I have to get lucky right away.

The hidden quest in Chapter 255 is here!

[This game is trash, a waste of time!]

Just as Feng Xue was diligently exploiting Bigeley's resources, a hot post appeared on the player forum. In fact, logically speaking, since its release, "Hero vs. Demon King" had been constantly criticized. After all, it was supposed to be the first game using virtual reality technology, but it was repackaged as a classic MMORPG with poor freedom and interactivity. If it weren't for the lack of competing products and its excellent character models, there wouldn't even be the energy to criticize it. To the point that criticizing the game had become a daily occurrence on the forum, with posts and complaints almost every day, yet people still played it anyway.

However, the appearance of this post at this time surprised many people, because the current 5.0 version can almost be considered the best-received version since the game's release.

Whether it's the main and side quests that are finally starting to move, or the more epic boss battles, especially the newly launched spell editing system, a large number of players have been forced to stay in the small Hidden Village. Even during work hours, hundreds of people are here studying spells, which even forced the "official" team to expand the village to accommodate the influx of players.

But at such a prosperous time, when the daily barrage of angry outbursts had become scarce, this post suddenly appeared, almost immediately raising questions.

Many players clicked in expecting a good scolding if it was the same old arguments, while casual gamers were simply curious to see what amazing new tricks they'd pulled off since there hadn't been much criticism lately. Others were just there to argue and create drama. However, they soon discovered that the points of contention this time were completely different from before—

[Hello everyone, I'm a new player, Meichuan Kuzi. Actually, I saw this game a few years ago, but I had absolutely no interest in MMORPGs, so I never played it. It was only recently, with the release of the spell editing system, that this Noita veteran finally became a little interested.]

Although grinding and leveling up can be tedious, I understand that this is just the growing pains of the early game, so I didn't find it too bad. After getting the talismans, I felt even more exhilarated. Even when time moved to the Hidden Village and the difficulty of casting spells increased significantly, I didn't feel any problem. It's precisely because of this increased realism that spells can have more possibilities.

[At this point, you might think I'm just using clickbait, saying I'm criticizing but actually praising, but that's not the case. Unlike many people who plan to master their skills before making a comeback, I'm the type who likes to shoot moving targets. Plus, I have experience with Noita, so I can create spells relatively quickly. So after creating a decent spell, I left the secluded village to fight a monster.]

Then I discovered that I couldn't freely cast spells outside the village! Yes, the only area where you can freely edit spells is within the Hidden Village! I later tried using the dungeon key inside the Hidden Village, but the result was the same; spells edited in the Hidden Village still couldn't be used inside the dungeon!

[I also tried using the first version of the talisman, but the result was the same. Although talismans can also edit spells, the degree of freedom is obviously not as great as in the Hidden Village. Without the Hidden Village, the first version of the talisman would be an absolute god-like playstyle. But after experiencing the Hidden Village, it's like a restaurant serving you a Manchu Han Imperial Feast, taking a picture of it, and then making you wait in line for three days. When it's time to eat, they replace it with a pot of braised pork. I'm not saying that braised pork is bad, but since you used a Manchu Han Imperial Feast to lure me in for so long, but then you don't let me eat it, what does that mean? I spent several days practicing that spell control, and all I get is to shoot at a stationary target in the village?]

Initially, most of the people in this thread were casual gamers, because the real players were mostly in the secluded village studying the four basic skills. However, as the influence spread, some players who just wanted to relax on the forum saw this thread, and things started to escalate.

Actually, Meichuan Kuzi wasn't the first to discover this, but some players didn't care.

Ultimately, the existing skill tree is sufficient for fighting bosses. With the addition of spellcasting, clearing dungeons in seconds is not impossible. Editing spells is more for showing off. Although they can only be used in villages, why not just use them to attack moving targets and engage in player-versus-player combat? Isn't throwing a bunch of spells at a player's face more interactive than going into dungeons to fight those AI monsters?
However, different players obviously have different ideas. Some are researching spell PvP, while others want to create a big bomb to blow up the boss. And with the surge of emotions, many people who previously thought it didn't matter now feel as if they have been deceived and have started to join the noisy crowd.

The research fanatic is the type who simply enjoys the spell editing gameplay. Although it's a bit of a shame that he can't use it outside, it's just a minor regret.

But he was also a veteran netizen and knew that he couldn't stop the public opinion that had already taken off by himself, so he simply ignored it and stayed in the secluded village to continue doing his own thing.

However, the village, which had been expanded into a secluded town, suddenly became deserted.

"Hey buddy, wanna have some fruit?"

Just as the research fanatic stepped out of the library, ready to try out new ideas, he suddenly saw an old man carrying a basket walking by. He recognized this NPC; he usually played chess with a group of old men at the village entrance every day. Some players had thought there might be a hidden quest, but even with the AI, they couldn't win, so they gave up. However, this was the first time he had appeared in the training ground.

The research fanatic thought to himself, "Could there be a mission?" and immediately replied:

"Grandpa, what made you think of bringing me fruit?"

"You're not the only one; everyone who stayed has one." The old man chuckled, tossed him a fruit, and then beckoned the players nearby over.

"Hey, grandpa! Isn't this a bit unfair? Why do they all have them, but we don't?" Guan'er and Babi came over, and when they saw the old man avoiding them, they immediately became unhappy.

The old man rolled his eyes at them, then said disdainfully:

"You just played in poop, what fruit are you going to eat? Even my little rascal knows to wash his hands after playing in poop and mud!"

"Hahahaha!"

The players who had initially gathered simply to trigger the quest burst into laughter, and Guan'er immediately said:
"That's magic! Do you understand magic? Magic can't be considered shit! Can dyed earth elementals be considered shit?"

"Anyway, I find it disgusting to look at. If you want to eat fruit, go wash your hands first!" The old man didn't tolerate the two of them, but seeing that the NPC might have a quest, Guan'er had a sudden idea. He immediately reached out and a pool of spring water sprayed in front of him. Although it soaked him from head to toe, at least he washed his hands.

"Grandpa, is this alright?" Guan'er looked at the old man smugly, but the old man twitched his nose twice and asked suspiciously, "You're not doing some kind of peeing trick, are you?"

"He and I……"

"Guan'er! No way! It's not worth it with NPCs!" Ba Bi immediately covered Guan'er's mouth with his hand, and then took the two fruits from the laughter.

Seeing that the jar was unlikely to be able to communicate properly with the old man, the research fanatic had no choice but to take the initiative and say:

"Sir, you just said... 'left behind'?"

"Yes!" The old man picked up a fruit, took a bite, and said with a look of disgust:
"These young people nowadays have no patience at all. Even Sun Wukong had to chop wood for seven years to learn his skills! They can't even calm their minds, yet they want to cultivate immortality?"

(End of this chapter)