Game’s Dogma

Another week went by, making it a whole month after the ‘Three Days of Crazed Wolves’ incident. Only then did its effects start to wear off.

In the end, Empyreon couldn’t unite as one. Many guilds in the city wanted to see Dark World fall; making them submit to an alliance was simply impossible. They also didn’t see Evergrand and Yoda as a major threat. Considering their strength, the two cities were no more than weaklings clinging together in hopes of surviving. Ants were still ants no matter how massive their colony was.

What about Empyreal Spire? While the guilds respected Chau Yu for his tactical mind, that was about it. Recognising him as their leader was asking for too much.

Meanwhile, Evergrand and Yoda were thriving after their respective unification, the main reason being that minor skirmishes between guilds ceased to occur. No skirmishes meant no deaths, and no deaths meant levelling up faster. It was a fairly common sight to see players from various guilds forming squads together, especially in Yoda.

As if there wasn’t enough content to digest, the system updated once more, this time without shutting down its servers.

The new update implemented stores and homes, both of which were features suited for casual players. From the looks of it, the game eventually took care of the needs of such players. What they sought for weren’t endless events or new maps, but features that improved their daily lives.

‘Home update:

Residential properties are now available in all three major cities. Players can rent properties by conversing with the corresponding NPCs, and rented properties are customisable.’

The Home system wasn’t just meant to give players a recreational place. A connection existed between players and their respective homes; by customising their homes, they could strengthen themselves. Rare and well-crafted furniture and decorations might even increase the level of certain skills.

All of a sudden, subclasses were all the rage. Hard work had now paid off for those who dove into subclasses during the period when levelling up plateaued. Different subclasses could craft various furniture or decorations. For example, metalsmiths could now craft decorative swords, some of which increased Constitution while others increased Strength. In short, they gave a myriad of buffs.

Subclass level was no longer the only factor that mattered as well. The degree of craftsmanship when crafting the item influenced the product the most, and that gave an edge to players who had jobs of similar nature in the actual world.

A player named Old Florist was just an ordinary, retired old man who planted flowers as a hobby in the game. When the Home system went live, he took a few of his plants to the trade centre out of curiosity. His ‘Septiscent’ turned out to grant an +8 buff to all Attributes and increased Health regen by 10 per second.

Such astounding effects made everyone drop their jaws. In the end, the plant was bought for half a million gold coins by Florate, vice guild master of the Empyreon-based guild Traceless Floreal. The value of such decorations rarely deteriorated even in the long run, making it a safe long-term investment. The plant also rocketed Old Florist to popularity, but that only gave him a bitter smile. For so long in his life he had been working hard as a florist, yet a single plant in a game was worth more than his lifetime savings.

To supplement the Home system, stores were also introduced. Similar to the Home system, players could also rent stores from NPCs, though for a much higher price. Players could freely sell anything of their choice without having to pay any transaction fees. For players who made a living through trading, it was a godsend.

Many guilds rented a spot and opened up guild stores to sell equipment. Because many guilds had levelling squads or farming squads, they had a steady influx of excessive drops. They now had a way of making more profit by selling them in their guild stores.

Old Florist, after becoming a well-known florist thanks to Septiscent, also opened a store to sell his plants. However, he had a strange temperament. He only served ten guests a day and would close his store after that.

The implementation of these two systems didn’t cause the downfall of the Mercenary system either. Players could level up easier as mercenaries, and the mercenary catalogue of exchangeable items was also updated.

Upon reaching Rank 5, players could redeem the ‘I’m a Mercenary!’ banner, a piece of furniture which granted 10 Strength and 5 Intelligence when placed at home. Reaching Rank 7 unlocked the ‘Mercenary King’ seat which increased Defence by 20 per cent and Constitution by 30—a divine boon for paladins.

Drako Yau’s eyes glowed; he was surprised about what the new systems brought to the game.

The Home system was his creation. His intention was to let players enjoy the game while providing rewards in the form of increased stats and effects. With the Home system, all ‘furniture’ was considered equipment in a sense as they affected one’s strength. It opened up a new trade sector, giving players incentive to delve into subclasses.

‘Games that only focus on combat aren’t good ones. A game is an alternate world, and as a complete world, it cannot just be about fighting. Eating, living, surviving, these are all vital parts of a world.’

An excerpt from Drako Yau’s dissertation, it was highly regarded by various gaming magazines for providing new insights to the game design industry. What he didn’t expect was this rendition of ‘Real World’ he currently lived in had once again built something he couldn’t achieve based on his foundations.

Store, Mercenary, Home—these three systems were interconnected. The system rating in particular attracted a new group of people to join the game from the actual world, and Old Florist was a prime example. Before the Home system was implemented, he was no more than a retired old geezer who planted flowers as a hobby. A night was all it took for him to skyrocket into fame.

Other retired pensioners itched to show their skills after learning of Old Florist. They didn’t have much to offer apart from their valuable experience; who would’ve thought a game gave them another chance to shine? It ignited their dwindled passion once again, for at such an age all they sought was the recognition they deserved.

Sunset industries in the actual world sprouted anew in the game. ‘Real World’ was becoming more and more like an independent society.

‘Boss, what are your orders?’ asked Idyllic Poet coldly. She gritted her teeth as she said the word ‘boss’.

She’s really something at holding grudges… Drako Yau thought before he answered, ‘Poet, you’ve been pouting for a month already. Isn’t that long enough?’

‘I dare not be upset, of course.’

‘They said you were sleeping, so we didn’t wake you up.’

Yes, Idyllic Poet was still holding a grudge against Drako Yau for leaving her out of the battle on Mount Soughslit.

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