bookpower 115 – NeverShowOff Accidentally Shows Off
115 – NeverShowOff Accidentally Shows Off
---Third POV---Apart from that, the more valuable posts were from people like LootGoblin and Hedgehog, who shared tips on dealing with Blackrock Toad eggs.
"They clearly took away the dead egg corpses, but the remaining live eggs still gradually grow stronger…"
After finishing reading the warnings in the post, NeverShowOff's curiosity grew even stronger.
"Doesn't that mean the difficulty increases over time, but so do the rewards? Interesting, I wonder if I can make it back in time?"
Now, all they needed was to find Edgar, and their mission would be successfully completed.
Hopefully, the players still in Honeyvale Town left something for them…
Scrolling down, a familiar post appeared in his view.
---
[New Map Unlocked! Progress on the Initial Exploration of Nary Town!]
---
"So fast?" he exclaimed.
His post had been up for less than ten minutes, and it was already trending!
Was this the power of a good title?
Seeing the growing number of comments, he simply clicked in. He found that hardly anyone cared about the wasteland route map they spent an entire day exploring yesterday.
It was just a flood of exclamation marks.
[!!! New map? When did this happen?]
[Oh no, did I sleep through a major update?!]
[A new map, long-term quests, new players… How much content did the devs update yesterday?!!]
[What the heck! New map exploration! Why wasn't I the lucky one?]
Although the players hadn't hidden the story about the Inverted Space, they hadn't exactly advertised it either.
As a result, waves of players intrigued by that place came to explore, only to find scattered items and notes. No one else spotted the magical circle's purpose at a glance, like the bored player who did before.
Some even thought it was already broken.
It wasn't until Viktor secured the circle that some players started to reconsider. Then they saw NeverShowOff's post.
Reading through the jealous comments, so jealous they seemed ready to reach through the internet to punch him, NeverShowOff guiltily averted his gaze. He wasn't deliberately withholding information; he'd just been procrastinating on the guide for a few days.
Of course, he still replied to a few less emotional comments.
---
[Outside the forest is a plain? Covered in resilient grass? Wow, wow, wow, are there any abstract paintings for reference?]
[NeverShowOff]: Sorry, there are no abstract diagrams for now
[Can the magic circle still be activated? I'll log in right now]
[NeverShowOff]: Hmm... Probably not. The core of the teleportation array is a dimensional crystal, and its uses are currently limited
That person immediately followed up with another question.
[What?! Then doesn't that mean very few players can access the new map?]
Later, a flood of comments, possibly from beta testers, filled the thread.
[Time to grind contribution points!]
[Why not grind game levels? Don't most games unlock new maps based on level?]
[I think it's about Viktor's favorability!]
[?? Newbie tears… No way, I'm logging in right now to grind quests!]
Before panic could fully spread in the comments, NeverShowOff quickly quelled it.
[NeverShowOff]: Wait! I'm not done yet. Viktor is actually working on maintaining the long-term operation of the teleportation array. Plus, the Ship-Carriage Guild sells dimensional crystals. The price isn't too high; you just need to apply and wait a bit for delivery from other branches.
The comments started pouring in even faster.
[Ship-Carriage Guild? What's that?]
[Aren't you new to the town?]
[Hurry up and update!]
[How long is 'a bit'?]
[You better not have just missed a word with your input method]
The pressure was overwhelming for NeverShowOff. How did writing a guide post end up with him being hounded for updates?
Having accidentally spilled too much, he could only sigh and start updating the guide in real time. To be honest, reading the forum had clarified his thoughts quite a bit.
---
---
In addition to summarizing major findings, NeverShowOff didn't forget to provide first-person insights into their journey to the town, including stories about the caravan they encountered and a complex calculus puzzle. Since they were the only four players able to leave the novice village and access the new map, he even shared their upcoming action plan: The Mayor's Estate, the Magicians' Guild, and the Temple of the Spring Goddess.
It was impossible to explore all three simultaneously, and each posed considerable risks. So, he enlisted the help of online players to brainstorm ideas.
---
"Calculus?! Staying in the novice village suddenly seems appealing."
"Turns out we Watchers do have industries and allies; Viktor isn't so bad after all!"
"Right, allies desperately distancing themselves, lol."
"Whoa, three major human empires, multiple Magicians' Guilds, and new map structures! The game lore just expanded big time!"
"We storyline enthusiasts are finally thriving!"
While lore enthusiasts eagerly theorized about the plot and main quest, others took a more unconventional approach.
"The urban planning and architectural aesthetics of Nary Town are horrendous! As a civil engineer, I'm in pain!"
"Environmental science enthusiasts in pain +1!"
"Good thing Viktor at least divided residential zones in the novice village with basic standards..."
"Traps and tools? Looks like this version caters to life-simulation players!"
"Handicapped players strongly protest!"
Others pursued more unique angles...
"Wait! A pre-modern town with heavy ideological restrictions and 100% realism? Isn't this essentially an isekai setting?"
"What's your plan, buddy? The NPCs have high intelligence!"
"Exactly! You don't know their customs or unspoken rules; how could you compete with ultra-intelligent AI? Don't die on your first day!"
"I see what you mean, there are so many of us, and we're networked! This is collective isekai!"
"Time to liberate the continent of Aeltia!"
"Liberate Aeltia! Down with the gods!"
"Down with the gods!"
"Down with the gods!"
---
The forum atmosphere grew unexpectedly fervent, leaving NeverShowOff with chills. He had to add a quick clarification:
"Wait! This is no ordinary medieval setting! I must remind you: the town's guards are far stronger than their shabby living conditions suggest! Not to mention, high-level mages have recently been arriving in the town!"
As a group of novice mages, their team couldn't possibly compete with a high-level mage. It was fine if other players lacked sense, but they mustn't drag his team onto a wanted list after unlocking the new map!
Judging by the wanted posters plastered around the inn and tavern, the treatment didn't seem pleasant.
Ironically, his warning only heightened player enthusiasm.
"High-level mages arriving in town?! That means there's special storyline content!"
"I'm logging in right now to request new map access from Viktor!"
"..."
NeverShowOff might as well find a way to disassociate himself from the incoming players entirely.
---
Late at night, he was still far from finishing his strategy guide. To be honest, he'd written many game guides before, for all sorts of games. But none gave him the same sense of accomplishment as Chronicles of Aeltia.
Not just because the game's popularity was skyrocketing, nor because of the amusingly generous likes and comments from other players.
But because the game's content was overwhelmingly realistic.
As he organized his notes, summarizing the patrol schedules of Nary Town's wall guards, he found his fingers pausing mid-typing.
"Even lazy guards? The AI realism in Chronicles of Aeltia is borderline excessive…"
Nary Town was no small place.
With 4,000–5,000 townsfolk, each NPC had unique behaviors, no cookie-cutter templates in sight.
It was no wonder some players were plotting "collective isekai" plans. The realism was so immersive that even he felt less like a guide writer and more like an intelligence agent.
While this gave him immense satisfaction, it also raised concerns about the game's longevity. How many servers would it take to sustain such detail?
Every second of gameplay seemed to ooze the scent of money.
He pondered this for a moment before being snapped back to reality by a barrage of forum notifications. Setting aside conspiracy theories, he resumed typing.
"Whatever. As long as we can play the game, it's enough! Anything more is none of our concern."
Sometimes, knowing less truly brings more joy.
---
A faint scraping sound echoed through the hallway.
Gaeman's eyes shot open, his gaze sharp and alert. Without a sound, he rolled out of bed, stepping lightly onto the cabinet before climbing onto the beam above the door.
His lean figure easily concealed itself, with not even a hemline showing.
Barely two minutes passed before the door, guaranteed by the innkeeper to be unopenable without a key, creaked ajar.
It groaned softly, like the faint lament of old wood.
A figure entered, a bizarre one clad in a black bear-fur hat and wrapped tightly from head to toe, completely at odds with the summer heat.
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