Absolute Craft-Chapter 67: Conference

Chapter 67: Conference

In the real world, news of the potential danger facing Ashen World Online’s player base spread rapidly across social media, forums, and other platforms. So many people—and key shareholders—demanded answers from the company behind the game that it had to act quickly.

On the same day the first-ever worldwide announcement appeared in Ashen World Online, the company—GrayClouds—held a small conference.

The CEO of GrayClouds and creator of Ashen World Online decided to livestream the event from the company’s headquarters. Over a million people tuned in, waiting patiently for the man to appear on-screen.

Initially, viewers saw only a small table with a microphone and a single chair. The room was mostly dark, with just the table illuminated, creating an interrogation-room vibe.

Footsteps soon echoed, and a man in his late forties stepped into view, taking a seat. He wore a black tracksuit and leaned his chair back with a casual, almost thuggish air, showing little respect for the viewers. His half-lidded eyes and twisted expression suggested he didn’t really want to be there.

Another voice came through on the stream:

"Now that Mr. Mawyer has taken his seat, the first official conference of GrayClouds shall begin. We’ll start with questions from the journalists," said a female GrayClouds employee. Her mellifluous tone helped soften the agitation caused by her CEO. "I’ll read them aloud one by one. This question comes from North America’s One Hundred Freedom Press: Is Mr. Mawyer content with the worldwide event that might result in no new players for months, if not years?"

"Ye," Mr. Mawyer replied, his gaze drifting to the ceiling.

Undeterred by his brief response, the woman continued, "I’ll now quote Europe’s Paradise Union Press before reading their question: ’We doubt the integrity of this worldwide event and suspect it’s a scheme by GrayClouds to force people to buy their gaming capsules and enter the game world.’ Therefore, the question is—can you confirm that GrayClouds is in no way involved in this worldwide event, and that it was truly caused by the players?"

"Ye," Mr. Mawyer answered, tipping his head back so far his Adam’s apple was fully visible.

"The Asian Cultivators Press has withdrawn their initial question," the woman said. "Now, they’re asking about GrayClouds’ stance on the game’s perfect realism and certain controversial topics, such as gore and sexual abuse. Specifically, they want to know how the company prevents players from committing such crimes."

Mawyer slammed the chair’s front legs onto the floor and looked straight into the camera. "It appears journalism is truly falling apart if reporters can’t even read the terms of service. We don’t intervene in Ashen World Online at all. The game’s freedom and future are in the players’ hands. If anyone’s worried about their safety, they can log out anytime and let their avatar disintegrate before anything happens.

"The same goes for the tutorial zones. If they cease to exist, it’s only natural that new players can’t register until the issue is resolved. That’s how lore works in Ashen World Online. Anything can happen."

A question from the chat appeared on-screen. The woman read it aloud: "Does this mean there’s a chance for players to own tutorial zones and therefore control who can register and who cannot?"

Mawyer nodded. "Ye. It also means NPCs can seize control of the tutorial zones and regulate the influx of new players. What are the tutorial zones, anyway? You don’t even know that."

"Another question from the chat," the woman continued, "This sounds unfair. Are you really okay with that?"

"If we removed everything unfair, no one would bother visiting our world. The fascination with beta testers wouldn’t have been nearly as intense. Competition is never fair, son or daughter... whoever you are. For instance, beta testers started with advantages—connections, even legendary titles—but plenty of non–beta-tester players have already caught up through various quests.

"Does that stop you from jumping into Ashen World Online and seeking your own fate? You’re free to complain—I won’t stop you—but the competition has never been this forgiving."

Mr. Mawyer’s short burst of emotion faded, and he returned to his laid-back posture. He continued fielding questions with one-word replies until someone finally irked him enough to end the conference.

As a result, new controversies erupted, but the key shareholders felt satisfied with Mawyer’s statements, sensing fresh business opportunities. Many players also read between the lines, realizing the tutorial zones—and even the Eternal Winter Graveyard—held deeper secrets than they’d imagined.

So many mysteries remained unexplored that players flocked back into the game world to try their luck.

Blake watched the stream from his capsule, his phone resting on the side. He hadn’t thought much about his tutorial zone, expecting to leave it eventually. Most players simply leveled up and moved on to the mainland, but he was alone there and able to harvest all its benefits himself.

’What if... I could claim this entire zone for myself?’ Blake wondered.

That was the impression he got from Mr. Mawyer’s remarks. There appeared to be far more to these zones, and perhaps he could seize one for himself. He’d have a smithy, the legendary White Obsidian Furnace, and more.

’Never mind that... I need a few things done first. Reaching Level Fifteen is my main goal,’ Blake thought, turning off his phone.

He couldn’t surpass level fifteen in the tutorial zone because that was the cap. At that level, he believed his chances of killing the Rotten Leviathan—and securing the highest contribution—would be at their peak.

But why did he believe the Rotten Leviathan would truly return?

He had a compelling reason—an eye-opening discussion with Kyria and Wolfang.

These two were certain of the Rotten Leviathan’s resurrection for two reasons. The first was that players often believed bosses dropped the best items, so stopping a boss from resurrecting would yield fewer rewards—making them less inclined to prevent it.

The second reason involved a guild called The Hounds.

’The Guild that claims to mete out punishment for those who wronged the Supreme Blade,’ Kyria’s voice echoed in Blake’s mind as he closed his eyes.