Episode 206
“Pre-release?”
An announcement posted less than a day after the update began.
Hanbit pointed at the monitor and said,
“Let’s take a look at the contents.”
“Ah, yes!”
Na Yeri quickly moved the mouse and clicked on the announcement post.
[Pre-release of major changes for the first update.]
Hello. This is Record Project.
As the completion time for the first update currently in progress has been confirmed for tomorrow at 6 PM, we are pre-releasing the major changes.
1. Expansion of General Fields and Forbidden Zones:
General fields and forbidden zones that were previously inactive will be activated.
In accordance with the zone expansion, all maps implemented via systems and items will be modified.
2. Addition of Starting Cities :
The city of Eladis, the Temple of Wisdom of the Holy Kingdom, will be added to the list of starting cities.
New players who create an account after the update will be able to select one of three starting cities when creating a character.
3. Faction System Opening:
The faction systems for the Hardliners, Moderates, and Holy Body Factions will be opened.
You will automatically be assigned to a faction upon selecting your first starting city, and you can change your faction once later through the 'Conversion' quest.
Edlen (Hardliners): Convinced that Erfort is an enemy, they aim to eliminate him.
Belmora (Moderates): Aims to uncover Erfort's true identity and prioritize dialogue.
Eladis (Holy Body Faction): Receiving an oracle from the Creator God, they worship Erfort as the Holy Body.
These factions can also be assigned to NPCs and depend on individual inclinations rather than origin or region.
The faction system will be used for gameplay in various future content.
4. Removal of PK Penalties and Strengthening of Death Penalties
All penalties previously imposed for PK have been removed.
(However, in safe zones such as cities and villages, strong sanctions may be applied by defense NPCs.)
The following penalties apply upon death in all areas except quest fields.
– Significant reduction in accumulated experience points and level drop
– Significant reduction in skill proficiency
– Random drop of gold and items
– Resurrection cooldown and application of debuffs
– Enhanced penalties for accumulated deaths within a certain time
5. Ranking System Changes
The Vanguard ranking system will be removed, and the display will be changed to the Overall Ranking.
You can check the rankings on the homepage every day at midnight.
“Uh…”
Na Yeri, who had been reading through the contents, showed a surprised reaction.
It wasn’t like the grand visual materials seen in updates for other games.
However, it was a change that anyone familiar with RP couldn’t help but be surprised by.
“Seriously, what were you thinking?”
Hanbit’s question was directed at the developer Team Zero, and then at the Goddess standing behind him.
An update timed to coincide with the moment they cleared the Raven Kingdom episode and became candidates for the investigation team.
They hadn’t thought that the appearance of a player from the Holy Kingdom was a coincidence.
But they never imagined it would be revealed on such a massive scale, and even spearheaded by the game company.
“Wow, is PK real? The death penalty is really tough, too.”
Yeonwoo, who had somehow found himself examining the contents alongside them.
His gaze rested on the PK section.
“If this is the case… wouldn’t it significantly hinder gameplay?”
Na Yeri, who watched all of Hanbit’s broadcasts live, expressed concern about the progress.
There were raiders who had disrupted the game several times.
In the recent recording delivered late at night, there was even a player from Shinseong-guk who had intervened in the episode.
However, if the game company were to show a gesture encouraging PK, nothing but chaos could be envisioned.
“The overall game flow will be dominated by PK, but we’ll be fine. The forbidden zone we’re about to proceed through is difficult to access anyway, and if they happen to show up, we can just kill them. The death penalty has also been strengthened, so it should serve as a good example.”
If they had simply emphasized PK, Hanbit would have voiced his dissatisfaction as well.
However, if the death penalty is imposed so heavily, it is not easy to approach with a light heart.
If they are genuinely trying to hinder him, enemies need to be prepared.
'I’ll have to be careful in the field, too.'
Losing experience points, levels, and skill proficiency due to death is not a major blow to Hanbit.
But the random drop of items he possesses is a different story.
If you die in an open field and lose your items, it would be difficult to expect to recover them.
“The community is going crazy.”
Yeon-woo, having opened an RPG website, watched the atmosphere burning up intensely.
It was an update that any player was bound to be bewildered by.
<Breaking News) Update Details Revealed>
Preview of the update details has appeared on the Record Project homepage.
Check out the screenshots for the details
-??
-Is this for real?
-A starting city is being added?
-The Holy Nation?
-Why did they remove the PK penalty?
-The death penalty is damn hard. Lol.
-Is chaos coming?
-Do I just need to do the conversion quest to join the Holy Nation?
└Seriously, joining isn't bad.
└The Holy Nation is getting more
and more overpowered. -If you're already craving a faction war, give it a thumbs up.
-Meanwhile, they're finally revealing the rankings.
-Are they rankers now, not just the advance party?
-Number 1, *nervous
* -Who is it for real?
People were enjoying themselves as they scrutinized each item in the announcement.
As major changes were scheduled, most looked excited.
“How about Astra?”
“Astra?”
At that question, Hanbit checked the app on his smartphone.
After scanning through the list of recent posts, he shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s similar. Though there are more personal messages.”
Messages had increased noticeably since the update pre-announcement.
As they were the existing advance party members active in the forbidden zone, there were indeed many more solid proposals.
Of course, it was still too early to do anything with them.
After a moment of contemplation, Hanbit made a decision immediately.
“I should hold a preliminary meeting. Let’s all get together tomorrow.”
***
The next morning.
Hanbit was making eye contact with a four-year-old girl in the living room of a house.
“…….”
“……?”
The child, with her clear eyes sparkling without saying a word.
The giraffe doll held in her small hand had its neck hanging limply.
“Hyung, wouldn’t there be someone more suitable than me?”
“Why? You seem to really like it.”
Kim Jae-ha, who was preparing drinks in the kitchen, chuckled and said.
Meeting Hanbit’s eyes in the silence was his daughter.
It was Kim Yun-ah, a four-year-old whose true feelings were impossible to fathom.
‘My wife is out tomorrow morning, so I have to look after the daughter. If you don’t mind, would you like to talk at my place?’
An unexpected meeting location arranged last night via Kim Jae-ha’s call.
He thought he might be able to play with the child, but for nearly ten minutes, they had been staring at each other without doing anything.
I couldn't even do that, fearing that avoiding it would hurt.
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you freeze like this. Aren’t you a worthy opponent?”
Yeon-woo smiled as if finding the situation amusing.
Just then, Avant-garde stepped in to help.
“I guess I’ll have to step in. I have three nieces and nephews, so I’ve often played with them.”
He took a handkerchief and a coin from his pocket.
Then, he began to perform a simple magic trick.
Whoosh!
“How about that? It’s gone, right?”
“…….”
To the point where his efforts were in vain, Yoon-ah showed absolutely no interest.
Instead, she took a step closer to Han-bit and quietly began to look up at him.
“Yoon-ah, come here.”
Just then, Haneul, who had been watching the situation, extended her arms.
At that, the child, who had been staring only at Han-bit, snapped her head and ran to her older sister to hug her.
“It worked well with my nieces and nephews, though……”
While Avant-garde muttered, looking a bit downcast,
Kim Jae-ha returned to the living room with drinks and snacks.
“Don’t worry too much about it. It’s a time when their interests are very firmly established.”
He chuckled and offered light comfort.
Then, handing out drinks, he looked at Hanbit.
“If we need a preliminary meeting, it’s pretty serious, isn’t it?”
Kim Jae-ha also checked the contents immediately after the announcement was posted. He
was just as surprised, but since he had decided to support the blacksmith side, he planned to take a step back from the front lines.
“Should I work on the episode too? I probably won’t be much help, though?”
“It will be a huge help, but please focus on your role as the blacksmith. From now on, we need to pay a lot of attention not only to weapons but also to armor and magic tools. Without them, our studio will be in a really tough situation.” “
…Well, the burden on my shoulders feels pleasantly heavy. I’ll do my best.”
Kim Jae-ha braced himself with a faint smile. Given
his character, he would likely produce results better than expected.
“The reason we scheduled this preliminary meeting is simple. We are here to decide on a course of action following the update.”
“A course of action… is it because of PK, I suppose?”
Noeul, sitting next to him, quietly brought it up.
Hanbit nodded and spoke.
“That’s right. They might be wary at first, but eventually, the forbidden zone is going to turn into a free-for-all. Especially since the players on the Holy Kingdom side will try to kill other factions.”
There are various update items, but the most fundamental one was PK by force.
Unlike before, if they could obtain gold and items, there was actually no reason not to kill the enemy.
If they judged the opponent to be an easy target, wouldn't they likely engage in a slaughter even against their own faction?
*Swoosh*
—Hanbit took out the RP map he had purchased in advance and spread it on the floor.
Pointing toward the northern border of the Raven Kingdom, he said,
“This will be the focal point of Episode 7. As soon as the game server opens, we will head straight here.”
“Huh? Didn't you say the Examiner would appear from the Investigation Team? I thought we had to meet them in the Royal Capital for the episode to open.”
Haneul, who had been listening, raised a question.
It was an accurate observation.
“That is usually the case, but to clear the episode quickly, it is correct to go to the testing grounds first. Even though skipping like during Temosha is difficult, the goal is to proceed through Episodes 7 through 9 as fast as possible. Oh, and for this, the roles of Jaeha and Mr. Avant-garde are important.”
“Is that so for me too?”
Avant-garde, who had been listening quietly, shifted his gaze slightly in surprise.
Hanbit nodded and spoke.
“The most critical variable is the player affiliated with the Holy Kingdom. Mr. Avant-garde, I would like you to gather any information you can regarding this
area. Given the Adventurer A incident, we need even the smallest clue.” “…I understand exactly what you mean. Fortunately, the outskirts of the Holy Kingdom have been added to the now-accessible player black markets, so I think some information might emerge.”
“That’s great. I look forward to working with you.”
The unexpected news was quite welcome.
Since the Holy Kingdom tends to keep its outskirts quite closed off, accessing that area would surely yield results.
Buzz—
about an hour into the meeting,
Hanbit’s smartphone vibrated.
Diorama’s name appeared on the screen.
Click—
he immediately accepted the call.
“Hello?”
(Ah, Lord Black Dragon! I know our appointment is at 2 PM, but something urgent came up, so I’m calling! Are you reading the news articles coming up right now?)
“News articles?”
At the strange remark, Hanbit averted his gaze to the side.
Reacting to this, Yeonwoo quickly turned on his smartphone and entered the portal's main page.
But.
“Ah…….”
Yeon-woo's expression hardened as he watched the screen.
Frowning slightly, he turned the screen to Hanbit.
The first thing he saw was a single line of a headline from a specialized RP article.
<11 Leading Global Conglomerates Express Support for the Seongche Faction in Shinseong-guk.>
