: WHO SAID THEY’D ONLY PLAY FOR HALF A DAY?!
【WHO SAID THEY’D ONLY PLAY FOR HALF A DAY?! 】
—
The wedding, which felt more like a grand festival, was finally drawing to a close.
Seizing the opportunity to enjoy so free food and drink, Cáo Língxuān and Mao Mo had once again set off on their first journey in-ga.
Whilst trailing behind her ntor, she listened to his hearty laughter, an exasperated look on her face as she asked:
“So… Black Cat-laoshi, you knew from the start that those people without usernas were NPCs?”
“Hahaha! Co on, Little Cao. You didn’t seriously think they were players hiding their usernas, did you?”
Cáo Língxuān: “…”
Seriously?
They were that intelligent?
Never mind their realistic expressions and fluid movents, there wasn’t even the slightest indication of them being NPCs during her conversation with Nightingale at all. She even knew about ‘players’ and ‘the real world’ too!
Who could possibly have guessed they were NPCs?!
She grumbled inwardly.
But at the sa ti, she couldn’t help feeling a subtle mix of wonder and awe.
“Then why didn’t you say sothing earlier? I genuinely thought I was talking to other players…”
She spoke with a trace of resentnt.
“Haha, I just wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out! I saw you chatting with Nightingale for ages, I thought you’d already noticed.”
Mao Mo chuckled.
Cáo Língxuān: “…”
While she had sensed sothing off about Nightingale’s manner of speech, she had imdiately assud the wrong thing and mistook her for a chuunibyou.
“This ga… really is full of ‘surprises,’ huh…”
She murmured with a sigh of amazent.
“Exactly. The hyper-realistic NPC system is one of ElvKing’s three major selling points! Sothing no other virtual ga could match. Lem tell you, it’s one of a kind.” ṟᴀNＯ𐌱Ё𐌔
Mao Mo explained.
“Three major selling points? What are the other two?”
Língxuān asked, curious.
Mao Mo glanced at her and grinned.
“Well, you’ve already experienced one just now. How was the food?”
Cáo Língxuān nodded vigorously and gave a thumbs-up.
“Pretty amazing.”
Then, her eyes lit up as she exclaid:
“Wait…you an the food? The taste?”
She paused, then shook her head.
“No… it wasn’t just taste. There was also sll, touch, sound… or in other words…the five senses!”
“Exactly! all five senses! ElvKing’s sensory system is the most imrsive among all virtual gas. That’s the second groundbreaking feature of this ga.”
Mao Mo said with a proud smile.
Língxuān fell into thoughtful silence.
“And… the third?”
This ti, Mao Mo gave a mysterious smile.
“The third one… hehe, Little Cáo, you’ll find out later after you log out.”
Cáo Língxuān: “…”
Then, changing the subject, Mao Mo added:
“But honestly, what surprises the most… are the NPCs here. The thing that shook to my core was these NPCs!”
As he spoke, he leapt onto a stone by the roadside and pointed at the native elves walking to and fro in the vicinity.
“Look at them, Little Cáo. These NPCs, or rather, I should say these native inhabitants of Elven Kingdom. Hmm, yes, that’s the more fitting term to use…”
“Anyway, if you take the ti to talk to any of them, I an really interact with them like real people, you’ll find that they’re not just shallow characters or background fillers. Each one of them have their own story! An ongoing story that grows and changes as we players interacted with them.”
“Ongoing stories?”
Cáo Língxuān echoed in surprise.
“Exactly.”
Mao Mo nodded.
“Every single one of them has a story of their own, and if you befriend them, maybe they’ll tell you more about it.”
He pointed toward a blacksmith shop up ahead, surrounded by a crowd of players.
“For example, see that shop? The owner is nad Carlos Ragefla, a master elven blacksmith. He once had a very gifted child, but four hundred years ago, his child was killed during a raid by the orcs.”
“Devastated by the loss, Master Carlos grieved for centuries, until the players arrived, that is. They drove the orcs out of the Elven Forest and welcod Carlos’s clan back. Only then did he slowly begin to heal.”
“He’s quite old now, and his greatest wish is to find an heir to pass on the art of elven blacksmithing. Unfortunately, no one in his elven clan has the aptitude to inherit his craft.”
“But…surprisingly, he’s found soone among the players instead.”
“See those players working in the forge? They’re his new apprentices. Since taking them in, the old elf’s has been smiling more and more these days.”
After finishing, Mao Mo turned again and pointed toward a distant temple.
Cáo Língxuān followed his gesture and saw a handso male elf leading two visibly emotional elves into the temple.
Hmm… no, those two following behind seed a little different from the others as their ears looked more human than elven.
“They’re half-elves,” Mao Mo explained. “They ca from the demirealm of Ouros.”
“Ouros is a subsidiary realm of Seigües. You can think of it as just another map in the ga—only, it’s an enormous one.”
“Ouros had long fallen into disaster and obscurity, but players rediscovered it and saved the demirealm. These half-elves are the inhabitants from Ouros whose bloodlines were purified after players spread their faith to them.”
“See the one leading the group? That elf’s na is Taylor Rocksand. He was the first among the half-elves to purify his bloodline and beco a true elf. Right now… he’s probably taking those two into the temple to help them complete their transformation into true elves.”
“Taylor used to be an adventurer. He’s incredibly knowledgeable…and also a bit of a drunkard. If you befriend him, you might get to hear tales of his adventuring days over a drink.”
“And his stories? Each one is more gripping than the last. Through him, you can learn about the culture, history, and lore of Ouros. Just that one map alone carries an epic scale and grandeur most gas can’t even begin to match.”
“Oh, and rember that new arc we added to our manuscript?”
Mao Mo turned to Cáo Língxuān.
She raised a brow and asked, “You an the plot twist where the protagonist’s forr lover turns against him? The readers actually liked that, though you did get roasted pretty badly for killing off a main character…”
“Hahaha, getting roasted ans I did my job right,” Mao Mo chuckled.
“Actually the inspiration for that arc ca from a story in Ouros. It involves a half-elf nad Ouros.”
Hearing that, Cáo Língxuān couldn’t help but ask, “How are you so familiar with this ga? When did you learn all this?”
“Haha! From gaplay videos, of course!”
Mao Mo burst out laughing.
Cáo Língxuān: “…”
Oh right, her ntor had been binging ga videos for the past six months.
How did I forget that?
No wonder he adapted so smoothly once he got in.
Mao Mo continued, “I wasn’t selected for the ga’s earlier beta tests, so I turned to watching videos for material. Over ti, I ended up learning a lot even though I hadn’t played yet.”
He paused, his tone turning wistful.
“Elven Kingdom really is an endless treasure trove of ideas.”
“Every single NPC here has a story waiting to be told. And more than that, their stories also intertwine, forming a vast, interconnected web of history. It creates a sense of depth and realism unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”
“You know, there was a player who once did an experint. He spoke to various NPCs, recorded their pasts, and later discovered that their stories were all interconnected.”
“For example, one NPC recounted a war he’d lived through. He ntioned several other characters during the tale. The guy then went and found those other NPCs and they’d share with him their own accounts of the sa war but from their unique perspective.”
“Heh, sure, many RPGs use this kind of narrative technique. But what sets ElvKing apart is that the connections between NPCs go beyond a single war or storyline.”
“If you dig deeper, you’ll realize their lives are interwoven. Every detail has the potential to involve multiple NPCs. Their backstories aren’t standalone—they form an incredibly complex network of relationships.”
“For instance, every elf in the Elven Forest is linked. If you start from any one of them and trace their social circles—friends, family, acquaintances—you’ll find that within four or five connections, you can trace every NPC here in the forest.”
“This kind of layered realism and emotional weight is sothing no other ga has ever achieved.”
At that, Cáo Língxuān murmured in awe, “It sounds just like a real world…”
“It is a real world.”
Mao Mo replied.
“‘The most imrsive, most realistic epic fantasy ever created!’ That’s Elven Kingdom’s slogan—and they’ve not only lived up to it, they’ve surpassed every expectation. No—surpassed imagination itself.”
“And it doesn’t stop there. NPCs aren’t static either. Their interactions with us players are incredibly dynamic as well.”
“They live their own lives. They have emotions, routines, desires. Players can freely talk to them—so even beco friends with NPCs.”
“And players’ actions influence the NPCs: their beliefs, their behavior, their choices. Those, in turn, reshape the ga’s entire narrative.”
“Just like the line in the opening cinematic describes it: every player is both witness and writer to its history,” Mao Mo said with quiet reverence.
“Wait… are you saying NPCs can even fall in love with players?” Cáo Língxuān asked, intrigued.
“Hmm? You an Nightingale?”
Mao Mo glanced at her, rubbing his chin. “Now that you ntion it… her story is a classic ‘hero saves the damsel’ trope. A bit cliché, sure—but still morable.”
Cáo Língxuān: “…”
“So when you said we were gathering material… you were aiming for these NPCs all along?” she asked, a sudden thought striking her as she looked at him.
“Bingo! You nailed it!” Mao Mo snapped his fingers.
His expression turned a little complicated.
“To be honest, the more I learned about the backstories of these NPCs, the more I felt… defeated.”
“Huh?”
She looked at him in surprise.
Mao Mo let out a sigh.
“Little Cáo, you know I’ve always prided myself on being the kind of author who creates the most realistic and consistent worldbuilding in my works. And my readers also agree that the characters I create are vivid, grounded, and multidinsional.”
“I used to believe that only I could present such a convincingly real story to readers. No one, I thought, could surpass in crafting characters or in logical narrative developnt. But after learning about Elven Kingdom, I realized… I was still too naive.”
“The people who created the world of Elven Kingdom, who designed each of these NPCs and wrote their backstories—they’re the true masters!”
Cáo Língxuān: “…”
“Laoshi, don’t be so discouraged,” she said, trying to comfort him. “A ga of this scale must’ve had more than one writer, and they probably spent years planning it. You, on the other hand, are just one person.”
“But, even so… it’s still astounding. That’s exactly why I wanted to dive into this ga and study it. I want to learn how the developers of Elven Kingdom construct such interwoven stories—I want to understand this world.”
Mao Mo replied.
“Black Cat-Laoshi, you’ll definitely succeed!”
Cáo Língxuān gave him a little cheer of encouragent.
Mao Mo smiled.
“I hope so too.”
Cáo Língxuān: “…”
“Alright, alright, enough talking. Ti to get to work. Let’s begin our research! Hmm… I’ll start with the novice tasks!”
Mao Mo clapped his hands and said with a grin.
He stretched a bit, then jogged off toward the quest designation area.
Cáo Língxuān hesitated for a mont, then quickly followed.
After a few steps, she muttered under her breath with a strange look:
“Start with the novice tasks? Wait, wasn’t this just an excuse to play gas…?”
And just like that, under Mao Mo’s guidance, Cáo Língxuān officially embarked on her in-ga journey.
According to her ntor, doing these tasks was the most reliable way for beginners to level up in Elven Kingdom.
While most of these tasks were a little dull and involved nial grunt work, once your level was high enough, you could start accepting tasks from NPCs—and that was her ntor’s real goal.
Even though he’d warned her the novice tasks might be boring, they were actually quite enjoyable for soone like Cáo Língxuān, who rarely played gas.
Gathering berries in the forest, searching for magical ingredients…
To her, Elven Kingdom’s scenery was so breathtaking that doing these mundane tasks felt more like she was sightseeing rather than working.
It also helped that the scenery around her was absolutely stunning.
And the best part?
She could fully enjoy the visuals and sensory imrsion without the fatigue or exhaustion that would co with doing such things in real life.
That captivated her even more.
Plus, watching her experience bar slowly climb and seeing her character grow stronger bit by bit was oddly satisfying.
That thrill of leveling up was amazing!
Of course, not everything’s perfect.
For instance, there were simply too many players around…
It wasn’t so bad while roaming the forest.
But lining up to be issued a task? That was a nightmare.
Still, before she even realized it, Cáo Língxuān had spent the entire day playing the ga alongside her ntor, Black Cat.
It wasn’t until the sun had set and night had fallen that she suddenly rembered, she’d originally only planned to play just for an hour or two.
“Oh no! The draft!”
She slapped her thigh and hurriedly reminded a certain carefree man nearby:
“Black Cat-laoshi! We forgot about the manuscript! We’re running out of ti!”
Then she groaned inwardly in regret.
How… how could she have forgotten sothing so important?!
She had even set an alarm on the virtual pod!
Why didn’t that stupid machine alert her?!
But upon hearing her panic-stricken face, her ntor remained completely relaxed.
“No worries. We’ve still got plenty of ti. Once we’re back at the inn in town, we can work on the draft in-ga.”
Cáo Língxuān: “…”
What do you an, plenty of ti?!
The deadline was almost here!
And… working inside a ga? What kind of nonsense was that?!
Oh… right. Elven Kingdom does support opening external softwares.
But still… was the environnt in this ga even remotely suitable for work?!
And seriously, Laoshi—aren’t you just using this as an excuse to play a little more longer?!
Cáo Língxuān had so many complaints bubbling up in her mind.
Noticing her shifting expressions, Mao Mo chuckled and said,
“Little Cáo, relax. Try logging out for a second…or just check the real-world ti.”
Real-world ti?
Cáo Língxuān frowned, slightly confused.
She opened her mouth to speak but then instinctively followed his suggestion and checked the ti outside the ga.
As soon as she accessed the external interface and saw the ti displayed in the virtual pod, her brows furrowed deeper.
“….3 PM? Did the machine’s clock break?”
But Mao Mo just continued to knowingly smile at her.
Cáo Língxuān: “…”
Sothing felt off.
A second later, she chose to log out.
When she climbed out of the pod and looked around—
“…It’s still dayti?!”
She was left utterly stunned.
“—Of course,” ca the familiar, gruff voice of her ntor from the other side.
He had also removed his helt and sat up in his pod, grinning as he explained:
“Little Cáo, ElvKing uses neural acceleration technology. So while we’re inside the ga, our thought processes run at four tis the normal speed. Which ans ti in-ga passes four tis faster than in reality. So even though it felt like a full day passed, only a few hours went by in the real world.”
“Hehe, we’ve effectively gained four tis the working hours if we do our work in-ga. That ans we can totally get our manuscript done without worrying about the deadline!”
“Haha! With this ga, we’ll never have to panic about submitting our manuscript at the last-minute ever again!”
“Alright, alright, let’s log back in quickly. Our avatars are still out in the wilderness. We don’t want soone to loot our belongings. Let’s play for another half-day, then we’ll get back to work!”
With that, Mao Mo quickly lay back down and reentered the ga.
Cáo Língxuān: “…”
She shot him an exasperated look and shook her head.
But still… she decided to logged back in too.
“Four tis the speed, huh…”
“If that’s really the case, then we do still have plenty of ti. Just a little longer then… just one more level!”
She muttered to herself.
༺⟐༻
Three in-ga days later…
At a hotel run by the Amway Trading Company…
Inside one of the rooms sat two players—one man, one woman—both with dark circles under their eyes, staring blankly at the drawing software floating in their vision, hands constantly gesturing in midair as they worked.
“Little Cáo, we only have three hours left until the deadline. Pick up the pace!”
“I am working! I’m swamped already! Who was it that said we’d just play for half a day anyway?!”
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