Chapter 10: A "Big Gift Pack" for New Players
In the early morning, the air in the Forsaken Land still carried a strange smell, a mixture of sulfur and the stench of the sea.
There are less than 12 hours until the second closed beta test players arrive.
The 15 players in the first test were in a state of extreme excitement but also boredom. The slimes in the back mountain had been killed to extinction, the dead trees around the temple had been cut down, and some bored players even dug up the soil on the ground to try to make pottery (although in the end only a pile of waste was produced).
"So boring—"
"I'm Not a Husky" lay sprawled beside the campfire in the center of the square, a dry blade of grass dangling from his mouth, gazing listlessly at the sky. "The monsters are gone, the quests are gone, does this game not have any of those... those big events that get your adrenaline pumping?"
"Stop complaining, save your energy." "What canned food?" was sitting on a flat rock, organizing the footage he'd shot last night in front of the [Evil God's Heart Mirror]. He was the only player on the entire server to possess this artifact, and he was currently using it like a DSLR camera, trying to find the perfect angle to take a close-up aesthetic shot of the temple ruins.
"I'll go for a stroll in the woods over there and see if there are any lone silly rabbits."
The husky patted the dirt off its rear end, picked up a rusty iron bar it had dug out of the ruins, and wobbled toward the outer perimeter of the temple.
The temple is located at the edge of a withered forest, shrouded in a gray-white mist year-round.
The husky had just reached the edge of the woods, preparing to practice its chopping on a crooked tree, when suddenly—
"Gah—!"
A piercing scream came from above.
A monstrous, rotting bird resembling a crow flapped its wings and took flight from the treetops, but before it had flown more than a few meters, a rough spear came hurtling through the air with a whooshing sound.
Pfft!
The spear pierced the carrion bird's body precisely, pinning it to a dead tree trunk less than ten meters from the husky.
The husky was so frightened that it rolled on the ground and into the bushes.
"Holy crap? Someone's stealing my kill?"
His heart was pounding, and he cautiously poked half his head out.
Although the spear was crudely made and the shaft was somewhat bent, the tip was made of some kind of sharp black stone and coated with a nauseating black slime. It was clearly the product of intelligent beings!
"A humanoid monster? Or... an NPC?"
Husky swallowed hard. As an agility-based player, his senses in this world seemed far more acute than in reality. He crouched low, like a gecko, and slowly crept towards the direction from which the spear had been fired.
The deeper they went, the stronger the nauseating body odor became. It was a mixture of wet dog skin, rotten mud, and fermented excrement, so strong that the husky almost vomited up its breakfast (even though it had only eaten half a piece of black bread).
After crawling for about fifty or sixty meters, through the mist, many figures could be vaguely seen on the open ground ahead.
The husky squinted, and what it saw sent chills down its spine.
They were a group of upright-walking creatures, only about 1.2 meters tall, with heads resembling those of a mongrel dog, and covered in mange and scruffy fur. They were carrying crude spears, blowguns, and tattered wooden shields, and were making a fire to roast meat.
Kobold!
Classic low-level monsters, a frequent feature in fantasy games!
But in the hyper-realistic graphics of The Devil All the Time, these guys don't look cute at all. Their teeth are jagged, they drool yellow, and their eyes gleam with a cunning and cruel red light.
"one two three..."
The husky counted silently in its mind.
"Twenty...thirty...holy crap, there are more than thirty!"
Moreover, the leader was significantly larger, wielding a rusty iron axe and wearing a human bone necklace! It definitely looked like an elite monster!
Just then, the leader of the kobolds suddenly stopped tearing at the raw meat. It twitched its wet nose and sniffed the air.
"Woof! Woof!"
It suddenly turned its head, staring intently at the direction where the husky was hiding, and let out a piercing roar.
"We've been spotted? Dogs have such a keen sense of smell?"
The husky didn't dare count anymore and turned to run away!
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Several javelins and stones hit the spot where he had just been lying, kicking up a cloud of dirt.
"Get out of here when the wind gets strong!"
The husky unleashed its fastest hand and foot speed ever, sprinting through the woods without even daring to look back. Luckily, it was a parkour enthusiast in real life, and had an agility boost in the game, which barely allowed it to shake off the howling pursuers behind it.
...
Temple Square.
"What Canned Food I'm Talking About" was discussing with "Edison Reincarnated" how to improve the structure of the wooden house using existing materials when they suddenly heard a ghostly wail coming from afar.
"Oh no! Something's happened! Someone's going to die!"
The husky burst out of the woods like a gust of wind, running so fast its shoes almost fell off, waving the iron bar in its hand as it ran.
"What happened? Are we being chased by a monster?"
"Dangdangdangxinzhigang" walked over carrying a stone, looking on with amusement. "Weren't you going to hunt rabbits? Why are you acting like you've been chased by dogs?"
The husky rushed in front of the crowd, hands on its knees, panting, "I really... I really got chased by dogs! Big dogs! A whole bunch of them!"
He straightened up, pointed to the withered forest behind him, his face pale: "There's a huge group of kobolds over there! About thirty! They're fully equipped, with wooden shields, spears, and archers! The one leading them is carrying a big axe; he's definitely an elite monster!"
"What? Thirty? And armed forces?"
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
"There are only fifteen of us, and we don't even have weapons!"
"How are we supposed to fight this? Are we just going to be cannon fodder?"
Gangzi slammed the rock to the ground, his eyes flashing with a fierce light: "What's there to be afraid of! I'll go move those big rocks to the intersection right now, and I'll smash anyone who dares to come up to me! Perfect opportunity to test out my new tactic!"
"Wait a minute! Gangzi, don't be impulsive."
"What canned food?" He suddenly raised his hand to stop the crowd who were about to grab their weapons. He pushed up his non-existent glasses, and his eyes gleamed with a light that seemed to be "planning".
"Think about it, what day is tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" Gangzi was taken aback. "Tomorrow's payday? Wait, tomorrow's... the second closed beta test?"
"That's right!"
"What canned food?" snapped his fingers. "Tomorrow morning, 35 brand new new players will be arriving. If we fight tooth and nail to wipe out these kobolds now (although it's highly likely we'll all be wiped out), what will the newbies do when they log in tomorrow? Keep grinding?"
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
"You mean..." The husky seemed to understand.
"These kobolds are practically a 'welcome gift' from the system!"
"What canned food?" she said, getting more and more excited. "We can first 'encircle' these monsters, or lure them onto a specific route. When that batch of newbies logs in tomorrow, they'll run into the monster siege! At that time, as veteran players, we can either bravely command or save the day at crucial moments. Wouldn't that make us look cool?"
"Holy crap! Kai, you're so dirty... no, you're a true tactical mastermind!"
"That's a great idea! This is called a 'new employee training copy'!"
"Besides..." the canned food added, "Thirty monsters are just enough to go around. If we kill them now, our numbers might not be enough to handle them. It's better to save them for the newbies to practice on, and let them experience the cruelty of this world."
"Got it!" Gangzi chuckled. "So our task now is... to set up the scene?"
"Yes! It's not just about setting up the set, it's also about reconnaissance!"
"What canned food?" began issuing commands:
"Everyone, listen up! This isn't desertion; it's preparation for tomorrow's large-scale dungeon raid!"
"Gangzi, take some men to dig a pit! Right on the path leading to the temple, dig a trap! It doesn't need to be too deep, just deep enough to trip them up. The main purpose is to limit their speed and create an environment for the newbies to deal damage!"
"Edison, take out all the remaining slime gel and smear it on the steps at the temple entrance! I want those kobolds to turn into rolling gourds whenever they charge!"
"Fatty! Stop cooking! Take out all your salt, chili powder, and all sorts of other seasonings! Make them into dust bags! These are the 'magic tools' for the newcomers!"
"Husky!"
"Here!" The husky immediately stood at attention.
"Take a break, then use your speed advantage. Your mission is still reconnaissance, but be more meticulous. Figure out their patrol routes and make sure they spot us 'on time' tomorrow morning!"
"Roger that! I'm going to walk the dog right now!" The husky gave a smirk and saluted.
On the high platform of the temple.
Li Wei, who had been observing from the shadows, almost burst out laughing as he listened to the players' plot below.
"These guys... they've actually started to learn how to 'manage' a game?"
He was originally thinking about how to align the Kobolds' attack time with the new players' login time, but he didn't expect that these veteran players would take on this task themselves.
"Since you are so willing, as a deity, I will naturally grant your wish."
Li Wei gently raised his hand, and divine power surged forth.
The next second, a blood-red quest pop-up appeared simultaneously on the retinas of all players:
[Emergency Area Mission: Temple Defense (Prologue)]
[Mission Description: The keen-nosed kobolds of the wasteland have detected the signs of the temple's resurgence and are gathering their forces. As pioneers of the temple, you must pave the way for the arriving reinforcements (second closed beta test players) and create a perfect "first battle."]
[Phase 1: Deployment and Restraint (In Progress)]
[Task Objective:]
Monitor the kobolds' movements to ensure they do not escape control.
Set up defensive lines and traps to weaken the enemy's vanguard combat power.
Hold out until reinforcements arrive (Remaining time: 10 hours).
[Special Reward: After successfully guiding and assisting reinforcements in repelling the kobolds, all players who participated in the initial test will receive the title [Guide] (slightly increasing their prestige among NPCs and new players).]
"Prestige? This reward is just what I'm looking for!"
Upon seeing the mission description, the players became even more motivated.
A grand spectacle ostensibly titled "Welcome Newbies," but in reality a scheme to "slaughter the kobolds," is quietly unfolding outside the temple.