Warcraft: When NPCs Have Player Panels

As the holy light appeared above Lina's head and slowly seeped into her frail body, William pondered a question.

Why is it that a fallen clergyman like Lawrence can still use the power of the Holy Light?

How did these scoundrels of the Holy Light manage to bypass the Holy Light's requirement for devout faith and still achieve their goal of using it?

William couldn't figure it out. He just watched as Lawrence, sweating profusely, helped Lina expel the cold toxins from her body until the process was over.

After exchanging a few casual words with Lawrence, he left the church, feeling utterly disinterested.

After saying goodbye to Martha and Lina, it was past noon, and today's patrol was over. William went to the city hall to hand in the sheriff's assignment and then headed to the monastery with some questions in his mind.

-

"Is this why you came to see me?"

In the monastery park, William and Taylor walked one after the other along the tree-lined path.

He told Taylor about Lawrence's situation and also shared his doubts with her.

"How can such a scoundrel of the Holy Light receive its favor?" William said resentfully. "Why can't I receive the Holy Light's favor?"

"You asked that question, very good, it shows you're starting to think about it seriously." Taylor gripped his enormous scepter, smiling as he looked at the boy next door he'd known since childhood. "The question is simple. Do you know Tirion Fordring, the former Highlord of Hearthglen?"

"I know." William nodded. He knew almost all the legendary figures of the Crusaders. Because the strangers had told him about them so many times.

"So, why did Highlord Fordring, after being stripped of his right to use the Holy Light by the Knights of the Silver Hand, regain that ability?" Taylor looked at William encouragingly, guiding him, "Think about it carefully, why is that?"

William walked silently with his head down, and Taylor kept quiet, accompanying him on the path. Monks and clergy passing by would bow in greeting when they saw Taylor, who would smile and nod in return.

After a considerable amount of time had passed, William raised his head.

"I think I understand some of it."

"Oh, tell me about it."

William pondered for a moment, then looked up at Taylor with clear eyes, "The Holy Light doesn't care about your status or position, it only cares about how firm your heart is."

"As long as your faith is strong enough, even if it is extreme, the Holy Light will come to you on its own."

"Highlord Fordring received the Holy Light's response only because he never abandoned his original intentions from beginning to end."

"Yes and no." Taylor smiled and shook his head. "Having a strong will is the most basic requirement. You can't have even the slightest doubt in yourself, and you must stick to your ideals and beliefs without wavering."

"The crusades and the various commandments of our Church of Holy Light are meant to reinforce this concept, strengthen our spiritual will, and enable us to do these things effortlessly."

"When you no longer doubt whether you can gain the favor of the Holy Light, my dear brother," Taylor said with a smile, straightening the front of his clothes, "you too can become a paladin."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When William returned to the military camp at the foot of the mountain, pondering the news, he received a series of reports about the strangers.

A group of strangers infiltrated a Crusader camp.

Taking advantage of the night shift change, they sneaked into the supply depot and stole armor, shields, arrows, and a large quantity of alchemical potions.

Several powerful gangs of thieves, hunters, warriors, priests, and mages openly robbed people on the road.

Every few days, military transport teams carrying food, weapons, and cloth would travel along the main road from the new city to the eastern plague outposts, supplying blood to the Crusader strongholds to combat the Scourge's invasion.

Meanwhile, a large number of merchants followed the army's transport convoy, forming caravans to travel further north to the elven kingdom of Silvermoon City.

Each supply convoy is equipped with at least two squads of elite Crusader guards around level 45.

In the past, players wouldn't have thought of robbing these caravans. But now that gold coins are valuable, profit-driven player groups don't care anymore.

The tactics passed down from their ancestors were fully utilized by them in the world of Azeroth...

Block roads, set traps, ambush, poison, or infiltrate caravans, and launch a surprise attack once you've reached the target location.

First, focus fire to quickly eliminate the NPC guards, then empty the cargo, and finally burn the convoy to the ground.

The caravan's guards were all wiped out, the goods were looted, and the civilian NPCs driving the carts were either hacked to death or driven insane by fear.

Four caravan robberies in a row have made caravans afraid to travel east, and transportation between the Crimson New City and the Eastern Plaguelands is on the verge of being paralyzed.

Prices in the city began to soar, and city residents started to complain.

Besides theft, robbery, and killing of NPCs, fraud is also becoming increasingly rampant.

The world channel and the trading channel are full of traps.

"Epic gear on clearance at low prices, gold first, then goods."

"High exchange rate for gold coins, reputable and established store."

"Level boosting service, reach max level in one day."

Some people believe it to be true, and after the gold coin transaction is completed, the other party immediately blocks and disconnects them. The victims have no way to complain and can only accept their bad luck.

The scammers all share the same idea...

It's just a game, nobody cares, I don't have to take responsibility, so why not cheat?

The entire atmosphere of Azeroth has completely deteriorated.

These issues not only affected players, but even within the game, transport fleets from the major cities of the Alliance and Horde dared not set off, bringing the cities to the brink of shutdown.

The gaming ecosystem has plummeted to rock bottom.

Numerous people have reported this to the authorities, hoping for a resolution.

The official response was that no form of gold coin trading is supported, and players are responsible for the consequences of their actions.

Just when everyone thought this chaos would continue, a server-wide announcement suddenly rang in the ears of every player.

[Major Update to the Order System: Order Restoration in Azeroth]

[New law: Anyone caught stealing, defrauding, robbing, or attacking an official caravan shall be publicly hanged.]

[Punishment Rules: Publicly announced death penalty → Level reset to zero → All assets confiscated → 72-hour login ban]

...

The announcement caused an uproar across the entire server.

Some cheered, some cursed, and some refused to believe it.

And I am the one who doesn't believe in superstition.

My name is Feng Lin. I've accomplished nothing in real life. I play games just for fun and to make money.

I used to make a name for myself in the game by stealing, robbing, cheating, and even robbing a caravan with a gang.

A level 42 thief, dressed in blue gear, with several thousand gold coins in his backpack, enough to cover my living expenses for several months.

I was at the market when the update announcement popped up.

I glanced at it and scoffed.

Who are you kidding? It's just a game, do you really think you can kill the players?

Level reset?

Aren't you worried about losing players? Will it affect monthly active users?

I've made up my mind to do one last job and then stop for now, to see how this trend really goes.

The target this time was a newly leveled priest player, whose inventory was bulging. He clearly had just finished all the quests and was still clutching a few rare lesser essences. Newbies like this were the easiest targets; one successful kill was equivalent to waiting a week at the auction house.

I crept up quietly, circled around behind him, and gently placed my fingers on his waist.

The instant the crystal was touched—

"What are you doing!"

[System Warning: You have been caught stealing!]

[System Warning: You have been exposed!]

[System Warning: Your location has been locked by the nearest guard!]

[System Warning: A bounty hunter has located you!]

A piercing notification sound exploded in my ears.

I was startled and turned around to try to escape.

It's too late.

Two beams of arcane light shot from both sides of the street, binding my legs and feet, making it impossible for me to move an inch.

Several elite spellbreaker guards appeared on the street and strode forward, grabbing my arms on either side with terrifying strength.

"Let me go! I didn't do anything!" I shouted and struggled, but I couldn't move an inch.

Players immediately swarmed around and started taking pictures like crazy.

"The first person to get caught stealing!"

"Serves him right! Hang him!! Quick! I'm one of the victims!"

"Are you really going to hang yourself? Look at this!"

I was dragged by soldiers all the way to the gallows in the center of the market.

Those were torture instruments that had just been added after the update: a rough wooden frame, a pitch-black rope, swaying gently in the wind, making my scalp tingle.

I started to get a little scared.

"Damn it, I was wrong! Can you forgive me this time? This is my first time being caught, please give me a chance."

The soldier remained expressionless and completely ignored him.

They pushed me to the gallows and put the ropes around my neck.

The area was packed with people... players and natives alike, all staring wide-eyed, their eyes filled with anticipation.

I even saw William standing in the crowd, looking at me calmly, without anger, only indifference.

That look in my eyes made me even more uneasy than if I were being scolded.

"No--!!"

I screamed as the wooden plank beneath my feet was suddenly pulled away.

His body suddenly plummeted, and the rope tightened around his neck.

The excruciating pain of suffocation surged into my brain instantly, my tongue lolled out uncontrollably, my vision went black, and my limbs convulsed.

I could hear the surrounding sounds getting farther and farther away.

The players' gasps, the natives' curses, the soldiers' footsteps maintaining order, and the rustling of the rope around my neck.

I tried to struggle, but I couldn't muster any strength.

Consciousness gradually faded, leaving only the suffocating pain and boundless fear.

turn out to be...

Being hanged in a game really hurts.

I don't know how much time had passed when suddenly my eyes lit up.

His soul floated above the gallows, his body hanging from the rope, still swaying gently.

The players below were still taking photos, discussing, and sharing videos.

[System notification: You have been sentenced to death by hanging for stealing from and robbing a caravan]

Current level: 42 → 0

Backpack: Empty

Gold coins: All cleared

[Equipment: Recycled]

[Penalty: Unable to log in for 72 hours]

A flash of white light, and I was forcibly logged off.

There was darkness in front of him.

I took off my gaming helmet, panting heavily. My clothes were soaked with cold sweat. I instinctively touched my neck, where the pain from being constricted still lingered.

My mind went blank, leaving only those few suffocating, desperate seconds.

I opened the forum and froze.

Bloodstained City First Hanging! A player who stole and robbed was publicly hanged!

True Level Reset! Elune is Getting Serious!

"They even dare to jeopardize gamers? This isn't a game, it's real rule of law!"

The video repeatedly showed me being suspended, and the hundreds of thousands of comments below were all praising me.

"Serves him right, wasn't he one of those who robbed the caravan and killed the NPC guards last time!"

"That was so satisfying! It should have been done a long time ago!"

"Azeroth is not a lawless land!"

"Let's see who dares to be a bandit now!"

I felt cold all over and my fingers were trembling.

I always thought that games were just for venting.

Kill if you want, steal if you want, no responsibility, no morals.

But today I realized that in the world ruled by Elune, the rules are even stricter than in reality.

If you treat this place like a bandit's den, it will treat you like a bandit.

If you treat this place as another world, it will accommodate you in that other world.

With trembling hands, I put the helmet back on and softly called out to the login screen.

[Account has been banned, remaining time: 70 hours and 23 minutes]

The pitch-black screen felt like a silent slap across my face.

I lost my level, equipment, gold coins, and even my dignity.

Is it all worth it?