Chapter 2: Innate Attributes, Starter Quest

“The expected regular number of players online is expected to exceed five million, and the peak number is poised to challenge thirty million, aiming to set a new decade-high record in online gaming…”

Ye Rong was stunned. It wasn’t that this data was merely good—it was astonishingly remarkable.

Compared to Shushan Sword Heroes, whose peak record was just eight million players, the thirty million figure was like comparing clouds to mud.

Currently, the most popular games on the market were all titles that had been running for over ten years. They had cultivated massive player bases, maintaining a consistent player count in the tens of millions.

These classic online games hadn’t lost their appeal with time; instead, they had fostered even greater player loyalty.

None of the new games released in the past ten years had the strength to truly challenge these veterans. Most were like shooting stars, shining briefly before fading away.

At least based on the projected numbers, Far Shore was set to be the undisputed choice for this year’s hottest new game.

Given Shengfeng Information Company’s reputation and track record in the industry, their predictions were highly accurate, rarely deviating significantly, and deeply trusted by many players.

“Great, great, great! It seems I’ve picked quite an extraordinary new game!”

The brighter Far Shore’s prospects, the more it benefited Ye Rong. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened with Shushan Sword Heroes, where he poured in a lot of effort only for the game to shut down.

After registering an account on Shengfeng’s official website, Ye Rong noticed the Open Beta Test time was approaching, so he started up the Light Brain to log in.

In this era, Light Brains had long replaced helmet-type virtual devices. Two small Mind Link Connectors could connect a person’s brainwaves directly to the Light Brain, with simulation effects far surpassing those of old virtual helmets.

In his small, low-rent apartment of less than twenty square meters, this recently purchased Light Brain was the most valuable item. Ye Rong had spent nearly all his savings to buy this latest model.

Endless space stretched out, vast and boundless, with swirling galaxies forming and vanishing in the distance, and a glittering Milky Way hanging overhead.

The starry sky was dotted with countless shimmering stars, turning the heavens into a magnificent, chessboard-like spectacle.

Ye Rong found himself in this state, waiting for Far Shore’s servers to go live—just under ten minutes remained.

“Dong! Dong! Dong!”

Three deep, resonant bell tones echoed from somewhere far, far away. At first, they were barely audible, but soon they reverberated clearly, penetrating deep into his heart.

The vast starscape swiftly zoomed closer, and Ye Rong tumbled into a spinning nebula vortex. When he reappeared, he stood before an ancient, majestic gate.

“Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all beings as straw dogs.”

At the top of the gate were ten solemn, archaic characters. This moral maxim pierced the hearts of all who saw it, stirring their souls with its profound impact.

“Hello, please choose to create a game character.”

An incredibly seductive NPC in ancient attire suddenly appeared before Ye Rong. She wore only a sheer, revealing white gauze that left large areas of her fair skin exposed, and her sweet, syrupy voice seemed to melt anyone who heard it.

“Wow! So provocative, so exciting!”

Ye Rong had to admit that Far Shore’s art design was leagues ahead of Shushan Sword Heroes—just this NPC beauty’s looks were on a whole different level.

Each Far Shore game account allowed the creation of three game characters, but players had to choose either the human or Demon Race, unable to mix races across characters.

Ye Rong naturally chose the human race without hesitation. Although he was quite interested in the Demon Race and wanted to create a Demon character, the strict rule left no room for indecision—he had no desire for his main character to be some sort of “hybrid” or “freak.”

“Please roll the divine dice to determine your Innate Attributes.”

After reading numerous posts introducing Far Shore’s basics, Ye Rong knew the five Innate Attributes were Bone Foundation, Fortune Affinity, Comprehension, Five Elements, and Strength. Once set, these attributes were nearly impossible to change, unless one obtained legendary elixirs said to enhance them.

The total points for a character’s five Innate Attributes ranged between 80 and 100, with the dice roll being entirely based on luck.

Moreover, once a character was created, it couldn’t be deleted for a week. If someone had abysmal luck and all three characters had unsatisfactory Innate Attributes, it would definitely impact their early game experience.

Ye Rong gave the divine dice a gentle push. After a series of tumbles, it landed on a large 29, which was his Bone Foundation attribute value. Repeating this five times, he obtained Bone Foundation 29, Fortune Affinity 32, Comprehension 11, Five Elements 8, and Strength 18, totaling 98 points.

“Wow! What a great start for the first character!”

Ye Rong excitedly slapped his thigh. It was incredibly rare to get a character with Innate Attributes so close to the maximum 100 points, so he immediately confirmed it as his main.

Perhaps because he used up all his luck on the first roll, the next two characters’ Innate Attributes were pitifully low—neither even broke 90 points.

“Let’s go!”

Since they were just alternate characters, low Innate Attributes didn’t matter much. He could always delete and recreate them after some time.

Yijian Kurong—Ye Rong’s usual online gaming ID—was naturally carried over into Far Shore.

In the quaint, rustic Starter Village with its mud walls and dark tiled roofs, at least a thousand players crowded into the central square, packing the small village to the brim.

“Seriously? They claimed there were ten thousand Starter Villages open at once. How is it still so crowded?!”

Ye Rong muttered complaints under his breath as he shoved his way forward. While everyone else rushed toward the village chief or other prominent NPCs, he went against the flow, pushing toward the outer edges of the crowd.

The tasks in the Starter Village mainly introduced Far Shore’s controls and background lore, offering very limited rewards.

Spending too much time competing with so many people wasn’t Ye Rong’s style. He had memorized several less popular but rewarding quests in the Starter Village, and now was the perfect time to act on them.

“Greetings, elder. Is there anything I can assist you with?”

East of the Starter Village lay neatly divided farmlands, with a few thatched cottages nearby. An old man with a white beard stood there.

“Young man, you’ve come at just the right time. I do have a troubling matter…”

This task involved helping the village’s elderly scholar collect a scattered set of books. The reward was a Peach Wood Sword, which had effects against evil spirits and ghosts.

Far Shore’s game designers were downright stingy. Characters started with only a set of coarse cloth underwear—not even a proper beginner weapon, leaving them bare-handed.

At the novice stage, there were two weapon quests to choose from: the elderly scholar’s Peach Wood Sword task that Ye Rong was tackling, or the village chief’s Steel Sword quest. Players could only pick one, and once a choice was made, the other became unavailable. The Peach Wood Sword had lower damage and attack speed compared to the Steel Sword, but its key feature was the extra effect against evil spirits and ghosts. This was precisely why Ye Rong chose the less popular option.