All he had to do was copy paste the relevant information in. He had made these before the game ever came out, yet he had to wait a day or two. After all, even if he pretended to be a 'beta tester', those didn't truly exist.
Therefore, if he posted too much information before the game even came out, or on day one, it would attract the attention of certain malevolent entities.
Granted, he would still attract the attention this way, but at least he wouldn't be defined as "kill asap".
The guide was comprehensive. More comprehensive than even guides for games that had been out for years.
Renan leaned back in his chair, reviewing the document one final time before hitting submit. The introduction had to be authoritative, even a bit arrogant to be trusted, yet not to the extent that it would put off people, carefully crafted to grab attention while providing crucial information.
"How to Play the Game - Lumi"
"I've compiled this guide based on extensive experience to help you all play this game properly. I've compiled the findings of countless players I have added or otherwise obtained information with. While the efforts in compiling the information were my own, I must thank you, the community, for going out there, experiencing the world, and spreading word about it. But before we dive into mechanics, classes, and strategies, there's one thing you must understand above all else.
The programming behind the NPCs makes them as realistic as people. Therefore, treat them as such.
I cannot stress this enough. Every interaction matters. Every word you speak, every action you take, it all shapes how the world responds to you. It's not just a matter of optional flavor text or immersion. It's fundamental to succeeding in Masteria.
If you present yourself a fool in front of them, or worse yet, harm them, expect punishment. And don't think that this is an optional system, or something you can endure. If you really go off the rails and offend enough high level natives, you really might find yourself unable to play ever again, being infinitely killed upon respawn, unable to ever escape being executed at level one, losing every XP point you ever gained."
Lumi was grim as he posted that. That part was mostly exaggeration. But he needed to make the point. After all, he knew players would want to cause trouble. He wanted to put fear in the minds of players.
Not fear of him, nor fear of challenge. Fear of being softlocked out of the very expensive 'game'.
The guide then moved into a quick summary section, bullet pointing key concepts. The class system, rank progression, elemental advantages, party dynamics, and economic basics.
The navigation section was meticulously organized. Some of the sections included:
Character Creation and Starting Choices.
Understanding the Class System.
Combat Fundamentals.
Elemental Theory and Application.
NPC Interaction Guidelines.
Economic Systems and Trading.
Exploration and Navigation.
Party Composition and Tactics.
Skill Point Optimization.
Equipment and Enhancement Systems.
And that was just the start, the bigger sections. There were countless more, even about buying in game real estate and crafting.
All in all, Renan had posted just under two hundred pages of information, all publicly available. Each section was dense with knowledge, examples, and specific scenarios. He'd included maps of starting areas, detailed breakdowns of early monsters, optimal grinding routes, and even information on important "NPCs".
But this wasn't everything. He still had countless more pages he hadn't given. Information about future events, hidden "bosses", secret "questlines", the true nature of the world... all held back. This was all he could give without blatantly showing off knowledge he shouldn't have, potentially making himself a target in both worlds.
Though it was fine. For the most part, he had conveyed the truly important bits.
Throughout the guide, he had repeatedly focused on one major point. Treat the NPCs as real people, with kindness, respect, and the proper attitude one would have when facing another real, breathing person. No gaming memes, no treating them like questgivers or exposition dumps.
That was the main point he wanted to convey beyond anything else.
Yet he had to be careful about how he said it. If he was too preachy, moral, or demanding, there would be those who sought to do the exact opposite out of spite or any other emotion. He needed players to believe that messing around was just too costly. He didn't want the same thing that happened in his last life to happen.
Players are players. They are chaotic, they do anything for enjoyment. If they don't treat the world as real, they will cause a disaster.
Lawlessness.
Decadence, evil, destructiveness. They'd come in and do whatever they'd like.
He silently thought back to his previous life. Just like now, it was fine at first. Players were weak, unable to do much of anything. They were still awkward, getting familiar with the game.
But then…
Player guilds raiding cities.
Constant murders, armed robbery, blatant theft.
The penalty for death was small. While it would get harsher as you leveled up, the point remained that you just came back. With relatively the same strength and items, too.
When players discovered that in this 'full sensory immersive game', that they were free to kill, torture, and even more, a wave of destruction will come. Led by none other than us, the players. And I have to stop it as much as possible.
That is why he emphasized more than anything to treat the "NPCs" with kindness and respect. And the consequences of not doing so. And he would do even more, in the future.
He clicked submit.
The response was immediate.
Within seconds, the view counter was climbing into the hundreds. The first comment appeared almost instantly:
xXDarkSlayerXx: "FIRST! Also, TWO HUNDRED PAGES?! WTF?!"
Then another.
MikeHawk69: "Is this real? How does someone write 200 pages about a game that came out TODAY?"
SeriousGamer42: "Reading through the NPC section... This is insane. He's treating them like actual people with feelings and memories. Is this confirmed?"
Then, completely unprompted, a comment appeared that made Renan's heart skip.
Lena: "I LOVE THIS GUY!!!!!"
Renan stared at the screen.
Of course she'd comment. Of course she'd say exactly that. To anyone else, it would look like one top player endorsing another. Lena, the first to achieve a Rank One class, publicly vouching for the guide's quality. But Renan knew the truth. She meant it literally. She loved him.
The effect was immediate. The comment section exploded.
GoblinBane: "LENA ENDORSEMENT! This guide is legit!"
CasualKnight: "If both server first holders say it's good, I'm reading every page."
PotatoMancer: "My queen has spoken! Time to study!"
MasterCircus: "It's funny. This entire guide came out, and I bet the vast majority of the player base will not even read a page, and then complain about the game."
SScenso: "Circus what are you even talking about? Oh wait, your name explains it. You are the entire circus. I understand."
Within minutes, comments numbered in the hundreds. The page was refreshing so fast Renan could barely track individual responses. The forum moderators had to implement slowdown mode specifically for his thread, limiting how often people could comment.
But that didn't stop the community. People began creating separate threads just to discuss specific sections.
"[DISCUSSION] Lumi's Guide - NPC Interaction Section"
"[THEORY] Hidden Meanings in Lumi's Combat Guide"
"[QUESTION] Anyone Tried Lumi's Grinding Routes Yet?"
The main sentiment across all threads was simple: "WTF?!"
This wasn't a simple tips thread. It wasn't a guide about one dungeon or quest. It was about EVERYTHING. Or at least, it looked that way to players who were still figuring out the basics.
Then something unexpected happened. Notification after notification popped up on Renan's screen. Post awards. He'd completely forgotten these existed. Golden medals, platinum stars, diamond emblems... readers were spending real money to award his guide.
Curious, Renan checked the redemption value. His eyes widened.
"Two hundred dollars already?!"
The awards could be converted to cash, and people were throwing money at him. This wasn't even his plan, he'd intended to monetize through exclusive class access later, but the community was literally paying him for information. Information that was free.
His phone buzzed. A message from Gabriel.
"Renan, what did you DO? The entire community is going insane over your guide. It just came out minutes ago, and yet, people are already trying to sell copies and stupid stuff. You need monetization protection ASAP."
Renan quickly typed back. "It's free info, let them spread it. And let's be honest, nobody is really going to buy some scammer's version, which just copy pastes my own words. More people reading means more people playing correctly. I just realized something. I'll send you someone's contact information. A dude called Lucas. I think the two of you can work together in some ways."
More notifications. His follower count on the forums was skyrocketing. Private messages flooded in. Guild invitations, even though guilds didn't even exist yet, partnership offers, people begging for personal tutoring.
Speaking of Gabriel, another message popped up.
"Wanna to do an interview for my channel? I know it's super late but it'll be quick, right before we go to sleep? Strike while the iron's hot?"
Renan smiled. Perfect timing. "Sure. Just let me know how we're doing it. I'm not sure of the details of how you are setting it up."
Gabriel quickly responded, "Super simple! We can just do it through Nitro. Give me a bit of time to set up. You know my recording software is so bad it gives me cancer. This is going to be HUGE for the channel! Like really really really huge! I'm pogging! Thank you, man! I already know this is going to go down great and it's all because of you."