Internet Sensation

The world announcement made by the system has caused the forum to explode. The majority of players are still struggling to level up like in normal games. The game system of Oasis is stingy; even players from affluent backgrounds that started before Devin and Alex are not progressing as quickly.

For the past six months, Oasis has been available online. Currently, most people's levels are between 5 and 7. These players are the ones who received early information and started playing Oasis from the beginning.

Forum Post:

"How on earth did these two people level up so quickly, while I am still struggling to get the village chief of my village to issue tasks worthy of experience points?"

Countless people were posting the same question, desperately calling out the names of Devin and Alex, hoping for any information on the forum.

Some people even offered real-life money to anyone who could provide genuine information about Devin and Alex, but this effort would prove futile due to the game's sophisticated security measures. Everyone's information is encrypted and protected. The AI running the game has full autonomy, otherwise, why would people even start having meetings in Oasis?

["Does anyone know who these two players are and in which novice village they are located?] another player asked.

[Starting a thread to search for Alex and Devin in my novice village,] posted another player.

Within two minutes, this post went viral, receiving hundreds of likes every minute and multiple comments.

[Are you sure these two players are not NPCs installed by the game company to prove that the game is playable?] another person posted. This comment garnered positive feedback and was sent to the top of the forum, sparking various conspiracy theories. People are like this; they tend to make up excuses to give themselves a sense of balance.

Another post gained a lot of views as the poster analyzed Devin and Alex.

[These two are probably 90% male. They come from wealthy backgrounds and don't need to work, allowing them to play the game full-time. They are gaming addicts who don't browse social platforms, which is why they haven't replied. They are loners who have no real-life friends, girlfriends, or boyfriends.]

In a luxurious bar in the capital, ten young people were gathered. Amongst them were six males and four females, representing the top ten rich families who played Oasis.

"I want to know which of your families or corporations are funding those two?" David Castellan questioned the person who had called the meeting. The Castellan Family was well-known for their wealth and influence in the technology sector. They were pioneers in creating cutting-edge software and hardware solutions, consistently pushing the boundaries of innovation. David was entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing Oasis.

These young and talented individuals had come together to form an alliance, aspiring to dominate the world of Oasis. They included the Castellan Family, known for their technology prowess; the Vandenberg Family, with a lengthy history in the banking industry and immense financial power, led by Lydia; the Montague Family, renowned for their luxurious international hotel chains and resorts, embodying elegance and hospitality under the leadership of Edwyn in Oasis; the Chambers Family, leaders in the energy sector, owning numerous oil refineries, power plants, and renewable energy ventures, with Callum in charge of Oasis; the Sinclairs, prominent in the entertainment industry, controlling vast media conglomerates, film studios, and music labels, with Savannah Sinclair taking charge; the Liang Family, with a long lineage of successful agricultural entrepreneurs, dominating the food production and distribution networks, led by Law; the Wellington Family, involved in various investments including real estate, fashion, and luxury goods, radiating opulence, with Amelia at the helm; the Nakamuras, renowned for their pioneering innovations and engineering expertise in the automotive industry, led by Romero; the Santiago Family, dominating the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, with a vast network of research institutions and medical facilities under their control, led by Zakai; and finally, the Rossi Family, establishing a formidable presence in the shipping and freight industry, excelling in global logistics and supply chain management, led by Eliana.

"I can confirm it's not from my side," said Lydia, affirming that her family had no involvement with Devin and Alex. The rest of the group also confirmed that they had no knowledge of the two players.

"Honestly, why are we even meeting here instead of being busy playing the game, so we can leave the novice village and gather more resources? Don't forget that our goal is to own our own fully controlled domain without the influence of any kingdoms," Callum pointed out.

"I agree with Callie, once we leave the novice village, we'll be able to meet easily and have this meeting in the game, which will save time," added Eliana. Everyone rolled their eyes at her habit of constantly changing people's names.

"Fine, let's level up quickly and assign our people to different novice villages to gather information about them. My intuition tells me that these two will be our competition, alongside the military and government," declared David.

"David, healthy competition is good. You've always had smooth sailing, but remember, you don't have to control everything," Edwyn remarked with a smile.

David ignored Edwyn's remark, for the sake of Alliance he will let peace reign.

In a parallel meeting, the top brass of both the military and government were also gathering. They possessed greater knowledge about the game compared to the general population, and their main concern was whether these two leading players were affiliated with their Federation or other countries.

"Have you been able to establish any communication with the game people?" inquired an elderly man who headed the task force responsible for Oasis. The federation had established a separate task force to oversee matters related to Oasis.

"The response remains the same; no individual information can be disclosed," replied another man in a military uniform.

"Well, I should have expected that. However, continue attempting to send messages to the players," the man concluded.

Amidst the conversations and speculations about them, the individuals causing such chaos were oblivious to the commotion they had stirred. Devin, in his usual fashion, disregarded messages from unknown individuals unless he designated them as friends, unbothered by any attempts to reach out.

Meanwhile, Alex was busy engaging in small tasks to assist the villagers, accumulating experience points to level up to 15.

After playing the game continuously for over a week, Devin decided to log out and take a break. His primary objective was to search for information on how to produce high-quality eco-friendly paper. However, before doing so, Devin decided to take a chance and use one of his privileges.

"System, I would like to use one of my privileges to bring my storage ring into the real world," he requested.

"Are you sure you want to use this privilege?" the unfamiliar system voice questioned.

"Yes," replied Devin confidently.

"Privilege granted. All you have to do is envelop the storage ring with origin aura. The ring will then be absorbed by the seed rooted in your soul. Once you reach the real world, connect with the seed, and depending on the amount of aura you can generate, the ring should materialize. Just a friendly warning, if there is insufficient aura, the storage ring may get destroyed," explained the system.

Devin was well aware of the risks involved, but he was determined to take this step as it would facilitate his plans for cross-dimensional trade.

Devin informed the village chief that both he and Alex had accumulated a substantial amount of energy and needed to go into seclusion to process it. They assured the chief that they would resurface on their own and requested not to be disturbed. Although it wasn't the most convincing excuse, Devin believed that the villagers would respect their privacy.

As for Ethan, Devin wasn't concerned about him. Ethan had left the village yesterday in pursuit of a breakthrough in his potion-making. He required specific materials that were not available on the island.

Devin logged out of Oasis and opened the game cabin, feeling as though he had been asleep for a long time. However, he noticed that his physical condition hadn't deteriorated. In fact, he felt different in a positive way.

Alex also logged out and stared at his body, questioning the sensation. "Why do I feel like my body has changed?"

"It's not your imagination. The more we play Oasis and consume energy-rich items, the more our bodies will replenish. Combine that with the nutritional liquid in reality," Devin explained.

Devin knew that the Santiago family would soon focus their research on this aspect, providing body fluid nutrients that could be consumed and aiding in body conditioning. Oasis resources could potentially contribute to breakthroughs in real-life applications.

"That's great! Then I'll start eating more in the game to make up for my lack of height," Alex remarked.

Devin chuckled, aware of Alex's concern about his height. "Don't worry, once I create the primary gene potion, your genes will undergo an evolution, and height will be the least of your worries," Devin assured him.

After returning to their separate rooms, Alex went online to browse the game forum, while Devin had more pressing matters to attend to. He sat in a lotus position and entered a state of meditation. He discovered that he could gather aura, although not as quickly as in Oasis. Devin decided to focus on accumulating more aura, following his intuition that it wasn't the right time to activate the seed just yet.

A knock on Devin's door interrupted his meditation. "Come in," he called out.

"Devin, we've become an internet sensation. The game forum is filled with different conspiracy theories about us," Alex revealed, amused.

"Check this one out. It claims we're NPCs, and another suggests we're rich second-generation individuals with no life. This one is my favorite," Alex chuckled.

Devin laughed along with Alex, finding amusement in the various comments. It seemed that the system's announcement had created some problems.

"Ignore them. Remember to reject all messages from anyone who isn't on your friends list," Devin instructed.

"Do you think they'll actually search all the novice villages for us? There are over 300 villages," Alex asked.

"They can do whatever they want. It's none of my concern," Devin replied calmly.

"Do you think they'll find Sun Haven Village?" Alex wondered.

"No. As the domain owner, I have the authority to remove Sun Haven from the novice village map," Devin assured him.

"Good, I share the same sentiment. I selfishly do not want to share the village with outsiders," Alex admitted.

"I feel the same way. Furthermore, the village isn't ready yet. When the development is appropriate, everyone in Oasis will come to know about it," Devin concurred.