Little Pink Starfish

For the common folk of the Yari Continent, winter was always a hard season. Every year, some people inevitably froze to death. They were no strangers to such scenes.

Someone you spoke with just yesterday might be a frozen corpse today.

Although these strange foreigners outside were unusual, the sight of someone freezing to death still stirred some empathy in them.

But the very next moment, they heard wild laughter.

As if from lunatics.

RidingDreams was among them. The players around him were all laughing.

Of course, the game warned them. They came in and didn’t drink the beer. Were they just waiting to die?

Soon, those dead players respawned and came running back, cursing. The crowd roared with laughter again.

At that moment, RidingDreams noticed a small child peeking out of a nearby house through a broken window. Their eyes met.

In that pair of pure, innocent eyes, filled with curiosity and fear, his laughter caught in his throat.

He had a child about the same age. He didn’t know how the game system pulled it off, but the kid’s expression looked too real. It was hard to believe this was just an NPC. Even finding an actor this good seemed impossible.

Innocence was the hardest thing to fake.

“They’re afraid,” RidingDreams looked at himself and the others. “Afraid of what? That we’ll destroy their home?”

Or maybe…

The players were jubilant, but the locals felt none of their joy.

And it wasn’t just this one village. All across Frost Maple and Lanno, people witnessed the endless flood of Bix Clan arrivals.

That was already frightening enough. At least they understood who these foreigners were. But some players didn’t manage to land in those safe zones. Some intentionally picked dangerous or extreme-danger birth points.

Out of the thousand available birth points, the rest—aside from Lanno and Frost Maple—were scattered across the Kingdom of Esmia, mostly located in various noble territories.

One such location was a city under Viscount Frey. New players landing there found it impressive.

As first-time players, they, like the beta testers, eagerly examined the city walls, touched the flowers and trees, and marveled at how different it felt from screenshots. Only seeing it with their own eyes could reveal the game’s realism.

“This city’s pretty prosperous.”

“Looks like a classic Western fantasy city—more developed than Lanno or Frost Maple!”

“No red-name mobs at spawn at all. The system was just fearmongering.”

“Let’s explore a bit and see if we can find any quests.”

“Obviously there are quests in a city like this.”

Excitedly, they began talking to the NPCs.

Unbeknownst to them, their strange behavior upon entering the game had already drawn attention. Their clumsy language raised suspicions.

This city was one of the core territories of Viscount Frey. The city lord had recently heard rumors from Jekko and the lich about the strange loyalty of the Bix Clan in Lanno, filling him with unease.

At the time, he mocked Jekko harshly. He had never liked that former slave and couldn’t understand why the Viscount valued him so much.

But now, hearing the reports from his guards, he furrowed his brows.

“Lord Citymaster, should we just ignore them?”

“How many are there?”

“Thousands.”

He gasped. Could this be retaliation from Lanno for the Viscount’s moves?

He was not one to hesitate. Quickly, he made a ruthless decision.

“Mobilize the city guards. Kill them all!”

They looked dangerous. Better to strike first for the sake of the Viscount. If they reached the Viscount’s castle, it’d be too late.

“No matter the cost, kill them all!”

Loyal to the Viscount, the citymaster was ready to give his life. To him, these foreigners had no place here.

Meanwhile, the players, talking to NPCs, quickly realized what the beta testers meant—NPCs in this game were nothing like those in other games.

No quest givers. Just fearful eyes.

“I don’t get why the game is set up like this,” one player said. “Why make NPCs afraid of us? How are we supposed to do quests?”

“Feels more like we’re invaders. These NPCs aren’t like other games at all.”

“Don’t we have a default identity?”

“Yeah. Bix Clan. Foreigners.”

Still, as newcomers, their enthusiasm hadn’t faded. They were relentless in pursuing the NPCs.

Which only made the locals avoid them even more.

Soon, the previously bustling streets were deserted.

To the locals, being harassed by strangers was not flattering—it was frightening.

Then the players saw armored city guards marching toward them.

“Are those NPCs heading our way?”

“Maybe it’s some kind of high-level escort quest?” one player said excitedly.

But as the guards drew near, the mood changed.

“Don’t just stand there—run! They’re all red names!”

“Shit, this really was a high-danger birth point? We’ve been in-game for less than an hour!”

“We didn’t kill anyone! Why are they after us?!”

“They’re not capturing us—they’re killing us!”

Yes, killing.

The first players to clash with the guards were stabbed through by cold steel. These guards weren’t here to arrest—they were here to exterminate.

Even though the violent scenes were censored, the intensity hit hard, especially for new players still adjusting to immersive combat.

Everything felt too real—the sword strikes, the cold glares. Death followed swiftly. The murderous intent made players break out in goosebumps.

Some female players started screaming and running. The men weren’t much better. In that moment, they forgot this was just a game.

“Wang Chao—!” one woman screamed. “You’re the worst!”

The man fleeing ahead froze, then realized—right, it’s just a game!

But it was too late. The woman he abandoned crouched on the ground, sobbing.

A city guard stabbed her mercilessly.

Though there was no pain, she respawned tearfully.

If this was how he acted in a game, what about real life?

The heartbreak was real.

Later, the citymaster received a report and said disdainfully, “These foreigners aren’t anything like Jekko claimed. So much for their strength—he must’ve been lying!”

He wanted to ridicule Jekko the next day in front of the Viscount.

But then, things changed.

At first, players didn’t react. Once they realized this was just a game—and that the guards wouldn’t stop—they got pissed.

“Damn NPCs are getting cocky!”

“Trying to camp the respawn point? Think again!”

“Guys, let’s take them down! Beta players said even elite swordmasters and mages can be swarmed—these are just guards. Kill ‘em!”

“Picking on low-levels? Shame on them!”

“What’s up with this game’s NPCs? No quests, just murder?”

“Whatever. We don’t lose XP when we die anyway. Let’s go for a revenge wave!”

“KILL!”

After a few deaths, players got used to the combat. Bix Magic Cube’s censorship made deaths not too gory, and without XP penalties, they had nothing to lose.

The girl who’d been abandoned earlier? She wiped her tears, killed her boyfriend in-game, then led the charge.

“I don’t need anyone to protect me ever again!”

Besides Viscount Frey’s territory, players who spawned in the Holy City were “purified” by priests. When that failed, they were attacked with Divine Punishment spells.

Yes—their sudden appearance caused panic. Based on Atwell’s reports, the Church judged them likely from the Abyss.

Even Eagle suspected this. Atwell was sharp—of course he noticed something.

With more players and more unusual behavior this time, Atwell had more data than during the three-month beta. Players had done much more this time.

Because of this suspicion, the Church began purging Bix Clan players in the Holy City.

No mercy. No time to react.

Compared to them, other players were slightly more fortunate—but not by much. Hostile NPCs were a universal problem. Most city-spawned players were hit with some sort of resistance.

The unluckiest? Those who chose birth points labeled “EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT CHOOSE UNLESS NECESSARY.”

Pei Sen would say—Bix Magic Cube was brutally honest. If it said something was simple, it was. If it said something was hard, it really was. If it said extremely dangerous, you were dead meat.

Players in those cities got killed a lot, but at least they had a chance. Even Frey’s people could flee to the forest. It was hard, but survivable.

Same with the Holy City—after a wave of attacks, many respawned and scattered. The priests couldn’t chase everyone.

But some players were classic contrarians. The more the game warned them, the more they wanted to try.

“It’s just a game. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Reality hit hard.

Soon, screenshots of the “extremely dangerous” zones surfaced on the forum. Everyone was stunned.

“Where even is this place?”

“Those monsters are insane. Total nightmare fuel.”

“Hats off to the model designers. These things are wild.”

“Never heard of monsters like this in the Yari Continent.”

“Apparently the map calls this place… the Abyss.”

Yep. Pei Sen didn’t know what the devs were thinking—maybe they had a dark sense of humor. But they’d added ten Abyssal birth points.

Given the GM’s personality, it was probably intentional.

Players who picked those spots found themselves surrounded by red-named high-level mobs.

Abyss creatures in the Abyss were far stronger than those leaking into the world. Giant, flaming demons dozens of meters tall couldn’t even fit through the rift.

In the Abyss, the players were insta-killed. Respawned and killed again. No place to run.

This wasn’t just danger. It was certain death.

Meanwhile, players who spawned in Lanno or Frost Maple were comparatively lucky.

In Lanno, they followed beta guides and flocked to Golden Rose Manor, joining the Thorned Rose faction. They learned life skills from NPCs like Neil and eagerly began building up Arzi—starting their journey step by step.

Frost Maple was more complicated. Although Eagle was now lord, his control was limited. Still, players received a quest—issued by Pei Sen—directing them to various cities.

Ding.

“Lord Eagle of Frost Maple requires aid in rebuilding the territory. All brave Bix Clan warriors are welcome to join the faction.”

“Note: Players can visit any of Frost Maple’s seven cities and join the Thorned Rose faction at city halls.”

Players were thrilled.

“Yeah, I definitely prefer guided play over total freedom.”

“Seeing the chaos others are in, I feel so lucky.”

“Once we join, we can start doing quests! Whether it’s construction or hunting the Black Rock Gang!”

“I want money, but maybe I should do contribution quests first. We’re too low level to grind cash yet.”

“Good point. Earn contribution, get gear, and maybe unlock skills.”

With beta guides on the forums, most players knew the basics. Even if they weren’t hardcore gamers, following others was easy enough.

“But aren’t the construction quests only in Lanno?”

“No worries. If there aren’t any now, there will be later.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t know how Lanno’s construction quests came about? We flattened the city first, then rebuilt it.”

“Oh, so we have to go to Lanno for those quests?”

Actually, no.

Pei Sen had already thought about how to best use the players’ labor. Arzi alone wasn’t enough for all these new players—it would be built up in no time.

It was time to develop Frost Maple too.

“My Lord, these villages were destroyed in the war. They’re now ruins. We can have the Bix Clan rebuild them,” Pei Sen said, pointing at the map. “And this time, I won’t provide blueprints. Let them build whatever they want.”

He didn’t care how bizarre the final villages looked. Most of the original villagers were dead or had fled. His plan was to sell the rebuilt homes to players anyway.

Eagle hadn’t expected this many Bix Clan to arrive. Even outside Red Maple Castle, they were packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

Many players were curious to meet the game’s two most popular NPCs: the faction leader and his steward. Crowds gathered outside.

“You plan to sell those houses to the Bix Clan?” Eagle asked.

“Yes,” Pei Sen smiled. “Is that okay, my Lord?”

Eagle nodded. “Why not?” They were paying, after all. And they worked hard.

“There’s also this area,” Pei Sen pointed at another spot.

“If I remember right, this was once a swampy wasteland?” Eagle said.

“Yes. It was razed in a war years ago and abandoned since. There’s a swamp, some woods, and a lake nearby. No residents. I want the Bix Clan to reclaim it.”

“You’re asking them to farm it?” Eagle was surprised. “Would they even want to?” Most peasants wouldn’t.

“Don’t underestimate them, my Lord. Many Bix Clan are skilled farmers.”

Especially Chinese players. Farming was practically in their blood.

Eagle was skeptical, but ultimately trusted Pei Sen. “Alright, go ahead.”

Wasteland or not, it was unused land.

“One more thing, my Lord. Tasks like sanitation, security, law enforcement, even clerical work—we can assign those to the Bix Clan. Not right away, of course. Only after they’ve proven trustworthy.”

Eagle paused. “You want them managing Frost Maple’s daily affairs? But they’re… foreigners. What if they all disappear one day like they arrived? My whole territory would collapse.”

Then again, if they disappeared… wouldn’t Pei Sen vanish too?

He rejected the thought.

“Don’t worry, my Lord. I don’t mean to make them full managers. Just temporary help—very short-term.”

Long-term jobs for players were unreliable. They could log off anytime. Real life took precedence.

But if Pei Sen didn’t give them things to do, idle players might cause chaos.

Eagle understood. “Alright. Anything else?”

Pei Sen looked exhausted from all the planning.

“Actually, Pei Sen,” Eagle said with a gleam in his eye, “aside from farming and building, I have another idea to channel their energy.”

Pei Sen looked up, surprised. “What do you mean, my Lord?”

Eagle’s gaze sharpened. In that moment, he didn’t look like a fifteen-year-old at all.

“War.”