Integrating military training into a ga was an outright impossibility. It wasn't an issue of whether the "damned developers" would receive the ire of players but more about whether it would outright cause a player revolt.
In the more liberally designed MMORPGs, it wasn't uncommon to see players slaughtering city NPCs en masse to make a statent or show off their skills. If the NPCs in gas like World of Warcraft or Swordsman 3 were sentient, they'd surely have a lot of grievances to air.
But as the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way.
Employers, who bluntly demanded overwork from their employees, suggesting they slogged through the 996 workweeks so the boss could afford a new Rolls-Royce Phantom, would likely find themselves being smashed in the head with an ashtray by unhappy workers.
However, if this exploitation was rephrased as part of the corporate culture or a pursuit of personal success, one would suddenly find many more willing to embrace the grind, even mocking those who refused to sacrifice their wellbeing for the boss's luxury.
In any case, while it wasn't possible to outright demand players to undergo military training for Yang's conquests, they could be enticed into accepting a militarized command structure reminiscent of semi-feudal tis. By prioritizing mission objectives and following orders during combat, players could be encouraged to willingly participate.
For instance, introducing a battle honor system, a superficial military rank system, and offering mass-produced quality equipnt as rewards could effectively engage players to invest their passion and youth in the battlefield.
Summoner's Rift, Warsong Gulch, Azeroth, the Celestial Basin, the Silk Road… These were all places where Yang Qiu had spilled his youthful vigor in the past.
The only issue… was that this world wasn't a ga, and everything of OtherWorld wasn't data. Moreover, developing new scenes wasn't as simple as pushing developers to work overti for a few months.
Yang Qiu's approach to this was—"Programrs have their own thods, and so did spellcasters."
As players that were online received the battlefield trial announcent, Yang Qiu was riding atop a fearso black bone wyrm, surveying the primordial wasteland below with satisfaction
Under the eerie glow of a blood-red moon, the tal gacity built against a colossal mountain stretched beyond human imagination.
At the base of the towering city walls, countless demonic creatures engaged in a frightening and brutal at grinder of a battle.
A giant mole monster the size of tanks bulldozed through the chaotic ranks until a headless knight speared through its skull, thus ending its rampage.
Enormous treants, scorched and bitten by swarms of fla ants, roared in defiance before collapsing.
"Lord of Calamity ssing with the Lord of Fear again?" Yang Qiu mused, then turned to his pale-faced companions on the wyrm's neck. "This battlefield is perfect for training the undead, don't you guys think?"
Lieutenant Wagner Pitt and Captain Kenn who were in the Dinsional Realm for the first ti: "…"
"The feud between these two demon lords is well-known throughout the ten layers of the Demon Dinsional Realm. However, we must tread carefully to avoid alerting the petty Lord of Calamity of our intrusion from the material plane and our covert military drills using his demons."
While saying that, Yang Qiu steered the bone wyrm away from the main battlefield.
In this Demon Dinsional Realm, where bone wyrms were a common sight, their presence went unnoticed—Yang Qiu had his pick on his previous visit here, choosing the largest from a flock of bone wyrms to be his steed.
After a wide detour, he landed in a secluded valley near the giant mountain, far enough from the main battlefield to remain inconspicuous.
"This spot isn't too bad."
Letting his companions down from the wyrm's neck to catch their breaths, Yang Qiu surveyed the surroundings. He then drew out his staff, sprinkled so magic dust, and conjured a large cave into the mountain side.
"One respawn camp and two military encampnts. There wouldn't be aning without opposition," muttered Yang Qiu as he once more scattered magic power to move the earth, conjuring two earth houses similar to Exile Town's town hall on the left and right of the cave.
Yang Qiu took out so supplies from his spatial ring and got Wagner and Kenn to settle in. Then, he entered the newly made cave to install a "modified ntal imprint matrix" and added an undead summoning spell (respawning and teleporting).
Players definitely couldn't wait offline for half an hour after dying in battle, and Yang Qiu had too many things on hand to always be camped in the Demon Dinsional Realm to act as a battery for players' resurrection. Therefore, he decided to splurge—power the imprint matrix core with a magic core.
Magic core was a purer form of magic energy than even magic crystal that only few monsters could occasionally harbor in its body. Were this sold on the open markets, it would be worth its weight in gold.
Ever since OtherWorld's "launch," players had barely stumbled on slightly over ten of these magic cores… all of which Yang Qiu had cleverly exchanged for seemingly worthless territorial prestige points.
After setting up the respawn and teleportation point, Yang Qiu started working on the teleportation point for the living. It would be unfair to expect Wagner and Kenn, beings of flesh and blood, to remain on duty around the clock. The battlefield would just have to be open for 12 hours each OtherWorld day.
The material world was the primary realm, and the ten layers of the Demon Dinsional Realm belonged to the sa plane. High-level black mages could manually tear through the dinsional barriers with ease, so the tearing sensation of the teleportation point wouldn't be as bad as journeying from OtherWorld to Earth. At most, it was slight disorientation amounting to nothing more than dizziness.
Erging from the cave, Yang Qiu noticed the two battlefield NPCs aimlessly standing around, unsure of what to do next. He beckoned them over and handed each a booklet.
"You two are to organize our undead friends when they report to you and lead them to take advantage and profit from the main battlefield over there," explained Yang Qiu. "I have a slight acquaintance with the Lord of Fear, who is far more magnanimous than the Lord of Calamity. He wouldn't mind us visiting his realm."
Kenn, feeling the pressure of their situation, resignedly accepted his fate, while Wagner, pointing toward the tumultuous main battlefield filled with bizarre creatures, protested, "Hold on, how are we supposed to distinguish friends from foes among those monsters?"
"Don't worry, the undead will know," Yang Qiu assured with a smile. "Just tidy up this area to resemble a base. I need to have a word with the Calamity's army."
With that, Yang Qiu took off, leaving the two n bewildered and alone.
"Have I actually ended up in a Dinsional Realm?" Kenn was regretting his life choices.
Wagner sighed heavily and went back inside their makeshift quarters to start cleaning up, resigned to their bizarre situation.
Yang Qiu's claim of having a "slight acquaintance" with the ruler of this layer of the Demon Dinsional Realm was an understatent. Although he had t the demon lord before, it was unlikely that he was rembered.
High-level black mages often interacted with native demons when searching for summons in the demon dinsion realms, which, contrary to their portrayal in the material plane, had their own structured societies and rules.
Of course, not all Demon Dinsional Realms had the orderly civilization of the demon race; there were chaotic layers that lacked a demon lord which black mages would avoid.
Not all among the ten layers of the demon dinsion realm governed by powerful demon lords were accessible. The realms of Calamity and Endless, for example, were off-limits—the forr's demon lord was akin to a lunatic, while the latter's demon lord had too deep a connection with the void and had gone completely insane.
Yang Qiu summoned his undead horse and headed to the southwest wall of the city, a known location among high-level black mages. He looked up and shouted to announce his visit to the Lord of Fear and took out a well-wrapped gift, then waited patiently.
Monts later, a hidden door creaked open in the seamless city wall. An imposing figure in armor, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a man save for the singular horn on his forehead, stepped out.
This demon gatekeeper… might pass for human during a cursory glance, but any such illusion was quickly dispelled by his towering stature, dwarfing even Yang Qiu, who was quite high up on his steed.
With practiced ease, the demon took the gift from Yang Qiu, speaking in the articulate common tongue of the main material realm, "Human black mage, His Lordship is preoccupied with dealing with enemies and cannot grant you an audience. Please, attend to your own matters."
The Realm of Fear was a favored haunt for black mages, and the gatekeepers here were well-versed regarding their visits.
"I an no intrusion upon His Lordship. I've seen the forces of Calamity," Yang Qiu responded with a nod and a smile. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to establish a small outpost not far from the main battlefield, to lend our strength to His Lordship's cause."
It was a common practice for black magicians to "drop by" the demon realms, seeking to sharpen their skills without any expectation of remuneration from the demons.
The gatekeeper, no stranger to such requests, replied nonchalantly, "Proceed as you wish, black mage. But be warned, should your outpost face any troubles, we cannot spare any forces to co to your aid."
"Such audacious demands are far from my intentions," Yang Qiu assured with a broad smile, well aware of the demons' nature. "I only seek a token from Fear Army to prevent any unfortunate incidents of friendly fire."
"Hold for a mont," said the gatekeeper, not his first ti entertaining such a request, before retreating and closing the door behind him.
Ten minutes later, the concealed door opened once again, and the towering gatekeeper reappeared, handing Yang Qiu a crystal pulsating with a violet glow. "Imbue your forces with a trace of my lord's essence, and you shall avoid any misidentification."
Gratefully accepting the Fear Crystal, Yang Qiu presented a personal gift to the gatekeeper. This was wisdom passed down by elder mages; never request extra favors without offering a gift in return.
Even the specifications for gifts when visiting the demon realms had been sumd up by black mages—
If it was just seeking a few summons, gifting an exquisite accessory like silver would be enough.
For a longer stay (so black mages would spend months or even years in the demon dinsion realms), higher value gifts such as gold jewelry, fine art (paintings, statues, etc.), or delicate silk products would be fair.
If seeking the gatekeeper to pass a ssage, drinks, food, silver… The price didn't have to be that great, but manners were a must.
The demon race might be rough and brutish, but exquisite ornants and works of art from the material realm were rather popular here.
Aside from that, demons were sowhat carefree and didn't bother with trifles, which ant they were much easier to deal with than most humans. (Demons didn't have the warmongering humans had.)
The only mistake one absolutely could not make when dealing with demons was being disrespectful—they could not accept being scorned, humiliated, or taken lightly. Attempting to be pretentious in front of demons would often result in a horrible death.
With a 19.9 yuan set of bone china and a bottle of G Province specialty plum wine given out to receive the friendly Fear Army's permission, "Demon Realm Battlefield Trial" could officially be launched for players.
At present, a total of 50 players, in two raid groups of 25, could be accepted each ti the battlefield opened. Those who weren't quick enough had to queue up.
Yang Ying, Tang Jia, Unceasing Entropy, and others ran to the Town Hall looking to see if the new battle mode was fun, only to find that a raid group spot was already occupied with people from Brother Lahong's side. The other raid group spot was occupied by Qin Guan, Blossoming Strokes, and others.
"Looks like there's no chance for this round. Shall we queue for the next?" Unceasing Entropy shook her head upon seeing the crowd at the Town Hall.
"Only ford-up groups can occupy the queue position. Where are we going to find so many patient players to wait together with us?" Tang Jia said dejectedly.
"Ehh? Blossom doesn't seem to have enough?" Yang Ying counted the group of people and realized it didn't add up. There weren't even 20 people.
Tang Jia's eyes lit up, and she imdiately ran shalessly to Blossoming Strokes' side and enthusiastically promoted herself, "Blossom~ Are you guys short? Do you think we could co with you all? You know all about Sis Ying's combat ability, and together we are a peerless duo. Qingyue can heal, and Jia Luo deals high dps~"
Before Blossoming Strokes could even speak, Qin Guan, who didn't usually like to bring in outsiders, answered, "Alright, sure. How many in your team? Co, I'll add you into the group."
Blossoming Strokes imdiately closed her half-opened mouth.
Give dicine had brought the most elite of their bunch to Poisonous Marshlands, and Qin Guan wasn't willing to lose in the first battle to Brother Lahong… Thus, he was willing to group up with "outsiders."
Qin Guan's group had four vacancies. Tang Jia turned around to see her team… and unceremoniously set Orange Cat aside, pulling Unceasing Entropy, Yang Ying, and Jia Luo into the raid group.
Orange Cat feigned crying without tears. "Hey, hey. Leaving behind for real? Are you guys heartless?"
"It's okay, Orange Cat. There will definitely be room for you later when we make our own group," Yang Ying consoled. "It's now peak online ti, and there are many good teams. See if you can find a random one to mix in."
"Never mind, I'll go do so quests first. We'll see when you guys co out," Orange Cat muttered dejectedly.
Jia Luo twisted the knife further. "Don't advise him to join the random groups, Sis Ying. He definitely won't do so. Everyone would comnd him for his good equipnt, but when it cos to farming monsters, they would disdain him for his low damage output and weak skills."
"Jia Luo!" Orange Cat howled in anguish.
Unfortunately, Jia Luo didn't hear Orange Cat's angst as the two groups of players were teleported (summoned) away when the count was t.
A red moon in the dark sky, a seemingly endless expanse of barren earth, a towering mountain in the distance, and a steel city almost integrated with the massive formation.
The roar of the wind brought with it the faint sound of fighting and killing, as if so terrible beast was in its death throes, and there was also a shrill cry not like that of a living person ringing in air.
Tang Jia ran out of the cave where they were teleported to, her jaw dropping when she saw such a magnificent battlefield scene that could never be witnessed in any other ga. "Whoa… Such a big map. This is the OtherWorld version of Aoshan?"
Blossoming Strokes also ca out, muttering to herself as she surveyed the surroundings, "I imagined the map would be small since only groups of 25 are allowed in… How can even a 40-man group be enough for such a large map?"
"Since 40-man groups can't enter, there must be a reason why too many aren't allowed in," Qin Guan explained calmly. "Perhaps it's stickers in the distance, while the actual scenes aren't too large. Many online gas do this."
"Stickers…" Unceasing Entropy mumbled as she stared at the mountain and massive steel castle on top.
It was indeed impossible for such an exaggerated building to appear in reality—compared with the castle, the Burj Khalifa was like a simple building that could be built by a contractor team with a simple high school education. Unceasing Entropy couldn't imagine how such a fantastical building could be built by human power.
"…Indeed, I'm overthinking." Unceasing Entropy exhaled lightly.
"What did you say, Qingyue?" Tang Jia vaguely heard sothing and turned over.
"Nothing, the wind is too strong," Unceasing Entropy said, following the crowd out. "Eh, where's Sis Ying and Jia Luo?"
Unceasing Entropy halted and tiptoed to look around…
Yang Ying and Jia Luo were still in the cave and hadn't co out.
"Sis Ying, Jia Luo, keep up!" Unceasing Entropy hurriedly went back to urge them.
"Coming, coming. Wait!"
Seeing the reason her two companions were dawdling in the back, Unceasing Entropy nearly laughed out. "Don't pick at that athyst, it's just a map decoration! How can sothing that we aren't able to 'Identify' be taken away!"
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