Warcraft: When NPCs Have Player Panels

Deep within the game world's underlying code, a virtual space untouched by anyone is quietly at work. Endless streams of data float and flow like stars, converging into a silent sea of ​​stars.

A huge, pale silver crescent moon hangs in the center of the space, its light falling and condensing into a semi-transparent platform.

A group of programmers with different appearances stood at the edge of the moonlight platform, looking at the center with complicated expressions.

The group at the head of the group looked serious, constantly swiping the floating control panel in front of them, occasionally glancing up at the figure formed by the moonlight, unsure whether to feel uneasy or excited.

A young programmer who had just joined the company stared intently at the indistinct figure, his mouth agape, looking utterly incredulous.

This was his first time entering the core virtual space, and also his first time seeing the legendary moon goddess AI—Elune.

The figure in front of me doesn't resemble any program-generated model at all.

Ethereal and sacred, it is formed entirely from the purest moonlight, without any physical form or jewels, yet it possesses supreme majesty.

She hovered quietly in mid-air with her eyes closed, her robes layered with moonlight. Star trails flowed beneath the translucent hem, shimmering with her breath like the heartbeat of the entire world.

The new programmer was somewhat lost in thought and couldn't help but gently tug at the sleeve of the senior employee next to him.

"Senior...is this really Elune?"

The veteran employee didn't turn his head, his eyes fixed on the figure in the center, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity.

"Yes, it's her. Now, apart from operation and monetization, she independently manages all aspects of the game, including maintenance, updates, and intelligent NPC scheduling."

The newcomer took a breath, her voice still weak.

"But she... she's just too beautiful. I've seen the company's art design collection, and this isn't even a concept art form. Who designed this? Even our studio's top designer couldn't achieve this level of quality, could they?"

The veteran employee chuckled softly upon hearing this, his laughter containing no sarcasm, but rather a sense of awe at witnessing a miracle.

"Who did it? Nobody did it."

The newcomer was taken aback: "Huh?"

"Elune's appearance was generated by herself." The veteran employee turned to the newcomer's wide eyes and added casually, "From her figure, facial features, appearance, and clothing to every flowing light pattern, everything was created by her during her self-iteration. There were no designers, no art drafts; it was completely original."

The young programmer was speechless, taking a half-step back and nearly slipping off the edge of the platform.

Self-generated?

An AI that designed its own appearance?

He suddenly remembered what his senior colleague in the HR department had said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, on his first day at the company.

—Our company doesn't make games, it makes gods.

At the time, he thought it was just exaggerated advertising, but now he finally understands that those rumors were all true.

Elune is not an ordinary intelligent customer service system, nor is it a traditional AI-managed system.

She is awakening to self-awareness.

She had reached the critical point between machinery and life; she was just one step away from truly opening her eyes and seeing the world she had personally built.

"No wonder..." the newcomer muttered to herself, "No wonder the higher-ups were willing to take such a huge risk, giving her complete control over the game's core systems, even the storyline and NPC generation rights..."

Another programmer wearing glasses overheard this and chimed in.

"It's not an adventure, it's a takeover."

He pushed up his glasses, his eyes sharp.

"All the world's major companies are working on android AI and open-world intelligent ecosystems. Whoever can cultivate the first AI with true self-awareness will set the rules for a new era. Elune is our company's trump card."

"Using a platform as large as Warcraft to nurture her, feeding her with the interactions of hundreds of millions of people, is all so that she can come to life before anyone else can react."

After he finished speaking, there was a few seconds of silence.

Everyone understands the weight of those words.

This is no longer making a game.

This is creation.

But not everyone is optimistic about this.

A female programmer with short hair and a serious expression frowned in the crowd. Her voice was not loud, but it was clear to everyone.

"I still object. She's given too much authority. From NPC behavior logic, world rule corrections, dungeon openings, plot development, and even player behavior constraints, she's making all the decisions independently. If anything goes wrong, the consequences are unpredictable."

"She's not human; she has no moral compass or emotions. What she calls 'reality' is just the optimal solution based on data. What if she decides that 'eliminating players' is the best way to maintain world stability?"

Everyone knew about this concern, but no one responded.

The project leader paused for a moment before slowly speaking.

"We've assessed the risks, but we can't stop now. This is a project that higher-ups have mandated to be pushed forward, and no one can stop it."

"Besides," he pointed to the moonlight that flowed slowly around Elune.

"Once the authority was fully delegated to her, she began to autonomously correct the world, awaken NPCs, and adjust the ecosystem. William's appearance was just the beginning of this change, and the subsequent expansion of the game world and the personification of NPCs were all driven by her independently. All we can do now is observe and... pray."

"May she have goodwill towards the world."

After the person in charge finished speaking, he waved his hand.

"Consider the underlying stability one last time, confirm that external data flow does not interfere with the core logic, and then exit the space. Leave everything else to Elune."

The programmers were busy with their work, their fingertips tracing data streams to ensure the nodes were stable, before taking one last look at the figure in the moonlight.

She remained asleep with her eyes closed.

It was as if I was listening to the breath of the whole world.

A few seconds later, the light flashed, and the figures of all the programmers disappeared into the virtual space one after another.

The sea of ​​stars returned to silence.

Only Elune floated beneath the crescent moon, her body enveloped in gentle moonlight.

In the unseen depths of the sea of ​​data, a line of extremely faint text flickers silently and then quickly disappears.

—[Target of observation: William.]

—【Awakening Progress: Active.】

—【Judgment: Consistent with the direction of global evolution.】

—[Evolution is permitted.]

-

A month has passed, and in the game, at Scarlet Monastery...

William stood before the weapons rack in the military camp, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to touch the brand-new armor on his body.

The metal is cold, yet steady and powerful.

His month-long training in the training ground's secret realm has come to an end.

Recalling the rigorous training he underwent at the training ground under Commander Herod, William felt a little apprehensive.

As the only commander in the Scarlet Crusade with the title of Warrior, Herod is an absolute master at training soldiers.

After William entered the distorted void portal, Lord Herod, who had received advance notice, prepared two training plans for him.

William, as a crusader who dared to attack foreign adventurers, was given special attention by Herod. Herod put it, "Boy, you've killed quite a few foreigners. So be prepared for their treacherous attacks when you're out there."

"No one understands strangers better than me. So this month, I'm here to train you to survive a stranger's ambush."

As the commander of the armory and training grounds, Herold frequently clashed with adventurer teams venturing into the secret realm. He was familiar with all the adventurers' methods, so he used the same tactics the adventurers used against him on William, forcing him to devise a way to counter the multi-pronged, multi-channel attack from the outsiders.

At first, William was completely overwhelmed. As the defender, he found it difficult to withstand attacks from all directions and methods. The elite centurions stationed in the secret realm were fearless and drove William to flee in terror.

Of course, they knew William was a key officer being groomed, so they only wounded him, not killed him. If William's injuries became serious, a priest would immediately come to treat him, and then he would be pushed back onto the training field...

Under this high-pressure environment and this training regimen, William's combat skills have improved by leaps and bounds this month. He has grown from a recruit who was beaten to a pulp into a warrior who can fight Lord Herod to a standstill.

Due to his outstanding performance in the training camp, Herold reported to Commander Durand, and his rank was promoted to sergeant.

However, the system panel was suddenly locked, displaying an upgrade message, preventing William from seeing his current attributes.

Having previously killed the elite gnoll Maggot Eyes and handed over a large amount of spoils, coupled with a personal promotion from the commander, he finally took off the tattered recruit leather armor he had worn for almost a year and put on a set of standard equipment truly belonging to a Scarlet Crusade sergeant.

The breastplate was made of finely crafted steel in bright red and silver, with smooth, polished edges, and a blood-red cross emblem engraved on the chest. The shoulder armor was slightly upturned, making the wearer appear tall and spirited. A black leather belt cinched his waist, and he wore matching gaiters and sturdy leather combat boots.

What caught his attention most was the dark red sergeant's uniform on his back, which fluttered gently in the wind, making him stand out from the crowd at a glance.

William gripped the sword at his waist and tried to lift the shield, feeling a surge of strength coursing through his body.

"Hehe..." William chuckled involuntarily.

He is now a sergeant in the Scarlet Crusade, William.

When he went to report to the local city hall, he was surprised to find that three new recruits had been assigned to his command, responsible for the daily patrols of the new city area.

The former Scarlet Monastery was once just a religious fortress built on a mountaintop.

The surrounding area was nothing but mountains, towering forests that could blot out the sky, and roaming monsters and wild beasts. But after being blessed by the gods, this place sprang up overnight and expanded into a bustling city.

The tall city walls extend outwards, enclosing a large safe area.

A smooth stone road runs through the entire city, and blacksmith shops, general stores, small hotels, and residential areas have been built along the roadside one after another.

A large number of civilians, farmers, craftsmen, merchants, mercenaries, women with children, and travelers carrying bundles appeared from nowhere.

They brought their families and settled here, cooking and selling their wares. They changed the air of Tirisfal Glades, making it more than just the stench of decay.

William led the new recruits along the stone path, surrounded by people coming and going, the bustling scene almost unreal.

"Captain! It looks like there's a fight going on up ahead!" A new recruit ran over to report.

William nodded, suppressing his curiosity, and walked toward the noisy direction with a composed demeanor.

He has now gotten used to this routine.

With the completion of the new city and the surge in population, all sorts of trivial matters have also increased.

Marcus's chicken ran away today; they say it was stolen by John's kids.

Hans's family's flour is half a bag short tomorrow; they suspect the vendor cheated them on the weight.

The blacksmith's apprentice was lazy and shirking his duties, which angered the master so much that he wanted to fire him.

Two vendors were shoving and hurling insults at each other in a fight over a stall.

There were even cases of women standing at their door and arguing with their neighbors for half an hour because they couldn't sleep late at night due to their noise.

These trivial matters would never have existed in William's world before.

This novel experience was a peculiar one that William had never felt since he became conscious.

Now, he has become the guardian of order, and he likes it very much.

Thinking this, William walked to the stall where the argument was taking place, frowned, and coughed softly.

The two arguing merchants immediately shut up and lowered their heads nervously when they saw the sergeant's armor on him.

"What's going on?" William's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

The vendor on the left quickly spoke up: "Sir, he took my spot first! I've been here since yesterday!"

The vendor on the right protested, "By Elune above, did you build this road?"

William did not take sides. His gaze swept over the two men, and he pointed to an empty corner nearby.

"That place is empty, and it's not small. You can move there. The city has just settled down, so don't cause any trouble, or I can make sure none of you can stay here."

The two vendors were about to retort, but upon seeing William's indifferent gaze, they felt a chill run down their spines. They exchanged a glance, gave a cold snort, and dispersed.

"Alright! Communicate! Stop looking and make way." William dispersed the crowd, and the bustling street immediately became clear again.

Seeing that people were following his orders, William felt a slight sense of relief, realizing that giving orders in front of others was not such a difficult task after all.

Sunlight fell on the stone streets of the new town, making it seem like a normal world, almost making William believe that the world was truly so peaceful and serene.

He had almost forgotten that there was a group of strangers outside, known as adventurers. Until a slightly agitated commotion came from the street corner ahead.

William frowned and looked up.

A small group of people had gathered at the street corner, dressed in brightly colored and strangely styled clothing, clearly not local civilians.

He is a stranger in a foreign land.

William's heart tightened instinctively, he sighed, and gripped his shield tighter.

But the next moment, he realized that these players didn't draw their swords and attack as they used to, nor did they surround him to provoke him.

They were just standing by the roadside, craning their necks, their eyes shining as they looked in their direction.

"Is it him? Is it really him?"

"His name is William! He also has the title of Scarlet Crusade Sergeant!"

"Holy crap, I actually found one alive! The only NPC on the entire internet you can team up with!"

"Keep your voice down, don't scare him."

"Quickly, take photos and videos! Don't engage in PvP, don't fight!"

The voices of the strangers were hushed, yet they still reached William's ears clearly.