Conquering OtherWorld Starts With a Game

As soon as this minor thesis was posted, the number of comments exploded.

There were copypastas like "Boss Vanilla with 37 Potential is big-chested and brainless," while someone lamented, "Is there any hope for those starting with 2x Potential?"

Others opposed Unceasing Entropy's idea of focusing on intelligence and called her pretentious for claiming to be an average straight-A student. One user also demanded that the aforementioned "Ou Huang" who boasted about having maxed Potential prove his identity or be considered a liar.

When Qin Guan, the prominent "OtherWorld" player, managed to anger Warrior Instructor Charlie Rex, getting slain and forced offline, he realized that he had been the target of many bullets on the forum…

After reading Unceasing Entropy's mini thesis, Qin Guan was fuming and quickly uploaded a scan of his diploma certificate to prove that he wasn't a bad student.

Then, the player "Ou Huang," who had probably returned from lunch and was about to log back in, replied with a new comment: "I'm not a genius, but I think there's some truth to Unceasing Entropy's speculation. Potential value might really be correlated to mind and spirit."

Attached to the comment was an image of an honorary certificate from a provincial mountaineering association, verifying that the holder had reached the summit of Mount Everest at the age of 18.

For a moment, all the players that were engaging in a war of words on the forums, including Qin Guan, fell silent…

Mountaineering, a field that most people had little knowledge about, was like a blow below the belt for the gaming community, severely making them feel out of their depth.

Yang Qiu, who followed Earth's schedule, also returned to Earth at noon for lunch and naturally came across this discussion thread.

"Haa, quite a few strong ones among the players," Yang Qiu couldn't help but smile when he scanned through Unceasing Entropy's thesis.

Among the first 281 players to log into the game, a tenth had Potential values (mental strength) below 30, over 80% had values between 30 and 40, and the remainder had values above 40.

Indeed, the player with the highest potential value was ID "Ou Huang," who had a Potential of 54 upon logging in. He had modestly claimed it to be maxed so as to avoid overly crushing the confidence of other players.

Besides him, the next highest was the exceptionally talented Blossoming Strokes, with a current Potential of 49. There's no denying that someone who could persistently churn out 6,000 daily for five years straight was truly extraordinary.

Next up was his sister, Yang Ying… with an initial Potential of 47, which had reached 48 by the time she logged off.

This wasn't some underhanded trick. Yang Ying had always been outstanding. Back when she was still a high school student, she had the guts to kick their good-for-nothing father out of the house with a kitchen knife.

At the age of 18, she had entered the workforce, and as far as Yang Qiu could recall, he had never seen his sister suffer any setback. She was a force to be reckoned with. Her fighting spirit was top-tier, and there was no denying how great her mental fortitude was.

Of course, the fact that these players managed to uncover such "insider information" on their first day of playing was very impressive. However, it doesn't mean that Yang Qiu, as the "game official," would acknowledge their discovery.

He had no intention of responding to any doubts or speculations regarding the value of Potential. After all, the game was just a game.

While enjoying a meal of braised chicken takeaway, Yang Qiu simultaneously posted "Patch 1.03" on the official website:

1. Added advanced NPC anti-harassment protocol during nighttime. Players attempting to disturb advanced NPCs during non-working hours may be afflicted by defense mechanisms.

2. Added information regarding the working hours of advanced NPCs: Normal interaction with advanced NPCs is available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in-game time.

3. If an advanced NPC leaves his post temporarily during working hours, it is not advisable for players with reputation levels below 'Respected' to forcefully engage with said NPC. Do so at your own risk.

4. During the rest periods of advanced NPCs, it is recommended that players interact with zombie NPCs as they are available at all times and are more friendly toward undead compatriots.

This announcement, which declared working hours that exceeded normal Earth labor regulations, didn't evoke sympathy toward advanced NPCs from players. Instead, it instantly united all who were previously engaged in disputes and debates over fair Potential values.

"That's something I've never seen before! NPCs getting off work to rest! The devs have gone mad pursuing realism to such extremes!"

"No need for that! I want to be able to do quests anytime I'm online!"

"Seriously?! Zombie NPCs available at all times? Zombie NPCs don't even grant reputation points!"

Indeed, players are just that pragmatic…

In any case, Yang Qiu didn't care about all these. After having eaten his fill, the first thing he did upon returning to the magic plane was to add anti-harassment insurance to the tents where the advanced NPCs lived.

Even Charlie Rex, who had a good temperament and a warrior's spirit, had been forced to kill players, let alone those former bandits. Just that alone was a testament to how frustrated the advanced NPCs were from being harassed.

Under the light of the moon, Yang Qiu arrived at the predetermined construction site for the Warrior Guild and saw Rex standing aggressively outside his tent with a large sword in hand, his bloodshot eyes darting all over.

"You alright, Rex?" Yang Qiu waved his hand sympathetically.

"Yang," Rex was exasperated the moment he saw Yang Qiu. "This wasn't the agreement. You never said that these undead would disturb us incessantly, even at night!"

"Uh… That is a mistake on my part. Rest assured, our agreement won't change. I'll restrict the movements of those undead." Yang Qiu took out a net of mangoes and stuffed them into Rex's hands. "Have some fresh fruits, then return to your tent and have a good night's sleep. This time, no one will disturb you."

Due to the fact that road infrastructure was nearly non-existent in this world, most people had no means of having fresh fruit. Rex could smell the fragrance of the mangoes and stopped complaining as he took out a small knife and started to peel the yellow fruits.

While Rex was being pacified by the fruits, Yang Qiu took out his dragon bone staff and cast a soundproof enchantment, quagmire curse, bone needle piercing spell, and other anti-harassment means outside of Rex's tent.

Rex nearly dropped his knife. "What are you doing, Yang?"

"It's impossible for those lawless undead to understand respect with just words alone. The most effective means is always to make them know to retreat." Yang Qiu admired the results of his work and added, "From now on, no other creature besides you will be able to approach your tent. You can spend the nights in peace."

Rex eyed the circle of blue runes with a dangerous cold hue around his tent and couldn't help swallowing nervously.

It… just didn't seem necessary to be that ruthless…

"I have to go see Hal, Tuttle, and the others. Sweet dreams, Rex." Yang Qiu didn't delay and waved goodbye.

Rex watched Yang Qiu leave, then held the net of mangoes in his hands as he carefully passed through the ring of traps… Indeed, these protective traps, even more dangerous than the ones used to guard noble cemeteries, didn't spring on him.

And then… Rex wasn't disturbed throughout the night and slept well.

When he woke up at dawn, Rex stretched and crawled out of the tent—

"Ahhh!"

The Weapons Master, who was only wearing a pullover and pajama pants, got a huge fright and scrambled back into the tent.

"Don't go!"

"Let us off, Boss!"

"Charlie Rex, it's us, your undead friends! Please let us out and issue quests to us!"

The outside of the tent turned into a mire, leaving only the heads of trapped players above the soft mud, while a few other skeletons dangled in midair from bone spikes that had emerged from the ground and skewered them. Each of these poor players was pitifully calling out in the direction of the tent.

Tang Jia, Yang Ying, and Zheng Qingyue in beginner gear, along with new waist bags, only just arrived after daybreak in-game and burst out laughing upon seeing the sight of players hanging outside Rex's tent.

"Seriously, there are so many people who go online and mess around without reading the announcements. The official site already posted the patch update, yet there are still so many that come courting death," Tang Jia said smugly.

"It's normal to not read the plot when doing quests, just like how many use household appliances without reading the manual," said Zheng Qingyue.

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