Beginning

Chapter Three: The Game Begins

After reading the Game Manual in his cottage, Wu Qi decided to begin his journey as a thief. His reasoning was as follows: first, thieves receive a 25% bonus in agility, which means faster movement—and speed means survival. The brutal game mechanic dictated that a single death would reset all progress, forcing players to start over from scratch. Reaching a high level only to lose it all would be a devastating waste of silver. At the thought of money, Wu Qi’s eyes gleamed with a strange light.

Second, thieves could steal. And if he managed to steal something valuable—well, in a word, he’d be rich. That all players were still novices with nothing worth stealing didn't occur to him. Blinded by greed, he also overlooked the punishment the system might mete out for failed theft attempts. Third, Wu Qi had relatively high initial agility and intelligence, making him quite suited for the thief class…

He hesitated: should he allocate all 18 attribute points to agility? Stamina increased health, but 18 points wouldn’t add much. Strength was needed to wield better gear, so perhaps a few points should go there. Intelligence affected comprehension and skill-learning speed, also important. It was a tough call. As for charisma—supposedly useless for thieves—he considered ignoring it altogether.

“Charisma increases your deterrent effect on monsters, reducing their attack frequency,” Mao Mao suddenly piped up.

Wu Qi raised a brow. “Is this pet giving me tips now too?” Still, it was helpful to know another use for charisma—especially since his charisma had a 10% bonus (a gifted attribute). Like every newcomer, Wu Qi had no idea just how lucky he truly was.

In the end, his attribute distribution was as follows:

Player: No.11111

Class: Civilian

Level: 1

Strength: 10

Stamina: 10

Intelligence: 14

Agility: 16

Charisma: 15 (with 10% bonus)

Comprehension: Hidden

Luck: Hidden

Fame: 0

“Ha! Done.” Wu Qi did a quick mental tally. He had already spent six hours in the game—three hours in real life. He summoned the system status: Player Physical Condition: Slight Hunger. Time to eat something, exchange some silver, and truly begin his journey. And of course, he’d need to rally a few friends. He wondered what Xiaobao’s in-game name was. After all, battling alone wasn’t Wu Qi’s style. More importantly, it slowed down his money-making.

He removed the helmet and scarfed down some instant noodles, then dialed Xiaobao.

After a long pause, a groggy voice answered, “Damn… who is it? Speak quickly, I’m busy!”

Xiaobao lived alone—clearly still immersed in the game—and his foul mood showed. Wu Qi didn’t mind. He knew his friend’s temper; they’d been gaming partners for years.

“What the hell are you doing, Xiaobao? Took you long enough to answer. What’s your in-game name?”

“Oh, boss! Still playing. Compared to this, all other games are trash. I’m slaughtering caterpillars right now—already Level 5! Message me with a long-range whisper. My ID’s 10457, name: Dugu Bubei, class: Swordsman. I’m in Pangu City.”

“Perfect! I’m in Pangu too. Was worried you might’ve started somewhere else. Let’s meet and level up together. I’m a thief—ID 11111. See you soon.”

Xiaobao had been Wu Qi’s comrade-in-arms since the Zongheng game. After so many years of playing together, they’d developed a deep bond and seamless coordination. Wu Qi, slightly older and a better gamer, had earned the title of “Boss”—though sadly, the title brought neither underlings nor respect.

He then remembered a few more close friends who had received Origin’s beta keys and helmets. A few quick calls later, he had located Wang Tian (ID: 12356, Name: Origin, Class: Scholar) — Sweat! -_-* — that guy always named himself after the game. Then Pan Shi (ID: 54821, Name: Wild Wolf, Class: Warlock), and finally Lin Yue (ID: 32111, Name: Red Moon, Class: Warlock), unfortunately born in Nuwa City. Wu Qi’s only close female friend in the game—cooperation with her would have to wait.

To travel between cities, players needed either to pay for a carriage or use teleportation circles—both cost serious silver. Even then, the next login would place them back in their original starting hut. Only players with high levels and movement skills—such as “Sword Flight” or “Levitation”—could freely travel.

Wu Qi connected his bank card to the helmet and reentered the game. He found himself back in his small hut. A flash of white light, and Mao Mao appeared floating before him again.

Pets could evolve and merge, and they gained experience by fighting monsters alongside their owners. If a pet died, it would return to level 1, but not disappear. Crucially, if the player died while the pet survived, the pet retained its level—one of the game’s more humane features.

Imagine a level 1 rookie with a level 100 beast—if he could just stay alive, the pet could help him power level effortlessly.

Wu Qi opened the Long-Distance Whisper feature and added Xiaobao, Wang Tian, and Pan Shi to his friend list, renaming them accordingly. He named himself “Qi” in-game. His contact list now displayed:

Long-Distance Whisper:

ID: 12356, Origin

ID: 54821, Wild Wolf

ID: 32111, Red Moon

ID: 10457, Dugu Bubei

They agreed to meet at Taiyi Tavern to discuss future plans. Monster hunting was important, yes—but so was seizing the business opportunities the game offered. Currently, Origin only had a handful of starter shops, all bearing the “Taiyi” name—Taiyi Bank, Taiyi Pawnshop, Taiyi Auction House, etc.

Taiyi Bank, the equivalent of a central bank, was located on Qinglong Avenue in the city’s west. It issued the in-game currency card—the Crystal Card—with a 1 RMB to 10 copper conversion rate. Deposits earned no interest—utter daylight robbery. Outside the bank stood two massive stone lions. Crowds of players milled about exchanging cash. Apparently, many had come well-funded.

Weapon shops, item shops, and apothecaries—all essential for monster-slaying—did brisk business. Wu Qi had done his homework and already had a business plan in mind. Buying and operating a*****e in Pangu wasn’t cheap—the minimum investment was 10,000 gold (100,000 RMB). Still, the long-term potential of commerce was immense.

Wu Qi proposed forming a partnership with his friends—not a legal entity, but a shared store, jointly funded and run. The idea was simple: buy low, sell high.

They gathered in a corner of the tavern and began their discussion.

“A shop? That kind of money? Are you insane?” Xiaobao was stunned. “We just got here, and you want to invest that much?”

“I’m thinking we pool our resources,” Wu Qi explained. “One, it’ll make us some cash. Two, it’ll help us in-game. Opportunities like this don’t last—Origin is going to grow fast. If we don’t jump in now, we’ll regret it later.”

His idea was to open a pharmacy. “Right now, everyone’s looting raw materials—ore, herbs, etc. Taiyi stores buy them cheap. But we can hire NPC pharmacists or doctors to craft potions. Their salaries are high, yes, but it’s worth it. We buy herbs in bulk, brew potions, and sell them. Buy high, sell low—but in massive volume. The player base will do the rest.”

Wang Tian, level-headed and intelligent, raised a concern: “I’ve thought about this too. But the costs are high. Just the shop is 100,000 gold. Add materials, NPC salaries… We’d need a starting capital of at least 200,000. Plus, the game only has 100,000 players. Pangu maybe holds 30,000.”

Pan Shi, a wealthy kid, waved him off. “That’s nothing. If Wu Ge’s serious, I’m in. Count me for a share.” He’d profited handsomely in past games under Wu Qi’s leadership, so he didn’t hesitate.

“My estimate: Pangu has about 30,000 players. Just look outside—the streets are packed. We have the customers. Second, our potions will be 10% cheaper than Taiyi’s—small bottles at 4 copper, medium at 9, large at 18. We’ll offer 10% higher buyback prices—9 herbs per copper (Taiyi pays 1 copper per 10 herbs). Ten herbs make one small potion, 20 for medium, 40 for large.

“We’ll be the only pharmacy—no competition, and cheaper prices. We'll start with 2 pharmacists making small and medium potions, and 1 doctor for large ones. At full production: 4,000 small, 3,000 medium, 2,000 large per month.

“Gross profit: 81,000 copper. Minus salaries—2,000 for pharmacists, 2,000 for the doctor—and material costs, around 22,000. Net profit: 59,000 copper. That’s 70,000 RMB a year—35% ROI. And we can scale.”

A silence fell. Everyone crunched the numbers. It sounded feasible—and lucrative. Finally, Xiaobao clenched his fists. “Fine. Let’s do it.”

They agreed on ownership: Wu Qi 35%, Pan Shi 30%, Wang Tian 20%, Xiaobao 15%. They expanded the staff—4 pharmacists, 2 doctors—and estimated monthly profits at 180,000 copper. In-game time passed twice as fast, so they could break even in six real-world months.

They went to Taiyi Bank to exchange silver, then to the Business Administration Office to purchase a shop and obtain a license. The office was bare—a lone counter manned by a stern old man.

“Small shop: 10,000 gold, 3 NPC workers allowed.

Medium: 20,000 gold, 9 workers.

Large: 40,000 gold, 27 workers.

Super: 100,000 gold, unlimited workers. What will it be?”

Wu Qi looked sheepish as the others glared at him. “Oops. Didn’t realize there were worker limits. My bad. But hey—still within budget!” Xiaobao rolled his eyes.

They applied for a medium-sized pharmacy, received their license (noting tax rate and ownership percentages), and were assigned a storefront on Willow Avenue in the city’s west—decent foot traffic.

They hired pharmacists and doctors at the NPC guild, plus a manager to handle sales and money. At the store, Wu Qi configured buy prices, purchase limits, potion types, and sale prices. Management was simple—there was no need for haggling. Players wouldn’t waste time bargaining with an NPC cashier.

The final step: advertising. Without customers, there’d be no herbs—and no potions. They assigned Xiaobao to post on the forums, and Wang Tian to use the public announcement system in the royal plaza. With 100 silver, a message could be broadcast for five minutes.

Everything was ready. All they needed was the wind to fill their sails.

Would their pharmacy flourish? Could they truly make their first fortune within the game?