Arknights: I became an NPC in the online game

Returning to Columbia once again felt like coming home for Felix. It had been over a year since he last left, and the words he spoke before departing were still the same:

Take a year off and come back.

Their first stop was the town of Barichara to replenish supplies. The last time Felix passed through, it had been a mere village. Now, to his surprise, it had grown into a proper town. Not only had its outskirts expanded, but a border wall had also been erected. While the official mayor remained an NPC, it was clear that players had long since settled here and made it their own. Eventually, one of the mayor's designated successors would likely take over—but in the meantime, this was their home.

Barichara was now home to 40,000 permanent players—comparable to a small mobile city. However, most players didn't spend much time in town. More often, they were out participating in pioneering missions, tirelessly searching for rare materials, items, and gear—just as the American team once had. Everyone was chasing opportunities across the vast lands of Columbia.

That said, truth be told, it was still better to dig for resources in Kazdel, even though the risk of contracting oripathy remained high, even when using standard protective gear.

Two major teams were based in Barichara: the American Cloud Team and the European Sunflower Team. Both belonged to professional gaming guilds and operated as rivals, constantly vying for mission slots.

The Americans and Europeans weren't fond of giving ground. When tensions flared during city-based PvP battles and goodwill dropped, they'd take their grudges to the wilderness—an unofficial way to train formations and refine strategies through combat. These skirmishes had become more like training matches than actual fights.

Columbia offered more pioneering missions than most places. For those seeking a thrill, there was always the option of paying for a freight train to Kazimierz, becoming a bounty hunter in that lawless region.

Thinking of this, Felix glanced at the rearview mirror. In the vehicle behind, Dandao Dantart were driving. In his previous life, they'd still been wandering around Siracusa at this time. Eventually, they would flee to Yan Country and join a new team—rushed through their first season, but still performed decently. In this life, however, they'd been running around the map together, and it seemed unlikely they'd join any formal team again.

Felix's return caused a stir among the players stationed in Barichara for patrol and cleanup duties. At first, they were thrilled. But as they watched players climb out of the off-road vehicles one after another, that joy quickly turned into envy and jealousy.

It had been a long time—when did so many players start following the Pioneer? Were they part of a hidden mission?

Well… yes, they were.

Yet when the town players saw the newcomers' advanced cold weapons and updated armor, curiosity took over, and they quickly swarmed forward to examine—and buy—the gear.

Then, they noticed a brown-skinned Caprinae girl with white hair and red eyes sticking close to the Pioneer, and their eyes immediately lit up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. She's a baddie... can you look at me, sister?"

"As expected of the Pioneer—he's got great taste. White hair and dark skin? Let me get some pictures…"

"When did this sister join the Pioneers? She's got the same energy as the Degenbrecher!"

"She looks like a Caster. If we earn her favor, maybe she'll teach us a thing or two?"

Once again, players flocked around the group, eagerly offering gifts to Felix, Degenbrecher, Carnelian, Senomi, and Mandragora. For all but Carnelian, this wasn't their first time receiving gifts from adventurers.

Degenbrecher gave a polite nod and thanked them. Senomi and Mandragora looked a little flustered at first but, seeing the players' sincere enthusiasm, accepted the offerings.

Carnelian was surprised. At first, she suspected these people might have ulterior motives. But after observing them more closely, she realized their strength was comparable to that of standard gendarmerie members. No longer seeing them as a threat, she offered a polite nod and thanked them, just like Degenbrecher had.

Magic ZX and Yang Yan XF stood off to the side.

"Is this issue of Terra Daily due soon?" Magic ZX asked.

"Yes, what's wrong?" Yang Yan XF replied with a nod.

"I think we should delay it a bit," Magic ZX suggested. "Mr. Pioneer is taking us into the main city tomorrow—the one the NPCs call the mobile city. We can take a few photos there and use that as the feature topic."

Yang Yan XF understood immediately. Magic ZX was clearly familiar with how this worked. Initially, he'd thought Mr. Pioneer would be staying in town for a few more days.

"The Pioneer really does have a unique kind of charm," Yang Yan XF said. "We've all fought in the Black Knight's dungeon. She's stronger than the Pioneer, but you can tell from her words that she considers herself his subordinate."

"The backgrounds of Senomi and Mandragora are still unknown, but goodness and evil are hard to hide from children. They're clearly very close to the Pioneer..."

Yang Yan XF gave a small cough. "And the new member, Carnelian—she's undeniably strong. She didn't instill the same kind of despair the Black Knight did in that dungeon, but still... she's powerful."

Magic ZX smiled at the memory. Back at the start of the journey, the more experienced players and the strategy group would gather to spar beside the campfire at night. Carnelian had apparently gotten the itch to test her skills and challenged them. Naturally, the players agreed—they were curious to see just how strong this NPC really was.

In no time, Carnelian disarmed them all. A few high-level players managed to hold out the longest. Magic ZX, in particular, had lasted a good while by relying on a specialized combat style. He'd used traps, hidden weapons, and flying swords he bought from the Pioneer to break through Carnelian's shield Arts once.

Of course, that had been during a round-robin format. Carnelian hadn't taken a break, and ten players had fought her in sequence. Magic ZX simply benefited from the cumulative pressure applied by the earlier players.

"Do you think the Pioneer will eventually establish his own faction?" Magic ZX asked, his eyes lighting up as he looked over at the smiling Yang Yan XF.

"Exactly. If we were to form a faction... Degenbrecher would lead the combat division, Carnelian would handle Caster, and Senomi and Mandragora would be the successors the Pioneer is personally training... Is that what you're thinking?"

Yang Yan XF nodded and lowered his voice. "That's exactly what I meant. And as players who join the Pioneer's faction early, there would likely be benefits—reputation bonuses, maybe even favorability rewards."

Magic ZX nodded, thoughtful. Then an idea struck him. "What if players could create their own factions? Sure, we can form guilds now, but they're still just organized groups."

"You're right," Yang Yan XF agreed. "But for now, guilds are all we have because... well, we don't have real power yet." He coughed twice. "Still, in the later stages of the game, once players grow strong enough, we should be able to form true factions. Maybe not full-fledged nations, but at the very least, we could claim a mountain or a territory—become rulers of our own land."

The two looked at each other and saw the ambition reflected in each other's eyes. After all, as men—who doesn't dream of holding the power of the world and resting on the lap of a beauty? Ah... Though ruling the world is impossible, and the beauty might be out of reach, having territory and a little bit of power—those are tangible goals.

"Let's keep pace with the Pioneer. What we just imagined may only become possible after three or four more versions."

"Yeah."

Felix could understand what the players were thinking. In his previous life, he had already reached version 4.0, so he never got to see whether the players truly managed to occupy a mountain or not.

But there was no denying that Magic ZX and Yang Yan XF had a clear vision and sharp instincts. Felix, of course, had his own methods. Establishing a force was a small matter—the key was uniting the players under one banner. As for how to achieve that, he already had some initial ideas.

The players in Barichara Town had accumulated quite a bit of wealth. Even after purchasing Felix's goods and job class books, they still had plenty left. Felix was deep in thought as he sold items—he could put that money to good use. Not for himself, of course, but for other purposes.

After providing the players with a wave of long-awaited benefits, the group set out again for the mobile city of Trimount in Colombia.

"Hey, Felix called them adventurers," Carnelian said curiously as she waited beside the others for the identity check at the station. "I've met tourists wearing strange outfits while traveling before... they didn't seem to care at all about how they dressed, just wore all kinds of bizarre clothes..."

Felix twitched his lips. Of course. In battle, players just wear whatever seems stronger—not what looks good on a runway. The equipment in Ark is varied and often strange, so it's normal for players to be bundled up like bears or dressed like models in an abstract fashion show.

In the early game, most players spend their money accumulating equipment. Only a small portion of casual players choose to buy outfits with strong aesthetic appeal. Those fashion pieces may have low stats but look good. Many girls on the forums often post their travel logs wearing such outfits—and each post tends to generate a lot of attention.

"You'll meet more adventurers in the future," Felix said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow."

Felix showed the guard the group's identification and his business card as a shareholder of Rhine Lab. The guard saluted respectfully and leaned in to ask in a low voice, "Excuse me, who are these wanderers?"

Here's where we explain why players were unable to enter cities during the 1.0 era: they were considered refugees and vagrants. With no identity cards and only average strength, they naturally couldn't pass through tightly guarded checkpoints.

By the middle of the 2.0 era, once players reached a certain level of strength, they could apply for legal identity status and pay a substantial fee to become recognized citizens of a given country. At that point, their identity shifted from wanderer to official citizen—with real, legal rights. In the words of Sankta, this meant gaining access to Lateran's thirteen tiers of citizen privileges.

"I'm just a Messenger," Felix said softly. "The military's experiments require certain materials—"

Before he could finish, the guard gave a loud, deliberate cough, pretending not to have heard anything, and quickly waved them through.

The players were surprised that they weren't subjected to a search. The Pioneer must have said something favorable on their behalf—perhaps something like, "These people are my companions and subordinates." Truly, how reliable.

With the exception of Magic ZX, Dandao Dantart, and Qiu Muyu, the remaining seven players were seeing a mobile city for the first time. As the towering city walls came into view, they couldn't help but marvel. A few players from Kazdel who had participated in the town construction mission instinctively compared these city walls to the ones they remembered... Well, there was simply no comparison—they weren't even in the same league.

The group drove into the mobile city, visibly amazed. The players behind the wheel kept glancing around in awe, causing occasional street congestion due to their distracted driving.

"I'll be staying in Trimount for about a month. You're free to explore or roam around this unfamiliar city," Felix said, throwing them an exploration mission.

The players happily dispersed.

Felix arranged accommodations at a hotel near Rhine Lab. For this summer, he planned to let Senomi and Mandragora study at their own pace while enjoying themselves. There was no formal schooling in session anyway.

It was early July, and the streets were bathed in bright sunlight. Susie was expected to arrive soon, while Snowsant was still en route to Columbia, so Felix wasn't in any hurry.

Once everything was settled, Carnelian went out for a stroll. Degenbrecher also headed out for a walk. Senomi and Mandragora rested in the hotel, while Felix made his way toward Rhine Lab.

Nothing had changed much since his last visit—perhaps the only difference was that the greenery at the entrance had grown a little more lush.

No one knew that Felix had returned. Even Muelsyse didn't appear beside him in her usual water clone form, as she had been tied up in meetings and writing reports for the past two days.

Felix went to find Kristen.

One of Rhine Lab's founders, she was buried in reports, her furrowed brow betraying her frustration. Clearly, the paperwork was proving troublesome.

"What are you staring at?"

Startled, Kristen looked up and saw Felix standing at the door. A faint smile appeared on her face. "It's a commission order from the military. It concerns your drone."

"What a coincidence," Felix said as he walked over and sat down on the sofa. Taking the report from Kristen, he clicked his tongue as he read through the requirements. "The military's appetite is too big... They want the detection module upgraded, and now they're asking for an offensive module too?"

What is this, Are we going to be Lockheed Martin on Terra?

"The decision is yours," Kristen replied with a faint smile. "I'm not fond of the military either, but we have to rely on their commissions for now."

"...There shouldn't be a problem. This order could bring in substantial profit for Rhine Lab."

Felix signed the form and looked at Kristen, who was still smiling. "Do you have time to hear about my exploration of this land once you're off work?"

"Of course. I'd be more than happy to take a break from grading all these documents," Kristen said, her voice carrying a girlish tone.