Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Death Game Start (2)
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Truth be told, expanding the variety of classes was an incredibly tempting option.
People always prefer things that set them apart from the crowd, and with over a thousand diverse classes advertised, it was a great way to boast about the sheer number of choices we'd prepared.
Armed with just a one-handed sword? Basic Warrior. Dual swords, one in each hand? Dual Wielder. Greatsword? Greatsword User. Throw on some thick armor? Knight. Hand them a haunted blade? Ghost Swordsman. Give them a katana? Samurai. A saber? Janissary.
Just tweaking the type or usage of a single sword spawns an endless array of classes like that. Toss in magic, qi, spirits, holy power, and the like, and it's a veritable treasure trove.
But let's think about this for a second.
With over a thousand diverse classes, is it even possible to balance them all without some being abandoned or buried under others?
And can their roles be neatly divided by position without overlap?
My answer is 'no'.
That's why Beyond Elysion's classes are the end result of countless clashes between me, who wanted to minimize them, and that bastard Orabi, who wanted to maximize them.
Three basic classes specialized in physical, magic, and support.
Then a hybrid set blending two traits from the basics each, but with lowered specialization.
This might sound like it severely limits growth freedom, but in exchange, the variables from equipment and skill trees per class are incredibly broad.
Even the same Warrior can be a pure DPS tree dual-wielding weapons or a tank tree with heavy armor and a greatshield—totally different characters.
Korea's already overflowing with build-crafting masters, right? Tweaking your own optimized build, comparing it to others', and messing around like that could easily eat up a year. Factor in party efficiency or boss strategies, and the time balloons even more.
What even is content? This is content.
But Martial Artist? Hunter?
What the fuck are these rootless... Hoo. Calm down, calm down.
I've half-expected something like this ever since those thieving bastards hijacked the game.
Save the rage for revenge later—stockpile it. For now, stay cool and act rationally.
First things first, I need to figure out what these two unknown classes are.
Starting with Martial Artist.
⚙ CLASS INFO ⚙ 『Martial Artist』 is a powerful warrior-type character wielding special qigong techniques. They bolster base stats via passive skills called Heart Methods and amplify combat prowess by expending mana (qi). However, with qi depleted, their combat ability drops sharply—resource management is key. Hmm.
"...So it's basically wuxia martial artists from the jianghu."
The use of 'qi' and 'Heart Methods' makes it undeniable.
At least they bothered to clearly delineate the strengths and weaknesses.
Warriors have mana-consuming skills too, but flat attacks are their main damage source by proportion. They don't have generous mana pools anyway, so skills feel more like finishers.
In contrast, Martial Artist seems tuned for high skill damage overall, with huge variance based on mana depletion.
Of course, if skill costs are peanuts, balance goes to hell... Can't know without leveling one, so table it for now.
Next up, the Hunter—its description alone reeks of trouble.
⚙ CLASS INFO ⚙ 『Hunter』 wields special weapons called firearms. Specialized in unleashing one-sided firepower from afar via bullet-crafting and shooting skills, but ammo is consumable—without prep, they crumble fast in combat. Just one thing to say first.
"...Why the hell is this a Hunter? Call it 'Gunslinger' or 'Sharpshooter' or something."
No other class traits whatsoever.
If you're calling it Hunter, at least slap on tracking or traps.
Worse, this nukes the bow-and-arrow tree I planned as a physical DPS growth path for Warriors or Holy Knights—total obsolescence.
Sigh. Whatever. At least it doesn't have infinite ammo turning other ranged DPS into wallpaper.
Less likely the perps obsessed over balance, more like they dumped in OP classes to keep players from coasting. Lucky break either way.
These two were probably yoinked from Dance of the Dragon Sword and Starving Shadow—big VR games like Beyond Elysion. Just a hunch for now.
I pondered briefly, then picked Dark Knight again—my old favorite—over the unknowns.
Physical DPS on Warrior level, magic on Mage level, durability like paper.
Obviously not ideal for a death game where one death is permadeath.
But low pick rate means easier monopoly on 'elements best for specific classes'.
Say a party of three Warriors and a Priest drops a killer sword—Warriors compete. But a staff or robe? Priest's by default. Useless to Warriors.
That's basic; as a dev insider, I know and can exploit these inside out.
Couldn't—wouldn't—do this in the real game.
Knowing every unique skill unlock, boss strat, drop location... hogging them first? Ruinous.
So I leveled casually, played slow.
Not this time. No need, no intention.
All start at level 1? Equal footing?
No GM perks? Can't cheese?
I'll prove that's bullshit.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Character creation complete. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Once you select and start playing a character, it can't be changed without special means. Choose wisely. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 00:12 until game start. Please wait here until countdown ends. Twelve minutes, huh.
"This the registration wait time that Lunara chick mentioned?"
Yes. "So folks like me who finished everything outside first... the early birds have been grinding character creation non-stop for 24 hours straight?"
Yes. "Just to be sure—can we log out during wait before main game?"
Impossible. "No time-killer content then? Like lore reading, tips, usual loading screen stuff?"
This is character make space only. No such features. "Got it."
Crystal clear. Your ops level, bitch.
If this were a real MMO, it'd be grounds to blow up the company day one.
What lunatic game traps you post-maintenance: no start, no quit, no alt-tab, no leaving seat—forcing endless char creation? Player-hostile? This ain't a game; it's malware.
Sighing heavily while waiting out the countdown...
⚔ GAME START ⚔ Player 'Erin'. Have fun. With the familiar message, my body teleported somewhere.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ First sight: a vast circular plaza centered on a massive fountain.
And packed to the brim with players like me, fresh-transported.
Their looks were wildly varied.
"Hey! This hidden cam, right? End it quick! I'm gonna lose my mind!!"
"You fuckers! This is kidnapping! Kidnapping! Think you'll get away with this!?"
"GM! I entered by mistake! Send me back! Please!!"
First group: reality deniers.
Rejecting the situation outright or begging to return to real life.
Mostly folks who joined lightly, treating it as a joke or prank.
Not many yelling at top volume—less mental fortitude, more exhaustion sapping their fight.
Makes sense; screamers would've rioted at char creation. GM just ignored for 24 hours.
"Hey asshole, didn't overdo the face sculpt? Fuck, good thing I knew your ID or finding you'd take forever."
"Says the guy with shoulder pads. Damn, whole frame's different."
"Man, Beyond after so long. Feels good."
"Account reset bullshit. Human decency—refund the cash? Step up, Kaedics."
"Game hijacked, staff swapped. Whining to Kaedics does jack."
"Web or streams blocked? Suggest to GM?"
Second: enjoyers?
Adapted already, treating it like a game.
Bold, or lacking sense of danger.
Core Beyond players or festival-riders swept by hype.
Nice vibe, but won't last.
"……."
Third: not a faction, the serious crew.
No game interest—just here for GM's 'reward' from the jump.
Panacea, Rejuvenation Potion—endless demand.
Use on self/family, or flip high—life-changer.
Some organized groups whispering apart from crowds.
Others fuzzy, but rough split: those three.
Headcount: around 10k.
Pre-login missing: hundreds of thousands. So servers split, or starts dispersed.
Situation scanned...
Square dotted with popup windows broadcasting an obnoxious woman.
📢 BROADCAST ⚙ Lunara Hey players! Welcome to the world of adventure! Your lovely idol GM Lunara here! "……."
A line that'd earn a slap if she were here.
Most players cringed similarly; some snickered.
"Hey! Send me back please! I had no idea!!"
"Idol my ass! You bitch! Send us back now!!"
One curse sparked a barrage from unwilling players.
📢 BROADCAST ⚙ Lunara Hmm, unfiltered for realism, but too much profanity. Lunara's sad. Wanna delete chars, but as merciful GM, chat ban instead. Bellowers silenced en masse. Mouths flapping, no sound—like muted.
📢 BROADCAST ⚙ Lunara Before main game, key objective and notices. As said, our borrowed Beyond Elysion has no 'ending'. So ops prepped 10 'Trials'. Clear for contribution ranking. Top 100 after all 10 get special rewards. Even non-rankers surviving end get decent prizes. Obvious: in-game death = char delete = real death. Big rewards mean big risks, right? Lunara's casual bombshell: disbelief, horror swept faces.
Not new from prior hints, but blunt 'you die' hits different.
📢 BROADCAST ⚙ Lunara Servers split; max 10k per. No hunting ground traffic jams. We care about your smooth play. Now, first Trial: 'Wild Boar Hunt'! Exactly ten days from now, man-eating boar packs raid Starting Village. Survive, then wipe 'em. All server boars down ends it! Grind levels steady for score. Adventure time! Some players bolted at Lunara's cue—optimized routes from month of play, racing for edge.
I didn't chase to fields.
NPCs first.
No ending, so they made one? Bullshit.
No plans to play their 10 Trials straight.
I'll clear the game before that.