Little Pink Starfish

When the veteran players boarded the time-space train, the new server was also officially launched for a large wave of newcomers.

Since the game pods had just undergone a large-scale release overseas, the influx of new players reached another peak. Meanwhile, on the forums, information about the Arly Continent continued to be a hot topic. With language options now available, players from other countries could also search for all kinds of information they needed from the forums.

Compared to the Arly Continent, “Era of Azure Souls” was a completely new and unknown server. The official announcement from Bix Magic Cube even stated that classes had to be discovered and unlocked by the players themselves.

As a result, more conservative newcomers still chose the well-documented and much-hyped Arly Continent. But some adventurous new players—or those who hadn’t even noticed the forums and thought Bix Magic Cube’s new server was just a typical new-server launch—mostly opted for “Era of Azure Souls.”

Horn, with red hair and blue eyes, was one such player. His game pod hadn’t even been bought by himself—it was a birthday gift from his stepfather for his eighteenth birthday.

So, he lay inside with some curiosity, and without hesitation selected the new server from the interface. Isn’t this how you’re supposed to play games? Sure, old servers were lively and fun, but as a gamer with ambition, wasn’t it better to level up with everyone on a fresh server?

At least, that’s what Horn thought.

“Class sealed… what does that mean?”

After choosing the server, the previously visible options like swordsman or mage were gone, leaving only two available choices: “Soulcleaver Blade” and “Soulhunter Spear.” Even more confusingly, both classes had a note below them: “Class Sealed.” It was certainly puzzling.

But Horn didn’t dwell on it. After making his selection, he didn’t even bother customizing his appearance and immediately chose to enter the game.

The first spawn point in the Era of Azure Souls was also located in Mengnan City’s large train station. However, compared to stepping off the time-space train, the spawn area was slightly different—it was still within the same chaotic station, but on the opposite side, not far from where the trains arrived.

The place was bustling with people all the time, so even if a few more suddenly appeared, it wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows.

The first to enter the game was a Korean player who had timed his entry precisely. He also didn’t waste time customizing his appearance. Known internationally for their love of online games, Korean players were famous for jumping into the action. This player’s ID had just one character: 空 (Kong/Empty). He wanted to be the first in the game—and he succeeded.

While others were still browsing server and class information, or at least hesitating over their character’s looks or ID, he jumped right in without thinking.

Leveling up quickly was the priority.

Then he found himself standing amidst a crowd.

For a moment, even someone like 空, who was always focused on quests and combat, was frozen in place.

He hadn’t expected so many people. Even more, he hadn’t expected the environment to look so real—almost too real.

As a game-loving shut-in, 空 had all the hairs on his body stand on end. He didn’t like crowded places in real life. In fact, he avoided densely populated areas altogether.

Normally in a game, he wouldn’t mind. No matter how lively the server, it was still just a network. The separation between the virtual and the real made him feel at ease.

But this ultra-realistic full-dive game shattered that boundary. He momentarily forgot he was even in a game and instinctively shrank back before realizing where he was.

Oh, right, this is just a game… But the people around him looked way too real. Especially a few who were standing nearby—he could clearly see the strands of hair falling by their cheeks, and the natural glow on their faces.

Their expressions were so vivid. Their eyes looked even more lifelike than his own.

Just then, a large, burly man with a beard squeezed next to 空. This player, 空, was a shut-in in real life—not particularly skinny, but certainly not a tough guy. He looked like an easy target. In reality, though, his skills were quite solid—borderline professional for a hobbyist gamer.

Still, in a full-dive game, his slim figure made him appear weak.

The bearded man growled something fiercely. 空 looked at him in confusion. Wait a minute, what did he just say? …He truly didn’t understand.

Then 空 suddenly realized he hadn’t changed the language settings since entering the game. He quickly opened his character panel and switched the language system.

“You zonin’ out or what!” The bearded man gave 空 a hard shove.

空 stumbled back but didn’t get angry. Instead, his eyes lit up and he grabbed the man’s arm. “What did you say just now? Say it again?” he asked cheerfully. “Sorry about that.”

What’s with this guy? Why is he acting so weird?

These men were thugs who made a habit of extorting and scamming seemingly naive travelers. Since many travelers were from out of town, and the local South District government rarely bothered with such matters, it was easy pickings.

They were good at picking targets. If someone like Pei Sen passed through, they’d never dare act up—he clearly wasn’t someone a small-time punk could mess with.

But 空, with his simple gray clothing, slim build, and fair, healthy skin—clearly not impoverished, just a bit nerdy—caught the bearded man’s eye right away.

Still, his response wasn’t what the thug expected.

“What did you just say? Is there something you want me to do?” 空’s eyes sparkled with excitement. He’d heard the game made quests hard to come by. Could I really be this lucky to get a quest right after logging in?

The bearded man was startled by the way 空 grabbed him and instinctively tried to shake him off and leave.

He’d made a mistake choosing this target.

Unfortunately, 空 wouldn’t let him go. “Don’t leave! Do you need me to do something? What did you say earlier?”

He chased after him persistently.

The bearded thug was so freaked out by the bizarre situation that his scalp was tingling.

…He looked tough, but he really was just a small-time punk.

In the meantime, more and more players entered the game. The train carrying those well-dressed veteran players had also arrived.

Unlike Pei Sen, these veterans wore slightly odd-looking outfits, drawing curious stares from many at the station.

But veteran players were immune to NPC attention by now. They looked around with ease and interest.

BraisedSpicySnack spotted 空 in the distance, chasing after the bearded NPC. He raised an eyebrow. “Why does this scene feel strangely familiar?”

Claude beside him responded with a knowing look. “Yeah, when we first started the game, we also chased NPCs asking for quests.”

Of course, they later learned that the NPCs in Bix Magic Cube weren’t so simple. Not only were they unlikely to offer quests—they might scam or trap you instead.

Treating NPCs like those in other games would only get you burned.

On the other side, as soon as Horn entered the game, he found himself at the center of a crowd. The noise and bustle hit him like a wave. He froze.

Even more surprising was that everyone around him seemed to be Easterners. He found it both fascinating and shocking.

He saw the station, the steam trains, and the constant stream of travelers. He couldn’t help but mutter, “This doesn’t feel like a game—it feels like I’m inside a movie…”

Soon, more and more people began appearing around him. Many were Westerners like himself. Even the skin tones started to diversify—Black, White, Latin—one by one, they began appearing.

Then… the whole station exploded into chaos.

It started when a well-dressed lady pointed at a player with light blond hair and pale green eyes and screamed, “Monster! A monster!”

When she saw many more people with strange hair colors, eye colors, and unusual skin tones, she nearly fainted from fright, grabbed her bag, and bolted.

And she wasn’t the only one. Screams echoed throughout the station as countless travelers scrambled for the exits, fleeing in terror.

This world’s residents were occasionally exposed to Azure Soul demons, so they had some mental toughness. Otherwise, the panic would’ve been even worse.

After all, the Era of Azure Souls had no Western elements at all. The people here had never seen such a rainbow of hair, eyes, and skin.

The Arly Continent, on the other hand, didn’t have this problem. Black-haired, black-eyed avatars weren’t uncommon among Western players, and even if someone’s facial structure was different, they wouldn’t be mistaken for monsters.

BraisedSpicySnack, Claude, and the group of veterans stared wide-eyed at the chaos in the station. They truly hadn’t expected the new server’s launch day to turn out like this.

“This… is really different from when we started.”

Just moments ago, they were saying it felt the same. Now? Not even close. It was laughably chaotic.

“What’s going on?”

Two young Azure Soul hunters arrived at the station’s outer edge. They moved against the tide of people rushing out. “Weird, I don’t sense any demon aura.”

“They’re yelling about monsters—maybe they’re inside.”

“Doesn’t make sense. I can smell demon aura from streets away. There shouldn’t be anything in there.”

“Let’s go check it out.”

The two exchanged a glance and dashed into the station.

Pei Sen, who had been standing nearby, was dumbfounded by the scene. This was far beyond what he had expected.

As for what the Era of Azure Souls launch had looked like on the original Bix Magic Cube timeline—he had no idea. He hadn’t joined the game yet back then. And no one had ever talked about any major chaos on day one. Pei Sen had never paid attention to it, so he truly didn’t see this coming.

“Monster… This is so unfair.” Pei Sen quickly realized it was because of the foreign players’ appearance. “Bix Magic Cube, why would you do this? Couldn’t you launch this server for domestic players first, and then open the Arly Continent for foreign players? Swap the order and it’d be fine. Now you’ve dumped a bunch of foreigners into Azure Souls… Do you realize how much trouble that causes?”

Bix Magic Cube: “…”

It’s not like I could control that! I already said so!

Pei Sen rubbed his forehead, looking at the chaos before him. He had no idea how he was going to clean up this mess. This was definitely increasing his workload. And the veteran players needed to be coordinated too.

“Oh no, looks like the police are coming.”

Of course, the South District government had police stations. But these cops acted more like official thugs—better at extortion than the gangs, and quicker to run when real trouble showed up.

Pei Sen frowned and looked at the approaching officers. After a moment, he sent a task to the veteran players.

Ding.
Pei Sen’s Worry: To the Bix tribe members of Arly Continent visiting the Era of Azure Souls, your old friend Pei Sen is waiting outside the station. He may need your help.

BraisedSpicySnack raised an eyebrow. “So Pei Sen’s the new guide? Let’s go see him.”

The veteran players, who mostly looked Eastern, blended easily into the crowd and exited the station without issue.

As they passed by the confused and panicked foreign players, many couldn’t help but snort with laughter.

It wasn’t just the NPCs who were shocked—the foreign players, joining the game for the first time today, were totally dumbfounded too.

They had never encountered anything like this before. Some even thought it might be a game mechanic.

But the Eastern players didn’t seem to face the same treatment, leaving them slightly confused.

Horn stood quietly, looking around. “Monsters?”

No, seriously—what about them looked like monsters?

As a young man who was treated like a heartthrob everywhere he went in real life, Horn was genuinely baffled.

Ding.
Main Quest: Purge Evil, Hunt Demons—Azure Soul Hunter
Main Quest Prerequisite: I’m Not a Monster, I’m a Good Person
Due to appearance differences, many travelers at Mengnan Station are mistaking some of our Bix tribe members as monsters. We must strive to correct this misconception and show them we are absolutely good people.

Immediately, all new players—including Eastern players who hadn’t been mistaken for monsters—received this new main quest.

“Uh… this is a main quest?”
“Guess so…”

But no matter how you looked at it—
This main quest prerequisite was just a little…
Weird?