Not too long later, Gabriel called. Renan accepted, adjusting his headset.
"Recording in 3... 2... 1... What's up, everyone! Gabriel here with THE most requested interview of the day, maybe the year! I've got Lumi himself here to talk about his absolutely INSANE guide that's breaking the forums. Lumi, thanks for joining me!"
"Happy to be here." Renan replied, now Lumi, keeping his voice calm and friendly. His face wasn't going to be public, though his voice now was.
"So let's start with the obvious question, how? How did you compile 200 pages of information about a game that literally launched today?"
Renan had prepared for this. "Almost entirely off the help of the community itself. Many people added me after I got a global announcement dedicated to me. I got most of my information through them. Thank you all. Apart from that, extensive testing, careful note taking, and honestly? A bit of obsession. When I realized how deep Masteria's systems were, I knew players would need comprehensive information. The game doesn't hold your hand."
Gabriel continued. "Speaking of that, let's talk about your emphasis on NPC interaction. You dedicate 25 pages to it! Not to mention sprinkling it everywhere else. Why is that so important?"
"Because they're the most perfectly coded characters I've seen." Renan explained carefully. "Every character in Masteria has memory, personality, preferences. The world is reactive in ways we've never seen before. Let's put it this way. If an NPC is indistinguishable from a real person, what's the difference? There really isn't a difference in how you treat them."
"That's incredible. Now, for newer players just starting out, what's your number one tip?"
"Slow down." Renan said immediately. "I know everyone wants to rush ahead, but I've found that aspects other than just grinding are crucial. Make friends. Not just other players, but NPCs. Join factions. Learn new things. And you'll find yourself not just enjoying the game more, but truthfully, you might just progress faster that way."
Gabriel moved on. "Love that. Now, you've accomplished several server firsts already. What's next for Lumi? What are your goals?"
Renan paused, as if considering. Though he already knew. "Building a community, honestly. I'm considering founding a guild. Killing monsters and bosses is one thing, but I want a whole community. An orderly place where we can work together. And I can already tell you, being a good person towards the NPCs will be a strict requirement. I want my guild to be capable of working with major factions, and any guild members who endanger our NPC reputation will be kicked out."
"A guild?! That's huge news! Any other details you can share?"
"Not much else to say, honestly. It's still in the works, after all." Renan smiled, though Gabriel couldn't see it. "But I will say this. Unless something goes catastrophically wrong, I will found it within a month."
Gabriel had his reply. "Speaking of different approaches, let's talk about your combat section. You emphasize a formulaic approach to things…"
The interview continued onwards for a while, until it got to a certain point.
"So Lumi," Gabriel said, "any words for players just starting their journey?"
"Remember that you're visitors in Masteria." Renan said seriously. "Act like it. Show respect, be curious, help others. Both players and NPCs. The game rewards kindness in ways you won't expect."
He paused, and added on, "I know I know." He gave a good natured laugh. "Many of you think I'm being silly. The moral police. A busybody. Let me assure you all, that is not the case. Like all of you, I've fucked around in games too. I've built death camps in a roller coaster game. I've publicly tortured villagers in sandbox games. I've purposely created economic and cultural disparity in civ games to watch people suffer and kill each other."
After a short wait to let the words sink in, he decided it wasn't enough, and he kept adding on. "I remember in one game, I sold the same orphan girl to slavers five separate times. Why? Because the game let me. Because it was funny. Because she was 'just code.'"
"But this isn't this type of game." He continued, shifting his language to appeal to something beyond mere morality which many players won't care for. "You'll ruin your save. Many of you perhaps haven't realized something. You can't create another account. It's tied to you as a person. You can't make a new character. You don't have other save slots. You can't even edit your appearance after you make your character."
He took yet another pause to let the words sink in. "Therefore, your choices are truly permanent. You can't even just buy another copy. Some people have already ruined their saves trying to roleplay a villain. Now they are wanted criminals with no backing who can't escape the curse of being instakilled any time an NPC recognizes them."
Then he added, though he was lying, something more. "In fact, that's the one thing I don't like about this game. It was so damn expensive! You're telling me you can't just make a new character?" He gave a sigh. "Well, whatever. As long as the game is that way, be careful guys, don't get softlocked out of your account."
The interview went on for another thirty minutes. Gabriel asked about the various classes, grinding spots, and economic predictions. Renan answered carefully, providing valuable information while maintaining the persona of a skilled and well connected player rather than someone with impossible knowledge.
"Incredible. Lumi, thank you so much for your time. Guys, I'll have this interview up within the hour. Like, subscribe, and definitely check out Lumi's guide, link in the description!"
They said their goodbyes and disconnected. Renan checked the time. So late. His body ached from sitting too long, his eyes burned from tiredness. But there was still work to do.
He quickly typed up another post, this time about his exclusive class.
"Hero of Light."
To follow in the path the Hero of Light once did. It sounded grand and powerful, like a secret class that would net one an advantage over others.
It wasn't. It wasn't any stronger, or any weaker than other classes. When writing about it, he emphasized this to minimize the risk that any hardcore player might abruptly try to class change.
It wasn't as if RMT was banned, so he blatantly posted the ad now that he was popular, that the only way to get the class was to buy a token from him and then go to Merath, alongside where and when he would be available, to be updated daily.
Did he feel guilty? Not really. Because money was freedom. Freedom to keep playing this "game" for eight hours a day without family stopping him. Freedom to buy items or gold from other players, or to recruit and command them. All this to save the world.
He then contacted Lucas, who he had quickly been developing a rapport with in the sidelines just as he also spoke with dozens more, to manage this, leaving Renan to do his work in peace.
His notifications kept piling up. He had more messages, more awards, more forum threads dissecting every word of his guide.
But Renan couldn't enjoy it. Not really. Every second spent basking in success was a second not spent preparing for what was coming.
Lena…
She made him feel confused.
Why do I feel guilty for being with her? I feel guilty for… enjoying myself? Not being stressed? Not losing my mind?
She has objectively helped me. She saved me hours in getting to level twenty. Being a 'young adventurous couple' on the airship got me enough points to get a permanent stat boost. And yet…
He stood, joints popping from sitting too long. He prepared himself for sleep as soon as he could, after all, every second conserved was a resource available for Masteria.
He threw himself directly onto bed, just naked.
He checked his phone one last time. The forum post had over fifty thousand views. Gabriel's channel was already promoting the upcoming interview. Lucas had connected with Gabriel and they were discussing something about "revolutionary economic modeling."
Good. Pieces moving into place.
His family had barely seen him today. Tomorrow wouldn't be different. He'd grab food, exchange pleasantries, and dive back into Masteria. They'd understand eventually. Or they wouldn't. Either way, he had to continue.
He'd love to spend a bit longer with them, but he couldn't. Every moment mattered. Every second spent on personal pleasure was a second not spent getting stronger, building alliances, and preventing catastrophe.
Tomorrow he'd log back in. Continue grinding. Build more connections. Plant more seeds that would bloom into advantages later. Every action calculated, every word measured, every relationship cultivated for maximum impact.
The guide was just the beginning. Countless other things, the dangerous secrets, the timeline manipulation, the prevention of key events, breaking free of the system, all of which lay ahead.
His eyes closed. Six hours of sleep, then back to work.