Conquering OtherWorld Starts With a Game

It was currently 7 p.m. Earth time, peak period for online gaming activity. Regardless of whether they were casual or hardcore, the majority of players were online at this time.

Close to a month since beginning their OtherWorld adventure, most of the second wave of players, excluding whales, had reached an average Potential value between 70 and 90, undergone their first job advancements, and boasted one or two pieces of Uncommon-grade equipment with special effects.

In other words, they were now equipped to venture safely into the Spider Cave.

Mining Zone, one of the three main monster spawn points established in the game, was only suitable for solo players and small player groups of two to three. It had declining efficiency and rewards for larger parties due to the spread out nature of monsters there.

Poisonous Marshlands near Desolate Outpost demanded high coordination from teams, necessitating a well-oiled machine comprising a capable tank, a healer with mana regeneration gear, and a skilled puller.

By contrast, the once-dreaded Spider Cave had becthe preferred grinding location, its dense monster population ideal for large parties and its lesser individual monster strength accommodating for a wider range of player roles and equipment levels.

When Yang Ying logged in, she noticed her friend list, a recently introduced function, lighting up with a notification.

Nearly two months since the gwas launched, basic social features like friend lists and private messaging finally made their debut in the virtual realm of OtherWorld, much to the player's delight.

Yet, this long-overdue update didn't stop them from playfully berating the game's developers on the forum, whimsically demanding further enhancements such as storage systems, expanded inventory, and a marketplace—requests that, predictably, fell on deaf ears.

Toward the players' clamor, Yang Qiu was rather unfazed. Right now, the matrix had sufficient anchors, and the framework was capable of supporting even more "functions," but he still wasn't capable of establishing a Mage Tower yet. Without a Mage Tower in place as a central core, adding more features meant increasing the strain on himself as the human core, a prospect he'd rather avoid.

In any case, despite only the limited introduction of friend lists and private messaging, the quality of gameplay had improved noticeably for players, sparing them the inconvenience of having to log out to communicate externally with their friends.

Yang Ying wasn't too surprised to find that the notification from her flashing friend list was Tang Jia reaching out.

"What's the plan for tonight, Sis Ying? Poisonous Marshland or Spider Cave?"

While making her way to Life Alley, Yang Ying replied, "Spiders. Materials are fetching good prices lately, and it's more efficient to farm drops in Spider Cave than the marshes."

"Alright, I'll let Qingyue and Jia Luo know. What tshall we meet?"

Checking the in-gclock, which showed it was one in the afternoon, Yang Ying replied, "I need to repair my gear first. Let's meet at the cave entrance at one-thirty."

Players' basic common-grade gears—scale armor and steel knives—weren't repairable and could only be sold to NPCs for a pittance once worn out.

In contrast, Uncommon-grade equipment could be refurbished, albeit at a significant cost, at the blacksmith's in Life Alley.

Thankfully, higher quality gear in the gwas durable (enchanted equipment was more resistant to damage), much to the players' relief; otherwise, they would revolt.

As players accumulated more higher quality gear (plunder, via the Undead Merchant Association, internal trading among players), the once-quiet blacksmith's shop now bustled with activity. The blacksmith NPC, who had so much idle tin the past that he could visit the next-door armorer's shop during working hours, was now barely able to step away from his anvil, and his temper grew shorter by the day. While he wouldn't go as far as to reject "commissions," he definitely wasn't kind to players either.

When entering the shop, Yang Ying overheard the irate blacksmith berating a player in line, "Even a Sorensen wild boar couldn't damage a blade with 'Sturdy' twice in three days! Have you been using a treasured weapon to dig through goblin tunnels?!"

The chastised player, bewildered by the tirade, turned to his companion and asked, "What's with this game? NPCs even remember players? I've only been here twice and he remembers me?"

The blacksmith bellowed, "That was once my friend's saber. Of course I remember you, you reckless fella!"

"Eh? But I clearly bought it off a veteran for two thousand?" The player was even more perplexed.

A veteran player couldn't help but chuckle at the bewildered newcomer who had splurged on the game, explaining, "This weapon that you bought might have been from a batch we seized from the Exile Town NPCs to quell a rebellion back then. Don't mind the blacksmith's grumbling; once you've paid, he'll begrudgingly repair your gear regardless of his mood."

The veteran's remark struck a nerve with the gruff blacksmith, who, despite seething with indignation, picked up his hammer and started working on the slightly bent blade.

The newbie, even more astounded, muttered, "Holy… Does this gactually trace the ownership history of equipment? NPCs can even recognize the gear we use?!"

"Absolutely," the veteran replied. "You should know Orange Cat, the renowned whale, right? He previously got a dagger previously owned by Finley, the Treasure Hunter job instructor of the Wanderer Guild. Orange Cat becso uncomfortable with Finley's intense scrutiny whenever he wielded the dagger that he eventually sold it off…"

"Whoa! Seriously?!"

Yang Ying, who joined the back of the queue, and other veteran players present were amused witnessing the wide-eyed reactions of newbies. The game's devilish attention to detail was something even the veterans occasionally found surprising, let alone the novices.

While players engaged in lighthearted banter, Yang Qiu arrived with Wagner in tow.

Yang Ying, who, like all the other players, was caught off guard by Yang Qiu's sudden appearance, couldn't help exclaim, "Whoa damn, Old Yang?"

Yang Qiu acted nonchalant, calmly ignoring his own sister…

Yang Ying was now very dedicated to playing the gfor a living and utilized every bit of her 12-hour daily login. Though Yang Qiu could always observe his sister happily gaming via the imprint matrix, maintaining his composure when seeing his immediate family was still rather hard.

Even when his own sister had called for "Old Yang to end up as a dungeon boss" or even getting scathing remarks on the forum, Yang Qiu had been unperturbed about it all—curses and criticism that Lord Yang and the damned developers had had nothing to do with the Earthling Yang Qiu!

Yang Ying didn't pay much attention to the elusive Old Yang. She didn't play a mage class and didn't receive quests issued by the mage instructor. Thus, her attention shifted to Wagner.

"Eh, isn't this—" Yang Ying pointed at Wagner, pausing briefly before she recalled where she had seen this NPC. "Pretty boy's sidekick?"

Wagner, who had been following behind Yang Qiu, nearly slipped.

"The NPC from the Lakeside Village quest?" A player in front of Yang Ying also recognized Wagner. "Isn't this NPC in Weisshem? Why has he cto Exile Town? Could there be another battle quest?"

While the term "battle quest" didn't hold much significance for the newbie players, to veterans, it was seen as an unequivocal opportunity to get rich.

Several players, Yang Ying included, promptly abandoned their spots in line and swarmed around Wagner.

"Hello, Wagner Pitt, do you need assistance?"

"Your undead friends are willing to help you!"

"Do you need the service of your undead friends?"

"Hey, Wagner, we know each other well. I was even trampled by your horse before. Do you remember that? It was on the main road outside Weisshem—"

With an impassive face, Wagner extended his large arm and brushed aside the overzealous undead rubbing salt in his old wounds, forcefully making his way out of the encircling undead with sheer brute force to follow Yang Qiu toward the back of the blacksmith shop.

As he briskly left, Wagner could still hear the chattering of the undead behind him—

"Are you an idiot? NPCs care about their face, too. Why are you bringing up past events to antagonize him!"

"Fool! If it were Hal, you would have been chopped up and forcibly logged out already!"

Wagner silently swallowed the bitterness in his throat.

He was wrong… There was no need to despair about Exile Town that was teeming with countless "new undead." This part of the undead populace was somewhat friendly and at least wouldn't point and remind him of his hurtful past as a captive.

Instead, it was those original undead who recognized him that were the source of his pain—not only had they called him a lackey, they even dared to insult Brother Lowell as well!

Yang Qiu, accustomed to witnessing all manners of bizarre player behavior within the matrix, was unfazed by Wagner's emotional turmoil. On entering the back of the blacksmith shop, he gestured for Wagner to inspect the stockpile of supplies.

Even after their job advancements, the limited combat prowess of an undead was only slightly greater than an ordinary farmer. With their lack of discipline and organization, along with their unpredictable nature, the only reliable factor in harnessing their potential in battle was the mass-produced enchanted equipment painstakingly crafted by Yang Qiu during countless nights… alongside the battle spoils acquired by the players themselves.

The special characteristics imbued in the gear after enchantment required specific conditions for repairs. For example, equipment with the "Sturdy" attribute needed to be briefly exposed to flames fueled by fire-elemental magic ore to temporary soften its resilience, while weapons with the "Sharp" (armor-piercing) attribute had to be soaked in a solution made from water-elemental magic ore powder.

As for equipment with special conditional effects like bleed, poison, critical hit, or lethal strike, which were considered a form of curses, magic powder made from ingredients like great leaf vines, poison sacs, or magic residue was needed during repairs to prevent the enchantments from being damaged by the smithing process.

In other words, maintaining the players' combat effectiveness was contingent upon the availability of magical materials essential for repairing higher quality gear.

While Indahl's city defense force had their enchanters and craftsmen for repairing enchanted gear, a glance at the unassuming blacksmith shop's reserves gave Wagner an uncomfortable premonition…

While the stockpile of elemental magic ores was comparable to that of the city defense force, the magic powder, crucial for the repairs, was at least ten times more abundant, enough to sustain the undead army for at least three territorial wars!

To this, Yang Qiu responded with his typical calm… The abundance of magic materials was no concern to him, as players were required to contribute a significant amount of great leaf vines, poison sacs, and magic residues daily, ensuring he never ran short.

"Undead don't need food supplies, and with these repair materials, we're well-stocked. But Yang, are you sure we should only deploy the undead for the battle?" Wagner closed the case of magic ores and asked, trying to maintain his calm facade. "Engaging a knightly order of the Radiant Sun Church's Inquisition with only undead in a battle for honor might not cast the best light on Charlie Rex's reputation.

"Of course, I'm aware you're not one to fret over public perception, but I believe even you would agree that Charlie Rex could benefit from a good reputation."

Smiling slightly, Yang Qiu nodded. The consideration for even the public image of Rex, their figurehead, affirmed the high value of Wagner Pitt, a native tool in their arsenal.

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