N-M Chapter 83 [Something's Wrong with This Starting Village!]
Chapter 83 [Something's Wrong with This Starting Village!]
It was dark all around and the space was very cramped.
Hay, soil, and an indescribable smell of animal hides all rushed into Wang Xuan's nose.
This was his first feeling upon waking up.
"The realism is pretty good."
Wang Xuan sat up, muttered something under his breath, and realized that he was lying in a shed made of thatch and wood.
He glanced at it.
Besides yourself, there were three other people in the shack.
A man with a buzz cut, a strong build, and sharp eyes.
A young woman wearing frameless glasses looked very refined.
There was also a very thin girl lying on the haystack next to her.
Almost simultaneously, a pale blue virtual ID appeared above each of their heads.
This is the identification of players in the closed beta test; only they can see it.
Historian
【warrior】
【scholar】
【newborn】
"Looks like we're the lucky ones in this closed beta test."
The first to speak was Chen Kai, a man with a buzz cut and the ID "Warrior".
He surveyed his surroundings, his eyes scanning the structure of the shed with lightning speed.
"This starting area is well done; the materials and details are so meticulous."
Dr. Ai Jia, whose ID is "Scholar," pushed up her glasses.
She didn't speak, but squatted down, picked up a bit of soil from the ground, and gently rubbed it with her fingers.
I closed my eyes and felt it for a few seconds.
She suddenly opened her eyes, her voice trembling slightly:
"Based on the soil's microbial structure and moisture feedback..."
"This is beyond modeling; it's almost exactly like the real thing..."
"Of course." Wang Xuan laughed. "The announcement was full of hype, claiming it was 100% authentic. I give it full marks for the environmental details alone."
Just then, a soft sobbing sound came from the corner.
The three of them looked over together.
It's Li Yao, the girl with the ID "New Life".
She struggled to sit up, not looking at the other three people, but staring at her hands in disbelief.
It was a pair of healthy, rosy hands, with even a bit of dirt under the fingernails.
She tried clenching her fist.
That long-lost feeling of power clearly came from my fingertips.
Tears could no longer be held back and welled up in my eyes.
"Hey, um...freshman?" Wang Xuan asked tentatively, seeing her crying so hard, "Are you okay?"
Li Yao was brought back to her senses by the voice. She raised her tear-streaked face, looked at her three companions, and nodded vigorously.
Then, she gave a big smile.
"Okay! I...I'm fine!"
The joy was so pure that it stunned the other three.
"Alright, looks like a hardcore player who really enjoys the game." Chen Kai shrugged. "Stop crying, let's go see what the newbie village is like."
After confirming their identities, the four of them walked out of the thatched hut together.
Before me lay a primitive tribe, the air thick with a sense of oppression and restlessness.
Several men stood at the village entrance, their skin dark, dressed only in simple animal skins, and holding rough stone spears as they stood guard.
Not far away, a group of women sat together mending things, their hands moving back and forth with bone needles and animal sinews, their expressions somewhat numb.
Several naked children were running around in the mud, but they were all skin and bones and didn't smile much.
This stark reality of poverty and oppression silenced all four of them.
"Holy crap..." Wang Xuan couldn't help but exclaim, "This game's art style is pretty wild, it's basically a primitive tribal theme?"
"The AI of these NPCs is really good." Ai Jia pointed to the villagers. "Look, when they see us, each of them has a different expression."
The villagers looked at them with a mixture of fear and awe.
In the eyes of these natives, these four people, who were clearly dead yesterday and whose bodies were stiff, have somehow come back to life today.
It is a miracle, but also an unknown fear.
But to players, this is nothing more than a well-designed "advanced AI interaction".
"Everyone make way! The leader is here!"
The villagers suddenly became agitated and automatically moved aside.
A tall, composed man walked toward them, surrounded by a group of armed villagers.
A green nameplate automatically appeared above his head.
【Territory Leader - Terra】
"Attention!" Chen Kai immediately stepped in front of the three and said in a low voice, "The village chief of the newbie village is here. Get ready to accept the mission."
Terra stopped ten paces away from them.
His eyes were sharp, scrutinizing them with vigilance, but deep within that vigilance lay a glimmer of hope.
Just then, a cold, bloody pressure came from behind them.
An even more muscular man approached. He carried a newly sharpened iron spear, walked with a brisk pace, and stared intently at the four "resurrected" strange men, his eyes revealing undisguised suspicion and ferocity.
Above his head was another nameplate, this one a darker red.
【War Leader - Kahn】
"Oh ho, a red-named NPC." Wang Xuan stroked his chin. "Looks like this one is a pro-war faction and the other is a pro-peace faction, a classic opposing faction scenario."
"Kahn".
Terra gave a low shout, preventing Kahn from getting any closer.
He turned to the four players, took a deep breath, and spoke in a deep voice.
He was speaking a very old and difficult tribal language.
But as he spoke, a semi-transparent blue interface automatically popped up in front of the four of them.
[Tribal language: It seems the ancestral spirits have not abandoned us; you have awakened at just the right time.]
Terra's expression turned serious as he pointed eastward to the mist-shrouded forest.
[Tribal language: The fire-keepers brought back much-needed knowledge from the ruins of the east, but in doing so, they disturbed something in the decaying swamp beside the ruins.]
[Tribal language: A chaotic and ominous aura is spreading from there.]
[Tribal Message: Since you are warriors awakened by the ancestral spirits, then prove your worth! Investigate the anomalies in the swamp!]
The text in the task box refreshes and freezes immediately.
【Ding! 】
[Tribe-Exclusive Main Quest Now Open: The Swamp's Metamorphosis]
Mission Objective: Proceed to the Rotten Swamp in the Eastern Forest to investigate the source of the anomaly.
[Task Reward: +100 Tribe Contribution Points, Unknown Rewards.]
"Accept the mission." Wang Xuan made the decision for the team.
Terra nodded, a hint of relief on her face.
But Kahn, standing nearby, just snorted coldly.
He didn't stop them, but merely glanced at the four of them with his beast-like eyes.
His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a warning tone.
[Tribal language: Prove your worth? Hmph, I just hope you're not going to your deaths in vain.]
He paused, a rare hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.
[Tribal language: Listen carefully, that swamp... is unlike any forest or mountain you've ever seen.]
[Tribal language: That place has been polluted by a whisper.]
[Tribal language: We don't know what that is, we only know that any creature that goes inside will go mad and become twisted.]
[Tribal language: I have seen it with my own eyes. A strong saber-toothed tiger, it neither roared nor pounced, it just stood there frantically banging its head against rocks until it smashed itself into a pile of minced meat.]
[Tribal language: The creatures there no longer even follow our understanding of life and death.]
Kahn lowered his voice even further, as if he were telling a secret.
[Tribal Chronicle: One of my warriors was bitten by a rabbit that ran out of the swamp. The wound wasn't big, but he died three days later.]
[Tribal language: But on the night after his burial, he crawled out of the ground again.]
[In tribal language: He no longer speaks or breathes, but just stares blankly, mimicking the rabbit's movements over and over again in the camp.]
After Kahn finished speaking, he shut his mouth.
But the terrifying scenes he described silenced the players who were initially excited.
Wang Xuan's smile vanished, and he exchanged a glance with Chen Kai and Ai Jia.
Things seem to be more complicated than they thought.
This is not a simple monster-hunting and exploration quest.
"Whispers?" Dr. Aija adjusted her glasses. "Pollution? Disregarding life and death? This violates the fundamental laws of life."
"Interesting." Chen Kai's lips curled into a smile. "Much more interesting than simply killing monsters."
Wang Xuan didn't speak, but simply confirmed the mission objective once again.
[Investigation Source]
He solemnly extended his right fist and pounded it on his left chest, facing the grave-faced Terra and the cold-eyed Kahn.
"Let's go, let's set off."
The four-person team turned around and, led by an assigned hunter, headed towards the whispering swamp outside the tribe.
Behind them, Kahn watched their retreating figures and slowly began to speak.
"Warriors of the Ancestral Spirits, may your abilities not be undeserved."