Gamers of the Underworld

Panda Novel

“I’m able to work, I’m able to…”

“Pu Tong!”

The last Goblin, who was laden with various pieces of equipment and items, fell to the ground with a thud.

Sherlock walked out of the Dungeon Core Main Hall and looked at the large pile of trash outside.

Sherlock picked up the fallen gamers and piled them in a corner. He didn’t bother with the items that fell from the backpacks to the ground.

He walked around the Dungeon once. At the Living Quarters, the first level of the building was incomplete. There were many Goblins lying inside in a mess.

After pondering, he went inside and counted the Goblins. Then he counted the Goblins in the corner. There were exactly a hundred gamers.

All the gamers went offline in the Dungeon. He felt that it was a good habit.

He turned around and noticed Brainiac, who looked puzzled.

“Lord Sherlock, I…” Brainiac had just spoken when Sherlock raised his hand and interrupted him.

“I know what you’re going to ask. Don’t ask. Young lads have to contemplate, then it will be meaningful. If you’ve never encountered setbacks, what’s the use of society?”

Brainiac lowered his head and pondered. Sherlock patted his shoulders and said, “Brainiac, I know what you’re thinking. Broaden your heart, have more confidence, and be strong.”

“Lord Sherlock…” Brainiac lifted his head, and his empty eye sockets were wet.

Sherlock gave Brainiac advice as he walked towards the Dungeon Core Main Hall.

“As my servants are extremely strong, there will be many instances your confidence will take a beating. There are many things you have to learn over here, Brainiac.”

Sherlock left, and Brainiac gazed at Sherlock’s large back view.

“Didn’t Lord Sherlock say he’s unable to manipulate a Lich who has no heart?” When Sherlock returned to the Dungeon Core Main Hall, Bru, who had been quiet for some time, abruptly spoke.

“No, no, no, I’m just stating the truth,” Sherlock said as he switched on his computer.

“Because you kept quiet, I thought you were swallowed by that Dungeon Core.”

“Lord Sherlock likes to jest,” Bru said. “Let’s discuss the issues surrounding the announcement of the Second Beta, Lord Sherlock.”

…

[“Dungeon: Eternal Kingdom” Second Beta, Version 0.15 Update Announcement]

“Dear gamers:

After two months of Beta Testing, “Dungeon: Eternal Kingdom” was greatly loved by gamers based on its casual gameplay, endearing difficulty, no hardship, and sunny graphic style.

The end of registration for the Second Beta Testing was today. The number of applicants reached 2,560,000!

The game development team spent long hours selecting 2,000 gamers for the Second Beta Testing. Please check your mailboxes and follow the instructions accordingly.

The Second Beta Testing will commence once the current maintenance is completed.

The current maintenance schedule will last for two days. The official resumption of service and commencement of the Second Beta Testing will be on the 10th of May at 12:10pm.

All full-service First Beta Gamers will receive a rewards pack. Do look out for it.

The following are the content previews of the Second Beta Testing and Version 0.15 Update:

1: Purchased new servers that increased the gamers count to 2,000. The maximum capacity is 2,100.

2: Improved the Reputation System.

Reputation Points: Reputation Points will be used as a special currency.

The activities of the gamers, such as the Daily Construction Missions and Daily Materials Gathering Missions, will garner Reputation Points.

The Reputation Points can be used to increase the gamer’s Reputation Level, which will no longer be automatically upgraded. Once the required Reputation Level is attained, the Reputation Points can be used to change to a new Race and Profession for the missions. Reputation Points can also be used to learn special skills and for future functionalities.

Creating new characters after death will no longer have the full Reputation penalty. The deduction of the Reputation Points will vary according to the gamers’ race. The Reputation Level will not be downgraded.

3: Added new Races.

Gnome: As the Dungeon’s main force, their numbers are only second to Goblins. As the most common creature of the Underworld, the Gnome’s strength, agility, and intelligence are superior to a Goblin. The Gnome has a Mana affinity, and their body is able to feel Mana.

Added special Gnome mission, The Way of the Gnome.

Houndhead Man (To be added): A low intelligence creature who lives in caves and whose combat power is inferior to a Gnome. Because of their ties to the Dragon family, they have great Mana affinity, but due to their low intelligence, none of the Houndhead Men are able to use Mana. Lord Sherlock is attempting to interact with these creatures to see if they can be integrated into Eternal Kingdom.

Developing special Houndhead Man mission, The Way of the Houndhead Man.

4: Punishment System in development.

To protect order in Eternal Kingdom, the Punishment System will be used to deal with obnoxious gamers who are disrupting the proper gaming culture. It is currently in development.

The aforementioned are the main updates for Version 0.15. More details of the Second Beta will be included in a future version update.

Warriors of Eternal Kingdom! If you are game, play “Dungeon: Eternal Kingdom” on the 10th of May at 12:10pm!]”

Sherlock checked the contents of the update. After ensuring there were no errors, he published it.

“Lord Sherlock, you have to prepare gift packs for the hundred First Beta Gamers and more Mana isolating cloth. If possible, obtain a Huge Dragon too. Then, we can add the Houndhead Man profession. The workload of the NPCs will increase substantially after recruiting 2,000 gamers. Consider the feelings of Simba, Mufasa, and Moroes. There is an urgent need to add professional careers and recruit more NPCs,” Bru suggested.

“In addition, there are various essential functionalities that an online game should have. Lord Sherlock, shall we discuss them?”

“Are you referring to treasure chests, lottery draws, can knockdown, and wheel of fortune? Let’s talk,” Sherlock said.

…

“Swoosh!”

The curtain hanging from the windowless wall was pulled down by a fat Hamster.

There were two fat Hamsters sitting by the side. One of the Hamsters carried a fruit as he watched the fire stove. A Hamster whose face was blue-black and swollen held a bag of black powder in his hand.

“Good, we can begin now!”

The fat Hamster pulled the curtains and stood by the side. The other two Hamsters stood up too.

The swollen-faced Hamster grabbed some black powder and tossed it into the fire stove. The flames grew in height, and the entire room lit up.

The room started quaking, and the ceiling had a large open mouth.

“Ke—Pui!”

Water saliva dripped down and flooded the three Hamsters and the towering flames.

The ceiling opened its mouth and spouted vulgarities. “(Censored), all of you! Setting my hotel on fire? You (censored). I’ve informed the police! You’ll be in jail for the rest of your lives!”

The three Hamsters looked at the ceiling that had gone back to normal. Then, they looked at the extinguished fire stove.

“Boom!”

The flames grew in height again, and they had a blue human silhouette. The silhouette turned her head to look around before speaking intermittently in a gentle female voice. “What has happened? Why is… so bad? Can hear… why are… in this state?”

“Lady!”

“We hear you!”

“We found Lord Sherlock!”

The three Hamsters said together. The swollen-faced Hamster grabbed some powder and thought for a while. Then, he threw the whole bag into the stove.

“Boom—!

Blue flamers towered over them. The human figure became clear, and the intermittent voice became a loud holler.

“What? Sherlock? You’ve found him? Where is he?”

“Lady!”

“You’re too loud!”

“He’s at Winterfell. More or less.”

“Find him! Convey my message to him. Once I’m done over here, I’ll look for you.”

The blue flames extinguished on her last word.

The three Hamsters looked at each other and spoke simultaneously.

“What message? Did Lady convey any message?”

“Can’t remember.”

“Is it mealtime?”

“Pom—!”

A strong armored arm bashed through the room door. The scent of scattered wood shavings pervaded the air. The arm started searching around for the door handle.

“You’re under arrest! You arsonists! Open the door!” the voice outside shouted.