Little Jack nodded affirmatively. “Today in the game, I met someone whose class was Mage. He was unarmed and defeated three knights at the same time. I think he must know kung fu.”

“There are really people like that!” The Owner frowned.

Little Jack said, “Think about it—police officers, soldiers, martial artists, boxers... and so on, all of them could create this kind of imbalance in the game!”

“So what should we do? We can’t just ban people from playing our game because of their profession,” The Owner said.

“There’s nothing we can do.” Little Jack shook his head as well.

But The Owner smiled. “If there was nothing you could do, you wouldn’t have stayed to talk to me.”

Little Jack smiled too. “It’s just that this kind of person gave me an idea.”

“Go on.”

“In traditional online games, everything revolves around combat. But now we have full-immersion simulation. Shouldn’t we increase development efforts to enhance other systems besides combat, so that people with special skills in real life can bring those talents into the game? That way, it would be a bit more balanced!” Little Jack said.

“That’s easy to say, but it’s very difficult to develop,” The Owner said.

“We can give it a try!”

“Alright, put together a concrete proposal, and we’ll discuss it at the next meeting,” The Owner said.

“Okay!” Little Jack replied happily. “Then I’ll get going.”

“Wait!” The Owner called out to him. “Hey, why did you go into the game again? Don’t you know the rules of the gaming industry? As a staff member of a game company, you’re not allowed to play your own company’s game. Some strict companies even ban relatives from playing!”

“I’ve never agreed with that. We make games because we love them—why should we lose the right to play because of it? Don’t worry, I’m a self-disciplined game developer. In the game, I’m just an ordinary player,” Little Jack said.

“With your knowledge of the game, can you really be ordinary?” The Owner said.

“Don’t worry, I won’t touch any of the hidden stuff, okay?” Little Jack said.

“I’ll have someone keep an eye on you. What’s your in-game name?” The Owner asked.

“Hongchen Yixiao!” Little Jack smiled and left the meeting room.

Chapter Five: Fireball

The game was undergoing major adjustments and modifications, with the official team announcing progress every day. On the first day, the cute little monsters in the leveling area were already replaced; the ugly wild boars, wolves, and other beasts had completely taken the place of the cats, rabbits, and dogs.

The second day...

The third day...

Players watched eagerly. Although the last open beta lasted only half a day, everyone had experienced the unprecedented feeling brought by the full-immersion game. This time, the anticipation was even more intense than before. Ryan Carter was no exception. Every day, the first thing he did after getting home was check the website for updates on the game’s progress. Finally, there was a place where he could unleash his kung fu. Lately, Ryan Carter had even been waking up from dreams with a smile.

Because there was so much to adjust, a whole month went by. The proposal Little Jack had put forward was already approved, but to fully implement everything would require even more work. So the game company decided to gradually add these features in future updates, and to relaunch the game first.

That day, Ryan Carter happened to have class. After class, he rushed home and eagerly logged into the game. He hadn’t felt this excited in a long time.

When he logged out last time, he was on a hill in the wilderness outside the city, but now he was sent back to his starting point: the Mage Academy. Did he have to start over? Ryan Carter checked his level—no change, still level 6. The coins he’d picked up that day were still in his pouch, and the two rusty meat-cutting knives were still tucked at his waist.

Looking around, he saw that the mages had gathered in front of an NPC, forming a long line. After confirming that the NPC wasn’t the one selling glasses and brooms, Ryan Carter curiously joined the queue.

“What’s going on?” Ryan Carter asked.

“Learning skills!” The person in front glanced back at Ryan Carter.

It turned out that, to let players gain self-protection abilities earlier, the latest update had lowered the level requirement for learning skills. Now, you could get your first skill for free right after spawning, and then learn the next skill for your class every six levels. So now, in the Mage Academy, new players had one more thing to do besides buying glasses and brooms.

The line moved quickly, and soon Ryan Carter was at the front. After talking to the NPC, Ryan Carter learned the mage’s first skill. Nothing new—Fireball, which always seemed to be the first spell a mage could master. But since Ryan Carter was already level 6, besides the basic Fireball, he could also learn a second skill: Flame Repulsion Ring. If Fireball was the main offensive skill for beginner mages, then Flame Repulsion Ring was the main defensive skill to protect their frail bodies in the early stages.

However, as a full-immersion game, spellcasting had some unique features.

In the center of the Mage Academy’s spacious plaza, over a thousand people gathered together, shouting in unison: “Fireball!!”

Instantly, a fireball ignited in front of each person, floating in the air—a spectacular sight. All the mages were visibly delighted, but Ryan Carter noticed that the person next to him was pale, as if badly frightened.