Upon entering "The World," Smith first journeyed through a kaleidoscopic tunnel, eventually arriving at a solemn golden temple. A palm-sized female angel, fluttering four pairs of snowy white wings, floated before him.
"Greetings, adventurer! Welcome to 'The World.' I am Gabriel, your guide angel. I will explain the four major categories and twelve professions of 'The World' so you may choose your preferred one."
With a flick of Gabriel's small hand, twelve illustrated profession descriptions appeared before Smith. These twelve professions were divided into four main categories:
Warrior Class: Shield Warrior, Guardian Knight, Berserker. Weapon Class: Swordsman, Assassin, Ranger. Healing Class: Priest, Druid, Oracle. Magic Class: Elementalist, Summoner, Warlock.
The Warrior class focused on defense and tanking, the Weapon class on physical damage output, the Healing class on restoration, and the Magic class on magical damage. Each profession offered a unique combat style, a major selling point of "The World."
In his previous life, Smith had chosen the Weapon class Swordsman, earning him the title "Sword Magician." Having invested so much into the Swordsman profession, he naturally wouldn't consider any other. Without hesitation, he chose Swordsman, a profession he knew intimately.
"Profession selection complete. Please name your character."
"Night Blade."
Smith chose the same name as in his previous life.
"Naming successful. Would you like to adjust your facial features? Adjustment rate is 15%."
Smith considered it. He didn't want to draw too much attention, so he opted for a 15% adjustment. While not as handsome as his true self, no one would be able to recognize him.
"Please select your birthplace in the Star-Moon Kingdom."
Suddenly, a map of the Star-Moon Kingdom appeared before Smith, dotted with dozens of cities.
"The World" launched globally and simultaneously. To accommodate hundreds of millions of players, the game's landmass was incredibly vast, comparable to two or three times the surface area of Earth, containing numerous countries. However, players' starting country was determined by their real-world region and city, and they could only choose a city within that predetermined country.
"White River City."
Smith had no intention of choosing another city; he directly selected the familiar White River City. White River City was the fifth-largest city in the Star-Moon Kingdom and an important city in its eastern region. Many smaller studios preferred to develop here to avoid conflicts with larger guilds.
"City confirmed. Player will be randomly teleported to Red Leaf Town, a subordinate town of White River City. Teleporting in 3 seconds. Have a pleasant gaming experience."
Then, Smith felt a flash before his eyes and was teleported away.
Red Leaf Town, with its medieval architectural style, featured well-arranged houses everywhere. The streets were bustling with NPCs moving and interacting, making it feel like stepping into another world.
Smith was teleported in front of a church, clad in gray novice leather armor, with a novice sword hanging at his waist – the perfect image of a down-and-out swordsman.
"As expected, I'm in Red Leaf Town." Smith smiled faintly, looking at the familiar town before him, filled with confidence.
At this moment, a large number of players were already milling about, conversing with NPCs, searching for quest clues. A few players had even ventured out of town to hunt monsters in the wilderness, each one fiercely determined, as if wishing they could split their time in two.
Smith ignored the other players. With a flick of his finger, his character's attribute panel appeared.
Character: Night Blade (Human) Affiliated Kingdom: Star-Moon Title: None Profession: Swordsman Level: 0 HP: 100/100 Attack: 13 Defense: 4 Attack Speed: 3 Movement Speed: 4 Attributes: Strength 5, Agility 3, Endurance 4, Intelligence 2, Spirit 2. Free Attribute Points: 4 Weapon Mastery: One-handed Sword Mastery +5 (Apprentice level increases one-handed sword damage by 5%), Two-handed Sword Mastery +5 (Apprentice level increases two-handed sword damage by 5%) Free Mastery Points: 0 Profession Attributes:
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- Swordsman Attribute One: Sword Mastery +5
- Swordsman Attribute Two: Gain 8 Free Mastery Points every five levels.
- Swordsman Attribute Three: Sword skill proficiency increased by 50%. Skills: Slash, Action-based, Requires Sword, Deals 8 bonus damage, Cooldown 5 seconds, Skill Level 1 (Proficiency 0/300). Equipment: Swordsman Leather Armor (Gray Junk), Durability 10/10, Defense 2, Equipment Level 0. Practice One-handed Novice Sword (Gray Junk), Durability 15/15, Attack 3, Equipment Requirement 3 Strength, Equipment Level 0.
His backpack contained ten loaves of bread and ten pouches of water. Eating bread restored 10 HP per second, and drinking water restored 10 Mana per second, both lasting ten seconds.
All Swordsman players started with the same initial attributes. The only difference lay in how they allocated their free attribute points. Players gained 4 free attribute points per level, and as their levels increased, their attribute distribution would vary, forming their unique playstyles.
Strength increased physical attack and carrying capacity. Agility increased attack speed and movement speed. Endurance increased HP and stamina. Intelligence increased magic attack and mana. Spirit increased mana regeneration and healing output. Each profession had different attribute priorities.
Swordsmen were physical damage dealers, so most players would prioritize Strength. In his previous life, Smith had also chosen this path, allocating 2 points to Strength, 1 to Endurance, and 1 to Agility—a very standard and unremarkable choice.
However, this time, Smith had no intention of allocating his points in the same way.
Without hesitation, Smith clicked the plus sign for Agility, pouring all 4 points into it. His Agility immediately rose to 7, his Attack Speed became 4, and his Movement Speed became 5. This kind of attribute allocation was something even Agility-focused Assassins wouldn't do; they would prioritize damage in the early game by adding more Strength to level up faster.
But Smith didn't agree.
In the early stages of "The World," for melee professions, Agility was the best choice. This was a secret only discovered several weeks after the game's launch, causing countless melee players to beat their chests and spit blood in regret for their haphazard initial attribute allocation.
After allocating his attribute points, Smith looked around.
In just a short while, another large group of players had been teleported in. The small central plaza was now filled with green diamond markers, indicating players, completely covering the yellow NPC markers, making it difficult to even find an NPC.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Smith's voice communication rang. He saw the name "Black Cloud Veiling Sun" – it was Artemis calling.
"Bro, I chose Warlock and got teleported to Lunarfall Town. Where are you?" Artemis was excited to be in "The World" and eager to start playing.
"I'm in Red Leaf Town, not too far from Lunarfall Town. Come to Red Leaf Town, and I'll level you up," Smith said.
"Bro, are you crazy? Do you know how far Lunarfall Town is from Red Leaf Town? The map says it'll take me 7 hours to get there! I'll fall way behind other players. Let's just level up individually and meet up in White River City once we hit level ten." Artemis was so exasperated he almost spat blood. Earning sixteen thousand credit points in ten days was already insane enough. Now, entering "The World" and not focusing on leveling up, but instead asking him to waste 7 hours? He wouldn't do it, not even if it killed him.
"Don't worry, just come over. The time you 'waste' will be quickly caught up," Smith said calmly.
Artemis heard the confidence in Smith's tone and became excited. "Bro, do you have information from a beta tester?"
Before "The World" launched, many people were invited to test it. These individuals were called beta testers, and they held firsthand information about "The World." Although the game would undergo changes, beta testers certainly knew much more than ordinary players.
"What do you think? Anyway, hurry up and come over," Smith said with a mysterious smile.
Artemis was thrilled. He knew Smith must have reliable information; otherwise, he wouldn't say such a thing. "Alright, Bro, wait for me. I'm coming now."
After hanging up with Artemis, Smith headed towards the dark alley in the town.
The entire Red Leaf Town had hundreds of NPCs, but only a few dozen actually gave quests. There were only five hidden quests, and only one unique quest. A unique quest was one-of-a-kind; once completed, it disappeared.
This particular unique quest in Red Leaf Town was only discovered two months after "The World" launched. At the time, it caused a sensation throughout White River City because it was unique. The lucky player who completed it even posted the guide to show off, making many players envious. Unfortunately, the quest was gone, and no one else could do it.
This time, Smith naturally wouldn't let this unique quest slip away.
Smith arrived at the dark alley, which was filled with beggars in ragged clothes. Seeing Smith approach, they swarmed him like hungry wolves spotting meat, begging for food.
In the past, some players had given these beggars a lot of food, but the beggars would then ask for more, and increasingly expensive and rare items. The generous player had actually agreed to more than a dozen of their demands, but the beggars truly gave nothing in return, almost driving that player to exasperation and becoming a running joke.
"Get out of here!"
Smith roared, drawing his novice sword. The helpless beggars scattered, hiding to the side.
As the beggars dispersed, Smith walked to a corner where a beggar lay. He was a disheveled middle-aged man, no different from the others, except that he was the only one who hadn't begged for food, showing a surprising amount of backbone.
"Sir, do you need any help?" Smith looked at the man, speaking formally.
"Could you spare some food? I haven't eaten in five days," the beggar replied.
Smith offered a slight, serious smile. "Unfortunately, sir, I cannot grant your request."
If a normal person heard that, they would probably be furious, but the beggar merely sighed and said nothing more.
"However, if you are willing to pay the corresponding price, I can give you the food you need," Smith continued.
The beggar looked up at Smith, his eyes filled with hope. "If I had money, I would certainly pay for it, but I have nothing now. If, if you are willing to help me, I will pay a sufficient price. Will you help me?"
"What do you wish me to do?" Smith asked.
The beggar's voice was utterly serious. "Please help me kill Cross, the mayor of Red Leaf Town."
Although Red Leaf Town was small, its mayor was a Level 15 Elite, guarded by Level 25 guards. Furthermore, killing an NPC would lead to being wanted by other NPCs. Killing a mayor was undoubtedly an incredibly insane act; no player would believe it was a legitimate quest. It was practically sending players to their deaths, and no one would agree to such a preposterous request.
"Alright, I accept." Smith agreed without hesitation, a smile on his face.
System: You have accepted the Unique Quest, "Sherlock's Request." Quest Objective: Kill Red Leaf Town Mayor Cross and deliver the Mayor's Emblem to Sherlock. Player level cannot exceed Level 10.
Having accepted the quest, Smith turned and walked towards the Mayor's Office, the town hall.