Might of Players

---Viktor's POV---

I clicked "Continue."

"This is a game review video. Let me start with the conclusion: This is a cross-century game that shouldn't have been created for another few hundred years. The greatest game, the god of games… neither term is enough to describe Chronicles of Aeltia, nor to convey the shock it has left in my heart!"

"Therefore, this is also a video to recommend the game. Since I don't have enough footage, I won't go into excessive arguments or counterpoints. I'm just going to talk about my 14-hour experience on the first day of the beta, from my perspective."

"Virtual reality games, from the moment the concept was introduced, have always been the holy grail of gamers—a vessel for grand expectations. Which is why, after brainwave-reading technology came out, many players strongly resisted VR games that falsely advertised themselves under the 'virtual reality' label!"

"But I promise you, no matter what expectations you have for a VR game, Chronicles of Aeltia fulfills them all. The game starts with the player waking up inside a dilapidated chapel."

"At your feet is a giant magic circle, about the size of a small living room or bedroom. Because of this, you don't immediately see other players around you. The level of detail in the game's depiction is extraordinary. The magic circle is so intricate that I had to lie flat on the ground to fully take it in."

"I can't imagine how long the art designer must've spent just creating this initial spawn point."

"Praise the art team!"

"Then comes the game's opening dialogue. Although players wake up in a chapel, here's the twist: we are part of the anti-deity faction. I haven't fully figured out the backstory yet, so I'll leave that aside for now. I want to talk about the game's NPC system and art style."

"When I saw an NPC open the door and walk into the chapel, to be honest, I felt a momentary sense of fear. That's because the game's art style is hyper-realistic. Even AAA games with a realistic art direction don't come close to how lifelike Chronicles of Aeltia looks. It's like stepping into another world."

"This realism has an obvious advantage: it makes the player feel fully immersed. But the downside is just as obvious: the more beautiful the cake, the more noticeable that single rat dropping on it becomes."

"In an extremely realistic art style, any detail that feels even slightly unnatural creates a jarring sense of dissonance. When humans see animals doing human-like actions—such as a dog using a pillow or a chinchilla eating with a spoon—they often find it cute."

"But when something becomes too human-like, it triggers fear in people—for example, certain dolls. This is the famous 'uncanny valley' effect."

"When I saw the NPC, I was afraid of encountering this exact effect—especially since one of the NPCs looked no different from a knight straight out of the Middle Ages!"

"If they had spoken in robotic, AI-sounding voices or reacted unnaturally, it would've felt as terrifying as seeing a world overrun by imposters. But my fears were completely unfounded. Of the three NPCs, one couldn't speak at all, and while the other two could, they weren't particularly talkative."

"Even so, their reactions and behaviors showed an intelligence level so high it could easily pass as real. Moreover, each NPC had distinct personality traits and responses."

"Our faction leader, Viktor, is a skeleton. In the game's lore, he's supposed to be from the same homeland as the players. So no matter how much mischief I or the other two beta players caused, he always maintained his undead smile—a grin so sinister it's like staring at a final boss."

"The other NPC, Edgar, is a true native of this world and has the most interaction with us players. He constantly gave us all sorts of complicated looks."

"Ha ha ha! Too bad the game doesn't allow screenshots, or I would've compiled a nine-picture grid of 'Edgar's Frowns' for you all! His promotional image is also in the game—here, look, this one!"

At this point, the video cuts to one of the game's two promotional images.

"After the opening dialogue, we followed the questline to collect our first task and items. Once we stepped outside, we finally got a clear view of the area outside the chapel."

"The starter village is on the outskirts of a forest, surrounded by greenery in all directions. Inside the village, though, the tone shifts to grayscale. I mentioned earlier that the chapel is dilapidated, but compared to the other buildings in town, the chapel might as well be a palace!"

"It actually has a roof! And its walls don't crumble at the slightest touch! The streets of the starter village are filled with potholes and littered with decomposing trash—it's like a landfill that's been abandoned for years."

"Apparently, this place was a town wiped out by the 'Magic Tide.' Judging by the sheer amount of abandoned trash and belongings, the Magic Tide must've been terrifying!"

"According to our faction leader, the Magic Tide is coming again soon. No idea when, though… Ugh, scary!"

"After that, we spent the entire day chopping wood and gathering resources to prepare for the incoming Magic Tide. I really enjoy this gameplay style, where every player action can influence the main storyline. This feels like being a true participant in the narrative!"

"Unfortunately, such mechanics are rarely implemented in games because they're too resource-intensive and unpredictable. The tool for chopping wood in the game is also unique—a leaf from a plant called the 'Thornleaf Blade.' It's basically a 'sharp as steel, plus' version!"

"The wood-chopping mechanic is incredibly satisfying, too. The sound of the leaf cutting into the tree trunk is even more soothing than ASMR! In real life, I'm a total couch potato and almost never exercise. But thanks to the stamina regeneration every time you level up, I ended up chopping trees all day long!"

"Seeing the row of stumps I'd left behind and the expanded field of view was so fulfilling!"

"Why did I mention earlier that the Thornleaf Blade could cut through iron like mud? Because I was about to use it in a fight. In the evening, it started raining in the game. That's when the three of us encountered our first monster—a giant red worm that could easily star as the boss of a bioterror movie!"

"I immediately dodged backward, twisted my body, and charged straight at it…"

"Ahem, sorry, got carried away with the storytelling."

"Anyway, the three of us teamed up and managed to cut that giant worm—easily the size of two people hugging together—into two pieces! And all we used were those thumb-thick, half-arm-length Thornleaf Blades!"

"If the game allowed recording, I'd definitely download that footage and turn it into a collectible card!"

"Turns out, the worm wasn't dead yet. The two halves split into two separate worms. If not for the timely arrival of an NPC, my first in-game death would've been courtesy of that thing! [Embarrassed]"

"Viktor's fireball was spectacular! It felt like watching a 5D blockbuster live on set! When my character leveled up, I also chose fireball as my initial skill. New players, feel free to join me—we'll burn worms together!"

"At this point, my day of gaming is almost over."

"I'm so exhausted from experimenting with the new magic that I couldn't even taste my dinner—what a shame! After all, it was my first big feast in the game…"

"To find a game with 100% realism and not fully enjoy the culinary experience—ah, what a waste."

"From the opening cutscene, to exploring the starter village, leveling up through quests, slaying monsters, and learning magic, today has been a packed and fulfilling day. Just this experience alone is enough to crush 99% of the games out there!"

"But that's not all—what comes after logging out is where Chronicles of Aeltia truly shines. The ratio of game time to real time is 2:1. One hour in the real world equals two hours in the game!"

"The developers of Chronicles of Aeltia have actually created accelerated thought-processing technology. Logging out feels like waking up from a refreshing nap, fully energized! Just these two features alone make this a breakthrough far beyond gaming—it's practically a second way to extend human life beyond telomere research!"

"You can use your sleep hours—and even double their productivity! Chronicles of Aeltia is like opening up a whole new life for us in another world!"

I felt my soul flames flicker as I finished reading. "Close call. This kid almost figured it out."

At least Logan hadn't taken his own statement seriously. To him, it was just a metaphor. If he'd actually understood... well, I would've had to ensure his sanity meter hit zero and revoke his beta test access.

Can't have players getting too close to the truth.

Looking out the window, I noted it was still before noon in Aeltia. Less than six hours had passed on Earth since the players logged off, yet this enthusiastic player had already produced a review video!

Must have started working on that video the moment he logged out, I thought, genuinely impressed despite myself. Even for an undead like me, that's some dedication!

I opened the comments section, curious about the response.

Not many comments yet—this NeverShowOff clearly wasn't a major content creator. Still, the video had attracted quite a few viewers, probably due to the Netherworld Revolution hype.

Unsurprisingly, the comments were overwhelmingly skeptical.

---

[Virtual reality games? 100% realism? Yeah, right, who are you trying to fool?]

[Accelerated thought-processing technology? Did the creator of this video invent that term? Applied for a patent yet?]

[Finally found an official Chronicles of Aeltia review space—time to let loose with some hate!]

[So the creator spent, what, ten-plus hours chopping down trees in a game? Why would anyone think that's fun?]

No one believed the features NeverShowOff thought were game-changing.

In fact, his video received far more ridicule for his day of tree-chopping gameplay than for the advanced features he praised.

Some of his regular followers even chimed in with their disappointment.

[I used to think NeverShowOff was one of the few genuine voices in the gaming scene. Didn't think he'd sink to promoting trash games!]

[Spreading fake claims to shill a game? Unfollowed.]

[I can't believe you're saying this with a straight face. NeverShowOff's finally sold out and turned into a clown for clicks…]

Although a few scattered comments supported him, they were quickly drowned out by the overwhelming negativity.

NeverShowOff likely anticipated the backlash, as he pinned a comment with a link to the game's official website before going quiet.

I had to admit, my feelings were mixed.

This guy had good intentions, but the impact... well, it wasn't what I'd hoped for. In an era where even seeing isn't believing, trying to sell the game with a few promotional images was naive at best.

If he'd just waited two more hours for my new promotional materials... but no use dwelling on that now. What really concerned me was his revelation about the time dilation between worlds.

I'd deliberately kept that off the official site to avoid unnecessary attention.

The secret was out now.

Who knew what kind of pests—both literal and figurative—might come sniffing around? Still, I kept my composure. The time difference would have been discovered eventually.

This just moved up my timeline a bit.

After consideration, I decided to let the video remain. The game had barely launched, with players I could count on one hand. Any potential trouble was still far off, and those tens of thousands of views might actually help attract the right kind of players.

"Maybe I'll even get to be picky about who joins—what a delightful problem to have," I chuckled, closing the browser.

Time to let things play out naturally.

I stretched, my skeletal joints creaking satisfyingly. The aftereffects of crafting the Rune Forge this morning had mostly faded. Finally, I could move without feeling like I'd crumble to dust.

"Now, what to do this afternoon?" I wondered as I prepared to leave the cathedral. "Ah yes, I should check the outskirts for any unlucky wanderers in the Great Oak Forest!"

"Better recruit more fresh NPCs—I mean, villagers—for Honeyvale Town before Edgar throws another fit."

I glanced at Luminaris, snoring away on top of the divine statue, before shutting the cathedral doors behind me.

Creak!

---Logan's POV---

I removed my gaming headset, feeling frustration wash over my face.

"Still can't log in. My account is still forcefully logged out."

I inspected the headset repeatedly, unable to hide my anxious expression. After just seven hours offline, the effects of withdrawal were already kicking in. The inability to log back into the game was driving me up the wall.

"I finally learned magic—at least let me log in and enjoy it more!"

I let out a wail of despair to my empty room.

Finally, I dejectedly set the headset down on a nearby shelf. Muttering under my breath, "Looks like I'll have to be more careful with mana usage in the future. Running out of mana is just too terrifying."

Turning on my computer, I was greeted with over 99+ unread notifications in bold red. Even at a glance, the snippets of new messages hinted at plenty of insults and personal attacks. All stemming from the latest video I had uploaded.

"Yep, here it comes, just as expected," I muttered, ignoring the notifications and dismissing the pop-ups. But an accidental mouse movement caused my cursor to click on my short video platform's backend.

At the very top, my follower count had dropped to 10,000.

"I knew I'd lose followers, but..."

It had only been four months since I'd reached 100,000 followers. Now, a single video had erased that milestone in under two hours. Even the 100k follower plaque, which the platform hadn't yet sent, now seemed unlikely to ever arrive.

Already in a bad mood, my spirits sank even lower.

After a long silence, I gritted my teeth.

"It's fine. This is just an early-stage investment. Once Chronicles of Aeltia opens more beta slots, the game is definitely going to blow up!"

"When that happens, the followers I lost because of this video will come flooding back—tenfold, even a hundredfold!"

I would prove that I wasn't just shilling for a bad game. And definitely not some clueless pawn roped into a shady pyramid scheme disguised as a reskinned game.