【 LIFE OF A NEWBIE 】

Jiang Shang sent a friend request to his old friend, formed a party, and then tracked his teammate’s exact location on the mini-map in the upper-right corner of his screen.

Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the marked spot.

Currently, the city was bustling with an endless stream of people. Among them, 99% were players, most of whom were newcomers from the public beta.

Excitement and curiosity filled everyone’s hearts as they eagerly studied the game’s beginner guide while exploring the vast, unknown world.

After much effort squeezing through the crowd, Jiang Shang finally found his old friend. The latter was sitting on the ground, poking at the dirt with a longsword, his face filled with wonder.

Jiang Shang couldn’t help but laugh as he approached his friend.

“What are you doing?” he teased.

Hearing Jiang Shang’s voice, Akai shook his head and sighed, “I’m just marveling at how real this game feels. You weren’t kidding, compared to ElvKing, Immortal Sect doesn’t even come close to this level! The detail is crazy. Just look at this man… every grain of sand, every bit of soil—it’s all so realistic! And don’t even get me started on how immersive the way it simulates our senses is…”

“Oh, by the way, I even tasted the dirt just now. It’s dry and gritty—exactly like real dirt.”

Jiang Shang: “…”

He stared at his friend in stunned silence before blurting out,

“…Wait, so you’ve actually eaten dirt before?”

“Uh, well, I was a mischievous kid, you know…” Akai coughed awkwardly. “I was just testing how insane the realism was. Honestly, if someone told me I’d been transported to another world, I’d probably believe them at this point.”

Jiang Shang sighed and shook his head, though a proud smile crept onto his face.

“Of course! Why else do you think this game is hailed as a groundbreaking masterpiece?”

For any gaming enthusiast, there’s nothing more gratifying than having your favorite game acknowledged by others.

This is not limited to games either, but can also be extended to many things.

Akai nodded in rare agreement.

“Yeah, I have to admit…it’s absolutely incredible. No other game even comes close to this.”

“Exactly!” Jiang Shang eagerly nodded.

“And everyone’s avatar looks stunning too. Every person I look, there are just handsome guys and gorgeous girls. It’s not just eye candy; it really pulls you into the experience.”

Akai added.

“True…” Jiang Shang hesitated for a moment, then nodded again.

“The only downside though is that,” Akai continued with a dramatic sigh, “we can’t play female characters. In a game this realistic, it feels like such a missed opportunity. I was even a little looking forward to it, you know…”

As he spoke, Akai placed both hands on his flat chest, his expression one of deep regret.

“…”

Jiang Shang twitched at the corners of his mouth, glancing at his friend’s overly serious demeanor.

With a sigh, he said, “Dude.”

“What?”

“You’ll never get a girlfriend if you keep this up.”

“That’s fine. As long as I get one before you, I’m good.”

Jiang Shang: “…”

After exchanging jabs for a while, Akai’s gaze drifted to Jiang Shang’s plain, beginner mage robe.

He raised an eyebrow. “Huh, you picked a mage? You’re going with that class?”

“Actually, I’m planning to go for Druid later. You don’t know this, but in this game, Druids are the devs’ golden child. Sure, their combat power isn’t great, but they can support, fight, build relationships with NPCs, tame magical beasts, and even transition into Priests easily. They’re practically the solid class in this game.” Jiang Shang chuckled, clearly pleased with his choice.

As a long-time cloud player of Elven Kingdom, Jiang Shang had gone into overdrive, consuming all the strategy content he could find after securing a spot in the public beta.

Naturally, he’d developed a good understanding of the various classes. Among them, the Druid class, once regarded as average jobclass, had gained immense popularity due to the introduction of the familiar system, dragon companions, and the new Priest transition path.

It had become his clear choice after seeing how versatile it was.

“Wait, so does that mean I made a mistake going with a melee-based class?” Akai asked, stunned.

“Not at all. For someone like you who never spends money on games, melee-based classes are the most budget-friendly. I think they’re perfect for you, man.”

Jiang Shang shook his head.

Akai had always enjoyed combat and PvP. So, from a purely combat-oriented gameplay perspective, picking a melee-based jobclass was the best choice.

Sure, transitioning later to a skillset-heavy, spellcaster class like Elementalist would result in more explosive damage, but relying on raw power output alone didn’t always translate well in actual fights.

As if remembering something, Jiang Shang added, “Besides, if you’re not satisfied with your starter class, you can still switch to another class at level 11.”

Akai let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s good to hear.”

The two chatted briefly before finally diving into exploring the game.

“So… are we supposed to follow the beginner’s guide now?”

Akai asked as he stood up, fiddling with the game interface while eyeing the constantly flashing beginner tutorial prompts in his field of vision.

His gaze then wandered for a moment before settling on the in-game guide sprite—a silver-haired, purple-eyed elf girl dressed like a teacher.

The sprite’s cute chibi design was clearly modeled after the goddess.

After staring for a bit, Akai couldn’t help but comment, “I must’ve read too much Eve doujinshis at this point. Even this guide sprite is now starting to give me weird thoughts…”

Jiang Shang: “…”

He glanced at the sprite and coughed awkwardly. “Ahem… That’s the chibi version of the goddess. It was added to the introductory beginner course guide after the open beta. I think it’s pretty cute. I heard if you complete certain hidden storylines, you can even see her cheer for you in her chibi form.”

“This version of Evé is pretty cute,” Akai agreed with a nod. “She’d make for great emote stickers… or some fun meme edits.”

Jiang Shang: “…”

“Anyway… are we following this introductory guide? It says we can gain EXP by helping expand Chosen City and participating in daily tasks…” Akai read aloud from the tutorial before glancing around the bustling surroundings.

He frowned and muttered, “But this city already looks well-built. So what else is there to expand?”

“Well,” Jiang Shang explained, “Chosen City is the player’s main hub in ElvKing. It’s entirely built by us players, with no intervention from the devs. So, I’m guessing that with so many newcomers flooding in thus time around, we need to further expand the city just to house everyone. That’s one of the coolest parts of this game: we’re going to design and build it ourselves!”

“What a hassle.”

“It’s called freedom!” Jiang Shang retorted.

He added, “But if you’re not into that sort of thing, then you don’t have to do it. Most of these tasks are handled by the big guilds anyway. Especially the second-largest guild, ‘Moe Moe Committee.’ They reportedly control 50% of this city’s real estate.”

“Wait… the real estate in this city is owned by the guilds? Isn’t this supposed to be the player’s main hub?” Akai was stunned.

“That’s what sets ElvKing apart from other games,” Jiang Shang replied with a grin. “It’s nearly fully realistic, with a ridiculous level of freedom. We players don’t just build houses, we can also run our own hotels, set up businesses, and more. See those shops on the streets? They’re owned by veteran players.”

He pointed to the busy street in the distance. “A lot of the veteran players have basically become ‘nobles’ by now. Meanwhile, newbies like us are just ‘commoner noobs’ starting from the bottom. We’ve got a long way to go.”

Akai: “…”

“That…isn’t it too unfair to us new players then? I’m here to play a RPG not a city management sim,” he complained.

“Pfft… Honestly, you could play Elven Kingdom like a city management sim game if you wanted to. Besides, you and I both know no game is ever truly fair, right?”

Jiang Shang shrugged before adding, “Yeah, ElvKing doesn’t really do a good job of balancing the disparity between new and old players, but at least it doesn’t force you to spend money, and as long as you work hard and are willing to grind it, even latecomers like us can become stronger. To be honest, compared to most online games, it’s actually pretty fair in my opinion.”

“Of course, a certain amount of luck is also required.”

After listening to Jiang Shang’s explanation, Akai nodded.

“I guess you got a point….well, let’s get started, then. Time to grind some tasks and quickly level up.”

He opened the introductory guide to look for recommended tasks, but Jiang Shang quickly interrupted him.

“Actually, instead of following the beginner’s guide, I’d suggest we teleport to Florence instead and pick up private tasks from the NPCs there. At this point early on the game, those NPC private quests are much more rewarding, and they often increase your favorability with them too. Plus, Chosen City is so overcrowded right now so we’d probably have to queue up just to accept a tasks.”

“Florence?” Akai raised an eyebrow.

“It’s one of the main NPC cities,” Jiang Shang explained. “It’s home to a lot of NPCs who hand out tasks. If we’re lucky enough, one might even take us on as their apprentice.”

He grinned. “I heard a veteran player once got apprenticed to an elven master blacksmith. While others have also trained under rune engravers or similar professions. Even if we don’t get an apprenticeship, we could still learn some rare skills from them.”

“Really? what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

The two quickly decided on their course of action and followed the mini-map toward the teleportation array leading to Florence.

The elven cities in the Forest of Elves didn’t have level restrictions, therefore they easily passed through the portal and arrived in Florence.

Akai’s eyes lit up as he took in the view.

“This is Florence?”

The city was no less magnificent than Chosen City, but it had a distinctly different vibe onto it.

While Chosen City’s architecture had a familiar, modern touch reminiscent of their homeworld, Florence on the other hand was built with gleaming white stone. Its grandeur and imposing structures were softened by the lush greenery and colorful flowers woven seamlessly into the design, giving it an air of otherworldly elegance and serenity.

Moreover, unlike the Chosen City, whose population is mostly composed of players, Florence’s streets were populated by many NPCs instead.

In this bustling city, the NPCs were actively engaged in their daily routines and whenever their eyes met with players, they would greet them with a kind smile and a slight bow.

Seeing a female elf passing by bow slightly to him, Akai couldn’t help but remark, “They seem pretty respectful toward us.”

“Of course,” Jiang Shang replied. “We, the players, are called the ‘Chosen Ones’ which essentially means the saviors of the elves who restored the Elven Forest to its current state.”

He then paused before adding, “But even though these NPCs are respectful to us, we still can’t act recklessly towards them. Remember, in this game, maintaining good relations with NPCs is really crucial since ElvKing has its own ecosystem, and the player-NPC relationship is an integral part of it. Even newbies like us need to maintain that balance.”

Akai nodded in agreement.

“I see. So it’s like those Japanese games I’ve played where intimacy levels are really important. Honestly, I enjoy playing these kinds of games too.”

Jiang Shang chuckled.

“Then you’re really going to love this game! Come on, let’s go ask some NPCs for some tasks. Pay close attention to those NPCs with usernames particularly its color—those with white or blue ones can issue tasks. And if we’re lucky enough to meet an NPC with a purple one, make sure to grab their thighs! ¹ But remember to still be polite and not overdo it. It’ll improve our chances of success.”

With this plan in mind, the two newbies wandered through Florence, asking some NPCs if they can issue them a private tasks.

༺⟐༻

Three hours later…

“Apologies, Chosen Ones. I’ve already used up my task allotment for the day, so I can’t issue any more tasks,” a female elf said with a slight bow, her tone filled with regret.

Akai and Jiang Shang exchanged glances and sighed in unison.

“All right, we understand,” they replied.

“Sorry to bother you.”

The elf nodded politely before leaving.

Looking at the female NPC’s retreating figure, the two newbies slumped to the ground, exchanging weary looks.

“What number was that, Ziya?” Akai asked.

“I’ve already lost count. It must’ve been our thirtieth attempt by now,” Jiang Shang replied with a wry smile.

“But in these three hours, we’ve only managed to complete one task which was cleaning the toilets! We only gained just one level! Dude, didn’t you say getting private tasks from NPCs were the fastest way to level up?”

“That’s what I thought! How was I supposed to know so many players would swarm the NPCs during the public beta? Plus, there are still tons of veteran players hogging all the tasks too!”

“I’m starting to think we’d be better off doing daily tasks back in Chosen City…”

“Wait, wait! We’ll just try one last time. There’s a blacksmith shop up ahead with an elven forging master. I’ve heard that befriending that NPC can lead to an apprenticeship! Plus, they usually have plenty of tasks as well. C’mon let’s give it a shot!”

“Fine, but this will be the last time, okay?”

The two stood up, dusted themselves off, and made their way toward the blacksmith shop.

Looking at it from the outside, the store was quite large, bustling with elves hard at work, visible through the windows.

However, it didn’t take long for them to notice several figures with green usernames hovering above their heads among the working crew.

Clearly, those were players.

Akai: “…”

Jiang Shang: “…”

“Ziya, I think we’re already late again,” Akai remarked.

Jiang Shang clenched his fists.

“Dammit, we still won’t know unless we try!”

Gritting his teeth, he scanned the blacksmith shop until his gaze landed upon an elderly elf NPC marked with a white colored username.

The NPC was named Carlos Rageflame, and he was wielding a massive hammer, whilst carefully forging a longsword.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Shang stepped forward with a polite smile and greeted him.

Unfortunately, the outcome was the same as before.

“I’m sorry, Chosen One,” Carlos said with an apologetic shake of his head. “I’ve already filled my apprentice slots and completed my task allotment for today.”

“Oh… I see. Sorry to trouble you then.”

Forcing a strained smile, Jiang Shang left the blacksmith shop and shook his head at Akai.

The two exchanged a glance and sighed in unison once more.

“Man… this is tough.”

Just then, a cheerful female voice called out from behind them.

“It’s always like this whenever new players flood into the game. Whether in Chosen City or here, it’s always hard to find tasks at the beginning.”

Curiously, they turned around to see a blond, blue-eyed female player.

She wore an elegant, silver-trimmed druid robe that exuded authority and flair.

Instinctively, they glanced at the username hovering above her head.

Username: Meng Zhihan.

But what’s surprising about it was its color.

Silver.

Both of them immediately froze for a moment before exclaiming internally:

Holy crap!

Whoa!

A Silver-ranker!

Akai and Jiang Shang exchanged glances, and the same mix of surprise and envy was evident in both their eyes.

At that moment, a soft, playful growl broke the silence.

A chubby, brownish-red magical beast covered in scales waddled out from the side and clung to the female player’s leg.

The female veteran expression immediately softened.

She gently patted the beast’s scaled head and pulled out a shiny gemstone, feeding it to the creature.

“Good girl, Katyusha,” she murmured fondly.

Jiang Shang’s eyes widened in shock.

“W-Wait… is that a dragon?!”

So this wasn’t just a high-ranking player either but an elite pro as well!

After feeding the hatchling, the female player, whose name was Meng Zhihan, turned her attention back to the pair, smiling.

“You’re looking for tasks, right?”

They nodded furiously, like chickens pecking at grain.

After all, powerful veteran players like her could be their ticket to success!

“I’ve got something for you. Interested?” she asked, her tone light but inviting.

“A tasks? From you? Wait… can players even issue tasks to other players?” Jiang Shang asked, momentarily confused.

Meng Zhihan shook her head.

“Of course not. But honestly, for newcomers like you, the fastest way to level up isn’t doing daily tasks bur rather, having a high-level player help you farm monsters.”

She smiled and continued, “If you help me with a small task, I can take you out for a quick grind session in exchange. How about it? I’m already Level 42, so even if we just take down a few upper Iron-rank mobs, it should be enough to get both of you to Level 10.”

“So, what do you say?”

The two looked at each other, gulped, and nodded eagerly.

“Deal!”

༺⟐༻

A few hours later, in the mines of Rivendell…

“So tell me again, Ziya…” Akai paused, putting down his iron pickaxe and wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Why am I out here mining in the middle of nowhere on my first day in the game…instead of adventuring or fighting mobs?”

Jiang Shang coughed awkwardly.

“Hey, have patience! As the saying goes, ‘No pain, no gain.’ Once we collect enough ore for Miss Meng Zhihan, she’ll take us out for some monster hunting, and we’ll level up in no time!”

“I get it, I get it,” Akai replied, nodding.

“But, I have a question. Why isn’t Meng Zhihan mining herself? I mean, she’s a Silver-ranker, so she’d be way more efficient than us, right?”

“Come on, think about it. What’s more efficient for her? Mining on her own, or having newbies like us do the dirty work while she takes a quick trip to boost our levels? At her level, she could probably take down weaker Silver-rank mobs without breaking a sweat.”

“Hmm… yeah, that actually makes sense.”

Akai nodded thoughtfully.

“…But still, what’s the point of mining?” he asked, curious.

Just then, a veteran player nearby, who had also been mining, chuckled.

“You guys are pretty clueless, huh?”

He smirked and elaborated, “You see, someone developed a new type of weapon recently. It’s called magic firearms and they’ve completely solved the issue of steam-powered guns not granting EXP!”

“Magic firearms?” Akai echoed, intrigued.

The veteran nodded.

“Yep. Their attack power is at least double that of bows of the same tier. Mark my words, archer classes are about to dominate the game.”

“But aren’t archers mostly rely on their STR stat?” Akai asked, confused.

“Technically, yes,” the veteran said, shrugging. “But remember, elves are inherently mana-attuned creatures. Even though archers follow a STR-based level progression, they still accumulate some INT stat. It’s just that the archer meta mostly prioritize STR over INT.”

He added, “Besides, archers can also increase their INT through meditation. Sure, it’s not as efficient as a mage’s, but it’s doable. And once archers hit the Silver-rank, they can dual-train in both magic and physical combat. That’s when these magic firearms really shine.”

“Moreover, it’s not just for archers, you know? Even mages and druids can also use magic firearms for self-defense,” the veteran added.

“Wow… that’s pretty impressive.” Akai nodded in understanding.

“But what does this have to do with mining?”

The veteran grinned.

“Hold on. I’m getting to that part.”

“These magical ores here are one of the key materials used to produce magic firearms,” the veteran player explained.

“So currently, there’s a huge demand for magic firearms among archer players right now. The dwarves can’t keep up with the supply of raw materials, so we players have to figure out ways to gather them on our own.”

“Plus, that Meng Zhihan that helped you guys? She’s actually the only apprentice of Carlos the Elven Blacksmith among the players and the first player to unlock the blacksmith class. She even participated in improving the magic firearms design, so she has a personal need for these ores.”

“Unfortunately, there aren’t enough players willing to do these hard labor so only us laid-back life-oriented players come to mine, and even that isn’t enough…”

“That’s why she enlisted your help.”

Hearing the explanation, Akai and Jiang Shang nodded in understanding.

“Ah, that makes sense now…”

“Well, enough talk, let’s get back to work.”

“Yeah.”

They wiped the sweat off their brows and resumed swinging their pickaxes.

༺⟐༻

When night fell, the duo finally returned to Florence via the teleportation array, hauling a cartload of ores along with them.

“Wow, you mined this much! You’ve worked so hard…”

Meng Zhihan looked at the two dust-covered newbies and their fully-loaded cart with a tone of genuine admiration.

After a moment of thought, she added, “How about this? Dinner’s on me tonight. Don’t say no.”

The mention of food made Jiang Shang and Akai realize just how hungry they were. They swallowed hard and quickly nodded in agreement.

With a flash of light from Meng Zhihan’s hand, the cartload of ores disappeared into thin air.

“Whoa a spatial storage item!”

The two newcomers’ eyes lit up, their faces full of envy.

The gap between them and her felt massive… almost insurmountable.

For the first time, they were hit with an intense desire:

They had to become top-ranking players in the future!

Meng Zhihan treated them to dinner in the Chosen City.

Accompanying her was another friend of hers: a gorgeous female priest player named Dongdong, who also happened to own a dragon hatchling.

Clearly, another elite veteran.

Facing two high-ranking female players, Akai and Jiang Shang couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous.

However, as the evening progressed, they began to relax and enjoy themselves.

The meal consisted of roasted meat unique to the Elven Forest, paired with fragrant flower wine brewed by the elves.

The flavors were extraordinary, and the two newcomers devoured the food with gusto.

As they ate, they chatted and grew more familiar with each other.

“Wait, you’re from the Heart of Nature guild? That’s one of the top guild, right? “

“When will we ever become Silver-rankers…”

Akai and Jiang Shang sighed wistfully.

“You’ll get there. The silver rank aren’t fully open yet to the general public, but new allotment slots become available periodically. If you work hard, there’s a chance you might get one,” Meng Zhihan explained.

“Haha, once you hit Level 11, you’re welcome to join the Heart of Nature! I’ll look after you both! If you want to transition to a priest class, just come to me, it’s guaranteed!” Dongdong said with a playful grin, her mouth full of roasted meat.

Both newcomers quickly expressed their gratitude.

After the hearty meal and lively conversation, the night had grown deep.

But the Chosen City was more alive than ever. Players who had spent the day completing tasks or exploring dungeons were now finally returning one after another, making the city buzzed with activity.

After bidding farewell to the two high-ranking players, Akai and Jiang Shang strolled through the streets.

Under the glowing lanterns, the Chosen City’s charm shone brightly. The elegant elven music played softly in the background, mingling with the faint laughter of players.

For a moment, both newcomers felt a sense of awe and contentment.

“This is amazing… It’s tiring, but it feels so fulfilling,” Jiang Shang said with a sigh.

“And we met two high-ranking female players too,” Akai added, nodding.

“Let’s rest for now. My stamina’s almost out. Tomorrow, Miss Meng Zhihan are taking us monster hunting,” Jiang Shang said, yawning.

“Yeah.”

Stretching lazily, the two finally made their way toward the new players’ designated safe logout area—commonly known as the “Morgue”

¹ This is a pretty well known chinese idiom so I didn’t bother to explain it before but for those that don’t know, to “grab someone’s thighs” (抱大腿) is a metaphorical expression that means to seek protection, support, or favor from someone powerful, influential, or capable. It’s often used humorously or critically to describe someone relying on others to gain advantages or improve their position, much like “riding someone’s coattails” in English.

TL Note: Sorry for not updating a couple of days, heard CoI which is the sequel to Lord of Mysteries finally ended so I tried reading it. I read up until the part Book 1 MC return but dropped it after that point. What a huge disappointment =__=; and looks like the last 2 volumes were pretty bad too…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep