Zhang Shan doesn’t enter New World because he dreams of becoming famous.
He enters because he needs money.
His savings won’t last forever, finding another office job means returning to the same routine he just escaped, and the new virtual reality game is giving a lot of people ideas about changing their lives. Some players talk about becoming top experts, some plan to form studios, while others are already discussing how much certain resources might be worth after launch.
Zhang Shan pays attention to a different set of numbers.
Repair costs, equipment prices, farming efficiency, drop rates.
Compared to the players chasing rankings from day one, his approach looks almost dull. He spends more time planning than showing off, and once he enters the game his daily routine becomes fairly predictable. Log in, farm monsters, gather materials, upgrade when possible, then do it all again tomorrow.
Most people would lose interest quickly.
Zhang Shan doesn’t.
In fact, he is surprisingly good at repeating the same thing for long periods of time, something his years in the workforce had already taught him. The difference is that this time the effort actually feels worthwhile.
An unusual talent obtained early in the game only reinforces that habit. At first it doesn’t seem particularly impressive, certainly not the kind of thing that would make other players jealous. But as the days pass and the amount of time spent grinding keeps increasing, its value slowly becomes harder to ignore.
While others are constantly changing plans, chasing rumors, or looking for the next big opportunity, Zhang Shan keeps doing what he has been doing from the beginning.
Killing monsters.
Collecting rewards.
Getting a little stronger than he was yesterday.
It sounds simple enough, yet somewhere along the way, the gap between him and everyone else starts becoming much larger than anyone expected.
