noveldrama
Chapter 868 Overcrowded Beginner Village No. 3!
Chapter 868 Overcrowded Beginner Village No. 3!
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[You Have Died][Game Over]
These blood-red words, accompanied by swirling pirate skulls, appeared on the shattered system interface, which darkened before Kaido and his followers.
The pain that attacked them was so intense it resembled the agony of death. It was so overwhelming that they couldn't even scream; they lacked the strength due to its sheer severity. Luckily, it only lasted for a brief moment—less than a second—before vanishing.
This happened because Rob noticed the fatal flaw at that exact moment and mitigated it, allowing Kaido and his companions to sigh in relief. Experiencing the pain of death was the worst agony they'd ever felt in their lives.
One could only imagine the pain of being turned into minced meat…
"Oops! What a terrible mistake… I forgot to adjust the pain settings in the game. Luckily, Kaido and his crew were the first to test it! This is truly a deadly error. Even though experiencing such pain isn't fatal, it would paralyze many innocent souls, and that's not something I want to see," Rob sighed as his tense brows relaxed.
He had always felt like he was forgetting something, which is why he organized the closed beta before the official launch. Only by personally testing the game could the hidden flaws from production be discovered.
The game's production was already complete. One Art Store had been sacrificed to create this game world. However, the completion of production didn't mean the game was flawless or that players could enter this world without precautions.
What happened to Kaido and his crew was the perfect example of this."The difficulty level of this game cannot be altered, but the pain scale can be adjusted to three levels…"
As Rob said this, his thoughts moved swiftly, and an absolute law swept through the game world:
• Acceptable Pain (Recommended)
• Moderately Painful (Not Recommended)
• Realistic Pain (Locked until Level 50)
These were the three pain levels Rob had set. From now on, players would need to choose between "Acceptable Pain" and "Moderately Painful." But the "Realistic" level would remain inaccessible because it could genuinely harm them. No one would want to experience true pain, especially at low levels, where the mortality rate was high. Experiencing the pain of death wasn't a joke. For this reason, at least until reaching Level 50, the realistic level would remain locked.
After resolving this error, Rob relaxed a bit. Now, he was genuinely benefiting from the closed beta.
As for the difficulty levels, Rob could adjust those too, but he chose not to. The game wasn't simple—this wasn't just a virtual world. If he allowed players to exploit the game with an easy mode, why would anyone want to play on the harder difficulties?
Thus, realistic difficulty was the only option. This game offered players the chance to grow stronger in reality, acquire wisdom, and master combat skills. Sometimes, they could even retrieve items from the game into the real world. Why would Rob allow them to gain all of this easily?
If they wanted benefits, they would need to fight for them. Rob merely provided the opportunity; they needed to figure out how to seize it themselves.
At that moment, Kaido and his crew's capsules opened, and they stepped out with grim expressions.
"Why is this damn game so hard!? We died that quickly!? How the hell did we even die!?" Kaido roared furiously.
"Actually, that was your fault, Kaido-san. You let go of your rope, and Morgan's statue crushed us into minced meat because the other Marines couldn't catch it in time," King responded calmly. Unlike his enraged captain, he wasn't angry at all—just a little disappointed. He had wanted to explore more of the game world but couldn't do anything now. They had lost, and that was an unchangeable fact.
"That pain I felt in that moment… It really felt like I was dying," Queen shuddered as he recalled the sensation that attacked his senses when the stone statue crushed him.
"Don't mention it! Don't mention it! I'm still trembling because of it!" Jack's response was the same. The rest of the Beast Pirates behind them nodded fearfully; it had been a harrowing experience.
"How was the experience? Did you enjoy the game?"
At that moment, Rob's voice echoed from the screen on the ceiling of the dark room.
Kaido, Queen, King, and Jack all looked at Rob's smiling face and couldn't help but feel a chill of terror toward this man with such divine methods.
The Art Store, his overwhelming power, and now the game world… These achievements could no longer be explained by Devil Fruit abilities alone. The mystery of Rhodes D. Rob had lingered in their minds for a long time, only deepening over time.
Now, they couldn't deduce anything, no matter how much they thought. Rob's combat strength wasn't as terrifying as the resources he possessed. The enigma surrounding him was like the fog covering their in-game map.
How could they uncover this man's mystery? Would advancing in the game levels allow them to decipher him?
'Will reaching Level 100 be enough? Or will I need to go beyond that?' Kaido's train of thought stopped when Rob spoke again.
"Tell me what you discovered in the game world. Was there anything unusual? You entered Beginner Village No. 1. Your map has already been updated. You'll always start there," Rob said gently, but his tone was commanding. They couldn't hide anything from him.
Through them, Rob could identify anomalies and fix them. Even as the creator of the game world, he couldn't oversee everything on his own—it would take decades to do so alone.
"If muscular bodies can be considered a flaw in your game…" Kaido started, but Rob interrupted him.
"That's not a major flaw, but I've already fixed it. Tell me what you found—quickly, before I lose my patience."
This time, Rob's expression turned cold, making Kaido feel uneasy.
Before Kaido could speak, King hurriedly said, "Sir Rob, we did notice something unusual. When Morgan attacked with his axe hand, it bent strangely and struck his own head. However, there was no blood or pain in his expression. He seemed unaffected, as if he had succeeded in hitting us instead…"
'Hmm, that's definitely a glitch… What could've caused it?' Hearing this, Rob acknowledged that it was indeed a bug in the game and needed fixing to make it appear natural.
"Is that all?" Rob asked again.
"Yes, Sir Rob. That's all. We wouldn't dare lie to you," Alber replied with a sincere expression.
"Good." Rob nodded, and the screen disappeared.
Kaido and his crew didn't dare linger in the Art Store and left in a hurry.
...
Inside the game:
Gecko Islands, Syrup Village
"Where did all these people come from?"
Kuro stood staring at the sight of so many people tirelessly watering flowers and pulling weeds in the mansion's garden. Kuro, a pirate disguised as Klahadore, was a servant in Kaya's mansion.
"Aren't they interesting? They're working so hard, and the expressions they give me when they look my way are so sweet. I feel like they're genuinely excited to meet me," Kaya said, gazing through the window at the dozens of men and women in the garden.
The scene was indeed lively in Kaya's mansion garden. Many solo players had gathered here: Doflamingo, Enel, Rosinante, Issho, Mihawk, Bell-mère, Gloriosa, and Shakky. Even Golden Lion Shiki, Redfield, World, and Bullet were present.
Beginner Village No. 3 was clearly the most crowded in the game's closed beta. Not only were there numerous players from Ohara, but many hunters participating under Rob's orders. All of them came from Ring Hell, the Hunters' Island.
"Oi, so many unfamiliar faces! Why are they dressed so weirdly? They're all ridiculously tall! Who are they? Where did they come from?"
Behind the hedge surrounding the mansion, four pairs of eyes secretly observed the scene.
One pair, with a long nose beneath them, belonged to Usopp, while the other three belonged to his followers: Ninjin, Pilman, and Tamaneji.
"Maybe they're new workers hired by Kaya-sama… That's not unusual for her," one of the kids replied to Usopp.
"What if they're pirates who've secretly infiltrated the village, aiming for Kaya's wealth!?" Usopp exclaimed with a terrified expression.
His reaction frightened the trio, who screamed, "Pirates!?"
"Shh! Quiet! They'll hear us!" Usopp quickly covered their mouths.
"These kids almost got us caught… Those people look really scary. They could be pirates. Why does Kaya trust strangers so easily? I've told her repeatedly not to," Usopp muttered, suspicious and gloomy.
He was genuinely worried about Kaya's safety.
At that moment, his head turned oddly backward as he stood up. "I have to investigate their origins! I am the great Usopp! With my millions of pirate followers, why would I fear these people!?"
Though his head was turned backward, the scene appeared normal to the three children. They thought Usopp was showing off his bravery and had no idea that a glitch in the game had caused this strange phenomenon…
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 848: Captain Kuro VS Player Mihawk!
Chapter 849: Luffy VS. Player Whitebeard! Baratie Restaurant.
Chapter 850: Beginner Village No. 6!
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