The familiar shop interface from Felix's previous life appeared before his eyes. It was the same layout he had seen countless times. He wasn't unfamiliar with it—after all, he had once played the role of a seller himself, trading items, props, and equipment with other players.
The interface was divided into two columns: one for the item shop, where equipment, weapons, and consumables could be placed, and the other for the bookstore, which housed tomes related to main professions, sub-professions, and skills.
Naturally, it included a pricing system that allowed prices to be set in different currencies—Victoria gold coins, LMD, even experience points—and it also supported barter transactions.
There wasn't a built-in function to set buying requirements when trading with players, but Felix quickly noticed something new: certain camp equipment could only be purchased once a player reached a specified loyalty level. It seemed he could now customize these conditions as well. Purchase requirements could include—but weren't limited to—favorability, level, profession, skill set, or even specific traits.
Hmm... so favorability has its uses after all.
Felix recalled how, in his past life, after earning respect from the Kazimierz General Chamber of Commerce, he gained access to privileges that ordinary players could only dream of. Not only could he buy a luxurious flat overlooking the city, but he could also purchase rare metal materials exclusive to those with high reputation. When attending knight tournaments, he didn't even need to buy a ticket—the stadium would automatically escort him to the VIP lounge, usually accompanied by a few stunning Kuranta girls.
Tch. What a fall into decadence.
Now, as an NPC, did that mean he had transformed from a humble player into a powerful elite?
This is really worth it.
This NPC template... it's ridiculously overpowered.
With that in mind, Felix began setting up his shop. He carefully chose which items to place on display, adjusted their prices, and finally opened his personal shop interface to Dandao Dantart.
[Felix Shawn Lansem has opened his personal shop to you.]
Dandao Dantart's eyes lit up. He rushed forward, and as the shop interface materialized before him, he only needed a quick glance to be utterly stunned by what he saw.
"Holy crap... Black Hawk single-shot pistol, short blade, steel longsword, folding dagger…"
His eyes practically turned blue with excitement. To him, this gear was nothing short of legendary. In this vast, hostile world, what could provide more security than being fully armed?
But his excitement quickly turned to despair.
The prices were a harsh slap in the face.
A standard-looking Black Hawk pistol cost 80,000—far more than what he could afford even if he sold everything he owned. A magazine of 15 special bullets went for 1,500 LMD. The gleaming, metallic-colored breastplate he had been eyeing with envy was locked behind a favorability level of five, and he couldn't even see its price.
Dandao Dantart's initial enthusiasm evaporated instantly, replaced with frustration and helpless longing. He coveted every piece of Emma's gear, but he couldn't afford a single item. Even if he somehow gathered the funds, he couldn't use most of them anyway—his class didn't match, and they were profession-locked. Considering this NPC's red-level danger rating, he suddenly realized just how far above his level this man was.
Trying to shift his attention, he looked toward the bookstore column—only to be stunned once again.
The selection of books was nothing short of luxurious. Skill tomes that made his hands itch just by looking at them... and even profession change scrolls for both main and secondary classes!
These were items that, under normal circumstances, beginners could only purchase in the main city.
After checking the prices, Dandao Dantart did his best to keep his blood pressure under control. Among the offerings were job transfer scrolls for Guard, Sniper, and Support, as well as advanced knowledge scrolls for the Support class. Beyond the main classes, he also spotted a sub-class—Technician.
According to the description, this subclass allowed players to equip hand cannons, gradually master Originium-based abilities tied to those weapons, and receive combat bonuses when using them.
Could this guy be a big shot from the main city of Laterano? Dandao Dantart was inwardly thrilled. A main class transfer scroll was priced at 20,000. From his earlier experience following Felix around Moshan Town, he noticed that most quests only rewarded three-digit amounts of LMD—on rare occasions, four-digit if one was lucky.
Alright, I'll grind some quests, save up, and come back to buy that class scroll from this mysterious top-tier NPC!
"Um... sir, how many days will you be staying in Moshan Town?" Dandao Dantart asked with a sheepish cough. He hadn't bought anything—not because he didn't want to, but because he simply couldn't afford it.
"I'll be around Moshan Town for the next few days. If you need to find me, I live here."
Felix handed him an address slip and walked out of the church under Dantart's fervent, hopeful gaze.
"Alright! I need to start grinding now—I actually triggered a hidden NPC boss!"
Dandao Dantart felt as though he'd been injected with adrenaline. With a new goal in mind, he was suddenly fired up to complete quests and earn as much money as possible.
Outside, Felix left the church with a faint smile tugging at his lips.
He was familiar with Dandao Dantart's character ID. In his previous life, the guy had been a Guard-class melee player, known for participating in professional Ark tournaments and serving as a mainstay in several Chinese gaming clubs.
Though he hadn't been a particularly dazzling star, he always made his presence known in team battles.
As for Moshan Town, Felix knew there weren't many resources here that he could use right away. The blacksmith profession was available as a secondary job to all players, but beginners could only forge basic cold-weapon-era gear. Most novice blacksmiths spent their time polishing parts. Making something useful, like a functioning chopping axe, was considered an achievement in itself.
Felix was planning to take up the Craftsman subclass. In the future, some players would experiment with this path and end up building small outposts in remote, desolate regions. The Craftsman profession would also gain synergy bonuses with both Mechanic and Gunsmith, making it a flexible and scalable secondary role across many playstyles.
I've been investing time into blacksmithing these past few days. After all, I can't rely solely on business. The number of players who prefer melee and cold weapons is just as large as those who prefer firearms.
Compared to his smooth experience with Dandao Dantart, Touxinliang had been running into setbacks left and right.
As an outsider—clearly marked as "suspicious"—he was constantly met with hostile stares. When he attempted to enter the town's stronghold district, he was nearly beaten to death by the guards on duty. Even when he tried to visit and study at the local academy, he was immediately rejected by the guard stationed at the entrance.
Several of them exchanged glances before finally deciding to sign up for the Moshan Town Guard Team. Their responsibilities included maintaining the town's safety, resisting invading creatures, and hunting for food at the foot of Moshan Mountain.
Thanks to their decent attributes, they easily passed the selection process and acquired the secondary class of [Newcomer Guard]. When they saw basic melee and basic defense skills available in the class skill tree, they all felt they had made the right choice.
Though the work was grueling, the steady increase in experience points and LMD brought genuine smiles to their faces.
They had also successfully obtained resident status in Moshan Town. But every player understood clearly—this was only a stepping stone.
Meanwhile, the forum was abuzz. Many of the internal test players had created threads to share their experiences and offer insights for others. Approximately 50,000 players in China had gained access to the closed beta. Among them, a number had followed Dream Chaser's guide and ventured toward larger maps, aiming to seize more resources and gain quicker experience.
In addition to solo players, numerous game guilds that had received internal testing qualifications were actively posting progress reports, recruiting new players, and working to boost their popularity.
"This world feels completely real. I once took a quest to search for a missing child. I eventually found the child in the mountains... but he was already gone. When I returned with the news, the mother who issued the quest broke down crying.
To be honest, the quest rewards were better than usual, but... I didn't feel happy at all."
"+1. The NPCs in Ark feel like they have self-learning AI. Their behavior and dialogue are on another level—completely different from old NPCs that could only give canned responses.
I heard Ark uses the latest intelligent system module. The only other game with something similar is 2098, that American game—but even then, it's not as nuanced as Ark."
"Dream Chaser also mentioned the mineral sickness the Infected suffer from. I think he's spot on.
Remember—make a clear choice before you get infected.
The other day, I had a task to protect a village. The local NPCs identified a few wandering outsiders as Infected and ordered us to drive them away. It seems that the Infected suffer from serious discrimination in this world."
"Wait, check this out—link incoming. A foreign player caught the infection and is now basically soft-locked. Might need to delete his account and start over…"
Felix clicked the link. It led to a live broadcast from a foreign player. The streamer was showcasing the game's world from a third-person perspective, introducing its lore to his audience.
In the stream, the foreigner deliberately rolled around an Originium pillar in the wasteland, triggering the Oripathy debuff. As combat began, he grew visibly excited—his Originium powers flared to life, engulfing his body in flames like a living torch, thrilling the viewers.
But his HP was steadily dropping.
When he tried to return to the Novice Village, several NPCs attacked and drove him away. Enraged, he attempted to force his way back in. However, the NPCs immediately issued a town defense quest to nearby players.
The players, lacking any sympathy—and not caring that he was technically a fellow player—treated it as just another PVP scenario.
After shouting a few frustrated "Fuck!"s, the foreign player was quickly beaten out with sticks, and now wandered alone through the wilderness, still afflicted by infection.
"It's tragic. So tragic."
That was Felix's first reaction after watching the scene. It served as a wake-up call for all players—this was the price of choosing to become an Infected.
He held no prejudice against the Infected, but still found it somewhat amusing to see someone so eager to seek their own downfall.
Putting aside the foreigner who had practically courted death, most of the beta testers had lost any desire to become Infected. NPCs warned them that infection could occur in various ways, including from slime-like Originium Slugs that often hid in the novice areas. If one were injured by an Originium Slug, there was a high chance of becoming infected.
The players broke out in cold sweats upon hearing this. Many had been eager to slay monsters and earn LMD after acquiring their secondary professions—but this revelation made them reconsider their reckless actions.
One player, who had spawned in a small village in Yan Country, vented on the forum. He complained that the favorability rating of a certain young female NPC stopped increasing after hitting 10. He posted a photo of her, which was met with unanimous admiration from other players.
She had delicate eyes and graceful brows. Though a simple farm girl, her beauty was elegant—like a lotus blooming untouched by mud. She was simply… stunning.
Despite many attempts, the player couldn't raise her favorability further, so he engaged her in conversation to uncover more of her backstory. Eventually, he learned she had a husband who had gone missing years ago after being attacked by bandits while doing business.
The forum erupted in laughter.
"If I'm not Cao Cao, then who is?! I will inherit the Will of Wei Wu!"
Felix couldn't help but chuckle.
These players really knew how to entertain themselves.
Still, he thought, if this player actually managed to win her over, some players would start treating Ark like a galgame...
But Ark was a serious game, and clearly not designed with that kind of function in mind.
Felix recalled that players could remove any clothing—except for underwear.
Luckily for Felix, now an NPC, he could even remove his pants.
On the forum, only two professional gaming guilds had publicly shared their progress:
The Dynasty Team, consisting entirely of ordinary Sarkaz born in Kazdel.
The Liquid Team, made up of three races—Kuranta, Sankta, and Caprinae.
Both teams had received 15 internal testing slots each and had been pushing hard to stay ahead during the closed beta. As professional teams, they needed to maintain fan interest and frequently featured their players in front of the camera, sharing interesting moments they'd encountered.
---
"Sir... I'm here to make a purchase."
While performing his usual prayer duties in the church, Felix turned around. There stood Dandao Dantart, covered in dust. A bright smile spread across Felix's face.
Dantart stepped forward and opened Felix's personal shop. Without hesitation, he located the career path he was interested in from the bookstore, took a snapshot of the Guards manual, and promptly paid 20,000 LMD.
He then sat off to the side, hugging the book tightly, and began to read and study.
Felix wanted to say something—the Guard profession... was highly competitive. But when he saw the excited expressions on Dandao Dantart, he immediately swallowed his words.
In the early stages of the game, players were still exploring different professions. During the internal beta, many had chosen the support system, but without the enhancement of a secondary profession, supports were far less effective on the battlefield compared to Guards and Snipers. Even the stat boosts provided by certain teams didn't significantly improve performance, especially when it came to tasks like logging.
As a result, once the internal beta testers published their findings, the number of players choosing the support system during the public beta plummeted. It wasn't until two seasons later that the support system finally made a breakthrough on the world stage. At that point, players discovered that, with the right secondary profession, a support could essentially become a one-man army. The support system flourished under the guidance of top-tier players.
But to Felix, it didn't really matter.
The equipment he crafted could be worn by players across all professions. In both the early and mid-game, he had no competitors in his trade—he had a monopoly. As long as he consistently made himself known to the players from the very beginning, they would gradually become his loyal customers.
At this point in the timeline, Kazdel's division was already inevitable, and the Tower of Babel had likely been established. In the early phase, the Tower of Babel mainly recruited pure-blooded Sarkaz mercenaries who were capable of fighting on the front lines. Even Sarkaz players lucky enough to join either of the two major factions ended up doing odd jobs.
Felix had no intention of going anywhere near there.
His combat power might still impress the average player, but in the eyes of seasoned Sarkaz mercenaries hardened by countless battles, his thin arms and legs would be nothing more than a joke.