Having spent almost the entire night reading through the closed beta insights sent over by Xiaoyao, Chen Ying finally managed to grasp a general understanding of the new features in the game Phantom Moon. Almost all information regarding the newly developed realistic game Phantom Moon was strictly confidential. When Xiaoyao and the others participated in the closed beta, they could only visit NPCs in the novice village to get used to the controls and hunt for game bugs, completely unable to obtain any useful data. The only thing they achieved was figuring out some of the early-stage maps and class categories within Phantom Moon.
The classes in Phantom Moon were divided into five major branches: Mage, Warrior, Immortal, Archer, and Guardian. Every branch started out identical during the initial phase, but upon the first class advancement at level forty, the five major branches would subdivide further. Based on the focus between offense and defense, the Warrior branch would branch into the offense-oriented Berserker and the defense-oriented Shield Warrior.
The Mage branch would split into Elemental Mages, who specialized in elemental magic, and Shadow Mages, who specialized in shadow spells. The Immortal branch would branch into Celestial Immortals, who served as full-time support, and Earth Immortals, who were solo combatants with extremely powerful combat abilities. The Archer branch would split into Pure Archers, who focused on offensive output, and Trap Archers, who possessed formidable peripheral abilities and could summon pets. Meanwhile, the Guardian branch could branch into Assassins with formidable stealth and assassination skills, and Guardians who functioned as all-around sweepers.
Aside from the single skill each class possessed by default at birth, all skill books had to be dropped by defeating monsters, and equipment worked the same way. Although production classes existed, they could only enhance equipment to a certain degree when provided with materials; they could not manufacture equipment.
Chen Ying actually rather liked this aspect. As a legendary gaming expert, Chen Ying had his own stubborn persistence. Chen Ying greatly favored the sensation of equipment dropping from defeated monsters; that wondrous feeling was what Chen Ying was most obsessed with.
In addition to the maps being expanded infinitely and the requirement for players to farm their own equipment and skill books, the realistic game Phantom Moon also unlocked many different new features, though these functions would only come into play later in the game—such as the talent system unlocking after level forty, or the summoning of combat pets after level fifty.
After confirming that he had familiarized himself with the basic information of this newly launched realistic game Phantom Moon, Chen Ying finally hugged a throw pillow and fell asleep on the sofa at four o'clock in the morning.
Because he went to sleep so late, Chen Ying did not wake up until one o'clock in the afternoon the next day. Sitting up, Chen Ying saw a note left on the coffee table in front of him.
"Scoundrel, remember to report to the studio. The Black Iron and gold coins I need to upgrade my weapon as an invincible, beautiful mage are all counting on you!"
The handwriting was neat and delicate, and a smiling face was drawn at the very bottom of the note. Looking at the note, a smile appeared on Chen Ying's face.
The launch time for Phantom Moon was six o'clock in the evening. Chen Ying quickly washed up and stepped out of his little apartment feeling completely refreshed.
Sauntering along, he bid farewell to the students of the Media Institute, telling them that he would no longer be setting up a stall to sell pancakes. By four o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Ying arrived at the Starfish Building following the address Tao Xin had left behind. This was a modern apartment building that combined offices and residences, making it an extremely upscale location. Seeing that half of the third floor of the Starfish Building had been designated as the territory of Xingchen Studio, Chen Ying smiled faintly. It seemed this studio was quite large after all.Stepping into the studio, Chen Ying saw individual, partitioned computer desks arranged before him. There were both men and women, mostly young people a bit younger than himself, though some were older. All of them wore a faint, relaxed smile—an expression Chen Ying knew was the unique arrogance of elite gamers. Having some familiarity with online gaming studios, he figured that the people working here must be second-tier members of Xingchen Studio. First-tier members typically had private rooms to themselves as a squad.
Since the game had not yet launched, these second-tier members were mostly browsing casually on their computers. The reclining chairs they sat in looked very comfortable, and connected to each computer desk was a pair of large, black-sunglass-like goggles. Chen Ying recognized these as the holographic induction goggles for the virtual reality game *Phantom Moon*, which cost three thousand RMB a pair. Such equipment was already quite good for second-tier members. The first-tier members, who had independent studios for their squads, probably used holographic helmets that cost twenty thousand RMB each—an entirely different tier.
Lost in thought, Chen Ying walked deeper into the studio. From a slanted side corridor, a girl dressed in white walked out and politely asked, "Sir, are you here to apply for a position at Xingchen Studio?"
The girl before him wore a white outfit and had gentle features. Her shoulder-length hair complemented her gentle and refined demeanor, and her light makeup gave her a fresh feel. Her speech was poised, polite, and beyond reproach.
"You could say that. Tao Xin referred me," Chen Ying nodded and said.
"Ah, you're that exclusive miner!" The girl in white covered her small mouth in surprise and let out a soft exclamation.
Seeing the girl's reaction, Chen Ying shook his head helplessly."Hi, my name is Arisa, but you can call me Leaf. Let's go get you registered first. Even though Shiner joked about you being a dedicated miner, we still need to assign your work based on practical circumstances." Smiling, the girl named Leaf led Chen Ying deep into the hall and into a room.
The moment he stepped inside, Chen Ying’s eyes widened and locked in place. There were at least four youthful, charming beauties casually lounging on the sofas. Every single one of them wore comfortable athletic crop tops and shorts, exposing vast expanses of snow-white skin on their chests and smooth, flawless jade legs that instantly brought a delighted grin to Chen Ying's face.
Quick on his feet, Chen Ying zeroed in on a petite girl by the doorway sofa who was leaning back against the chair, casually reading a magazine."Hey beauty, you really know how to dress. This outfit looks stunning on you. Free tonight? My bed is huge—let me keep you company while we count the stars." Leaning right into the young beauty's personal space, Chen Ying spoke in a sleazy tone.
He had expected his move to startle her, but instead, the young beauty simply put down her magazine and wrapped her arms around Chen Ying’s neck. This sudden movement brought the curves of her chest directly into his line of sight. Stunned for a second, Chen Ying felt the corners of his mouth growing moist.
"Ooh! Big brother, you're so handsome! And look how fast your drool is coming out—I wuv it so much! I kinda wanna do *it*, I just wonder if you're fast in that department too."
*Splutter!*
Gazing into the young beauty's innocent, lolita-like eyes and hearing those words, Chen Ying coughed up a mouthful of old blood and crashed straight to the floor. At that moment, the beauties inside the room all burst into uninhibited laughter.