Warcraft: When NPCs Have Player Panels

The sounds of fighting in the forest had long since subsided, and the scattered corpses of the rotting jackal had turned into a hazy gray mist, dissipating into the cold fog of the woodland.

The monk, supporting himself on his knees and breathing slightly, had his rough clothes stained with the blood and grime of the jackals, and his face was filled with unbelievable excitement.

The little shaman was so excited that he jumped up and down on the spot, his eyes sparkling as he stared at William beside him, unable to look away for even a moment.

Since the new version of World of Warcraft became an open world, many aspects of the game have been fundamentally changed. Today, they not only experienced once again the benefits of AI upgrades for mobs, but also witnessed one of the biggest changes in the game.

NPCs would actively team up with them and fight monsters together... This was almost impossible before.

This is all thanks to the emergence of Elune, a groundbreaking AI... In the past, they would have simply assumed that William was just a GM impersonating someone else.

After resting for a while, the two carried William on their backs, still muttering to themselves. But their eyes were full of curiosity and amazement as they looked at William. Their words were about highly intelligent NPCs and the uniqueness of this plane, which William couldn't quite understand.

William stood quietly in place, gripping the one-handed hammer the shaman had handed him tightly in one hand, his other hand resting on the edge of the oak shield. His gaze calmly swept across the surrounding dense forest as he listened to their murmurs, just as he always did.

William could actually understand what they meant by "records," "little musical notes," and "dimensional worlds." This was because many outsiders in the game would openly discuss their world's affairs right in front of them without any restraint.

From the strangers' words, William could clearly sense their heartfelt kindness and joy towards him. The strangers wanted to send the video they had just recorded of him to their world, some kind of networked world.

This is completely different from the strangers I've encountered before.

In the past, strangers passing by would only regard him as a "wild monster" that could be seen anywhere on the roadside, either casually swinging their swords to kill him, or watching and teasing him from a distance. Or they would take off their clothes, punch themselves with their bare hands, and let themselves keep hitting them.

Later, William learned that this behavior was called skill practice.

They never stop, nor do they do anything meaningless. They always come into this world with a purpose, let alone show him such enthusiasm as they do today.

But William liked it this way; he loved the feeling, a feeling that arose spontaneously from within. It was as if being looked at squarely by a stranger, being able to communicate on equal terms, was something he had longed for deep within his very being.

He wasn't opposed to it; in fact, a quiet longing even arose in his heart. He wanted to get closer to these strangers and integrate into their community.

After a brief moment of warmth, William's thoughts quickly returned to reality.

He frowned, his gaze slowly sweeping over the fallen, withered trees and weeds around him.

Based on the experience taught by their Scarlet Crusade instructors, hordes of monsters roaming and raiding are always under the command of a leader. Just as soldiers always obey their captain's orders, squads never act aimlessly.

As a priestess, Taylor often explained some characteristics of the Scourge to the warriors of the monastery. William remembered what she said—corpses controlled by necromancy have no independent consciousness, and all their actions are subject to the command of their superiors.

Therefore, there must be a hidden leader lurking nearby.

William was certain of this judgment; Taylor wouldn't lie to him. He slowed his breathing and listened carefully to the sounds in the woods.

Seeing William's serious expression, the monk also stopped joking, straightened up, and looked around: "Something's not right. Why is there no sound at all in this forest?"

"There were birds chirping just now," the little shaman nodded in agreement, blinking his big eyes and looking around. "Are there still some monsters hiding that haven't come out yet? Sigh, these wild monsters have become smarter since the AI ​​upgrade. I have a feeling... this forest is eerie, like someone is watching us from the shadows."

As she spoke, she subconsciously moved closer to William, as if standing next to this special NPC made her feel inexplicably safe and secure.

"It's probably not over yet. They must have a leader who hasn't shown up yet." William looked at the two of them and said seriously, "These undead Scourges have no independent consciousness. I've lived in this woodland for many years, and I know their habits."

The monk and the shaman exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

From William's words, they gleaned many unexpected pieces of information.

This is incredible... Could it be that the official update not only upgraded the AI ​​of all NPCs, but also carried out a major overhaul behind the scenes, expanding the number of quests significantly? And added background information to each NPC?

That would be so interesting!

It's so great that we can interact and play together.

This is much better than grinding dungeons every day!!

The fog in the forest thickened, and the chilling atmosphere intensified imperceptibly. The stench of decay in the air suddenly became strong and pungent, mixed with a nauseating, putrid smell of corpses.

rustle...

The sound of light footsteps came from the depths of the dense forest on the left. The branches and leaves were slowly parted, and a tall, hunched figure slowly walked out from the dim shadows.

It was a colossal undead beast, far larger than an ordinary rotten gnoll, standing nearly two meters tall. Its body was bloated and rotting, with large chunks of its grayish-brown fur falling away to reveal the dark, grayish, rotting flesh beneath. Sticky, dark green pus oozed from its body, and wherever it passed, the weeds on the ground gradually withered and turned black.

What's most horrifying is its head; half of its cheek is completely sunken and ulcerated, and its eye sockets are hollow and sunken, with tiny white maggots slowly wriggling inside.

His murky, blood-red eyes were filled with a violent and chilling intensity, fixed intently on the three people in front of him. His body was wrapped in tattered animal hides, and two rusty hand axes hung at his waist, their blades stained with dried, dark brown blood and exuding a strong stench of plague.

Level 12, Rare Elite, Maggot Eyes.

It slowly walked out of the woods, letting out a low, hoarse growl from its throat, a sound like the grinding of sand and stones, with the eeriness unique to the dead.

"You lowly living beings... how dare you slaughter my servants..."

"Disrupting the master's plans, disturbing the master's schemes... they should all turn into bones, contributing their last strength to the master..."

The maggot's neck twisted and turned, its hollow eye sockets scanning the monks and shamans one by one, before finally fixing its cold gaze on William.

It could sense that the creature before it was completely different from ordinary people; it possessed a vibrant will and was a variable among the outcasts.

The moment the monk saw the elite gnoll, his heart sank, and his voice began to tremble: "Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! A rare elite has spawned! Holy crap! This is going to be a good drop!!"

"A hidden rare elite!!!" The little shaman's greedy cry, no less than a dragon's when it sees a treasure chest full of riches, immediately betrayed her feelings.

She had completely changed from being afraid and panicked when she was surrounded by gnolls. Instead, her face turned red, and she even rubbed her hands together, her eyes shining as she looked at the monster.

William opened his mouth speechlessly, as if he wanted to say something, but quickly stopped himself.

He remembered; this kind of thing had happened many times in his memory. Strangers were never afraid of death, especially when it came to the treasures of the wild.

Rare elites, wilderness chests, ores, and herbs.

Hmm, maybe we should also add the strangely shaped beast friends of the hunter profession among the strangers.

However, he was only level 8, and so were the two of them. Facing this rare level 12 elite...

Just then, the maggot's eye suddenly moved.

It made no unnecessary movements; its hunched body suddenly exerted force, and a rusty hand axe at its waist was suddenly swung out, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, heading straight for the unsuspecting little shaman.

The gnolls could tell that the shaman was the weakest of the three. If they could take down the healer first, the other two would be no threat.

The hand axe, imbued with the power of shadow and plague, trailing a black and blue tail of flame, rapidly approached the shaman.

The young shaman froze in place, his mind blank, unable to dodge in time, and even his reaction to release the totem was a beat too slow.

The monk's expression changed drastically, and he tried to rush over to stop him, but it was too late.