《Arknightcraft Modpack (Minecraft Steve with Mods on Arknight)》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Skydiving "Why do other people who travel to other worlds either get their souls transferred or directly land in a girl¡¯s bedroom, while I get an extreme airdrop from ten thousand meters high? If you can¡¯t choose the coordinates properly, just don¡¯t choose at all!" On a beach at the border of Iberia, in the land of Terra. A figure suddenly burst out from beneath the water, struggling to walk a few steps towards the shore before collapsing onto the sand as if utterly exhausted. Spitting out two mouthfuls of seawater, the young man named Steven lay flat on the beach like a salted fish, loudly complaining about his predicament. As a transmigrator, this wasn''t his first time being transported to another world. But compared to his last experience¡ªwhere he was thrown into Minecraft¡ªthis time was much harder to accept. If he hadn¡¯t already been a well-trained Minecrafter, his life might have ended before it even began, crashing straight to his death from such a high altitude. Falling from tens of thousands of meters with no protective gear at all¡ªeven hitting the water would feel no different from slamming into concrete. What''s worse, he didn¡¯t even hit the water directly. No, he just happened to crash into a girl who was speeding along the water¡¯s surface. Yes, the same girl who was now floating on the waves, gradually drifting towards Steven. Heaven knows, Steven had made sure there were no signs of human life in that area of the sea before he dropped. Who could¡¯ve predicted she would suddenly appear from beneath the surface? Her speed was nothing a human could achieve. She was like a swordfish charging through the ocean. The fact that they collided so precisely was unreal¡ªit hardly seemed fair to place all the blame on Steven. "Still, to survive being hit like that without turning into a puddle of flesh, her physical abilities must be at least on par with Captain America, right?" Steven glanced at the tall girl he had dragged to shore after swimming for so long, a trace of worry flashing through his eyes. Had he ended up in a world filled with super Saiyans or something? He had just escaped from a torturous world and really didn¡¯t want to suffer again. One thing was certain: this world was nothing like where he had previously lived. That much was clear from the two bright moons hanging in the sky. Who knew what kind of strange world this was? Better to look at the girl and take a break. Shifting his gaze back to the girl lying beside him, Steven realized he hadn¡¯t gotten a good look at her when he first crashed into her. Later, when they were both swept into the current, he had even less of a chance to see her properly. Only now did he have the time to carefully observe this native of the new world. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The first thing that caught his eye was the strange triangular hat on her head¡ªthe kind usually only worn by hunters in Western Europe. Yet, beneath that hat was a stunningly beautiful face with features more aligned with Eastern aesthetics. Her long white hair, wet and clinging to her pale and almost unnaturally fair face, only added an extra layer of ethereal beauty. Hidden within her hair was a pair of long, elfin ears, making it clear that she wasn¡¯t human. "An ocean elf?¡± Steven stared at those delicate elven ears on her jade-like face, fighting back a strong urge to reach out and give them a pinch to see how they felt. Steven felt more relieved than anything else¡ªafter who knew how many years, he had finally seen a normal human face again. Whose face is supposed to be square, anyway?! Even a strong-jawed face has its limits! Unable to resist his inner urge any longer, Steven reached out his hand toward the unconscious girl¡ªnot to touch the lofty peaks hidden beneath her strange black cloak and dress, but to pinch her delicate face without hesitation. Like kneading dough, he molded her exquisite and beautiful face into all sorts of shapes. Although Steven knew his actions were a bit over the line, he simply couldn¡¯t control the impulse that came from the bottom of his heart¡ªespecially after so many years of not seeing what a standard human face was supposed to look like. "It feels so good not to see a square face." Just by squishing the girl''s face, Steven felt an almost overwhelming urge to cry. No one could understand what it was like to live for hundreds of years in a world full of blocks and pixels¡ªexcept for him, the unlucky one who had been transported into the game of Minecraft. Watermelons were square, houses were square, even the sun was square, and, worst of all, Steven himself was square. Not to mention a face as beautiful as the girl''s¡ªeven if someone with an Ugly Bastard face were to appear before him now, he¡¯d probably want to squish it too. But as he continued kneading, Steven suddenly felt a gaze as sharp as a knife pierce through him. When he lowered his head, his eyes met those of the girl¡ªher crimson pupils staring straight into his soul. Not even rubies could compare to the vivid red of her eyes, and the fury and murderous intent within them made her current feelings crystal clear. "Uh..." "Y-You''re awake?" Caught red-handed pinching her face while she was unconscious, Steven didn¡¯t know what to say. He awkwardly held her small face, forcing out a rigid and uncomfortable smile. He even forgot to remove his hands from her face. "..." The white-haired girl said nothing, only staring at Steven with a cold, murderous gaze, as if she had already decided he was a dead man walking. But just as Steven was considering whether he should pull out his Netherite Sword from his inventory to prepare for battle... The girl¡¯s once steely, cold eyes suddenly showed a hint of confusion. And soon, that confusion spread across her clear eyes, stripping them of their sharpness and hostility. Like someone struggling to recall a forgotten answer, the girl shook her head vigorously. Her triangular hat, seemingly fixed to her hair, fell off as she shook, and the last glimmer of clarity in her eyes vanished. Her once sharp gaze softened, and the face that had been pulling away from his hand now nestled back into his stiff palm. The girl looked at Steven with the innocent eyes of a newborn, her lips parting as she softly uttered a single word that made Steven¡¯s mind go completely numb. "Dad?" Steven stood frozen in place as if petrified by a spell, unmoving even as the tall girl began to rub her cheek against his hand of her own accord. ... When he fell earlier, he did seem to have made rather direct contact with her head. Could he have knocked away her memory due to the impact? What was this supposed to be? I Accidently Erased An Elf Woman''s Memory After Arriving Into This World, So I Become Her Step-Father In This Isekai World? Chapter 2: The Local Admin Are So Rude
Steven had imagined various scenarios for when the girl in front of him woke up, but the current situation was absolutely beyond his expectations. In every sense of the word, this was just too weird. ¡°No, wake up! I don¡¯t want to unlock an ¡®Accidental Dad¡¯ achievement as soon as I arrive!¡± After staring blankly for a long time, Steven finally snapped out of it. His hands tightened around the girl¡¯s small face, and he tried shaking her in an attempt to fix her brain. When a computer breaks, the first instinct is to give it a shake¡ªsurely the same logic applies to the human brain, right? The girl''s delicate face squished into a ball, but she only stared at Steven blankly, a silly grin spreading across her lips. To her, this might have felt like some sort of playful parent-child game. ¡°Great, I¡¯m done for.¡± Seeing her like this, Steven could only cover his face with his hand, adopting an expression of utter defeat. He¡¯d rather have a proper fight with the girl, fully conscious and ready to go, than be stared at with those innocent, pure eyes as if he really was her cheap, newfound dad. At least in a fight, Steven had absolute confidence he would win. But with the situation as it was now, he genuinely had no idea how to handle it. If he were to just leave her behind and walk away... well, she did end up like this because of him. He¡¯d feel too guilty to do something that low. But if he accepted it... he really wasn¡¯t ready to suddenly have a daughter out of nowhere. ¡°Why can¡¯t I just be a heartless scumbag?¡± With a helpless sigh, Steven rubbed his forehead, completely at a loss. He could only mumble a quiet complaint to himself. At this point, the only thing he could do was try to see if he could heal the girl using his own methods. ¡°Activate the Entity Information Display Mod.¡± Muttering a command only he could hear, a small icon resembling a hammer striking an anvil appeared in Steven¡¯s vision¡ªjust like the kind you¡¯d see when installing a mod. As a transmigrator who had already experienced another world once, Steven was no longer just an ordinary, kind-hearted high school student. Otherwise, there was no way he¡¯d survive a high-altitude fall, knocking someone silly, and still be completely unharmed. After all, he had been a veteran of the Minecraft world for who knew how many years. Steven fully embraced his identity as a Minecrafter. Though he had grown so bored that he ended up disabling all mods and living a peaceful life in vanilla survival mode, this was a new world, and he definitely couldn¡¯t afford to be so laid-back anymore. Playing the fool to catch the tiger might be fun, but only if you don¡¯t end up getting eaten for real. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Before long, a crisp ¡°ding¡± signaled the successful installation of the mod, and a line of green text appeared above the girl¡¯s head: [Abyssal Hunter: Gladiia, Severe Head Injury, Currently Amnesiac] Not only did this confirm to Steven that the girl¡¯s memory loss was genuine and not an act, but it also conveniently provided her name. Unfortunately, this information didn¡¯t really help his current predicament. Steven didn¡¯t recognize the name, but at the very least, this text proved that his cheat-like abilities still worked in this world. ¡°Install Minimap Mod.¡± ¡°Install Language Localization Mod.¡± ¡°Install Better Status Display Mod.¡± ¡°Install JEI Item Manager Mod.¡± Skillfully installing the most practical mods, Steven¡¯s vision was soon filled with the familiar UI elements that brought him a sense of comfort and control. "And now for the most critical part." "gamemode 1" Steven entered a command into his interface, but before he could complete it, a strange notification rang in his ear. [Ding! Insufficient WAP (World Acknowledgement Point). Forcibly activating Creative Mode will result in being *** ejected from this world.] ¡°What the heck? World Acknowledgement Point?¡± Steven was stunned. He then noticed a strange new buff appear next to his status bar. [Rejection of World Will I: Duration ¡Þ] (Your strength has caused discomfort to the world''s will.) ¡°...¡± Steven was speechless. Of course, as a transmigrator, he didn¡¯t technically belong to this world, but who ever heard of getting targeted by the world¡¯s will as soon as they arrived? The local ¡°admin¡± sure had no manners! He came here to join this world, not to destroy it. Why the hostility? Looking up at the two moons hanging in the sky, Steven let out a sigh. No matter which world it was, transmigrators were always treated like stray dogs¡ªunwanted and out of place. This wasn''t much different from when he first transmigrated into Minecraft. The only change was in the method: back then, the world''s will kept throwing mods at him to make his life difficult. This time, the approach seemed a bit more... direct. The buff didn''t seem to have any negative effects¡ªmore like a warning than anything else. After thoroughly checking his status, Steven quickly found a section displaying the so-called [WAP (World Acknowledgement Point)]. [Remaining World Acknowledgement Points: 15] (Using mods consumes points, and when points are insufficient, you will face rejection from the world.) Scratching his head, Steven, a seasoned reader of countless web novels, quickly grasped the concept. Basically, this was a limitation on his ability to use his cheats. If he wanted to use them, he first needed to make the world "acknowledge" him. It was similar to those systems where you earned points through quests and exchanged them for abilities. The only difference was that these cheats were inherently his. Even if he used them directly, no one could stop him¡ªat most, he¡¯d get caught and booted out of the "server" afterward. But being ejected was the last thing Steven wanted. He had gone through so much to get here; there was no way he''d accept getting kicked out now. ¡°But how do I earn these so-called WAP (World Acknowledgement Points)? By killing, looting, or completing quests?¡± Steven frowned, pinching his chin as he glanced at the minimap displayed in the top-right corner of his vision. [Terra Continent, Iberia Beach x: 23231 z: -41754 y: 21] The coordinates and location were clearly visible thanks to the minimap mod. The name Terra definitely rang a bell. Terraria, huh? Another pixelated sandbox game as famous as Minecraft. There was no way a homebody like Steven hadn¡¯t heard of it. But wasn¡¯t that supposed to be another blocky, pixelated world? How could it look like the vivid scene before him now? Turning his head slightly, Steven exchanged a glance with the white-haired girl who had scooted closer when he didn¡¯t react for a while. He gently shook his head. The graphics definitely weren¡¯t pixelated... "Dad?" The girl, whose name was Gladiia, had no clue what was going on in Steven¡¯s head. Seeing that he still hadn¡¯t done anything, she took the initiative, grabbing his hand and placing it on her head and face, tilting her head with a pitiful expression. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll fix you later. Be good and go play with the sand for now, okay?¡± Steven¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by Gladiia¡¯s innocent gesture. With an awkward smile, he patted her silky white hair, trying to get her to wander off for a bit. [Ding! Interaction with a plot character. WAP (World Acknowledgement Point) +1.] ¡°Huh?¡± Steven¡¯s hand froze mid-pat. What was this? He could earn points just by stroking a girl''s head? Chapter 3: Steven, How Could You Be Like This?
Steven had expected that obtaining [WAP (World Acknowledgement Point)] might be a bit unusual, but what he hadn¡¯t expected was that the first time he earned them was by stroking someone¡¯s head. Turning slightly, he glanced at Gladiia, who was now looking completely blissful from his head pats. At this moment, she seemed like a walking WAP (World Acknowledgement Point) farming machine to him. Back in Minecraft, anything that could be sustainably farmed was typically automated into a production line for maximum efficiency. That said, Steven wasn¡¯t quite at the point where he¡¯d be getting publicly executed for crimes against humanity just yet. Even though the girl had a tall and slender build, she stood beside Steven¡ªwho was already 1.8 meters tall¡ªwithout looking the least bit inferior. The contrast between her innocent, adorable expression and her strange yet sharp-looking outfit gave Steven a strange sense of accomplishment. This situation¡­ doesn¡¯t seem too bad, actually? ¡°¡­Nah, forget it. Taking advantage of an amnesiac girl just sounds way too embarrassing.¡± Letting out a regretful sigh, Steven dismissed the idea of farming points from her indefinitely. Sure, patting a pretty girl felt great, but using her as a tool for personal gain? That just sucked all the fun out of it. First, he needed to find a way to cure her memory loss. Checking his inventory, Steven¡¯s expression darkened slightly in disappointment. His second transmigration had been even more abrupt than the first. At least back when he was thrown into Minecraft, he could blame it on that damned dump truck that hit him. But this time? He was just chilling in his backyard, preparing to trade some emeralds with the villagers that he had captured a few days earlier, and in the very next moment¡ªBAM¡ªhe was falling from ten thousand meters above the ocean. Aside from a few gold ingots (meant for trading) and some steaks and milk (for daily sustenance), he didn¡¯t even have the basic armor equipped. As for weapons? He only had a single Netherite Sword, meant for dealing with scammer villagers who dared to trade him one potato for twenty emeralds. After all, he had already retired into peaceful vanilla survival¡ªwhy would he need to carry an arsenal of items? "No healing potions on me¡­ not that they would necessarily fix memory loss anyway. I''ve got a bucket of milk, but will that even work on amnesia? And since it''s my only one, I''d rather save it just in case." Muttering to himself, Steven tried to figure out how he could restore the girl¡¯s memories. Meanwhile, he couldn¡¯t help but long for his creative mode privileges again. If he could just use modded items, he had at least a thousand different ways to fix her¡ªbut alas, none of them were available. Steven was not about to risk getting kicked out of this world so soon. "So... is head-patting really my only way to farm points right now?" Despite voicing his reluctance, his hand didn¡¯t stop moving¡ªhis fingers continued to glide through Gladiia¡¯s silky white hair, just like petting a soft, fluffy cat. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Sure, this "cat" was a bit on the tall side, but who in their right mind would turn down the chance to touch a beautiful girl? [Ding! World Acknowledgement Point +1, +1, +1, ¡ª] ¡®Hah¡­ Steven, O¡¯Steven, how could you fall so low?¡¯ While he scolded himself internally, his lips curled into an uncontrollable smile. ¡®Just ten more pats¡­¡¯ As for the girl herself, Gladiia seemed to be thoroughly enjoying Steven¡¯s head pats. Her pale, almost porcelain-like skin glowed with happiness, and her smile radiated pure joy¡ªshe looked exactly like a little girl basking in her father¡¯s affectionate encouragement. ¡®She must¡¯ve been seriously starved for fatherly love before she lost her memory.¡¯ As Steven came to this conclusion, he also considered where to farm more WAP (World Acknowledgement Point) next and, more importantly, how to cure the girl¡¯s amnesia. Unfortunately, before he could reach his ten-head-pats milestone, a group of creatures emerged from the waters before him, interrupting his movements. The dim moonlight made the churning sea look even more ominous, and along with the waves, a foul stench of fermented seafood drifted onto shore. Accompanying this putrid odor was a swarm of creatures so grotesque that Steven found himself at a loss for words. Calling them "ugly" would be too simplistic¡ªif anything, they looked like an unholy fusion of fish heads, various marine body parts, and the gelatinous torsos of cephalopods. Just looking at them made Steven question what kind of abstract deity could have possibly created such horrors. [Seaborn Elite: The Endspeaker, Will of We Many] The weirdly titled creatures clearly hadn¡¯t crawled onto land just to disgust him¡ªthey had already begun encircling Steven the moment they emerged from the sea. ¡°Hey, can you guys back up a bit? You seriously stink. You live in the ocean, would it kill you to wash yourselves every once in a while?¡± Despite being surrounded, Steven¡¯s expression remained completely unbothered. He hadn''t just come ashore to head-pat a cute girl¡ªhe was also baiting out whatever had been following him since he fell from the sky. This was why he had been waiting here in the first place. Figuring out who was tracking him was crucial¡ªSteven wasn¡¯t planning to live his life constantly being tailed by some mysterious entities. That being said, judging by their formation and aggressive posture, this problem wasn¡¯t going to be as simple to resolve peacefully as he had hoped. It wasn¡¯t that Steven was judging them based on appearances, but when a bunch of eldritch sea monsters looked at you like you were their next meal, it was pretty damn hard to misinterpret their intentions. What surprised him, however, was that after he made his snarky remark, the creatures actually paused their approach. After a few moments of uneasy, guttural growls, one of the larger and clearly stronger monsters stepped forward. ¡°Land¡­ dweller¡­ Why¡­ do you speak¡­ our tongue?¡± The sounds it made were deep, grating, and guttural, yet Steven understood them effortlessly. Scratching his ear, he hesitated, unsure how to even begin explaining. He couldn¡¯t exactly tell them, "Oh yeah, I just happen to have an automatic language translation mod installed. Everything I hear and say is instantly converted to something that he can understand, no matter the original language." ¡ªActually, considering his situation, maybe he should pursue a career as an interpreter someday. Seeing that Steven wasn¡¯t answering, the creature¡¯s confusion grew, but now that it knew Steven could communicate, it refrained from immediately attacking. ¡°Return¡­ our kin¡­ Together¡­ return to the sea.¡± Raising a slimy, tentacle-like limb, the creature pointed its dripping appendage toward the girl behind Steven. ¡°¡­Oh, so you weren¡¯t after me? Well, that makes way more sense.¡± Glancing at Gladiia, who had instinctively taken a defensive stance, Steven¡¯s suspicion was confirmed. He had already noticed earlier that her swimming speed was more like someone desperately escaping rather than casually traversing the ocean. So these guys were the ones chasing her back then. ¡°Alright then¡­ and what if I refuse?¡± Steven wasn¡¯t about to hand over the girl when he could see the sheer disgust and hostility in her eyes toward these creatures. Seriously? A beautiful girl and these grotesque abominations being the same species? Yeah, right. ¡°Resistance¡­ is futile¡­ You will become¡­ nourishment¡­ for our growth.¡± ¡°¡­So there¡¯s no room for negotiation, huh?¡± Steven¡¯s gaze swept across the horde of monsters, their twisted bodies nearly covering the entire beachfront before him. ¡°See, if you had just been upfront about this from the start, I wouldn¡¯t have to feel bad about killing you.¡± With a relieved smile, Steven reached into his inventory and pulled out a long, sinister-looking sword¡ªits purple-black blade radiating an eerie glow. At the same time, he turned toward the creatures with a cold, predatory grin. Chapter 4: The Purity is Too Low
The moment Steven drew his weapon, the eerie stalemate on the beach was shattered. These creatures¡ªcalled Seaborn¡ªwere clearly not the most rational beings to begin with. Their earlier attempt at negotiation had likely been an act of forced restraint, suppressing their wild instincts just to talk things out. Now that Steven refused to cooperate, there was no longer any need for them to hold back. "Flesh. Nutrients. Food." With a piercing shriek, the once-still monsters erupted into a frenzy, charging at Steven like a pack of starving wolves, swiftly encircling him. One versus a swarm¡ªin terms of both numbers and size, Steven was clearly at a disadvantage. At least, that¡¯s how it seemed. Steven, as if realizing this himself, froze in place after drawing his purple-black longsword, standing motionless as if paralyzed by the overwhelming pressure emanating from the monstrous horde. As the largest and strongest of the creatures closed in on him, its rotting, putrid stench all but flooding his senses, Steven finally reacted, gripping his sword¡¯s hilt tightly. But it was too late. The monster¡¯s slime-coated, razor-sharp claws were already mere inches away¡ªone clean strike, and Steven would be cleaved in half. CLANG! A sharp, metallic clash rang out. The purple-black sword had suddenly intercepted the lethal claw, stopping the killing blow in its tracks. Steven, who had remained motionless up until now, casually exerted a little force, as if swatting away an annoying insect. The giant monster¡ªwhich had been trying to push past his sword¡ªwas launched into the air and sent flying. ¡°¡­Seriously? That¡¯s it?¡± Steven blinked, looking almost disappointed. With how hideous these creatures looked, he had assumed they had sacrificed appearance for power¡ªbut apparently, they were just weak AND ugly. Honestly, he was finding it hard to believe. The reason he had stood still at first was simply because these things were so slow¡ªabout as threatening as a grandma power-walking toward him. He had been so baffled by their lack of speed that he hadn''t even known how to react. Watching Gladiia¡¯s swimming speed earlier had made him think that people in this world were at least Captain America-tier in terms of physical ability. But seeing these monsters move¡­ yeah, he had definitely overestimated them. Since they had chased down Gladiia, he had assumed they were at least on her level. But after this little exchange? What a disappointment. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They are simply way too damn weak. Did this thing actually think that mutated claws alone could match his battle-hardened physique? "Maybe they are just some random cannon fodder?." Casually dismissing the idea that he might just be too strong, Steven effortlessly cleaved another monster in two as it tried to sneak attack him. "Not fast, not strong, and not even smart." Shaking his head, Steven gave them his final assessment. "Aside from being ugly, you''re completely useless." Now, if it were any other task, Steven might not have been particularly skilled. But fighting? Now that, he could get into. After spending years grinding in Minecraft, he''d lost count of the sheer number of zombies and skeletons he had slain. At the very least, when it came to fighting monsters, Steven had full confidence in his skills. The more you kill, the more efficient you get. Not giving the creatures a single moment to recover, Steven swiftly cut them down one after another¡ªeach sword swing harvesting another life. Sure, he had flashy techniques too, but those were mod-based skills. In reality, the only thing he had at the moment was plain, no-nonsense swordplay. Luckily, the "brute force" approach worked just fine¡ªeverywhere. And Steven wasn¡¯t just "a little strong". As a Minecrafter, even he wasn¡¯t entirely sure how much strength he actually had. People die when they are killed, and so do monsters. In mere moments, the once-ferocious horde that had attempted to surround and slaughter Steven lay scattered across the beach, their bodies lifeless. Except for the first, particularly strong one that had been sent flying, every single one of them had been cleaved in half from various angles by Steven¡¯s sword. [Ding! You have slain a plot monster. World Acknowledgement Point +10, +10, +10¡ª] A string of notifications flashed at the bottom-right of his vision. Steven blinked in surprise¡ªthen his grin widened. So... even fighting could increase this point system? That meant he was finally starting to understand how to farm points. Basically, all he had to do was stir up chaos, right? And judging by the notification, every target seemed to be classified as either a plot character or a plot monster. Rubbing his chin in thought, he strolled over to the strongest Seaborn, who was currently struggling to pull itself out of the sand, its body half-buried from Steven¡¯s earlier attack. Without hesitation, Steven stomped down, crushing the creature¡¯s forelimb beneath his foot. Only then did he squat down beside it. "Mind answering a few questions for me?" Steven might just be the first person in the world to try interrogating a Seaborn. But what choice did he have? This was the only one left that could still talk¡ªthe other one had been smacked into brain damage by him. "You... monster... must warn... my kin..." Even with its limb shattered, the creature didn¡¯t seem to feel any pain. Its single, lifeless fish-like eye remained locked onto Steven, tinged with caution. "Wow, getting called a ''monster'' by something like you? I''m honestly honored." Steven scoffed. "What, just ''cause I¡¯m a little strong, you think it¡¯s polite to call me that?" As he spoke, he casually swung his sword, severing the limb the creature had been hiding beneath the sand, trying to launch a sneak attack. Smart? Not really. But cheap tricks? Yeah, this thing had plenty. "You... cannot... stop... evolution... I will... return..." Perhaps sensing its imminent demise, the Seaborn shifted its gaze¡ªaway from Steven, and onto the girl hiding behind him. "Kin... we will... reunite... in the depths of the sea..." The words, spoken in a trembling stammer, were cut short. A black, trident-like spear suddenly pierced through its skull, splattering foul-smelling blood in all directions. Steven¡¯s eyelid twitched. He turned his head¡ªonly to see the girl behind him gripping a strange weapon that he had no idea where she got from. The once frail, timid girl who had been hiding behind him this whole time now radiated a sharp, commanding aura¡ªthe same one she had when he first met her. But the change was fleeting. The moment she delivered the finishing blow, her eyes became vacant again, her expression slipping back into confusion. "Wait a damn second¡ªdid you seriously just kill-steal me and then go back to being dumb?!" Realizing what had just happened, Steven immediately stood up and pinched her soft, bouncy cheeks in frustration. If it weren¡¯t for the status indicator hovering above her head confirming that she was still "amnesiac", Steven would¡¯ve bet money that she was just pretending. Honestly, if he didn¡¯t at least squeeze her cheeks a bit, he¡¯d feel like he wasted ten WAP (World Acknowledgement Point) on that damn kill-steal. But before he could start, the girl¡ªGladiia¡ªsuddenly collapsed against his chest, as if drained of all her strength. The girl''s warm, soft, and fragrant body lay nestled in his arms. Steven had intended to pinch her harder as punishment¡ªbut in the end, he let it slide. Chapter 5: Doomed to Die
Iberia, outside the Sea Breeze Village. A dilapidated fishing village, rarely visited by merchants due to the ban on seafaring, found itself hosting two foreign visitors today. More precisely¡ªtwo ?gir. Perhaps it had been too long since the villagers had seen outsiders, but the arrival of these two brought a breath of fresh air to the otherwise decayed and ruined settlement. Before long, a small crowd of over a dozen villagers had gathered to spectate. The visitors, of course, were none other than Steven, carrying Gladiia, who had spent half the day searching for signs of civilization along the shoreline. "Uh... Can you all stop staring? Is there a place where we can rest? My friend is injured." Steven felt uncomfortable under the curious yet slightly fearful gazes of the villagers and decided to break the eerie silence. Honestly, compared to himself, these villagers¡ªwith their strange animal ears and tails¡ªwere the real oddities here. Cat ears? Dog ears?¡ªSure, those were cute when attached to a pretty girl. But seeing an elderly man, halfway into his grave, still sporting animal features? Steven had no idea how to react. What kind of furry-loving admin created this world? "Outsiders are not welcome here." A hoarse, elderly voice emerged from the crowd. Supported by a few younger, sturdier villagers, a frail-looking old man stepped forward, immediately rejecting Steven. Judging by the respectful yet fearful glances from the other villagers, it was clear that this old man held high status in the village. However, the bird-feather-like headdress atop his head nearly made Steven burst out laughing. What was this? Some kind of Native American tribe? "Not even if I pay? I just need a place to rest¡ªnothing more." Steven didn¡¯t mind spending the night in the wilderness, but with Gladiia unconscious, he preferred to stay in the village if possible. After defeating the Seaborn Elite, Gladiia had fallen into a deep coma. With no medical supplies on him, Steven could only hope to buy some provisions in the village. As for money... He reached into his pocket¡ªor at least pretended to¡ªwhile actually opening his inventory and retrieving a gold ingot, then breaking it down into gold nuggets. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Then, Steven pulled out one gold nugget, roughly the size of a pigeon egg, radiating a brilliant golden glow. Even if this was another world, gold should still hold some value, right? Steven wasn¡¯t entirely sure which game or fantasy setting this world was based on, but he trusted that no one would refuse gold. And sure enough¡ª The old man¡¯s eyes flashed with greed the moment he saw the gold nugget. Steven recognized that look. It was the same expression Minecraft villagers gave him when he waved emeralds in front of them. "Guest, this isn¡¯t about money¡ª" "Three pieces." "Karl! Clear out the village chief¡¯s room! Prepare it for our most esteemed guest!" Grabbing the pigeon-egg-sized gold nugget from Steven¡¯s hand, the old man felt its heavy weight, confirming that it was indeed the precious metal loved by nobles. His withered, bark-like face stretched into a sycophantic smile. With just three pieces of this gold, they could trade for enough grain to sustain the entire village for months. For Sea Breeze Village, struggling without a stable source of income, this was nothing short of a lifesaving fortune. As for the fact that both of these outsiders belonged to the troublesome ?gir race, well¡ªcompared to the gold in hand, that was hardly a concern. The tense, standoff-like atmosphere dissolved instantly. Steven had to admit¡ªmoney really could solve most problems. It wasn¡¯t all-powerful, but damn, was it useful. Of course, that was only true as long as you were the one holding the money. Noticing the undisguised greed in the eyes of some villagers scattered among the crowd, Steven casually rested his hand on the Netherite Sword at his waist and chuckled softly. Hopefully, this blade, crafted specifically for dealing with corrupt merchants and troublemakers, wouldn¡¯t have to see any use. Under the elder¡¯s guidance, Steven carried the still-unconscious Gladiia through the village. The village was in a state of severe disrepair. Most of the villagers were emaciated, standing weakly in their doorways, gazing lifelessly at the sky. To Steven, this didn¡¯t feel like a village. It felt like a slum suffering from famine. Even the poorest villages he¡¯d seen before had never been this bad. Here, every single person seemed to be shrouded in a sense of impending death. Not in some magical, necromantic way. But in a way that happens when people lose all hope, when they no longer have any reason to keep living. "Elder?" "You may call me Chief Pande." Hearing Steven call out, the old man, who had been leading the way with his cane, turned back with a polite smile. "Do you require any assistance? I will ask the villagers to help however they can." "Not really. I was just wondering¡­ It¡¯s the middle of the day. Doesn¡¯t anyone here have work to do?" Steven wasn¡¯t trying to sound like a capitalist overlord. But from the moment he entered, he had only seen a village full of idle, lifeless people. They didn¡¯t even seem human anymore. More like a gathering of corpses just waiting for death to claim them. No matter how poor a village was, it shouldn¡¯t be this bad. Steven was growing more and more curious about what kind of world he had traveled into. The ocean was filled with grotesque monsters. The villagers were as good as dead inside. From the very start, this world felt doomed. Did he end up in Bloodborne? "Work?" The elder paused for a moment before letting out a bitter chuckle. "Guest, you are not from Iberia, are you? Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t ask such a naive question." To work, they would first need a reason to work. But after that disaster, Sea Breeze Village could no longer harvest anything from the sea. So, what was there left to do? Over the years, some had tried to change things, but in the end¡­ All they could do was watch their village wither away, bit by bit. The fact that Sea Breeze Village still even existed today had already come at a heavy cost. "In any case, this will be your lodging for now." The elder led Steven to a relatively clean guesthouse. Without explaining any further, he simply gave a solemn warning: "If you need anything, call for me. But I strongly advise you¡ªavoid walking around the village too much. And do not¡­ try to learn too much." Leaving those cryptic words, the elder turned and walked away. Chapter 6: The Answer Was There from the Start
After placing the still-unconscious Gladiia onto the bed, Steven closed the door and sat down at the bedside, pressing a hand to his forehead. She was sleeping peacefully, but he wasn¡¯t nearly as relaxed. The top priority right now was figuring out exactly what game or anime this world was from. Only then would he have a clear idea of what he was dealing with. There must be other methods of obtaining the so-called "World Acknowledgement Points" besides fighting monsters and touching girls. He had already tested things out on the way to this village. Most of the mod unlocks required hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of points. Even the most basic everyday utility mods were way beyond his current budget. At first, he¡¯d been pretty pleased with himself for racking up nearly 200 points after dealing with that monster at the shore. But looking at the numbers now¡­ Yeah, no way in hell was he going to grind out enough points for a decent mod just by killing things. And if he was only earning one point per headpat¡­ Even if he found a bunch of girls to farm, he¡¯d go bald before he got anywhere. Steven glanced up at the ceiling and silently cursed whatever will of the world was running this place. If this world had some kind of god, they were definitely a cowardly bastard. He needed to find a way to farm points. Sure, even without mods, he had the combat experience from years spent surviving in Minecraft, not to mention his absurdly strong physical abilities. There weren¡¯t many people who could take a full-force punch from him and still be standing. But who would say no to more cheats? Besides, there was another major issue that made him worry. He had noticed that his points were slowly depleting over time. It wasn¡¯t a huge amount¡ªjust one point per hour¡ªbut the fact that it was constantly draining meant that even if he wanted to just slack off and go full vanilla mode, this world wouldn¡¯t let him. "So you''re forcing me to stir up trouble, huh?" Steven sighed, frowning slightly. His points were still enough for now, but¡­ Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. What if they hit zero? Would he get kicked out of this world? "Seriously, where is this place? Terra¡­ Iberia¡­ Why does it sound so familiar, but I just can¡¯t remember?" Steven rubbed his temples, frustrated. If only he had a mod that worked like Baidu, he could just look it up. Then, suddenly¡ª His eyes lit up as a thought struck him. He didn¡¯t have a search engine mod¡­ But the clue had been right there from the start. Pulling up his system interface, he opened the Achievements tab. Ignoring the original vanilla achievements, which he had completed years ago, he quickly found a newly added page. [Arknights World Achievement List]
  • [Entering Terra] Achievement Completed ¡Ì World Acknowledgement Points +10,000.
  • [Participating in the Plot: Evil Time] Locked. (Basic Completion Reward: 100,000 World Acknowledgement Points)
  • [Participating in the Plot: Separated Hearts] Locked. (Basic Completion Reward: 100,000 World Acknowledgement Points)
  • [Participating in the Plot: Stinging Shock] Locked. (Basic Completion Reward: 200,000 World Acknowledgement Points)
  • ¡ª
Ignoring the long, densely packed tree of locked achievements, Steven simply stared at the one familiar word in the title: Arknights He was stunned. The answer had been right here all along, and yet he had wasted so much brainpower trying to figure it out. Arknights. Steven had heard of it before. But back then, the game¡¯s notoriously cryptic main storyline had scared him off, so he had never jumped into that pitfall. Besides, he mainly played PC and console games, not mobile ones. And after getting isekai¡¯d into Minecraft, mobile games had become completely out of the question. If he could have played gacha games in Minecraft, he wouldn¡¯t have been so desperate to escape! "Alright, now that I know what kind of world this is¡­ grinding points just got way easier." Steven stroked his chin, scanning through the list of edgy achievement names. Even though he had never played the game, Arknights was too well-known for him to be completely clueless. He knew that all of these dramatic titles came from the game¡¯s main story, meaning they were tied to the protagonist¡¯s adventures. And since none of them were unlocked yet, that meant the main story hadn¡¯t started. This was still prequel territory. Steven didn¡¯t know much about the plot, but he didn¡¯t care about that. What mattered were the WAP (World Acknowledgement Point) attached to these achievements. "No wonder killing monsters gives so few points¡­ the real jackpot is right here." Thinking about it, this actually made a lot of sense. If this world was structured like a game, then the fastest way to gain the world¡¯s acknowledgement would obviously be participating in the main storyline. Which meant¡­ "She must be a major NPC or a gacha-able waifu." Steven glanced down at the girl who had, at some point, grabbed his hand and was using it as a pillow, sleeping peacefully with a smile on her face. When he had patted her head, the system prompt had mentioned ¡°interacting with a plot character¡±. That meant she was either a key figure in the plot or one of the game¡¯s summonable units. And Steven knew for a fact that Arknights was a gacha game. It had a good reputation compared to other cash-grab mobile games, but that didn¡¯t mean it was completely free of monetization traps. That was one of the reasons he had never played it. After all, he was broke. Furthermore, he was one of those ultra-unlucky players who always hit the 100-pull pity rate instead of getting lucky early. This was too painful to think about, so Steven pushed the traumatic memories aside. What mattered now was his next move. The system had already laid out all the ways to farm massive points. All he had to do was find a way to insert himself into the story. The achievement requirements were only to ¡°participate¡±. And Steven was more than happy to just sit back and watch the drama unfold. "So the next step is to find that ¡®Rhodes¡¯ something-or-other before the main story kicks off." After all, if he remembered correctly, that was the name of the protagonist¡¯s organization.