Malphegor
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MoP: Ch. 37
🕑 Added 2025-01-23 23:40:15 +0000 UTC---Viktor's POV---
If it weren't for ProGamer_Daddy seeking attention, I might have forgotten how useful players could be.
I usually had to juggle both game planning and the development of Honeyvale, leaving me little time to manage the official website.
But the players could help!
Some players enjoyed sharing game content and creating game guides. They could help me improve the data sections and provide new players with a better understanding of Aeltia. A group of players managing the site would also catch errors and fill gaps much better than I could alone.
Take ProGamer_Daddy, for example.
Although his knowledge of the Divine War leaned a bit too much toward "artistic embellishment," his understanding of magical creatures was surprisingly accurate. He even managed to infer information I hadn't explicitly mentioned, making his input perfect for the game's illustrated data module.
This way, I wouldn't have to spend time crafting daily updates for players; I only needed to act as the final reviewer.
With this realization, I found myself smiling indulgently as I read the forum posts.
"Hardcore players are the lifeblood of hardcore games!"
Not only could they work in the game, but they were just as useful outside it.
I compiled the accurate information provided by ProGamer_Daddy and added it all to the illustrated data module, giving credit to his ID. Then, I quickly opened a new page on the official website, creating a "Player Contributions" section.
Having modified the website repeatedly over the past few days, my coding speed had noticeably improved.
Using a basic template, tweaking the layout slightly, and replacing the bold text in the upper-right corner with "Hall of Fame," I was done in under half an hour.
After adding his name, I returned to the data module and uploaded additional lore about the Divine War in Aeltia, as well as small details ProGamer_Daddy had overlooked.
Satisfied with the revamped page, I nodded approvingly.
"That should do it."
Work complete!
It was only after finishing everything that I noticed a flood of red notification dots in the admin panel.
Upon checking, I saw they were responses to my recent announcement.
[SoySauceLeader]: First!
[Actually_Hitler]: Whoa, the dev is actually online! Can I bribe you for a beta test slot?
[BobBobby]: You've got time to browse the forum, but not to fix the website?
[ImmuneToBeauty]: The website finally looks better now that it's switched from its pseudo-Syrian aesthetic to a rural one, but the speed is still unbearable
[BobBobby]: I can run a game at 240 FPS, but your website still takes forever to load!
I glanced at the clock. It was 4 PM on Earth.
I couldn't understand. Didn't these people have school or work during the day?
Besides, wasn't the site limited to 20 people posting at a time? The user activity seemed disproportionately high.
Was it because these virtual reality game fans were stubbornly in denial, only to prove themselves wrong by diving deep into the forums?
Or did the three-minute login time make them reluctant to log out, given the high sunk cost?
Regarding the website speed issue, I was helpless.
The site didn't follow traditional registration protocols. Instead, it relied on me injecting magic into a blue orb to generate a pseudo-URL. The entire site was supported by my magic, so it was understandable that an otherworldly internet connection would be suboptimal.
Once inside, it worked fine. Or if you accessed it from Aeltia, like I did, there wouldn't be any lag!
Seeing multiple complaints about the slow connection, I pretended not to notice and chose to play dead.
Eventually, someone discovered the new content I had uploaded.
[GameLord420]: I think I saw updates to the data module and a new Hall of Fame page!
[MemeKnight]: I saw it too! There's now a huge Hall of Fame icon on the homepage. That was fast!
[ProGamer_Daddy]: Haha! Did you guys notice I'm the only name in the Hall of Fame? I'm officially the first player under the gods to leave my mark!
While others were still scrambling for beta test slots, he had already cemented his legacy in the game for all future players to see.
The sense of accomplishment was likely exhilarating for him.
[SoySauceLeader]: Damn, he actually pulled it off!
[BananaYouKiddingMe]: Pfft. Getting into a fictional Hall of Fame—what's there to brag about?
[MemeKnight]: Not fair! This lucky guy wrote a random post and got featured in the Hall of Fame. Why?
[BobBobby]: Exactly! Dev, give me a beta slot, and I'll write you two posts today!
[ProGamer_Daddy]: Heh, slander all you want. Your anger only highlights my skills
Sure enough, his smug comment attracted a storm of criticism from the cloud-based players.
Beta tester or not, they weren't letting him off the hook.
[ProGamer_Daddy]: Sorry, beta testers are that special~~~ (⌐■_■)
[ImmuneToBeauty]: Ugh!
[BobBobby]: It's not that serious. Don't let him make you vomit!
[ImmuneToBeauty]: I wasn't triggered by him. Have you seen the updated data module? They added info about the two-headed howling wolf, complete with images (；⌣̀_⌣́)
[ProGamer_Daddy]: That's right, and I provided the data!
[ImmuneToBeauty]: "…"
[ChestBurster]: Holy crap! That monster is…ugh, hideous!
[BobBobby]: My eyes! It's not abstract art?! (✖╭╮✖)
[MemeKnight]: Does this monster attack with psychological damage?
[GameLord420]: No, but it seems to have a passive skill that deals mental damage
As I expected, most players couldn't accept the appearance of the wolf.
However, after adjusting their expectations and seeing other creatures, their opinions would likely change.
Watching the players flood the comments, critiquing the game's art style, I sighed.
"Ah, youth… So blissfully ignorant."
It reminded me of my early days after being transported to Aeltia.
---
The next morning at 8 AM, three players logged in punctually, full of energy after a good night's sleep.
They greeted me enthusiastically as they set off to rebuild Honeyvale.
"Morning, Lord Viktor!"
"Morning."
"Didn't sleep all night?"
"Undead don't need sleep."
"Are skeletons okay in the sun every day?"
"I'm not a vampire."
I responded absentmindedly as the three players excitedly exclaimed that "NPC intelligence has improved again!" before running off to Edgar.
---
Time passed quickly, and three days flew by.
I watched as the second batch of beta testers prepared to log into the game. In the world of Aeltia, a week had already passed.
During this time, I observed how the players used the two rewards they earned from my assistance to gather sufficient wood. They rushed to complete their tasks, managing to settle the rewards for both the [Lord's Residence] and [Edgar's Cabin] on the last day.
They successfully leveled up to Level 4, bringing them just one step away from receiving the second Blessing and unlocking a second skill.
Honeyvale saw significant changes thanks to the players' tireless efforts—they truly worked like oxen and horses. I had attempted several times to venture outside the town to recruit more people but returned empty-handed every time.
The players also kept a close eye on me to prevent what they considered "self-destructive behavior" that might cause me to disappear entirely.
As a result, my recovery efforts were remarkably effective. Now, I had survived for more than 20 days, giving me the physical stamina to cast two magus-level spells consecutively!
"Truly worth celebrating! Worth celebrating!" I praised myself. "Apart from still being half-dead, there's really nothing wrong with me."
During this time, Edgar had gone out once to replenish the town's missing tools and facilities. Afterward, he was swarmed by energetic players, forced to take on the role of an all-purpose NPC.
His workload rivaled that of a 24/7 worker.
"Handling the workload of three players all by himself—I truly recruited the right person back in the day."
As for Luminaris, there was little to say. Due to the limited growth rate of divine power, I carefully controlled the players' leveling progress to avoid anyone reaching Level 5 too soon. With no players seeking skills from him, he essentially became a mascot lounging on the divine statue, eating and sleeping.
Even after I gave him 200 magicoins to issue tasks, he placed all 200 coins in a single task—asking players to build it a nest.
The task was completed instantly, leaving Luminaris with a handmade durable grass nest. The players walked away with a windfall of 200 magicoins.
Honeyvale's already fragile currency system took a severe blow—from its own people.
Consequently, I revoked Luminaris' task-issuing rights. "As expected, the divine faction's mascot is unreliable." I commented.
I reflected that I should never have trusted a divine essence that nearly spent himself to death just using divine power to value money.
The person who changed the most during this period was definitely Alyanne. Thanks to the dragon bloodline's formidable recovery ability, her external injuries healed by the fourth day.
By the seventh day, she finally mastered the Player Communication Handbook that I had marked as mandatory.
With the second batch of players about to go online, I announced her arrival as a new NPC in a "version update" format. Since The Watchers still lacked specific positions, everyone was assigned wherever they were needed. For now, she was appointed as Edgar's assistant.
The announcement drew reactions from cloud players and beta testers alike, marveling at the "improved game performance."
No major waves were caused.
---Logan's POV---
On a dewy morning, I set my alarm and logged in an hour and a half earlier than usual. Opening my eyes, I once again saw the familiar sight of the broken glass dome of the chapel roof.
ProGamer_Daddy happened to walk in from outside and waved at me. "Yo! Up early today, huh?"
"When did you log in?" I asked in surprise. I thought waking up at 6:30 was early enough, but apparently, there was someone even more hardcore!
He tilted his head, recalling. "Probably an hour ago? And not just me; Garble also logged in around that time."
"Logging in so early? That means waking up at five-something! Hardcore!"
Even though logging into the game felt like sleeping, 4-5 AM was my sacred sleep time. Waking up then was harder for me than death itself.
ProGamer_Daddy set down the grass he was carrying. "Just two days of vacation left, so I better make them count! Besides, today's a big day—new players are joining. If I don't log in early, I might miss out on quests."
I nodded. That made sense.
Currently, Edgar was the only NPC issuing quests, and he could handle three players at most. With double-digit player numbers, it really could become a struggle to grab quest items!
Part of the reason I logged in early was for this very reason.
"By the way, didn't the announcement say a new NPC was added? Couldn't you grab a quest from her?"
"Not yet. They said it's too early, and the NPC is still resting. I think she'll only be active once the new players come online."
ProGamer_Daddy put the grass into a corner cabinet. Since we had to log off within the magic array Viktor set up in the chapel to maintain our character's health, the three of us had tidied up the area.
We even built a wooden cabinet for personal belongings and laid two layers of grass on the magic array.
Although we wouldn't actually sleep on the array, having something to reduce the "stiff neck debuff" upon logging in was a nice touch.
While tidying up, ProGamer_Daddy continued. "Garble went out to chop trees before the new players arrived. I did a water-boiling quest and bought some grass to make a pillow. A mattress alone just isn't cutting it."
He rubbed his stiff neck and looked up. "What about you? Got any plans?"
I propped my chin on my hand, thinking. "I might grab a tree-chopping quest too. Let's get to Level 5 first."
Even after all this time, the tree-chopping quest still offered the best cost-to-reward ratio.
"But I'll also check out the new players when they log in. Maybe I can find a few teammates. A three-person team feels too small for this game."
"I agree!" ProGamer_Daddy nodded enthusiastically. "In our team, you're aiming to be a long-range mage, Garble is an assassin, and my talent clearly leans towards a healer. We're desperately missing a frontline tank!"
Although the initial skill set had only three options, Viktor had subtly hinted that Holy Light Spell could branch into two professions: healer or warrior.
However, the choice wasn't up to the players—it depended on their talents.
ProGamer_Daddy's healing attempts were wildly successful, but whenever he tried to use Holy Light Spell offensively, it backfired, healing enemy critters instead and increasing the difficulty of fights. With no other choice, he resigned himself to being a healer, focusing on experiencing the magic itself.
After all, any kind of magic was fine with him. And at Level 5, he could choose a new skill anyway.
At that moment, both of our game panels emitted a notification sound—it was a quest update!
