novelraw Chapter 6 – System Update
Chapter 6 – System Update
After watching the trailer, Lin Fan felt he might not be able to sleep tonight.
Judging by the game's trailer, it was already a meticulously crafted masterpiece. The character modeling and special effects were so realistic that it was hard to tell them apart from reality.
If they were willing to spend so much on a trailer, they probably wouldn’t cut corners on the game itself.
Moreover, games are scrutinized heavily these days, and trailers are basically actual gameplay footage. False advertising could land someone in jail.
However, he still couldn’t understand how this impressively named game company managed to produce a game and such a high-quality trailer in just one day.
Could it be that they started working on it before establishing the company?
That possibility couldn’t be ruled out. There have been cases of game studios that spent ten years crafting a masterpiece that became an overnight sensation, but none as outrageous as this Nine Nations Federation.
With this in mind, Lin Fan opened the game registration link, and a window that looked extremely simplistic popped up, reminiscent of an old-era web game registration page.
"Welcome to the registration for the first beta of 'Kain Continent'"
"Please fill in the relevant information..."
"Hmm, name, ID number... Why do they need age and gender? And facial recognition for verification? What the heck? There's also... gaming experience?"
"This feels like a company recruitment..."
Lin Fan's mouth twitched uncontrollably, but he still filled out the reservation form honestly.
[Reservation successful, you are the 7,952,163rd player to register for 'Kain Continent'. This first beta will start at 8 AM on May 1st, with only 1,000 slots available. Registration will close tonight at 9 PM, after which participants will be selected randomly.]
[Please wait patiently and keep an eye on your personal terminal.]
"Eight million registrations, 1,000 slots?"
"Huh?"
Lazy Fish True Lord's eye twitched, and he shut off his personal terminal with a slap.
"Seriously? This is like monkeying around..."
He grumbled indignantly and decided to go downstairs to enjoy a bowl of snail noodles to calm his nerves, with two extra marinated eggs!
***
The time came to 9 PM.
Players everywhere sat in front of their computers, waiting for the lottery results.
Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
As a game praised by "Brother Fan" for its promotional video, it already indicated significant value.
At this moment, Lin Fan's personal terminal group chat was in an uproar.
In just one day, "Kain Continent" had taken the gaming world by storm. Everyone was discussing this unique game, not just because of the lavish trailer and the extravagant game developer's name, but also because all the major officials remained silent.
"Holy crap, I got a game slot!"
At 9:01 PM, a friend in Lin Fan's personal terminal group sent a screenshot of a successful reservation.
"Nice Photoshop, it's mine. (Sarcastic jpg)"
"It's mine too!"
"No, I really got it!"
"Holy crap, awesome, bro! Check your private messages, are you selling your beta access?"
"Don't even think about it, can't sell it, one account per person, information is locked..."
"Ah, this is just the first test, who knows when the public test will be..."
"Don't be upset, bro. If they go in and find out it's all hype, we won't have to wait. After all, 100% sensory immersion, what does that even mean? It's like being transported into the game..."
"I also think it's unlikely... But since the major officials haven't commented, and the game is so hot right now, they must have noticed, yet they haven't debunked it..."
***
Watching the endless chatter among his group of friends, Lin Fan opened his email with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. He swore he wasn't even this nervous when checking his college entrance exam results.
In his inbox, there was already an email from the official "Kain Continent" game.
[Congratulations, player Lin Fan, you have successfully obtained the first beta access for 'Kain Continent'. Please enter the game pod at 8 AM on May 1st to scan your face and activate the game.]
"Holy crap, awesome!"
Lin Fan let out a strange shout, but his toe hit the corner of the table.
***
Inside Winterfell Keep, Sylvie got up early today, eager to take a griffin to Morninglight Town on the border of the Earldom.
After all, today was the day players would descend, and Morninglight Town was their first newbie village. As the lord of Eaglehold, how could he not join in the excitement?
[Ding! Players are about to descend, system temporarily upgraded successfully! Would you like to view the new features?]
A robotic voice suddenly echoed in Sylvie's mind.
"Oh, this lousy system has an update?"
Sylvie grinned at the words.
"View!"
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the information visualization feature. You can now view your own and others' information in a data format (Note: You can view most information of targets with levels less than or equal to your own, and rough information of targets with levels higher than yours).]
Information visualization feature?
This is a good thing. He originally thought it was exclusive to players, but now he has it too, and it seems to be an enhanced version that can view detailed information.
Sylvie stroked his chin, mentally giving the lousy system a thumbs up, then immediately checked his own information.
[Name: Sylvie]
[Identity: Lord of Eaglehold, Earl]
[Strength: Earth Knight, Level 43 (41-50)]
[Skills: Bastion of Glory, Fearless Charge, Wild Lion Strike, Do-or-Die Will, Legendary Heavy Sword Mastery]
[Equipment: Triumphant Paladin Heroic Plate (Heroic, Unique), Goldlion Honor Greatsword (Master)]
[Cologne Empire Reputation: 240363↑ (Your deeds are well-known in the Goldlion Duke's territory, and your legend is spreading in the Eaglehold)]
[Demi-human Faction Reputation: 36 (Slightly Known)]
[Other Reputations: Slight]
After reviewing his own information, Sylvie glanced at Claremont's information.
[Name: Claremont]
[Identity: Earl's Royal Guard]
[Strength: Earth Knight, Level 49 (41-50)]
[Skills: ???]
[Equipment: ???]
[Cologne Empire Reputation: 13721 (This is a powerful knight, highly respected among knights in the Royal Capital and Winterfell City)]
[Demi-human Faction Reputation: 1 (Barely Known)]
Sylvie nodded to himself; Claremont was indeed close to becoming a Sky Knight. The system's data visualization was quite accurate, but levels were only a reference and couldn't fully evaluate strength, as the quality of combat techniques and battle aura were equally important.
But what use is this reputation?
"Are there any other features? Surely it can't be just this one after all that fuss?"
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the Chains of Fate feature. The host will receive a Chain of Fate each time you avoid a certain death outcome. The current death calamity is abducting and violating the Demi-human Saintess Roye.]
"Chains of Fate? What is that?" Sylvie looked puzzled.
[Ding! Chains of Fate are used to seal the fate threads of the Chosen of Destiny. Once fully sealed, you can kill the Chosen of Destiny. The current Chosen of Destiny is Ye Hao, with five fate threads.]
"This is good! This is good! If I had to play both father and mother, giving the protagonist everything and not being able to touch him, it would be a deadlock." Sylvie clapped his hands in delight, feeling relieved. Indeed, even the most difficult dungeons have a glimmer of hope. "So, if I avoid five death calamities, I can just take Ye Hao out?"
Sylvie felt delighted, giving the lousy system another thumbs up. Previously, he felt his situation was quite stifling, but with this system update, he felt life had new prospects.
[Ding! Below are new detailed guidelines for the host's actions]
[First: It is advised that the host does not attack the protagonist Ye Hao out of personal will. Ye Hao, as the Chosen of Destiny, is under the protection of □□□. If you recklessly attack, it may lead to □□□ discovering the host's identity prematurely, thus targeting the host and causing the world line to collapse.]
[Second: The host is free to attack players. To ensure the host's survival rate, please do your best to suppress the players' growth.]
[Third: Within the constraints of the first guideline, the host has absolute autonomy and can act freely.]
Sylvie had no objections to these three guidelines. In fact, apart from the first guideline, guidelines two and three essentially granted him permission.
As a villain, how could he stifle the protagonist party while they were still in their infancy? That wouldn't be proper!
The villain's fate is to continuously provide the protagonist party with experience, equipment, and beauties, and eventually become the stepping stone for the protagonist to unlock the next map!
In his previous life, Sylvie didn't get the first beta access and only entered the game during the public test.
Moreover, he had just defeated the little brother of a lousy lord, and as he logged out, he was electrocuted by a second-hand game pod, frustratingly transmigrating into the game. So, he didn't have a deep impression of the previous storyline, only a fleeting glimpse.
Now, with the system's panel, Sylvie finally understood the causes and effects of the first test storyline in detail. It must be said, it's a particularly intense story.
The story originates from a divine war centered around seizing power, initiated by Balda the Flame Dragon, God of War and Fire, a mid-tier deity, against Maroën, Goddess of the Wilds, a lower-tier deity.
Maroën's divine power was no match for Balda, and she was ultimately defeated and severely injured, her divine core shattered. Her subordinate race, the Demi-humans, also had their nation conquered by the Cologne Empire, which worshipped Balda.
But Maroën was unwilling to die just like that. Her divine soul, carrying a small piece of her divine core, fled everywhere, eventually reaching an agreement with a mysterious entity.
Before her silence, Maroën used her last strength to create a mysterious crystal based on her divine core with the mysterious entity, and finally entrusted this crystal entirely to the mysterious entity.
This crystal, to put it bluntly, is a login device.
And the mysterious entity ultimately handed this login device to the protagonist, Ye Hao.
Maroën paid such a huge price with only one wish: hoping that this human chosen by the mysterious entity could lead the Heroic Spirits and the remaining Demi-humans to restore the Demi-humans' glory and end the Cologne Empire's slaughter and persecution of the Demi-humans.
Back when he was a player, Sylvie didn't find anything wrong with this plot.
It's just what the game needed.
But now that he's transmigrated into the game world, looking at this plot again, he feels something is off.
After all, Sylvie knows that this is not a game but a real world.
"Is it possible that this plot isn't just for the game's needs, but it actually is a fact..."
"Then which deity summoned me? Did they send this lousy system? What is their purpose?"
Sitting on the griffin's back, Sylvie pondered the plot while lowering his head in thought.
"What virtue and ability do I, Sylvie, have to become a pawn of the gods? Truly an unparalleled honor!"
Sylvie praised loudly, believing the system must have heard him.
Seeing the system's tactical silence, Sylvie pursed his lips and continued to check the first stage of the plot.
"The Chosen of the Gods, Ye Hao, possesses the power to summon Otherworldly Heroic Spirits... He meets the Demi-human Saintess hiding in Morninglight Town according to the goddess's oracle...
After hearing the Saintess recount the Demi-humans' tragic experiences, the Chosen of the Gods, Ye Hao, is filled with righteous indignation and promises to help the Demi-humans restore their glory...
Thus, Ye Hao summons a large number of Heroic Spirits from another world and begins to grow his power from the border of Eaglehold..."
***
"Goodness, doing things right under my nose, huh! Do they not see me as the lord of Eaglehold?"
Sylvie's eye twitched violently. Even though he's a villain, just from the perspective of a lord, he strongly condemns these people's actions!
"Next, with the help of Ye Hao and the Heroic Spirits, the Saintess Roye gradually gathers and rescues the Demi-humans wandering around the border.
However, while the Heroic Spirits were rescuing Demi-humans from a Slave Master's hands, they accidentally alerted the Militia Guards in Morninglight Town...
The guards wanted to capture the Demi-human Saintess to offer her to the lord, leading to a conflict with Ye Hao and others. But ultimately, they were besieged and killed by the fearless Heroic Spirits. Ye Hao and Eero were able to occupy Morninglight Town and establish a foothold on the border of the Earldom."
***
"Heroic Spirits, huh? Beating up my underlings, huh?"
Sylvie's face twisted into a playful yet cruel grin.
Since the system also requires him to suppress the players' strength, why should he hold back?
Just go for it!
"I wonder what expression the players will have when a BOSS pops up while they're happily slashing mobs?"
The lord of Eaglehold muttered to himself, laughing wildly.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan