Chapter 22: Beta Test Opens

"Nickname: Cao Renqi!"

"Normal start has been selected, character creation is complete."

"Race: Human."

"Based on your preferences in the questionnaire, we've determined your arrival area and islands."

"The location you are about to arrive at is: West Blue, Kano Country."

"Descending now..."

"Wishing you a pleasant gaming experience!"

On the southeast coast of the Kano Country, in a desolate and uninhabited area.

Cao Renqi felt his vision blur suddenly. Once it cleared, he found himself in an unfamiliar, open space.

Under his feet, rough, moist, sandy-yellow gravel. The air, carrying a salty sea breeze, rushed into his nostrils. Upon closer inspection, not far away was a vast azure sea, with white seagulls soaring freely in the sky, creating an incredibly realistic scene.

Cao Renqi squatted down, scooped up a handful of sand. The fine grains slipped through his fingers, feeling exactly like the beaches in the real world. He couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Surrounded by hundreds of closed beta players, most were curiously observing the scenery, expressing admiration with comments like "turtle turtle," "awesome," and "I'm tired, oh my god."

Some pragmatic players were getting ready to leave the beach and explore nearby areas.

Cao Renqi awkwardly opened the system panel to check his character attributes.

Similar to the information leaked on the official website earlier, players starting conventionally had only one main profession: "Refugee," signifying that they had washed ashore from other islands.

"For now, let's not worry about levels, experience, attributes, and such. We'll understand them gradually as we tackle tasks later on."

The only full-body equipment available is the basic newbie three-piece set: a short-sleeved cloth shirt, pants, and straw shoes that are always there. Besides modesty, they don't offer any other benefits.

"Why can't they be dropped? Is it because the system doesn't support it? Are the parts still there?"

Cao Renqi instinctively reached out and checked.

Hmm, it's still the familiar little brother.

Suddenly, he noticed someone nearby attempting a similar experiment but in a more daring manner—he was actually considering taking off his pants on the spot!

Cao Renqi discreetly moved a few steps away. Whether that guy decides to remove his pants or not, he'd rather not witness it, thank you

As the saying goes, "A sharp tool in the shed!"

"Are there players in the closed beta with this level of skill? I thought everyone, except me, was a professional player!"

Unlike most other players in the closed beta of "One Piece," Cao Renqi is neither a gaming prodigy nor a professional player. He is just a passionate VR enthusiast, and when it comes to gaming...

Um, just from the name, you can tell that this guy, apart from certain special-colored game types, can only be considered a pink and tender newcomer in other games.

Previously, he heard by chance that the "One Piece" game was about to be released, and Cao Renqi was highly intrigued. He really wanted to see what the full drive VR game looked like!

For this, Cao Renqi even contributed a kidney—oh no, a string of mysterious numbers from his collection of many years on a small forum.

Luckily, when the closed beta testing for "One Piece" was announced, Cao Renqi secured a precious slot among the online crowd.

When the game's closed beta officially started today, Cao Renqi was the first to enter the game to explore what it was like.

Rather than aiming to stand out in "One Piece," Cao Renqi simply wanted to immerse himself in the different world and maybe make some connections with interesting characters.

"I've started the VR game, and she and I entered the cornfield. Skipping 372 words below..."

Cao Renqi smirked,

His somewhat suggestive expression revealed a vivid fantasy about the future.

Meanwhile, other players on the beach were also sharing their thoughts.

"Such a realistic feeling! Loved it, loved it!"

"What are we supposed to do now? Why is there no hint at all? Are there no guiding NPCs?"

"Darn it! Why can't I get these pants off? Let's try another method..."

"Can we speed things up? Time is crucial in warfare!"

At that moment, a wrinkled elderly man with white hair slowly approached from the north. A swarm of players hurried toward him, encircling the old man, who was dressed as a fisherman. They bombarded him with questions.

"Old man, is there anything we can help you with?"

"Any hints you can share, old man?"

"Old geezer, can you help me take off these pants?"

"Old man..."

Standing at the edge of the crowd, Cao Renqi took advantage of the chaos and secretly used a detection to the old man dressed as a fisherman.

[Based on your level and attributes, you receive the following information]

[?? - Fisher of the Kano Country] (Pink)

[Level: 1]

[Attributes: Strength 3, Agility 4, Endurance 4, Intelligence 6, Charm 3, Luck 1]

[Skills: Fishing, ?]

[Danger Level: Medium]

The players possesses a detection function, allowing them to see through NPC information and abilities to a certain extent. However, if there is a significant level difference, information may be missing.

The greater the gap, the more information is lost.

The color of NPC names reflects their relationship: green for friendly, yellow for neutral, and red for hostile. The danger level indicates the strength difference between the player and the target.

Both being at level 1, Cao Renqi easily observed most of the NPC's information.

"I thought he was just a fisherman, but turns out he really just is a fisherman... But why are this old fisherman's attributes so much higher than mine at the same level?"

Cao Renqi turned around, checked his own information, and examined his six attributes with face full of doubt about life.

[Strength 1, Agility 1, Endurance 1, Intelligence 1, Charm 1, Luck 1.]

A genuine hexagonal warrior, perfectly balanced, with all values at 1!

Cao Renqi complained, "Even a level 1 fisherman's danger level is moderate. Is this game too hard? Luckily, my interest isn't in hunting monsters and leveling up..."

At the same time, many players also noticed the attributes of the old fisherman and couldn't help but whisper.

"What the heck? Why are this old man's attributes so high?"

"With this appearance, he has a charisma of 3 points? Aren't I much more handsome than him?"

"Why does he have 6 points of intelligence? Is he some kind of evolved monster?"

The players' expressions gradually turned serious.

The old fisherman suddenly screamed and darted out from the crowd, rolling and crawling. With his "high" strength of 3 points, not a single player could catch him.

"Oh no! Oh no!" The old fisherman shouted as he fled, "A large group of pirates is coming!"

"Pirates? Wait, like, us?"

"Isn't it? Why is the newbie instructor running away?"

A group of experienced players immediately became bewildered, falling into a moment of chaos.

Although the full-dive VR game was a new version, and the game company had kept details under wraps, everyone had weathered storms and wouldn't be easily surprised.

But what's with this operation of the old guy who looks like the village chief of the newbie village running away?

And before leaving, he even labeled us as pirates?

Even though this is a game, what kind of NPC is this?