Arknights: I became an NPC in the online game

July. The summer heat swept through Lungmen, and the citizens switched into their light clothes for the season. From the Shangshu region came a group of merchants peddling spicy-flavored ice cream. Odd as the combination sounded, it actually sold well in the city. These past few days, Felix couldn't open his terminal without seeing Lungmen girls posting pictures of it to their social feeds.

Deep inside a hidden building that no outsider could find—

"Just this level? You dare call yourself a man?"

"…Hah… hah… Again."

"Hmph. That frail body of yours is the opposite of your tough talk."

"Again!"

Bang!

Felix staggered back a few steps. One gloved hand braced against the floor as he panted heavily.

Degenbrecher stood tall with hands on her hips, her tone calm and detached.

"Training isn't over yet. Ten minutes remain."

Gritting his teeth, Felix pushed himself back up. His stats were decent enough, but fighting barehanded with only training gauntlets—no machinery, no armor—was something entirely new.

In his past life, he had only been an ordinary man. His "athletics" barely went beyond casual games of badminton or basketball. As a player, he'd known full well that professional gamers strengthened their bodies through strict regimens under their coaches, making themselves more agile and adaptable to Ark' grueling combat. But back then, he was a weak and helpless support player. His role in battle had been closer to logistics than front-line combat. Only rarely would he and other mechanic players bring their drones and machines into direct fights.

Close-quarters combat? He had no clue where to even begin.

Training with Degenbrecher wouldn't increase his attributes. But physical memory mattered. What Felix wanted was to learn how to fight. Stats could be raised with time—but enemies weren't brainless dummies waiting to be hit. Attributes alone weren't enough.

"Today's session ends here. You worked hard, Felix."

Degenbrecher silently unstrapped her knee guards and gloves, handing him a bottle of water. Her eyes lingered on him before she spoke again.

"I noticed it back in Laterano. Tell me—are Sankta bodies naturally this frail?"

"When we were resting at that café, I overheard someone say an adult Sankta once grabbed a balloon and got blown away by the wind."

Felix let out a helpless sigh and nodded.

"…That's… not entirely wrong."

He thought of the Sarkaz—those hulking figures with their exaggerated muscle mass and bulging chests. They were mercenaries from birth, raised in hardship, hardened by constant combat. Their diet was meager, yet their physiques bordered on monstrous. Men and women alike looked like they had lived inside a gym.

According to incomplete surveys from his past life, Sarkaz NPC women were, on average, two cup sizes larger than their Sankta counterparts.

Felix briefly recalled his encounters with Ulšulah… Yeah. Pretty big.

The Sankta race's advantage lay in hawk-like perception and their innate synergy with firearms and Originium Arts. When it came to physical toughness, though, they were weaker than most other races.

Take himself for example. Years of smithing and crafting had given him a lean, well-proportioned body with some muscle tone—but nothing beyond that. If he'd been born Sarkaz, he might already be one of those infamous "Sarkaz Muscleheads"—mountains of muscle, revered and ridiculed in equal measure.

"Training continues tomorrow. I've got my own work to do. I'm heading out."

"Alright."

With a casual wave, Degenbrecher left. She still had her duties: training players and searching for Terrans capable of becoming Lightbearers.

Felix was left alone in the training room, focusing on his breathing. Wiping the sweat from his face, he couldn't help but reflect. After half a month of this regimen, he finally understood why professional players in his past life could perform such outrageous moves.

Those clubs hadn't just hired coaches—they'd even brought in martial arts instructors.

Degenbrecher was a warrior born and bred. After countless real battles in Kazimierz's True Arena, her experience far surpassed that of any martial arts coach from real life. Under her guidance, Felix's training had gradually honed his control over his own body. Unlike when he was a player relying on neural links, this body was now his own, and he could truly feel the strength that coursed within it.

"Boss…"

Loughshinny entered with a stack of documents, knocking softly before stepping in. Her eyes widened slightly when she found Felix bare-chested, and a faint blush spread across her face. Frail as Sankta were rumored to be, his physique was among the best of his kind—enough to fluster the pure-hearted girl. She quickly handed over the files, only to sneak another shy glance once his hands were full.

"…The order for the Guard Department is due. Qianmen Factory handled it well this time—we can consider continuing the partnership."

Wiping himself down, Felix replied, "I'll wash up first, then head over to the Guard Department. Thanks for your hard work, Loughshinny."

"It's only my duty," she said with a small smile. Her eyes flicked once more toward his body before she slipped out, closing the door behind her.

Her identity was sensitive. When she entered Lungmen, it was only thanks to the Emperor's intervention. Whether it was the blood-checking guards at the gates or Wei Yenwu himself, all records showed her as someone else—a Columbian Vouivres.

Vouivres were rare on Terra, most said to live clustered in their own settlements. Whenever they were spotted in large numbers, it was almost always a mercenary company on the move. Still, Lungmen was a city that welcomed all, and Columbia was a nation of immigrants, so Loughshinny's cover hadn't drawn much suspicion.

Even so, she knew better than to remain too visible. Staying in the shadows spared her teacher unnecessary trouble. After arriving in Lungmen, she rarely appeared in public, keeping mostly to herself. Within the company she even had her own dormitory, which she had decorated into a private room. Living inside the workplace was, to her, a relief rather than a burden.

During Felix's absence from the city, the players of Tomorrow's Development lived each day in both hardship and joy. They were like fresh graduates stepping into society—eager, unpolished, but brimming with hope. Every day brought new missions, never monotonous, and though high-value ones were few, and occasional friction inevitable, life now was worlds apart from their early days in Novice Town.

MagicZX, clad in a light set of armor and a cloak emblazoned with the Tomorrow's Development logo, rode his "Ghostfire" motorbike from his rental home to the company. Recently, Qiu Muyu, Xiao Xuegao, and a few civilian players who had trained in production professions had been grouped together for tasks. Meanwhile, his old friend YangYanXF had roped him into doing transport runs with other veteran players.

The professional league was drawing closer. Just a few months remained before Ark' first-ever world championship, a massive event on the horizon. For casual elites like MagicZX, it meant little—but for the company's professional players, the tension was palpable. Every day they rushed about, scrambling for high-value missions. Sometimes, they even rented out the training hall inside the company's stadium to fight each other one-on-one, the victor claiming the next lucrative task.

It made sense.

As MagicZX entered the company building, he unexpectedly spotted Felix coming his way. The latter offered him a small, warm smile before passing by.

That smile left a lingering warmth in MagicZX's chest. No matter the time or place, he could always feel the quiet strength of the Pioneer's presence.

With version 2.0 drawing near, MagicZX was already preparing videos to showcase Lungmen's districts. He knew this would be the city players loved most. More than its resemblance to a modern metropolis—or even to Night City itself—the key was Felix. The Pioneer was here, and where he was, so too was Tomorrow's Development.

"Come on. Today's job is to deliver supplies to Novice Town outside the city. Should take about a full day round trip. The Mobile City won't be moving this week—saves us the trouble of chasing after it."

YangYanXF approached in his heavy plate armor. Alongside him were several other veteran players, all wearing faction-store equipment marked with Tomorrow's Development's insignia. Honestly, it was enough to make the forum players green with envy. These gear pieces had not only excellent stats, but also the Pioneer's personal crest, their designs sleek and modern compared to the garish pink and green armor sets most NPC shops sold.

Of course, there were always those who loved such bizarre color schemes. After all, gear could be dyed however one liked. But that was another matter entirely.

---

Felix entered the Guard Bureau headquarters, a familiar face by now. His ties with the head of the Inspection Unit ensured that he was always well-received. He nodded to a few members handling paperwork in the lobby, then took the elevator up—where he soon crossed paths with Wei Yenwu in the office.

His building had been a gift from Wei Yenwu, and both of them knew the weight of that exchange. Neither spoke of it directly, keeping to the script when others were present. Yet during the demonstration, Wei Yenwu—usually reserved—couldn't help but pepper him with questions. Having seen drones only a handful of times, he listened as Felix gave a broad explanation of his invention.

To Wei Yenwu, this was not wonder, but dread. He had heard Felix's claims about drones before, and though Tian Shi within Yan had dabbled in similar research, he had never taken it too seriously—until now, faced with a working prototype.

When Felix piloted a bomb drone and obliterated every target in the outdoor training field, leaving a crater behind, Wei Yenwu narrowed his eyes. The destructive force was… impossible to ignore.

"In Lungmen, I'd recommend outfitting them with lightning arrows and shield modules. Better suited for chasing fugitives or holding the line."

Drones carrying bombs were clearly ill-fitted for the Bureau's daily use—their purpose was to protect Lungmen, not blow it apart.

Fumizuki, standing nearby, caught the shift in her husband's expression. Truthfully, her own heart was pounding. Who could have guessed that such harmless-looking machines could unleash that kind of devastation?

Still, the life of an arms dealer had to go on. Felix turned to Wei Yenwu. "What do you think, Mr. Wei?"

"I'm satisfied with this deal."

Wei Yenwu took a drone in hand, testing the controls, his gaze lingering on Felix. "A genius graduate from Columbia's finest—your reputation is well earned."

"Just fortunate to walk a few steps ahead," Felix replied calmly. His words were without arrogance, delivered as if they referred to someone else. And they were true.

Wei Yenwu appreciated that distance, that restraint. Lungmen had no shortage of merchants and companies, most driven by greed. He had seen not a hundred, but a thousand of them, all desperate to push their way into his circle, to pitch whatever product they could.

Felix, however, didn't seem to care. He carried his own goals, goals that for now aligned with Wei Yenwu's. The knowledge he held was unsettling, yes, but his clarity of thought and sense of proportion were reassuring.

More importantly, he showed no interest in mixing with other companies—no appetite for the stinking feasts of opportunists that Wei Yenwu so despised.

Such a business was worth his attention. Perhaps it was no surprise—after all, this was the enterprise backed by the Emperor himself.

Once the talks concluded, Felix took his leave of Wei Yenwu and Fumizuki.

"…That weapon was terrifying, Dear. My heart's still racing."

"Yes," Wei Yenwu admitted, cradling the drone in his hands. "But this is the future. A thousand years ago, Terra's people hunted with stones. Later, they forged tools. And now…"

He looked down at the machine. "This is another tool. Whether for daily use or… war, such equipment cannot be underestimated."

"Felix has always shown goodwill toward Lungmen. By the way, I've already spoken with Little Ch'en. I asked her to build some ties with him. It can only be a good thing."

Wei Yenwu fell silent, lowering his gaze. "Next week, have Felix give a live demonstration for the Guard Bureau members."

The Guards had been kept constantly busy. Since Nine's promotion to head of the Inspection Unit, she had spent almost every waking hour out on assignment with her team. Yet today, against habit, she remained in the Bureau—partly due to the mountain of documents waiting to be processed.

"...You look stronger than before. Not just a little either. What happened?"

Nine rose from her seat in the training room when Felix pushed open the door and walked in.

"Just found a coach and started working on my body," Felix replied casually. He glanced at the deputy inspector following behind him. "Madam Ch'en has been accompanying me, so I brought her along. That's not a problem, is it?"

Nine gave Ch'en Hui-chieh a quick look before nodding. "No problem."

Ch'en Hui-chieh, however, cast a couple of puzzled glances at the Sankta standing beside her. If she ignored the fact that he was Tomorrow's Development's chairman, he didn't seem much different from any ordinary citizen. But Aunt Fumizuki had asked her to build a good relationship with him. Honestly, that wasn't really in her nature, yet since it was Aunt Fumizuki's advice, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.

Of course, if it had been Wei Yenwu making the request, she probably would've just given a quick "oh" and gone straight back to her Guard Department work.