Chapter 46: First Contact with a Player
Meanwhile, XB was busy bragging to his stream viewers.
He hadn't realized today was Freshman Welcome Day at Vick University. After finally saving up enough from part-time work to buy a map of Darkland, he unlocked the entire city area and decided to walk to Vick University early in the morning—streaming his journey live.
To his surprise, the campus was bustling with activity when he arrived.
"Ladies and gents, looks like we're in luck! Today's Freshman Welcome Day at Vick University. If you've watched Apocalypse, this might be the day the Life Alchemy Society throws their alchemical bombs—could be one of those major storyline events! If I get killed, y'all better pay your respects."
"Whoa, check out that girl! She's gorgeous—and look at those legs! Her style's totally different from the others. Let's try talking to her, maybe she's got a quest."
As he spoke, XB quickly cast a scouting spell.
[Based on your level, you've obtained the following information:]
[Rosie Lily – Alchemy Department, Second-Year Student]
[Level: ?]
[Stats: Spirit 21, others unknown]
[Threat Level: Medium]
She really did stand out. Flushed with excitement, XB hurried after her, managing to walk side by side before mustering the courage to speak: "Excuse me…"
But before he could even finish his sentence, a cold line of text popped up above the NPC's head.
[Affinity -5]
XB: "???"
What did I even do?
"LMAO, guess the NPC thinks you're too ugly."
"Living up to the name—e-sports girls' nightmare."
"Don't cry, X-Baby. Mommy still loves you even if you're ugly."
"Stop with the mom jokes already!"
Despite the chat's sarcastic jabs, XB wasn't discouraged. His eyes lit up again as he spotted a new target.
"Wait a sec—that looks like Cress Bradenreiser, the second female lead from the official promo! Forget that last one—this one's the real VIP."
Trying to look like a gentleman, XB walked up to Clarice and cleared his throat, but before he could say anything, another line popped up above her head: [Affinity -7]. She snorted and walked away.
"LMAO, officially confirmed: e-sports girls' nightmare."
"Don't cry, X-Baby. Just stand up and grind!"
XB: ??????
He was starting to lose confidence. Am I really that ugly?
Doubting himself, he opened his character panel to check his Charisma stat: 39 (Unkempt -6)
Minus 6 Charisma?
XB: …
Only now did he realize he'd rushed out in yesterday's clothes after logging in, not even bothering to button his shirt properly.
Damn, this game really cares about the details, huh?
He ducked off to the side to fix his buttons, frantically explaining to the stream, "Guys, that was just a fluke—I was in such a rush to go live this morning that I—wait, what?"
From his current angle, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.
Whoa, so handsome! Isn't that the protagonist, Wayne Sturwell? Even a guy like him could tell that this character had been designed with extra care.
XB quickly switched the stream to first-person view. "Guys, guess who I just found?!"
"Holy crap?"
"HUSBAND!! AAAAAAH—"
"Go say hi, X-Baby! Maybe you'll get carried!"
…
As viewership skyrocketed, XB was grinning from ear to ear. He spat in his palm and slicked his hair back, adjusting his appearance before walking over.
Meeting the game's main character in person suddenly made him feel the pressure—that face is just unfair.
"Hi hubby—I mean, I'm XB! I'm your idol—no wait, you're my idol!" Nervous, he completely fumbled his intro.
Zhou Ning had actually been wondering how to approach XB when the guy suddenly ran right up to him. But that opening line? It gave him pause.
Zhou Ning: …
Bro, please act normal. You're scaring me.
He noticed a new "Affinity" button next to XB's player ID. Clicking it opened a panel showing the current value: 0.
Another tap revealed a slider bar—left to decrease, right to increase. Simple enough.
[Adjust Affinity for player "XB"?]
Zhou Ning figured it was safer to lower it for now. He dragged the slider slightly to the left.
[Wayne Sturwell's Affinity toward you decreased by 5. Current status: Indifferent.]
"Noooo!!"
XB looked devastated, like he'd been struck by lightning. This wasn't just any NPC—it was the main character! Who knew what might happen if his Affinity dropped too low?
Still, as much as he disliked XB's awkwardness, Zhou Ning also recognized that he was currently the only player who had made contact. After some thought, he asked, "Haven't seen you around. Are you a visitor here for the welcome celebration?"
"Yes! Yes, exactly!" XB nodded furiously, eager to recover his image.
"I see. Then could you do me a favor?" Zhou Ning asked with a smile.
In the real world, a stranger asking for help might raise suspicions—but players? They weren't normal people.
As soon as he heard that, XB's eyes lit up. He nodded even harder. "Absolutely! Anything! Just say it!"
[Issue a quest to player XB?]
Zhou Ning took a deep breath. This was a perfect moment to test the quest system.
"Yes."
[Set quest rank, objectives, and rewards. Max quest rank: A; Min rank: E.]
[Quest rewards may include: money, items, experience, skills…]
[Daily experience reward cap: 20,000. Max reward per quest: 4,000. Resets every 24 hours.]
Clicking to edit the quest brought up a detailed interface. On the left: quest type and rank. On the right: quest name. Below: quest description.
There were lots of quest types—standard, random, loop, faction-based, storyline, etc.
Being an NPC is no joke… might need to master Excel too.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ning created an E-rank timed quest with a 10-minute limit.
"I'm a bit busy right now and can't go get breakfast. Could you grab some for me?"
"Of course! I'm on it!" XB received the quest notification at the same time.
[You've triggered an E-rank quest: Breakfast. Accept? Yes/No?]
[Quest hint: Wayne Sturwell is hungry. Will you help him or walk away? Your choice.]
[Quest Rank: E]
[Objective: Buy a tasty breakfast]
[Reward: 800 XP, 1 Roshen]
The reward seemed meager, but XB suspected this might be a crucial turning point—possibly even a prerequisite for a major questline! He didn't hesitate.
With the countdown ticking, XB bolted across the street to the nearest breakfast shop and spent all his money on the priciest item they had. Then he sprinted back.
"Here's your breakfast," he said, panting heavily as he handed it to Zhou Ning. The system confirmed quest completion.
"Thanks," Zhou Ning replied with a smile. He nudged the Affinity slider a bit to the right.
[Wayne Sturwell's Affinity toward you increased by 3. Current status: Indifferent.]
XB let out a sigh of relief—at least it went up this time. Just as he was about to speak, the NPC said something that got him pumped.
"You seem like a decent guy. I need help with something important. Can I trust you?"
"Yes! Of course! Absolutely!" XB pounded his chest in excitement. I knew I was a pro gamer! Chain quest, here I come!
"There's going to be an attack on the welcome event today—an alchemical bombing targeting Vick University. There should be four suspicious individuals on site carrying alchemical bombs. If you notice anything unusual, don't engage—come straight to me."
Zhou Ning began editing a new quest.
[You've triggered a D-rank quest: Terror Alert. Accept? Yes/No?]
[Quest hint: Assist protagonist Wayne Sturwell and the Sunwatchers in identifying four suspicious individuals.]
[Quest Rank: D]
[Objective: Defuse the threat]
[Reward: 2,000 XP, unlock Wayne Sturwell's personal shop]
"Haha! I, XB, am truly blessed by the gaming gods!" His eyes were practically glowing. I just got in, and I'm already part of a major event!
The moment the quest appeared, the stream chat exploded.
"WTF, lucky bastard! This isn't fair!"
"Quit streaming and go pro again! Why are you doing this to us?!"
"Told you Wayne Sturwell was the main character—look, the quest says it outright!"
But XB didn't care about the jealous comments. He eagerly accepted the quest, eyes wide and ears perked as he scanned the crowd for anything suspicious.
Zhou Ning watched him go with a small smile. He honestly didn't care if XB found anything—this was just a test of the NPC functionality, and it had gone extremely well. He was already thinking of countless ways to "harvest" eager players.
XB's stream was pulling in plenty of viewers. As he got benefits, others would only get more tempted.
And that, too, was part of the plan.