"For us, this place is not just a game, but also a sanctuary away from the noise..."
"Every tree, every blade of grass, every flower, and every piece of wood here is so real."
"Perfectly recreated senses, seamless NPCs..."
"If it weren't for the game system and Blue Star Network, I would really think I had traveled to a world of sword and magic."
"I think I now truly understand that phrase from the official trailer—"
"Creating the most realistic, deepest, most immersive, and freest epic fantasy!"
"The officials really want to paint a real world for us..."
As Li Mu reflected, he turned to the others with a smile:
"But come to think of it, we've been here for so long, if you really think about it, what exactly have we done?"
The others looked at each other.
"Chopping trees?"
"Sweeping?"
"Teasing NPCs?"
"..."
Li Mu: ...
He glared at the last person who spoke, from Demacia, and continued:
"Today, we've actually been doing menial labor, which is like moving bricks in reality! Who would want to do that? But look, the hundreds of us after a whole day, we are all excited like fools, delighted as if reaching the heavens by just chopping a tree. Why do you think that is?"
Demacia tugged at his explosive red hair, somewhat unsurely said:
"Is it because you can streak here, liberate oneself?"
Li Mu: ...
He glared at this unreliable fellow again, and said:
"It's the immersion! Everything here is so real, it has made us unconsciously forget this is a game. Here, it's as if we've started another life, that's the essence of this game!"
After listening, everyone deeply agreed:
"Brother Mu, you are right. Now that you mention it, I feel that way too. Maybe it's because the forest scenery is too beautiful. In this game, I feel like I have forgotten all my worries."
"Me too, sometimes I wish this was a real existing world… The mysterious magic, endless adventures, it couldn't be more fantastic..."
Listening to his companions, Li Mu nodded:
"Exactly, this kind of real immersion, that's the essence of Elf Kingdom! The people who made this game are really geniuses!"
"But Brother Mu, what does this have to do with Alice's affection?"
Demacia asked.
Li Mu finished a berry, spitting out a few seeds to the side, and said:
"NPC's affection is the same. Since the core of this game is immersion, we can't just treat NPCs as NPCs. This isn't an ordinary game where completing an NPC's task can simply increase affection; you must communicate with NPCs on an equal footing..."
Saying this, Li Mu slowly stood up, facing the campfire, leaving a profound silhouette for the players, his voice becoming calmer and calm, like a wise elder:
"As long as you are in the game, you should treat this place as a real world, and similarly, you should respect NPCs, just like you respect humans. Only then can you truly enhance your affection with them. I believe this is the designer's true intention, as well as the core of the affection system."
"The reason I got 20 points of affection with Alice is because I never treated her as an NPC, but really treated her as a respected natural priestess to communicate with, and it was my respect that won her recognition."
The players, upon hearing Li Mu, suddenly realized:
"So that's why!"
"No wonder no matter how many tasks I complete, Miss Alice only ever improves her expression slightly, and her affection never really grows."
"I'm done for! Why did I impulsively want to touch an NPC..."
"Stop talking, Demacia, you always mess things up."
Listening to a few players mocking Demacia, Li Mu suddenly turned around, showing a brilliant smile on his face, his expression becoming somewhat mysterious:
"Actually, the sense of immersion is one aspect, but what really made me fall in love with this game is not just its realism."
"What is it?"
The players looked puzzled.
Li Mu chuckled and said:
"Don't you think that in the game, as long as you put in effort, you get rewards? Just keep working, and you can see your experience points increase, though it's little, but once you complete a task, it jumps up a lot... This sense of achievement is the core of all games!"
The players nodded in agreement:
"That's right! That's right! I feel the same."
"While chopping trees is slow, the experience points are actually growing, even though it's very little."
"Although most games allow you to level up with effort, I always feel this game is more realistic, more thrilling!"
"Exactly! It's the perfect combination of realism and the sense of achievement!"
"That intense feeling of getting stronger is just awesome!"
"Experiencing Magic firsthand is fantastic!"
"And the sword skills! I always thought that Cross Slash is super cool!"
"Right? Right?"
Seeing everyone agreeing, Li Mu showed a radiant smile.
He swiped his system interface while speaking to the group:
"That's right, it's exactly this. The combination of sense of achievement and realism is the most wonderful. And what's even more wonderful..."
He paused for a moment, and under the expectant gazes of the group, Li Mu hit the upgrade button.
"Ding—"
Accompanied by the system's charming chime, amidst a burst of brilliant light, Li Mu leveled up to Level 5.
Seeing the envious looks from the group, Li Mu gave a sly smile showing his white teeth:
"It's seeing your envious, jealous, and resentful looks when I level up…"
"…"
"My friends, apologies, but I'm one step closer to my class transfer, you all need to work harder!"
"Damn!"
...
The players' revelry lasted until midnight.
Elves' bodies still get tired, and for lower-level creatures, sleep is essential.
Though players can turn off the fatigue from lack of rest in the game system, they can't completely avoid the physical tiredness debuff.
Under these circumstances, all physical capabilities decline, and in severe cases, it can even lead to death.
Therefore, except a few hardcore players, most players after weighing the pros and cons chose to rest, planning to log off and play again after a few hours when their strength had recovered.
By then, it'd also be daylight in the game, making activities more convenient.
Countless players entered the built wooden houses, squeezed together, and deeply slept, their consciousness awakening in Blue Star Network.
Li Mu also chose to log off.
Exiting the game pod, he checked the time and found that only four hours had passed, as if the long entertainment was just a dream.
Taking a deep breath, he felt exhilarated, experiencing the urge to continue playing a game like never before.
"This will be a game that goes down in history!"
After reflecting for a while, Li Mu opened his computer, planning to produce a speedy review based on his gaming experience.
This time, he was going to rave about it!