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#16 Chapter: Death Game Start (2)

In fact, expanding the classes in various ways is a very attractive option.

People tend to prefer things that are different from others, and it’s great to boast that we have prepared such a multitude of choices by advertising more than a thousand diverse classes.

If you’re just holding a one-handed sword, you’re a basic warrior; if you hold a sword in each hand, you’re a dual-wielder; if you wield a great sword, you’re a great swordsman; if you wear some thick armor, you’re a knight; if you’re given a cursed blade, you’re a cursed swordsman; if you brandish a katana, you’re a samurai; if you wield a sabre, you’re a janissary.

Just by changing the type or usage of a single sword, a plethora of classes pours out. If you throw magic, energy, spirits, or divine power into the mix, it’s genuinely an endless treasure trove.

However, let’s think for a moment.

If there are over a thousand diverse classes, is it really possible to balance them without having all of them discarded or buried under other classes?

And can roles be distinctly divided without overlapping by position?

My answer is “no.”

Thus, the classes in Beyond Elysion have been completed after numerous clashes between my desire to somehow reduce classes and my older brother’s desire to increase them.

A basic set of classes specialized in physical, magical, and support roles.

Mixing two characteristics from each basic set results in hybrid sets that lower specialization performance.

Saying this makes it seem like the freedom to develop is greatly diminished, but in return, the variables based on equipment and skill trees for each class are quite broad.

Even among the same warrior class, there’s a huge difference between a burst damage tree wielding two-handed weapons and a tank tree with heavy armor and a large shield.

As it is, South Korea is overflowing with build enthusiasts. Just by squeezing out their own optimized builds and comparing them with what others have come up with, a year could easily fly by. Thinking about efficiencies when forming parties or boss strategies would only increase the time further.

What more could content be? This is all content.

But, what’s this, a warrior? A hunter?

What the hell is this nonsense… Huh, let’s calm down, calm down.

Since the damned thieves hijacked the game, I should have expected something like this, right?

It’s important to accumulate my anger for the time I can take revenge later, and for now, I need to act calmly.

First of all, I should figure out what those two classes I don’t know are all about.

Let’s start with the warrior.

“‘Warrior’ is a powerful warrior-type character that handles special martial arts techniques. They enhance their basic abilities through a passive skill called ‘Mind Technique’ and can amplify their combat abilities by expending magical energy (qi). However, a warrior whose energy is exhausted experiences a significant degradation in combat ability, so proper resource distribution is key.”

Hmm.

“…So they’re like the martial artists from martial arts novels.”

The use of the term qi and the mention of ‘Mind Technique’ makes it undeniable.

At least it’s a relief that they’ve clearly defined the strengths and weaknesses.

While warriors do have skills that consume magic energy, their basic attacks are close to being their main focus. They’re not classes with an abundance of magic energy to begin with, so skills are more like ultimate moves.

In contrast, it seems the warrior class has high skill damage but is set up as a class with significant variability in combat capability based on energy depletion.

Of course, if the energy consumed by the skills is minuscule, the balance would be thrown into chaos… But I won’t know for sure unless I level it up myself, so let’s hold off for now.

Next up, the hunting class, which has an ominous description from the start.

“‘Hunter’ is a character that wields a special weapon called a firearm. They specialize in projecting powerful firepower from a distance using bullet crafting and shooting skills, but since ammunition is a consumable, they can easily become powerless in battle without adequate preparation.”

First, I want to say one thing.

“…Why is this called a hunter? They should’ve gone with ‘gunslinger’ or ‘sharpshooter’ instead.”

Isn’t there nothing about the class features outside of firearms?

If you want to say hunter, at least add tracking or trap functions.

More than that, if this is how it’s going to be, the bow and arrow tree that was supposed to be part of physical character growth branches for warriors or paladins becomes completely inferior.

Phew. No, wait. It’s better to not showcase infinite magazines and reduce other physical dealers to mere background characters.

It’s likely that those thieving bastards didn’t strive to balance things thoroughly but rather hated to see players comfortably enjoying the game with too powerful classes, so fortunately, this is a relief.

The reason these two classes have been newly introduced might be related to the virtual reality games ‘Dragon’s Sword Dance’ and ‘Hungry Shadow,’ which, like Beyond Elysion, have attracted numerous players, but for now, that’s merely speculation.

After a brief moment of consideration, instead of an unfamiliar new class, I selected the black knight class I had originally favored.

Physical output of a warrior, magical output of a wizard, but durability like a piece of paper.

It’s not a class anyone would choose in a death game where you die for real after one hit.

However, fewer people choosing means it’s easier to monopolize the ‘elements that specific classes can utilize best’ in the game.

For example, consider a party comprising a set of warriors and one priest.

When a powerful sword drops, the warriors will compete among themselves, but if something like a staff or robe drops, it’s highly probable that the priest will take it, as it holds little use for the warriors anyway.

This is just a basic example, and as someone involved in game production, I know these elements thoroughly and can utilize them.

In fact, this is something I couldn’t do during the original game, or rather, I didn’t.

After all, if I, knowing the conditions for acquiring unique skills, boss strategies, and item drops like the back of my hand, monopolized those benefits first, it would ruin the game.

So I intentionally leveled up my character somewhat slowly and enjoyed the game at a relaxed pace.

But this time, I have no need for that, nor do I intend to.

Since all players are starting at level 1, it’s equal?

I can’t do anything special because I’m not a GM account?

I’ll make it clear that’s just a misconception.

“Character creation has been completed.”

“Once you select a character and start playing, it is impossible to change characters unless you use special means, so please choose wisely.”

“There are 00:12 minutes left until the game starts. Please wait in this area until the countdown is complete.”

Twelve minutes, huh.

“This is the waiting time for registration that Lunara mentioned, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

“So, for people like me who did everything outside before coming in, did the players who entered right as registration started spend 24 hours just creating characters?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I’m just checking, but is it possible to log out during the waiting period before the main game starts?”

“It is not possible.”

“Then, is there no other content to pass the time? Like reading the game background, getting tips, or something that would typically be included in loading functions.”

“This space is solely for character creation, so that function has not been implemented.”

“Right.”

I see. Your operational level is impeccable.

If this were a real online game, you’re casually pulling off actions that would get your company exploded from day one.

What kind of insane game forces players to repeat character creation until the maintenance is over, without letting them start or switch to other programs, or even leave? Don’t players deserve some consideration? Is this a game, or a virus?

As I sighed heavily, waiting for the countdown, some time passed.

“The game will start. Player ‘Erin,’ have a great time.”

With the familiar message, my body was transferred somewhere.

*

The first thing I saw was a vast circular plaza with a large fountain at its center.

And filling that plaza were players who seemed to have been transferred just like me.

Their appearances were quite diverse.

“Hey, is this a hidden camera? Please get it over with! I’m seriously gonna lose my mind!!”

“Yo, you bastards! This is kidnapping! Kidnapping! Do you think you’re gonna be safe after this?!”

“GM! I entered by mistake! Please send me back! I’m begging you!”

The first bunch were the denialists.

These were the people who were somehow trying to deny the situation or wanted to return to reality.

Most of them probably treated this whole thing as a joke or falsehood and declared their participation with light hearts only to end up dragged in.

However, there weren’t many who raised their voices, likely not because there were many strong-minded individuals but because most seemed too exhausted to protest.

I mean, if someone was gonna scream for a refund, they would’ve caused a ruckus during character creation. The GM would just let them be for 24 hours.

“Hey, did you seriously have your face altered that much? Shit, if I hadn’t known your ID, it would’ve taken forever to find you.”

“Did you stuff something in your shoulders? Wow, your skeleton looks completely different!”

“Wow, it’s been ages since Beyond. So nice to see you.”

“What’s with the account reset? Shouldn’t you at least return the cash? Get real, Kainix.”

“Now that the game has been forcefully taken over and the management has changed, what’s the point in talking to Kainix?”

“By the way, can’t we use the web or stream? Do you think GM will take our suggestions?”

The second bunch, what to call them? The casual gamers?

These were the ones who had already adapted to the situation and seemed to want to enjoy it as a game.

In a way, it’s bold, and in another way, it seems they lack a sense of crisis.

They looked like players who originally enjoyed Beyond Elysion or those swept up in the hustle and bustle, joining for the festival.

I hope this vibe continues, but that seems doubtful.

“…….”

The third bunch is sort of… well, calling them factions seems amusing. They were just, really serious factions.

They had no interest or excitement about the game itself; they came here specifically to aim for the ‘rewards’ posed by the GM from the beginning.

Whether it be a panacea or a rejuvenation potion, there are likely more than enough people who’d want to get their hands on it.

Whether they intend to use it on themselves or someone they know or sell it at a high price to someone else, that would be a reward that could totally change their lives.

There were several cases of groups coming in from specific sects, whispering among themselves while keeping their distance from the surrounding people.

There were some who didn’t fit any of the aforementioned groups or were hard to categorize, but the power dynamics I gathered at a glance seemed like this.

And the number of people was roughly around 10,000.

Given that the number of missing individuals before I logged in reached the hundreds of thousands, that number is quite small.

They likely split the servers into multiple instances or dispersed the starting points.

I had just finished my situational analysis when, suddenly, square windows popped up all around the plaza, replaying the face of an annoying woman.

“Hello, players! Welcome to the world of exciting adventures! I’m your lovely idol GM Lunara!”

“…….”

That might’ve been a line I would’ve wanted to slap her for if she was in front of me.

It seemed other players felt the same way, showing reactions of embarrassment. Some chuckled quietly.

“Hey! Please send me back! I had no idea it would be like this!!”

“Idol my ass! You damn bitch! Just send me back already!!”

With someone shouting curses from one side of the plaza, those not wishing to participate in the game unleashed their complaints.

“Hmm, it seems there are too many people using bad words since I turned off the language filter for a more genuine reaction. Lunara is sad. I would love to delete all your characters if I could, but Lunara is a merciful GM, so I’ll let it slide with just a temporary chat restriction.”

Some players who were clamoring fell silent all at once. They were still busy gaping, but it seemed as if they had been muted, as no sound came from their mouths.

“Now, before we officially start the game, let me convey the most important objectives of this game and some guidelines.”

“As mentioned earlier, there is no true ‘ending’ to this version of Beyond Elysion.”

Borrowed? What a load of rubbish. It’s clearly hijacked.

“Therefore, our administration has prepared ten ‘trial’ events. Your rankings will be determined by your contribution each time you clear a trial event, and when you overcome all ten trials, the top 100 players will receive the ‘special rewards’ I mentioned. Even if you don’t make the rankings, as long as you survive until the trials are over, you’ll still receive a decent reward.”

“Of course, if you die in the game, your character will be deleted, meaning actual death. You all came for great rewards, so I’m sure you’re prepared for such risks?”

Lunara casually uttered those words, and disbelief and horror flickered across the players’ faces.

In fact, thinking about what Lunara had said before, this wasn’t new information, but to assertively say they’d “die” carried a different weight.

“The current servers are split into several, with a maximum of 10,000 players on one server. If too many players cluster in one place, hunting grounds will experience traffic jams. We’re doing our best to ensure a pleasant gaming experience for everyone.”

“Now, I’ll reveal the highly anticipated first trial! The name of the trial is ‘Wild Boar Hunt!’”

“Exactly ten days from now, a horde of man-eating wild boars will raid this starting village. Survive the wild boar attack and wipe them out instead. The trial ends when all wild boars in the server are defeated! To score high, it’s best to level up steadily over the next ten days.”

“Now, let the adventure begin!”

With Lunara’s declaration, some players dashed off somewhere in a hurry.

Those who had already optimized leveling routes from a month of play probably wanted to secure an edge over others.

I, too, was tempted to follow them straight to the hunting ground… but I had NPCs to meet first.

Since they claimed there’s no ending, they created their own? How laughable.

I have no intention of diligently completing their so-called ten trials.

Before that, I’ll conquer the game and put an end to this nonsense.