Necromancer chopping down trees

Chapter 12: Village of the Living Dead
The second internal company test went very smoothly, and the testing experiences of the six people were recorded on video.

Other employees who were watching also spoke highly of the game. If nothing unexpected happens, the company will organize some players to conduct a semi-closed test, which will be a big test for the game system.

"Xiao Nuo, how many players can you carry?"

Wang Yue, the game producer, was still on the outskirts of the [Corrupted Forest]. He was lying on the ground, preparing to reply to an email from Penguin Company.

“The current maximum limit of the server is 128 players, but it is recommended not to exceed 100 people online at the same time.”

"Understood. I will explain it to them clearly."

Semi-closed testing is the real internal testing, and the previous stages are just "product inspection". Only when players like the game, can the game be truly launched and begin operation.

"The two internal tests were very useful to us, and these old acquaintances gave us a lot of constructive suggestions. There are too many words, can you help me take a look?"

"Identification in progress, please wait."

The second round of internal testing mainly focused on the combat and mission parts. Except for Fat Cat, the six testers were all experienced. They had experienced hundreds of games, if not thousands, and the suggestions they gave were all effective solutions.

"These suggestions can be adopted. If they are too troublesome, just ignore them and wait for players to conduct internal testing and then look at their feedback."

"Understood. I will optimize it immediately."

After quickly arranging the work, Wang Yue stood up and stretched her body.

Lying on the board for so long had given him back pain, so it was time to see how Goudan was doing.

"Oh? It seems like it's almost time to refresh."

Only the stumps of the killed [Dead Tree] are left. Now these stumps are beginning to grow branches. It is estimated that it will not be long before new monsters appear in front of Wang Yue.

"Why hasn't that skull come back yet? If he doesn't come back, I'll leave first."

Sis said he had something to deal with, but he didn't come back until the test was over. Wang Yue couldn't help but worry.

"Why is the NPC's behavior logic so complicated now? Should I reset all the AI ​​files?"

"Warning: forced clearance of files will result in irreversible consequences. Please proceed with caution."

"I was kidding."

That being said, Wang Yue knew that if she waited any longer, Goudan would have to start chopping trees all over again, which would be a waste of time.

"Boy, let's go."

A skull fell from the sky, and the originally intact head now had several cracks, as if it had just experienced a fierce battle.

"I'm going to speed up old man, don't fall off my shoulder."

Wang Yue didn't want to ask about things that were not related to the mission, so he immediately took Sith and ran into the [Corrupted Forest].

After entering the woodland, he discovered that he might have summoned a group of tree-cutting demons.

All you can see at a glance are tree stumps, with no living [Dead Wood] to be seen.

"This should be the principle of mutual promotion and mutual restraint. Old trees are afraid of skeletons, and masters are afraid of kitchen knives."

There were no red dots on the map, so Wang Yue could walk around with her hands on her hips.

After walking for a while, he found that the moonlight above his head was a little unusual.

The light hits the stump, leaving a complete shadow of the tree on the forest floor.

"Xiao Nuo, there seems to be something wrong with the light and shadow."

"It is being tested... There is no problem with the lighting system, everything is normal."

"Am I blind?"

Wang Yue walked to a tree stump, pulled out the [Bone Spur] and drew it across the stump. No invisible objects remained on the stump.

"I told you it must be a bug, stop talking nonsense and fix it."

"Received. Fault detection will be performed immediately."

When we came to the center of the woods, the number of tree stumps became denser, and complete [Dead Wood] appeared in the distance.

The sound of battle reached Wang Yue's ears, and Goudan's location appeared on the map.

"Boy."

After entering the woods, the Sith on his shoulder remained silent.

"Because I was severely injured, the detection magic cannot be cast. But there is a question that is very important to both of us. You need to think about it carefully before telling me."

Sith was silent for a long time, and Wang Yue noticed an open space in the distance.

"Has this triggered another mission?"

This open space is very special in the woods, as there are no roots of the [Dead Wood] growing around it.

The woods were filled with grey dust, and the moonlight shone onto the open space, creating a beam of pure white light.

"Boy, are you dead?"

Sith finally spoke, and a new prompt about the open space appeared in Wang Yue's interface.

[William's Tomb: The tomb of William, the owner of the ancient castle, may the deceased rest in peace]

Wang Yue remembered that the fake name used by Skull to introduce himself was also William.

"Xiao Nuo, give me some tips on how to trigger the mission."

“It is recommended to use middle school lines. The more dramatic the lines, the more likely it is to trigger a hidden mission.”

Wang Yue turned his head and looked at the skull on his shoulder. He let his eyes become blurred and then slowly exhaled.

"Aren't we in hell now?"

He looked at Sis affectionately, but his hands were behind his back, his fingers clasped in his palms, and his toes gripping the ground. In fact, he felt very embarrassed.

"Boy, you are interesting."

Sith finally gave his mission.

[Mission Objective: Understand the truth about William Castle]

[Quest Reward: Dungeon Key]

The mission popped up and the Sith opened his skull mouth and blew out black smoke.

"You only have one chance, remember this."

Wang Yue closed her eyes and inserted her palm into the black smoke.

In order to maintain high concentration, he temporarily cleared his mind.

"Our ship ran aground on an isolated island and everyone on board fell into a coma. That's when we heard the same song."

He vaguely heard a voice coming from the black smoke. The voice seemed to come from underground, low and powerful.

"Listen to the bells, the betrayer will reveal himself on the full moon.

The dead will not forget his sins, and all evil deeds will be settled.

When the mask of hypocrisy is broken, the cycle of suffering ends."

After the sound from the underground disappeared, the wailing sound was transmitted from Wang Yue's palm to his ears, and a new prompt appeared in the interface.

[Experience gained: 1000]

[Level Upgrade Current Level: 6]

Wang Yue found that she had unknowingly left the open space and came to Goudan.

"You can actually control my movements?"

He turned around in surprise, but his view was blocked by the skull.

"Boy, only dying people like to look back on the past."

Sis obviously didn't want Wang Yue to return to the cemetery, and Goudan, who was working hard, just cut down the last tree, and a new map appeared in front of him.

"Don't worry, I have a high emotional intelligence."

Since the skull was unhappy, Wang Yue didn't force it.

He turned around decisively, stopped Goudan, and led the skeletons out of the woods.

Wang Yue counted the skeletons' harvest. In addition to a large amount of experience, the skeletons summoned this time were also responsible for collecting the chopped wood.

Due to time constraints, only 100 pieces of [Dead Wood Materials] were collected in the end.

"If I can finish processing all these woods someday, I can progress from a carpentry apprentice to a junior carpenter."

Cutting down trees is important, but processing and manufacturing are more important.

Although Wang Yue does not have any practical drawings now, it will not be a loss to improve her carpentry proficiency first, so that she can use advanced drawings directly in the future.

……

Now Wang Yue has reached level 6. Increasing one level doesn’t feel much, but the difference from level 1 to level 1 is huge.

The most obvious thing Wang Yue felt was that her muscles became stronger. Although her body shape did not change, her body was full of energy and the fatigue caused by staying up late for many years completely disappeared.

“I’ve already thought of the slogan for the internal test: The magical world of games, the more you play games, the healthier you become.”

However, he is the only one who enjoys such treatment. Other players are just simulating game scenes through external devices, and it is completely impossible for them to change their physical fitness.

Walking out of the woods, when the [Dead Wood] no longer blocked his view, Wang Yue saw a small house built with the same wood in the distance, and the description of the new map had appeared in front of him.

[Shelter: A gathering place for the living dead, maybe your destination]

"We're here, and all the people living here are my former colleagues."

Sith jumped off Wang Yue and took the initiative to roll in front of him to lead the way.

They came to the farthest wooden house. All the wooden houses here were built with wood from the dead wood. The square wooden house was just big enough for one person to live in, and the blocked door was also made of black wood.

[Wooden House (Master): A small house built with dead wood that can preserve the spirit of the dead]

"Is there anyone inside?"

Wang Yue took two steps forward and was about to knock on the door when Sis called her.

"Don't look at me, kid. The people living here are all living dead. They are not skeletons, but humans who still retain consciousness."

"No wonder you asked me if I was dead. You're afraid I might be a living dead, right?"

Sith snorted and continued to roll ahead alone.

Wang Yue put down his arm that was knocking on the door and immediately followed the Skull. He kept looking around, alert for triggering traps or fighting.

"The guys here are half of the dead people on the ship, and the other half of the living people are trapped in the castle. I don't know how you slipped out, but you are lucky. Really lucky."

Sith particularly emphasized Wang Yue’s good luck, as if it was impossible for a living person in the castle to appear here.

"The dots on the map are all yellow. It seems that the zombies are not monsters that attack actively."

The map will show the monsters in the house, and the monster prompts in the house will be gray, indicating that it is in a confined space.

With the help of the [Ghost Map], Wang Yue confirmed that he and Sith were the only two people outside, and the rest of the zombies were all left in the cabin.

"The craftsmanship of these wooden houses is just average, not even half as good as my artistic attainments."

The first cabin was tightly closed, and so were the next few cabins.

Sith rolled on the road with no intention of stopping, and took Wang Yue towards the large wooden house in the center of the shelter.

"Do these living dead have knees?"

"I do not understand what you are saying."

Apart from the cabin, the road they were walking on was paved with gravel.

Although the road looks messy because it has not been maintained for a long time, you can see signs of human life.

Wang Yue stopped in front of the big wooden house. He looked up and found that the wooden house had a special name.

[Peter's boat: Captain Peter's cabin on the Breakers, where privileges are so extraordinary]

"Isn't it the boss room again?"

Judging from the name of the room, Peter is an important NPC.

The captain's identity alone contains enough information. Wang Yue believes that as long as there is wine and bread, the captain will tell all his stories.

"Knock on the door, kid. You should be polite when visiting strangers."

Sis dodged to the side and stopped outside the door waiting for Wang Yue to take action.

Wang Yue slowly raised her fist and knocked on the black wooden door three times. The sound of footsteps was heard from inside the door.

"Why did you run away?"

Wang Yue turned his head and found Sith retreating, so he also took two steps back.

Then the skull moved back again. Just as Wang Yue was about to continue, the door in front of her opened.

"Who's knocking on the door?"

A black-bearded man in a blue coat appeared in front of him. He had a dark complexion, a dull look in his eyes, and held a tattered and rusty compass in his hand.

[Captain Peter of the Breakers: An experienced old captain, his life is almost over]

【grade:??】

"He is not a living dead? Then why is he here?"

Just as Wang Yue was wondering, Captain Peter, who was staring at him, spoke first.

"The route is correct, the wind speed is normal, we are about to return, please be patient."

He turned around and was about to close the door, but Wang Yue quickly ordered Goudan to hold it.

Peter just pulled the wooden door mechanically, and because Goudan held the door against him, he finally let go of his arm to close the door.

"It's none of my business. I won't pay for the broken door."

The captain completely ignored the open door, walked straight back into the house and sat alone on the stone bed.

Wang Yue stretched his feet frantically at the door to test it, but there was no pop-up window of [BOSS Room Warning] in the interface, which made Wang Yue confirm that the person in front of him would not become his enemy.

"Go in quick, kid, don't be afraid."

Sith jumped up from the ground, smashed Wang Yue's back with his skull, and forced him into the room.

Wang Yue staggered into the house. He asked Goudan to guard the door and he walked into the wooden house holding the door frame.

"It's such a dark room. You should open a window in the cabin and give yourself more light."

After entering Peter's house, Wang Yue groped for a stone to sit on.

Captain Peter, who was lowering his head opposite, kept staring at the compass in his hand. His body did not move, only his lips were moving.

"Come closer kid, and listen to what he has to say to you."

Sis stood outside the door and shouted at Wang Yue who was in the wooden house.

In order to hear clearly what the other party said, Wang Yue stood up and walked to Peter's side.

"Sailor, take up the sails, we are in a storm."

[Mission Objective: Find the sail of the Breaking Wave]

[Mission Reward: Peter's Compass]

There is no special hint about the [compass] that Peter holds tightly in his hand. It seems that only by completing the task can he know its secret.

"I'm the best at finding things. Just wait for my good news."

After receiving the task, Wang Yue immediately got up and left.

The Sith at the door had been acting sneaky, and Wang Yue had noticed the peeping skull when she was handing in the task just now.

"He looks concerned but he doesn't go in on his own. Could it be that this skull has done something wrong?"

After Wang Yue walked out the door, the skull began to roll again.

This time, Sis's destination was a common wooden house. He did not let Wang Yue knock on the door but chose to knock on it himself.

"Open the door, little brat. Your uncle is here."

A man holding a harpoon walked out of the room. He was wearing a tattered yellow turban. Due to the passage of time, the turban was not only badly damaged, but the color had also faded to light yellow.

[The Boatswain of the Wavebreaker: The boatswain in the state of living dead is no longer as brave as he used to be]

【Level: 10】

The boatswain did not greet Sis, but looked at Wang Yue stiffly, repeating the same words over and over again.

"Where is the enemy? Where is the enemy?"

"Finally, I met a normal NPC. This skull communicated with me normally all the way. I almost thought he was a spy arranged by Xiao Nuo."

Wang Yue stepped forward with relief and asked, ready to take on the task.

The Sith at his feet was motionless at this time. Through his empty skull eyes, he could see that on the left was Wang Yue, and on the right was his so-called brother.

(End of this chapter)