Arknights: I became an NPC in the online game

Seattle, United States. The tournament venue.

Like every major esports event, Ark' first-ever World Championship was held offline. Professional players entered the VR world wearing neural helmets, while audiences in the arena followed every battle projected onto massive screens.

But not everyone was satisfied. Some spectators complained that the matches felt uneven—why did some drag on for fifteen or twenty minutes, lulling people to sleep, while others ended in less than ten?

Most of the crowd, though, was thrilled. Until now, few had truly understood the combat power of pro players or the level of teamwork that held their squads together. Watching them live for the first time was an eye-opener.

In true American fashion, the atmosphere was free-spirited and flamboyant. Cosplayers swarmed the venue: some dressed as their favorite characters, others as their own in-game avatars. Beast-eared girls in particular were everywhere, stopping constantly for photos.

Among them were dozens of male cosplayers choosing to dress as the Pioneer. They wore glowing halos made of LED tubing, luminous mechanical wings strapped to their backs, and long black-and-white travel coats. They stood around looking aloof and mysterious.

It was almost comical—like infamous legions of "Blade Runner" cosplayers. Looking across the arena, you could see hundreds of Pioneers.

Meanwhile, Felix had just wrapped up his routine communication with the Emperor. At this stage, players still couldn't reach the Emperor directly; his name only appeared as "superior" in logistics task descriptions. But since the character would formally appear in the upcoming 2.0 expansion, Felix convinced him to step forward. Starting in October, the Emperor could appear before adventurers, hand out quests personally, and—naturally—show off his rapper persona. To Felix's surprise, the idea was accepted.

With most professional players away competing at the World Championship, things were quieter inside Tomorrow's Development. Felix drove back to the company base, planning to shower and catch the livestream of the tournament.

He was genuinely curious. How far had today's professional players come? With Tomorrow's Development supporting them, how much stronger had the teams under his banner grown?

Just as he turned on his terminal, a message came through from Degenbrecher. Her words were brief as always: she had made contact in the black market with contract assassins from Sargon. By physical capability and combat experience, they could easily qualify as Tomorrow's Development's frontline fighters. The problem was loyalty.

That was Felix's hesitation. In Terra, unless you were someone of real influence—or unless reputation was at stake—most people would always choose survival or a higher price over loyalty. He wasn't some grand figure in Sargon; aside from money, he had little to keep them bound.

The same went for Sarkaz mercenaries. Honestly, he had a soft spot for them. Beyond the valuable loot they dropped, many were undeniably powerful.

In his previous life at Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals, a large portion of their fighting force was Sarkaz. Their loyalty, however, wasn't to Amiya personally, but to what Rhodes Island represented: the treatment and protection of the Infected.

Tomorrow's Development was different. Up to now, all it had done was talk; it hadn't acted on behalf of the Infected. Considering most Sarkaz were Infected themselves, Felix knew the time had come to turn words into deeds.

Kazdel's civil war would end with the close of 2.0. His groundwork laid there in the early days of 1.0 was nearly ripe for harvest. After the War of the Twin Kings, Kazdel would be left a wasteland, abandoned by all. That was when Felix planned to move.

His ties with Ulšulah wouldn't break with time. If anything, they would become the bridge to genuine dialogue with the Sarkaz.

Ironic, really—him, haloed like an angel, playing this role.

Having settled on a course of action, he thought of Degenbrecher's current task. She was combing the slums and outskirts of Lungmen for promising young talents. Most were people who lived by their strength: laborers, bikers, restless youth from the backstreets.

For the first generation of "Lightbearers," Felix needed absolute loyalty. No outside influence could stain them; if they carried any marks, they had to be overwritten in his colors.

Entrusting their training to Degenbrecher gave him peace of mind. Time would do the rest. Soldiering wasn't a matter of weeks or months—it took years. With 2.0 stretching out in Terra's timeline, and the upheavals of 3.0 still some way off, Felix had plenty of room to advance step by step.

"Teacher, I'm back."

Loughshinny knocked lightly and stepped into the office. Her cheeks carried a healthy flush, her skin dewy as if fresh from a bath, a trace of moisture still clinging to her presence.

"The masseuse I hired wasn't bad, right?"

Felix smiled. For the players, he needed to maintain control. For the locals of Terra, he needed loyalty. Since they worked under him, he would never stoop to exploit them. Instead, he made sure benefits were in place on all fronts: meal stipends, a free-flowing snack bar, an internal shuttle service… and, like just now, massage sessions for his employees. Both Terra natives and players could enjoy them—though with players there was always the occasional awkward case of disappearing mid-massage.

"Thank you, Teacher… I feel more relaxed than ever."

Loughshinny returned the smile, then reported, "Your trip to Kazimierz has been arranged. This time, I'll accompany you. Sister Degenbrecher will remain in Lungmen due to restrictions from the Commercial Union—she can't cross the Kazimierz border."

"Mm. The Commercial Union is a partner for now. I've been sourcing some metals from them… but only for the moment."

"Teacher…?"

"The Union will continue to exist in the future, though under another name. The name may change, but their business will remain the same."

Felix's voice was calm. "You may not fully grasp this yet, but remember: in politics and in business, there are no eternal friends, and no eternal enemies. At the end of the day, it's the smallest shred of profit that breaks trust."

Loughshinny nodded silently. "I'll study the Union more closely."

"Good. Learn why they exist in the first place. Kazimierz wouldn't be what it is today without them—for better or for worse."

He rubbed his fingers together, eyes resting on her as she lowered her head in thought. "Victoria is no different. The king's divided authority allowed the nobles to seize everything, leaving him only a handful of loyal knights. Do you think such power alone can stop rebellion? Can it curb ambition? Once the seed of greed is planted and profit is tasted, why would they ever let go?"

"A capable ruler keeps power firmly in hand. But the right amount must still be delegated—because no king can govern all alone. He needs trusted aides."

"…Just like what you're doing now, Teacher?"

"Exactly."

Leaning back in his chair, Felix regarded her. "The Lightbearers are my 'imperial guard.' You are my 'minister of the interior.' And Degenbrecher is my 'general.' I trust you understand what I mean."

Loughshinny nodded, her lips curving into a soft smile. "Teacher… you always explain things in such simple, clear ways."

He let her go to rest, though he suspected she'd spend the night buried in books again. It was a habit strikingly similar to Avdotya's.

When the time came to head for Kazimierz, he planned to bring players with him.

Tomorrow's Development had only just taken root. He wasn't about to stretch its branches into Kazimierz too quickly—especially under the Commercial Union's oversight. His reason for going was simpler: to trigger the same quests that had once appeared in his past life.

This trip… would it trigger a new dungeon?

The thought lingered in Felix's mind. The last two instances had both been tied to Kazimierz, and that alone made him uneasy. Since when did Kazimierz become his main storyline? Then again, it wasn't so strange. Every other region was too quiet—no explosive battles, no dramatic arcs. Yan was stable. Victoria and Leithania looked calm on the surface. Even his homeland, Laterano, though plagued by explosions on a daily basis, never seemed to spin out a proper combat plotline.

He mulled it over for a while before posting a new update to the pinned faction panel.

At that exact moment in Lungmen, MagicZX was chatting with NPCs about feng shui and lore when his body jolted. Ignoring the NPC's look of regret, he forcefully skipped the dialogue, grabbed his quest item with a forced laugh, and slipped away.

Around the corner, he opened his faction panel.

[C-Rank Faction Quest: "The Grand Tournament" — Accept/Decline?]

Quest Details: Through the terminal, you learn that the leader of Tomorrow's Development, the Pioneer, will travel to Kazimierz this October to observe the quadrennial Knight Tournament. He may have other motives as well. If you can prove your worth, perhaps you'll earn the chance to accompany him to the Grand Knight's City, Kawalerielki.

Quest Requirement: Accumulate 20,000 contribution points within two months.

Reward: 1,000 EXP

MagicZX's pupils contracted. The Kawalerielki City—he had been there once, back when the Pioneer had taken him along. He remembered it vividly: the bustling streets, the overwhelming commerce, and above all, the allure of the knightly competitions. After all, he had been a Black Knight fan since coming there.

But… two months? On paper, yes. In practice, it was closer to half a month. It was already mid-August, and the 2.0 patch was only twenty-some Terra days away. By then, all players would be forcibly logged out to await the update. Where would the time come to grind this quest?

Still, 20,000 contribution wasn't insurmountable—not for him. He knew every street and back alley of Lungmen like the back of his hand. With his ghostfire motorcycle, running maps was a breeze.

---

Seattle, live tournament venue. Inside the Yanyu Tower team's lounge, vice-captain Xi Yiye suddenly yelped, ripping off her headset and springing to her feet, startling the entire squad reviewing their next opponent's VOD.

"What happened?" Coach Bai Mi's voice was sharp.

"Tomorrow's Development just dropped the next storyline—2.0's!"

She had just logged in to tend to her crops when the faction panel updated. At the coach's demand, with teammates leaning in, she relayed the new intel word for word.

Yanfei's eyes instantly lit up, practically sparkling. "Heheh… Brother Pioneer, I get to travel with you this time～"

Coach Bai Mi frowned in thought, then spoke decisively: "From now on, outside of training hours, every spare minute goes into Tomorrow's Development. Everyone must hit the contribution target. That way, once 2.0 launches, we'll be ahead of the pack."

"Yanfei, you're in charge of keeping the team on track."

She snapped a salute, overflowing with loyalty to the Pioneer.

And it wasn't just Yanyu Tower. Other pro teams got the same notification almost simultaneously. After heated discussion, they all reached the same conclusion: training would continue, but hours would be shaved off if necessary—no matter what, every player must stack up those 20,000 points. Non-negotiable.

---

"Ahxi… these foreigners are insane. They finish scrims and immediately log into Ark?"

"Maybe it's some weird training method… Either way, we can't relax."

Coaches from squads who had never even heard of Tomorrow's Development were left utterly baffled. What the hell? You're done with practice matches, and instead of resting, you dive back into another game for more training? What are you, robots? Walking cases of terminal gaming addiction?

The Warrior team was the first to clap back. On an overseas forum, their player Cabus declared bluntly:

"Weak? Just grind more. If you can't handle losing, don't play."

Their routine was brutal: scrims, post-match reviews, then straight into Ark training—all for one goal: the S1 World Championship trophy. For them, nothing else mattered.

The statement sent rival teams into a frenzy. Some fumed at the arrogance. Others, privy to the truth, quietly raked in the advantage. A few spoke up to defend Warrior, while the atmosphere across the scene grew stranger and stranger—half confusion, half ruthless determination.

Meanwhile, the pros who actually knew what was happening? They all but lived inside the game, carving out new territory for Tomorrow's Development.

Even while fighting for the world championship, they still made time for the company.

For the Pioneer!.