---Viktor's POV---
"The raw material is a strand of spider silk, and it perfectly counters the softening ability of the Blackrock Toad! The quality is also guaranteed. Ordinary scuffles or even low-level magical attacks won't tear it..."
Crack!
I watched as Hawkes demonstrated too enthusiastically, twisting mid-air into a "C" shape and then freezing in place, unable to move.
I sighed helplessly and cast a Holy Light spell at him.
"I'm very satisfied with the product, but next time, you don't need to demonstrate it in person."
An old bag of bones twisting around like that too many times is bound to lead to lasting problems. That description even fit me perfectly...
Hawkes held his aching lower back and smiled sheepishly. The method for making these "silk cocoons" wasn't complicated and could be mass-produced.
I collected 100 of them in one go and received his guarantee that he could make more tomorrow. Looking at the thumb-sized "silk cocoons" in my hand, I murmured to myself.
"In that case, let's call you Silk Cocoon Armor."
This item would be perfect to welcome the new players arriving tomorrow.
---
Dawn's light streamed through the shattered rose window into the cathedral hall. I watched as dozens of freshly logged-in newbie players stood in strange poses, scattered around the corners of the room.
"Whoa! This light, these people, this sensation!"
"Haha! I knew this game was legit! Who else can compete with this?!"
"Awesome! I finally made it into the beta test!"
Their excitement was so overwhelming that they didn't notice me and the players accompanying me on the welcome mission as we entered.
"Ahem!" I coughed heavily twice, finally catching their attention.
"Skeletons can catch colds?"
"Is this the undead leader mentioned in the forum guides?"
"If we kill the faction leader, will the servers shut down?"
Looking at one particularly eager player, I mercilessly deducted 10 points of their SAN value.
The SAN value system punished any players thinking of betraying the faction equally.
After going through the usual story introduction sequence, I didn't leave immediately. Instead, I pushed forward a group of players who had been specifically recruited.
"I know you are eager to set off and rebuild The Watchers. But for now, we have an urgent mission that requires brave souls unafraid of sacrifice! A month ago, these three companions discovered a unique iron mine along the Duskwind River…"
The players perked up their ears.
"This is a new storyline!"
"An iron mine with magical creatures? I saw something like that on the forums!"
"Does this mean we can mine iron along the river?!"
The players buzzed with excitement, shifting their attention as they speculated wildly.
I stood there, momentarily at a loss for words. Forget it. Once they reached the destination, Hawkes would ensure they understood the situation.
"In short, here's the deal. With the addition of Master Hawkes' support, we finally have the tools to address the monster incubation chamber. Who among you brave warriors is willing to venture into the mine to resolve this problem for The Watchers?"
Under the intense gaze of the veteran players, I reluctantly added, "Of course, anyone else interested is welcome to join."
As soon as the words left my mouth, everyone surged forward.
"Count me in!"
"Add me too!"
"Monster eggs can be traded for resurrection materials, right? Haha, I'm in!"
The players accepted the quest from me and received directions to the mine for the next part of the mission, scattering as quickly as they had gathered.
The number of people in the room was instantly cut in half.
ProGamer_Daddy scratched his ears, visibly relieved. "Phew, finally some peace and quiet. So, this is what being part of the storyline feels like, huh? Quite tiring..."
"Thank you for your efforts," I said, handing out their rewards for running the errands.
"By the way, you're really not taking the mission?"
As the discoverers of the mine, they had the first rights to enter it. As other players mentioned, no matter how difficult it might be, monster corpses exchangeable for resurrection materials made it worth the risk. What's more, fighting monsters was always a quick way to earn extra experience points.
ProGamer_Daddy waved dismissively. "Not me. The experience points from fighting aren't even as good as what I get forging weapons. I now cherished my life and only wanted to die at the hands of my self-made explosives."
NeverShowOff also shook his head. "My reasoning is not as crazy as Daddy's. We have other things to do. It's enough to let Hedgehog handle it."
Nearby, Lux suddenly popped out, blinking mischievously. "Lord Viktor, remember what you said two days ago?"
I paused, then smiled. "Of course."
I had planned to recruit people later, but they came to me first. Since they were so enthusiastic, I wouldn't lag behind.
"The dimensional crystal has been repaired and is ready for use. Follow me."
"Yay!" The players cheered in unison.
---Third POV---
Outside the iron mine, Hawkes was giving the players one last round of warnings.
"Remember, if your Silk Cocoon Armor is damaged, retreat immediately! Don't get greedy! Otherwise, the consequences will be dire!"
Hedgehog asked, "What consequences?"
"You'll die!" Hawkes said solemnly.
"And the nutrients absorbed will accelerate the hatching of the Blackrock Toads. Their unconscious activities will continue to expand the original incubation chamber. It might even engulf the entire town!"
By then, eliminating the Blackrock Toads would only turn the town into ruins.
His grave tone, amplified by the game's translator system, successfully silenced the players.
Now, it was up to them to showcase their skills.
Hedgehog followed Hawkes' demonstration, pinching and shaping the material. The next moment, the scenery around him brightened slightly.
Looking at his gloved hand, he took a deep breath.
"Breathing and movement are completely unaffected?"
This was the power of a master blacksmith?
"Ahahaha!"
Laughter erupted from behind him.
Hedgehog turned to see two players he'd met twice before, Apple and Thor, laughing so hard they were doubled over.
"This outfit looks like a kidnapper in white stockings! Hahaha!"
"It's too funny, hahaha!"
Hedgehog's excitement instantly vanished. Looking at the others wearing the Silk Cocoon Armor, even he found it hard to endure.
He stubbornly retorted, "You better not laugh too soon. Once I clear out the monsters below by myself and take all the quest experience, let's see if you're still laughing!"
Apple's heart skipped a beat.
Hedgehog, as part of the second batch of players, had the highest strength among everyone except the few top-tier players. With the right to explore first, he wasn't entirely bluffing.
Other players cast wary glances at him. Apple quickly changed his tone. "Don't do that. Save some for us! I was wrong, I was wrong"
Hedgehog snorted coldly. "Backing down now? Too late!"
With a shovel in hand, he jumped straight into the mine. "Ten players come with me to dig; I'll lead the way. Apple and Thor are excluded!"
Cheers and groans erupted simultaneously.
"Yay!!"
"Nooo!"
Ten newbie players followed him, excitedly heading down into the mine. And then, only ten minutes later, they came back up, their cocoon armor in tatters.
Hedgehog's eyes were black and blue.
LootGoblin gasped. "That fast?! Did you dig your way to the main hatchery?"
He had originally thought the first digging team would tire themselves out, so he didn't join.
Ten minutes and it was over. When did this guy get so strong?
Hedgehog's expression was complicated. The other newbie players didn't look too happy either. They seemed hesitant but said nothing.
Hawkes, who had been waiting outside, stepped up to explain.
"Regrettably, the first batch of challengers has failed the challenge."
"No! I did not fail!" Hedgehog shouted, jumped up, and scrambled to his feet.
The fire in his eyes burned even brighter, making his bruised eye sockets stand out even more.
"I can still go down, right? This time, I'll go alone!"
Hawkes handed him a new set of cocoon armor without hesitation.
"Each person only gets two challenge attempts per day. Your priority privilege is only valid today. Are you sure you don't want to wait?"
"It doesn't matter!"
Even the white fabric couldn't hide the battle spirit in Hedgehog's eyes. "I refuse to believe it! I can't even beat the fertilized eggs of a monster?!"
Ten minutes later.
Thud!
He collapsed on the ground, his head buried in his arms. "Sob, sob... I really can't beat it. I'm useless..."
"..."
---Viktor's POV---
I brought four players to a space just outside the Inverted Space. To make exploration easier for them, I had already carved out a sloped path, making the space more open.
Above, sixteen captives who still chose to leave were nervously waiting on one side. I wasn't in a hurry to introduce them. Instead, I began with basic survival tips for the players.
"Honeyvale Town is located on the east side of the Duskwind River, closest to the border of the Kingdom of Yoan. The nearest town outside is Nary Town."
"The town's main source of income comes from providing exploration services to passing adventurers. The area has a large and diverse crowd, mixed with all kinds of people. In theory, blending in shouldn't be too difficult."
NeverShowOff nodded as he listened.
"Now that you remember all this, I'm more comfortable letting you go..."
"Huh? That's it?" Lux stared blankly.
"Of course." I didn't even look back as I continued walking forward.
"Most of what I have is centuries-old information, questionable at best. Knowing too much might cloud your judgment. This is enough for you to venture outside..."
Don't overestimate the cultural level of the natives of Aeltia. With major magic associations and divine churches hoarding education resources and blocking access to knowledge... For self-taught magic users from rural areas, their understanding of the world was this limited.
"However, I do have three requests for you during this trip." I noticed the players' quest notifications go off. They all accepted without hesitation.
NeverShowOff glanced past me, eyeing the group of captives ahead.
"You want us to escort them out?"
"Exactly," I praised. "That's the first request."
"Our strength is still too limited. We can't expose The Watchers' base. I'll erase their memories of the past few days and send them off. But I need you to ensure their safety until they wake up outside."
As long as they didn't encounter stray monsters or groups of refugees, I believed the four players could handle it.
Garble asked, "What else?"
"I also need you to find someone and deliver a letter."
He nodded knowingly. "You want us to find Edgar?"
I nodded. "Although I haven't received a distress signal, the lack of news for so long suggests he's in trouble. My identity draws too much attention, so I can't leave. This task falls to you. If nothing unexpected happens, he should still be in Nary Town."
I handed the letter and its delivery location to NeverShowOff, along with a small, palm-sized square box, which was a portable signal receiver.
It would prevent players from losing connection once they left Honeyvale Town. However, it still operated on an offline server and couldn't receive real-time updates from me.
The four players would lose contact once they left, so they'd need to return quickly.
Child rolled their eyes and asked, "Lord Viktor, is there a backup box? What if it breaks halfway?"
"If it breaks, consider yourselves dead."
"!!!" Child deflated instantly. "Fine..."
I smiled silently.
Nice try.
Giving them a single receiver was to prevent wanderers like Child from running off solo. This was their first time unlocking a new map.
What's the rush?
The rest was simple.
Once the captives, now unconscious from memory wipes, were moved onto the teleportation array, it began to glow.
The players were thrilled. Standing outside, I gave one final reminder.
"Remember, avoid using spells openly. Don't reveal your identities."
As soon as the words left my mouth, a purple light engulfed them all, and they vanished.
I shook my head.
Once they experienced it firsthand, they'd understand the dangers of the outside world. Letting NeverShowOff and the others leave was just the start. More players would eventually leave the Great Oak Forest.
Aside from honing their magic skills, the knowledge players possessed far surpassed that of this primitive, backward world. Even their unintentional actions would undoubtedly bring significant changes to this land, far more than anything I could do alone.
"The day when Earth's butterfly flaps its wings and triggers a hurricane isn't far off..."
With my hands behind my back, I turned and left.
"I just hope they behave out there and don't cause too much trouble."
There were still matters with the remaining captives, no, Honeyvale Town's residents, to address. While the rent for the communal shelter was low, those settling in the town would need a designated area to build homes.
How to purchase land, construct houses, and define the rights and responsibilities of residents... All these awaited my planning.