[Universal Descent’s Beta Tester phase has officially ended.]
[The game is now open to everyone. Enjoy!]
[Time flow has been synchronized with the real world.]
As the system announcement reverberated through the world, Alex stood calmly in Star City alongside Alice.
The declaration had undoubtedly shaken the virtual and real world, all news outlets and medias on fire because of the announcement.
The air crackled with subtle energy as the [World Integration Update] finalized.
Alex exhaled a quiet breath, already anticipating the chaos to follow.
He even decided to open the forum for once.
[New players?!]
[It has opened!]
[Finally, I can enter, I quit my job to focus on Universal Descent!]
[I’m new, any advices?]
That last comment, though it was sent mere seconds ago, already had over 10 million views and 1 million likes.
Universal Descent was now taking the world by storm more than ever before, as everybody could access it.
The [Rune Bracelets/Rings] appeared around their wrists, allowing them to do anything a normal Beta Tester could do.
And of course, as he predicted, the moment the [Public Phase] was initiated, a massive golden panel materialized in the air above Star City, shimmering with a regal glow.
[Golden Star Academy Entrance Examination #1]
[Participants: 1,258/100,000]
[Criteria: Only players above Level 100 are eligible.]
“Wow,” Alice’s eyes sparkled, “Should we go there!?”
“Sure,” Alex smiled, “If you want to die that is,” he shrugged.
“Damn.”
“But don’t worry, we’ll still participate in that entrance examination,” he quickly followed as Alice looked down, “There’s stuff inside that academy that needs to be found.”
Of course, neither of them were going to participate in the classes as they were too strong already anyway, but regardless, it was still a good thing.
[It’s finally open! My brother said this game is life-changing. I’m going all-in.]
[Why can’t I leave the Novice Village yet? Is it locked behind levels?]
[Tips for beginners: Focus on agility or spirit stats early on. Trust me.]
The forum was going ballistic, but Alex quickly closed it, not wanting to lose some of his precious brain cells reading it.
“Hey,” Alex patted Alice’s head, “Wanna go see the new players?”
“…” Alice frantically nodded, excited.
Alex and Alice teleported to [Novice Village 666], the familiar yet eerie surroundings a stark contrast to the bustling chaos they anticipated.
Rows of shimmering teleportation circles flared constantly as thousands arrived, their excitement evident as they took in the surroundings.
The silver-skinned humans themselves seemed surprised.
“I just created my guild, please join it!”
“Seeking new players with S-Level talents to fight!”
“Join [Crimson Wrath]! Guaranteed support and power leveling!”
Alice laughed, nudging Alex with her elbow, “Remember when this place only had hundreds of people in it?”
Alex smiled faintly, his gaze drifting over the scene. “It was bound to happen. Everyone wants a piece of this world now.” frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
As the duo walked through the crowded village square, it didn’t take long for players to notice them. A hush fell over a section of the plaza, quickly replaced by excited murmurs.
“Holy crap, that’s FateBreaker!”
“No way! The legend himself?”
Recognizing the opportunity, some Beta Tester guild leaders approached, bowing slightly out of respect.
“FateBreaker,” one began, a tall man clad in sleek black armor, his guild emblem shimmering in gold, “I’m Garret, leader of [Iron Vanguard]. I’d be honored if you’d visit our guild hall. We’ve heard of your exploits and-”
Alex raised a hand, cutting him off with a polite but firm tone. “Not interested. But thanks for the offer.”
The man nodded awkwardly, retreating as whispers spread further through the crowd.
“I think that’s good enough for now,” he had the [Mask of Concealment], so his -1000 reputation with the silver-skins should be hidden, but even then he didn’t want to waste too much time in here.
Fwish!
And so the two teleported out of the [Novice Village] right as more people were beginning to surround them.
They teleported back to the [Fox Tribe Village].
‘Around a week or more before the entrance examination if my memories are correct,’ Alex thought as he appeared in the village square, ‘That should let us enough time to prepare.’
…
Back inside of Novice Village 666.
Daniel and his [Overlord] guild, as well as Dawn and the [Madmen] guild members arrived in the village shortly after the announcement.
They couldn’t teleport, so they had to use a [Dawn City Teleportation Crystal] and rush to get there early.
They had missed FateBreaker’s appearance, but it didn’t matter to them: right now, they were planning to recruit more people.
Respectively, Daniel was level 143, and Dawn level 154, meaning that they were doing very decently, especially with the gear they bought and acquired.
They ordered hundreds of their members to try and recruit newbies.
The reason? Well, they wanted to establish their city quickly after training them.
After acquiring the [City Building Scroll], it clearly stated:
[After claiming a city using the scroll, you will have to face a trial: defend your city for 24 hours against hordes of monsters, as well as players that wish to stop you.]
[If you manage to defend the city, you will receive a rating based on how well you and its inhabitants have done, rewards will be given accordingly, and your city will be established.]
Meaning that being alone wouldn’t be possible: if a monster reached the altar, it would be game over, even if they were level 1000.
“Come on Daniel,” Dawn laughed, watching the mage look at the place, making him feel almost… nostalgic.
“Oh, yeah,” the man slapped both his cheeks and continued his calls, “The Overlord and Madmen guild are recruiting, calling to all newbies, talents at B-Level or above only!”
They wanted players, but they still had standards.
Right now, their two guilds still hadn’t merged to create a massive and powerful one like in Alex’s previous life, but it wouldn’t be long before they did.
“I have an S-Level talent, recruit me!”
“A-Level here, I can be useful…”
“That’s stupid, I’m going to level up by myself.”
The players were torn between gaining an advantage at the start but being bound to a guild, or going solo but with higher risks.
For your information, the 30-minutes of wait time after each death was in fact not removed yet even after the game went public.
It would be removed later, but right now it would be necessary to ensure everybody didn’t do stupid things.
As Daniel and Dawn ramped up their recruitment efforts, the bustling Novice Village 666 became a melting pot of excitement and ambition.
But among the chaos, a subtle yet ominous presence went unnoticed by all, a shadowy figure lurking near the edge of the village square, cloaked in a black hood.
“Interesting,” the figure murmured, watching Daniel’s fervent attempts to gather recruits. “Even now, they’re desperate to control the masses. Typical.”
A faint smirk crept across their lips before they melted into the crowd, their presence like a fleeting whisper.
On their hood, the symbol of the [Black Crow Guild], which was, as you expected, a black crow with crimson pupils, could be seen.
It seemed like that powerful NPC guild was also on the move.
And they weren’t the only ones, across all of Universal Descent, every NPC and races could feel that something had shifted, making them more cautious than ever before.