Chapter 44 Closed Beta
With a charm score of 99, Zhou Ning was already a celebrity at Wake Forest University. He was so conspicuous standing at the school gate that classmates would frequently approach him to chat.
He himself didn't care; as a handsome guy, he was used to the attention. His three companions, however, seemed a little overexposed.
Though their expressions remained stoic, their unease was evident in their micro-expressions. Zhou Ning mentally gave them a title for a hypothetical show: What If Our Identities as Agents Were Exposed?
At that moment, Zhou Ning suggested they head inside. They were obviously eager to agree, and after a series of nods, they followed him through the main gate.
Not far inside was the Alchemy Department's orientation venue. Several underclassmen were already busy setting things up; the basic framework was in place. Tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the materials for the orientation were piled on top.
Standing at the edge of the venue, Zhou Ning asked, "So, how do you need me to cooperate?"
The three agents exchanged a look. Finally, the beautiful Cherie stepped forward with a smile. "We need the list of incoming freshmen, the schedule of performances from each department, and permission to set up our own booth."
"No problem," Zhou Ning agreed readily.
From what he remembered of his predecessor's life, orientation in this game world was a bit different from the ones at universities back home. Wake Forest University's Orientation Day wasn't just for welcoming new students; it was more like a campus-wide festival. It was traditionally held on the birthday of Archibald the Fire of Justice, one of the Four Heroes and the university's founder.
In addition to welcoming freshmen, each department put on its own special program to help them integrate into campus life. For example, the Meteorology Department would present the ever-changing "Weathering with You," the Warrior Department would host "Hot-Blooded Dodgeball," and the Alchemy Department was responsible for the "Alchemy Fireworks Show."
This was also what made the situation so troublesome for Zhou Ning and the Sun Guardians. The event was bound to be chaotic, and chaos could easily lead to accidents.
Zhou Ning walked into the middle of the setup, found one of the girls, and whispered a few words to her. A moment later, a cheer erupted from the students: "Long live our senior!" One enthusiastic junior girl even ran over and planted a kiss on his cheek before they all packed up and left.
Polly was speechless.
Damn winner in life, she thought, grinding her teeth.
When Zhou Ning returned with the information, Cherie was still baffled. "How did you do that?" she asked. "I thought getting those students to leave would be difficult, or at least take a lot of effort. You went over, and it was like magic."
"Simple. I gave them some money and told them to go have a nice dinner." Zhou Ning handed the information to Cherie, adding seriously, "That's five Victors. You have to reimburse me."
"It's my duty," Cherie smiled sweetly, taking a banknote from her wallet and handing it to Zhou Ning.
After that, Zhou Ning became a complete bystander. He didn't know how competent the three guards were as agents, but their event setup skills were certainly top-notch.
Polly hauled boxes large and small while the other two bustled around, setting up the site. Soon, a sign bearing the words "Alchemy Department" was raised, tents of various sizes were pitched, and their table was replaced with a brand new one. It was clear they had come prepared.
Zhou Ning curled his lip. The world is full of amateurs telling professionals how to do their jobs. He had no interest in interfering. After watching for a while, he grew bored, stepped aside, and casually opened the game forum.
He had been busy with orders for the past two days and hadn't had time to check the forums. He was surprised to see that activity had exploded. The discussion section alone had hundreds of thousands of new posts daily.
Mulling this over, Zhou Ning clicked into the discussion section. He read the pinned post and froze.
To reward our players and give them the opportunity to experience the first major event in the world of Apocalypse, we're launching our first closed beta test. This will last for five days, and there are only 200 spots available. Seize the opportunity, and perhaps you too will have the chance to appear in the Apocalypse series and become the protagonist.
"A closed beta?"
Zhou Ning stared in amazement.
In his previous life, he had started the game very late and had no idea a closed beta had ever happened.
I was just thinking about how to take advantage of the players during the open beta, but now that it's here, I'm a little nervous. Isn't this too sudden?
The situation was already chaotic enough. If players get involved, won't it just become even more of a mess?
Zhou Ning clicked on the pinned post and saw that the results of the closed beta draw were already out. The spots had been randomly selected from high-level players across multiple countries. With such a large pool to draw from, the 200 who were chosen were not only high-level players but also incredibly lucky ones.
[Closed Beta has been initiated. NPC functionality unlocked. Please check your game panel.]
Zhou Ning was speechless.
When he opened his game panel again, there was indeed a new option for NPC functions. Upon inspection, he found that he could create and issue tasks to players at will, complete with custom rewards.
In other words, he could freely edit quests and their rewards. With this system, he could easily use rewards to get players to run errands for him. The reward section allowed him to offer money, special props, equipment, experience points, and even unlock learning functions for players.
The experience points wouldn't be deducted from his own total; the system would pay them out on his behalf. However, there was a daily limit to the amount of EXP an NPC could award, likely tied to their level. Currently, Zhou Ning could contribute quests with a total daily maximum of 20,000 experience points.
The setting seemed reasonable. Otherwise, if giving players experience deducted from his own, he could create an infinite loop of de-leveling and re-leveling to skyrocket his stats.
Thinking it over, the closed beta might not be so bad. The world of "Apocalypse" was immense. The first version alone included six countries and over ten different factions. If 200 players were scattered across that vast world, they might not even make a ripple. It probably wouldn't have any impact on the current situation.
The real game-changer would be the open beta, when a massive influx of players would be enough to alter the entire landscape.
For him, however, this closed beta was an opportunity. He could use it to solidify his standing among the first wave of players, explore the specifics of the NPC functions, and prepare for the open beta in the near future.
Footsteps approached. The three agents had finished setting up and were now walking toward him, led by their brawny, Jason Statham-like companion.
"Thank you for your cooperation," said the agent, who had been silent until now, as he shook Zhou Ning's hand. "My name is Ian. I'm with the Sun Guard's third team."
"Hello." Zhou Ning shook his hand and asked casually, "Sherlock asked me to assist you in any way I can tomorrow. Can you tell me your plan?"
"We've placed a special detection device inside the table that will react to alchemical bombs," Ian said calmly. "As for tomorrow, your only job is to prioritize your own safety. The Sun Guardians have been around for nine years, and we've never let civilians rush to the front lines."
Zhou Ning smiled and nodded, not bothering to say anything more. It seemed he was being underestimated.
At that moment, everyone's head snapped up toward the sky.
Hundreds of fiery red meteors streaked across the heavens, scattering as they fell toward the continent below.
Qian West, who was in the middle of a conversation with Sherlock, saw the spectacle and was rendered speechless.
For some reason, he was reminded of Elan's prophecy:
The gods are about to awaken, the extraordinary are about to fully return, and the world will welcome countless chosen ones who do not fear death, for they cannot truly die. Their arrival is both a disaster and an opportunity.
…
Somewhere in Darkland City, a scream rang out.
XB stared blankly at the hyper-realistic environment around him.
He found himself on a city street. A light drizzle was falling.
The raindrops on his face felt icy cold, just like real rain.
He touched his arm and could feel the warmth and texture of his own skin.
"What the hell? This level of realism is insane!" XB muttered in amazement.
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