Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 235 - 057. A harmless and kind young man (Will kill you all later)

Chapter 235: 057. A harmless and kind young man (Will kill you all later)

"Aura of Goodwill": (Aura-type skill, continuously active)

Your affinity is incredibly strong, and no one will harbor malice towards you at first sight.

Skill Effect①[Nice Guy]——When you make any [Charm] check, regardless of whether you fail or not, the other party won’t attack you.

Skill Effect②[Benevolent Leader]——When you become the team leader, your team members’ favorability towards you remains fixed, and they won’t betray you.

Skill Effect③[Goodwill Distortion]——You can dissolve others’ hatred and dislike towards you by displaying your [Charm]. For targets with significantly lower [Charm] than yours, even if you kill their kin, they will choose to forgive you.

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After reading the description of "Aura of Goodwill," Li Aozi’s jaw almost dropped.

You’re calling this goodwill?

"What is this? I killed your father, but because my charm is too overwhelming, you’ve decided to follow me—this is basically brainwashing!"

However, upon careful consideration, Li Aozi thought it seemed quite normal.

After all, in reality, before the rise of nationalism, whenever a country was conquered, people would quickly accept the invaders instead of continuing to fight. Admiration for the strong and the instinct for survival are inscribed deep in the bones of life.

Modern people can’t understand it because they’ve been educated with a strong sense of unity and worldview, but for ancient people, joining the invader if you can’t defeat them was the most normal reaction.

It’s just that the effects of "Aura of Goodwill" are indeed outrageous.

Effects ① and ② were extremely practical. Not to mention that teammates wouldn’t betray you, but the fact that regardless of the result of the check, the other party wouldn’t attack you.

What concept is this?

According to the system’s description, every time Li Aozi used Arcane Energy to attack an enemy, especially with skills like [Directed Blast] and [Touch of Corruption] that required contact to release, he actually needed to make a [Charm] check.

If the check failed, the Arcane Energy wouldn’t take effect, but the opponent still wouldn’t attack him. If it passed, the Arcane Energy could blow the person to pieces, and he still wouldn’t retaliate.

That meant from now on, if Li Aozi took a dislike to someone, he could go up and beat them up without holding back.

No immediate retaliation. As for future revenge?

Li Aozi was absolutely confident he would be stronger in the future.

Just as Li Aozi was checking his status and getting accustomed to his upgraded body, new messages arrived in his inbox.

"Dear Esteemed Player: The trial operation of "Starry Abyss" has begun, and the first round of non-wipe internal testing is starting. Please be aware of any network fluctuations. Countdown: 29:57——Qiqiao Network, Sent on: 2142/9/19."

"Dear Esteemed Player: Dear internal testing players, welcome to "Starry Abyss", enjoy the fun of the game, this is your new home, if you encounter various system problems, please give us timely feedback. As a mature and skilled production team, we are willing to listen to your voices and solve your problems——From all staff at the "Starry Abyss" production team, Sent on: 2142/9/19."

At this point, Li Aozi couldn’t hold back anymore.

’Mature and skilled’?

Then why do they still think of me, an NPC, as an internal testing player!

"I don’t believe you, Qiqiao Network, there’s nothing wonderful or resourceful about you, and the network is pure nonsense." Li Aozi scorned Qiqiao Network’s technical abilities.

Aside from anything else, to Li Aozi’s understanding, the employees at Qiqiao Network were extremely laid-back, working only 4 hours a day. Under such circumstances, if Qiqiao Network could get internal voice communications running in version 1.0, it would mean they had put in effort.

However, with the internal test unlocking, all kinds of players would step onto Azure Star. Li Aozi scanned the forum, and with half an hour remaining, the companies, units, and military that secured internal testing slots remained silent. For them, entering the game had a certain level of confidentiality, and most should still opt for Red Arrow and Zhengxu.

For guilds, clubs, and solo players, it was different.

The e-sports giant River City Misty Rain specifically changed their originally quaint name to ’Endless Pioneers,’ determined to dominate "Starry Abyss".

"Wow, they’ve even moved Slope Wolf over, quite generous, and Jiang Hanchuan, Moname, Self-Pumping Dog—these are all well-known veterans. Seems like Pioneers Club has a sharp vision."

As for Braised Beef Noodles, Fragrant Chicken, and Old Chilly Oil, these three culinary names... Li Aozi glanced at the list of professional players who got test slots and shook his head.

Although they were all familiar faces, he didn’t have much faith in these fresh recruits pulled straight from the Youth Training Camp.

"Old Pickled Vegetable, Sea Sand, Tomato Egg, Fried Chicken Fillet, French Fries, Taro Balls, Grilled Rice Cakes, Hot Sauce—these youth training professionals could barely stand up to me even if I played with my eyes closed—wait, they even brought Fried Sauce on board! Big Sauce, you’re almost forty, stop competing with the youngsters."

Li Aozi was a little worried.

The inertia of history still existed. This batch of newcomers needed a lot of time to accumulate experience and mature before they could compete. They shouldn’t be thrown into competitions in the early versions but should focus on building a solid foundation.

In his past life, Fiery Summer’s clubs faced this same operational problem, and now they were making the same mistake again.

"Well, let’s see Qiongyu."

Qiongyu Club, the champion team of the globally popular "Predatory World", had relatively short experience. In the past life, they misjudged the popularity of "Starry Abyss" and rushed to explore other game markets, missing countless opportunities.

Now, determined to catch up, they only secured two slots but decisively allocated them to their two best professional players.

"Long Yuqiong and Yutianxiao—indeed, these two formidable players."

Li Aozi rubbed his chin.

Long Yuqiong had incredible gaming talent. In the 11.0 version of the previous life, he won the season’s FMVP and the strongest individual title. He followed the [Mysterious] path——[Shaman] branch——[Apostle of the Wasteland God] pathway, his strength was immense, known as the world’s best spell tanker.

Yutianxiao, on the other hand, was an old hand, highly adept at playing mage-related occupations. He chose the [Fine Artistry] path——[Biochemist] branch——[Emperor of Demise] pathway. Although his PVP strength wasn’t top-tier, his PVE prowess was indisputable, absolutely first-class.

From version 10.0 onward, the final bosses of three consecutive versions were all taken down by Yutianxiao, making him more renowned among players.

These two players were top-tier in Fiery Summer and joining the internal test was certainly good news.

However, both of them chose the Red Arrow Empire, which Li Aozi couldn’t visit in the short term, quite a pity.

But Li Aozi understood. After all, they were alone; it would be hard to make an impact in Sky Ring. It was better to go to Red Arrow, opening paths for their companions.

As for large guilds and some influential solo players and streamers, Li Aozi scanned and found no familiar faces. However, Caramel Snail was flooding forum posts, getting surrounded by curious netizens wondering about his impressions.

For now, Li Aozi ignored these players. He had more pressing matters before him.

Xi Silong called, solemnly informing him:

"Frost Plated has deployed troops."