here quick! This zombie NPC has a quest!"

Another undead discovered a zombie crouching in front of a small wooden house and immediately called out loudly for others to gather.

"This beginner town is so rundown, just like in the videos… Hey, did anyone see Vanilla Pudding?"

"I think I saw him earlier, but there were too many people, so I didn't see where he went."

"Who cares about him, let's find quests to do!"

"What the hell! Why is my character's Potential only 31? It's so much lower than Vanilla Pudding?!"

"Holy crap, are you perhaps the noob of legends?"

Hal's head was throbbing from the noisy undead that could create such an astonishing ruckus even from a block away. He turned around and forcefully pinched his brows.

"Ahh—!"

A particularly piercing and voluminous scream echoed, startling Hal as he was about to retreat into his tent.

Hal turned around, visibly shaken…

Across the ruined street, where not a single house remained intact, an undead stood on the main road, pointing at Hal with excitement. "Look, Qingyue! It's a human! An advanced NPC!"

"I heard you, Tang Jia, keep your voice down…" another undead companion groaned feebly.

Tang Jia's (ID Stuffed Gummy) loud and excited exclamation seemed to have stirred up a hornet's nest.

"Advanced NPC?!"

"Where? Where?!"

"Ah! There! Nine o'clock! In front of that tent!"

Dozens of undead, not too far from the Crossroads, looked at Hal with keen eyes.

Then… regardless of whether they were originally taking screenshots, recording videos, doing quests, or exploring the map, all the players converged on Hal from various directions, resembling hungry tigers closing in on their prey…

Hal: "?!"

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