Buzz——!!!

As Gu Sheng stepped out from one of the motion-sensing pods closest to the inner area of the experience zone and walked onto the stage, the crowd of players erupted instantly!

“Saaaaaaaaam——!!!”

“Whoa! Whoa! Hubby Sam is here!”

“Old Thief is awesome!!!”

“Rising to godhood! Rising to godhood!”

“Woohoo——”

Clap clap—

A tidal wave of applause rolled in, and some of the most enthusiastic players even tried to rush onto the stage.

Besides the excited players, the media reporters on-site also raised their microphones high, leaning forward eagerly as they saw Gu Sheng himself present in person!

“Hello, President Gu, what are your sales expectations for Sekiro?”

“Director Gu, I’m a reporter from ‘Motion Pod Practical Guide.’ Can you reveal if choosing this exhibition area was meant to directly compete with Komera?”

“Mr. Gu, there are rumors about internal discord within Golden Wind. What’s your take?”

“President Gu, your company is actively recruiting former Komera staff. Are you considering expanding in Neon?”

“Mr. Gu, what extra surprises have you prepared for us in this Sekiro game?”

“If you were to rate it, what score would you give Sekiro…”

“Mr. Gu…”

The crowd surged!

It was obvious that both players and reporters were insanely hyped, all competing to get closer!

Fortunately,

Gu Sheng was foresighted enough to station six security guards in front of his booth.

At this moment, the burly young men stood behind the security line, calming the crowd trying to rush forward and maintaining order.

Seeing this,

Gu Sheng smiled wryly in his heart.

The fans were way too passionate.

He wasn’t sure if they wanted to get close to him, or ‘get close’ to him.

He was fully aware of the mess he had created.

“Alright, alright, everyone, players, media friends, please stay calm,”

On stage, Gu Sheng waved his hand, signaling the audience not to crowd or trample:

“I’m very happy to meet everyone here in Neon, and even more glad to see so many friends who love Golden Wind and Golden Wind games at our first participation in one of the international top four game expos…”

Just as he said this,

A loud voice of a young woman rose from the crowd: “No! I love you! President Gu!”

The crowd instantly buzzed with cheers.

Gu Sheng remained calm: “Then thank you, brother. Security, please hold her down. No pre-order today, no leaving.”

Hahahahaha…

The audience burst into laughter.

After the brief atmosphere warm-up, Gu Sheng timely got to the point.

Yes, the reason he came to the scene was to meet players and media as the chief designer of the game and a rising star.

First was for hype.

As we know, at the international top four expos, chief designers and top executives usually stay out of sight.

Because these open game expos don’t allow players to stand in front of a fixed booth and listen to endless chatter.

Also, in the gaming circle, ‘celebrity-style’ designers like Gu Sheng, who frequently show their faces, are very rare.

Often, you might be very prestigious inside the industry, renowned in a region.

But thrown in front of players, they wouldn’t recognize you at all.

Gu Sheng was different.

Whether it was his speech at the Mini Game Festival, the later ‘MFGA,’ the award acceptance at the Asian Games, or the impressive presentation at GDC,

His face was literally Golden Wind’s brand image.

At the same time, his humorous and relaxed speaking style was well loved by players and media alike.

So,

This time, Gu Sheng relied on his traits, coming out to show his face, doing what other companies wouldn’t, to boost Sekiro’s influence.

Of course, that was just one reason.

Secondly, considering Sekiro’s uniqueness, he wanted to personally do a demonstration and explanation.

After all, this world had no evil souls, no dark souls, and no Bloodborne or old man rings.

“Soul-type games” simply never existed here.

Players rarely even experienced motion-sensing pod action games, let alone something like Sekiro.

So some things had to be personally explained by him.

Like ‘fragile health,’ ‘high difficulty combat,’ ‘non-linear narrative flow.’

Even soul-like settings such as the ‘healing gourd’ and ‘gourd seeds’—assumedly obvious to any soul game veteran—had to be carefully detailed here.

What Gu Sheng didn’t expect!

These settings, which seemed ordinary and mundane to him,

Were stunningly impressive to the players in this world!

When he said, “As you can see, the posture bar in Sekiro is very important. We no longer focus solely on health but emphasize the rewards from bold parries and counters…”

The audience exploded—

‘This mechanic is seriously amazing. Just now, I thought I’d never beat the Corrupted Monk’s durability, but then the shinobi death blow finished him.’

‘Yeah, the death blow animation is so damn cool, a completely new experience.’

‘Actually, this means the boss is indirectly buffed, and the player is nerfed, since players have to watch both their posture and health bars.’

‘One fills super fast, the other drops like crazy. So freaking intense.’

‘…’

When he said, “Unlike all other action games, in Sekiro, our protagonist is neither flashy like a PC action game nor stiff and monotonous like a motion-sensing action game…”

The crowd again roared—

‘This design is genius, ensuring flexibility in the motion pod gameplay while maintaining difficulty.’

‘Redefining motion pod ARPG (action role-playing game).’

‘MAGA!’

‘Seriously, their motion assist system upgrade is incredible, more moves, more complex, and more precise than sports games!’

‘Never played APEX, bro? They previously used this tech for top-tier loot animations.’

‘I always said the heirloom moves felt silky smooth because they were prepping for this game.’

‘Old Thief had it planned all along…’

‘…’

Even when he explained, “Healing gourds can be upgraded through seeds, health can be increased via ‘Buddhist beads,’ attack power via ‘combat memories,’ and beyond that, no other attributes can be upgraded…”

The audience applauded and discussed fervently—

‘Simplify where it should be simple, complicate where it needs complexity—that’s true refinement!’

‘Now we can focus on skill instead of endlessly grinding attributes.’

‘Such a hardcore game.’

‘I mean, this thing’s better than Torii’s doodle game, right?’

‘I don’t know about others, but for boss fights, one’s in the sky and the other’s underground…’

‘Please don’t insult—Torii’s boss fight isn’t even worthy to carry Sekiro’s shoes…’

‘…’

It was obvious!

Whether the thrilling Corrupted Monk battle just now,

Or the live demo and explanation now,

Sekiro fully conquered both players and media on all fronts!

Gu Sheng even felt like a cult leader brainwashing family members below.

Whatever he said, the crowd went “Yes, yes, good, awesome, really awesome!”

Especially Pew!

He wasn’t thinking about checking out Torii or experiencing ghost hunting anymore.

He just wanted to listen to Old Thief Sam’s explanation and immediately try the motion pod himself!

After all!

That thrilling Corrupted Monk battle was blood-pumping!

“…That concludes our full demonstration and explanation of this game. I hope everyone enjoys it.”

Finally!

Under a sea of eager gazes!

Amid waves of applause and cheers!

Gu Sheng finished his initial explanation of Sekiro.

To some extent, he revealed and instilled a bit of the ‘soul game’ concept into the players.

But to truly grasp the charm of soul-type games, nothing beats hands-on experience.

Because it’s not a text-based game like To the Moon, nor a cinematic visual game like Escape from Hell.

If you don’t die to a boss ten or eight times, it’s hard to feel the excitement and satisfaction of clearing a stage.

So!

Gu Sheng’s brief introduction ended here.

The motion pod experience zone opened, and he himself went to the side curtain to accept interviews from the enthusiastic media…

…

“Guess how many times Pew will die in the demo?”

“I heard the demo’s gameplay only lasts 28 minutes.”

“Wooo—bro, Sam’s 28 minutes isn’t the same as Pew’s. I don’t think Pew will be as smooth as Sam beating Corrupted Monk phase two.”

“After all, he’s the designer.”

“But honestly, Sam was so cool in phase two of the Corrupted Monk!”

“Looks like the clumsy guy showdown is coming.”

“This isn’t just clumsy; motion pod games probably make him totally useless…”

“lol~”

“Hahahahaha……”

“……”

Nice!

As a special invited streamer for the mouse platform, Pew’s privileges were as good as ever.

He didn’t have to queue.

Because booths of mid-sized companies like Golden Wind and above had ‘media experience zones’ specifically for streamers and media reviewers.

They had no time limit and could even play the full demo provided by the company.

Of course, these ‘media representatives’ had backstage certification badges. Not just anyone who said “I’m a streamer” could freeload a spot.

Seeing the teasing and mocking in the chat barrage, Pew feigned anger!

“Hey! Don’t you trust me?”

“I’m a player with twenty years of gaming experience, okay!”

“It’s just a 28-minute game demo. Trust me, I can easily clear it in at most half an hour…”

It was just about timing!

If an attack comes, block it. Catch the chance to parry, break the enemy’s posture bar, then deliver the death blow!

Pew was quite confident.

After all, according to Gu Sheng, the demo did not include bosses at the Corrupted Monk’s level.

Players would start their journey from the ghost Buddha in Ashina Town, ending near the city outskirts.

No bosses, only two elite monsters, much easier than the Corrupted Monk.

And this!

Was exactly why Pew felt confident!

If I can’t beat the Corrupted Monk, how could I lose to some small fry elite monsters?

What a joke!

Boom—

With the sound of the ghost Buddha being ignited,

Pew opened his eyes and found himself sitting atop a cliff!

Opposite him was the six-armed ghost Buddha just seen on the big screen.

“Save point,”

Pew interacted with the ghost Buddha and immediately understood:

“Through the ghost Buddha, we can restore status, save game progress, and even teleport… hmm.”

After a bit of exploration, Pew nodded and stood up in front of the ghost Buddha.

Looking far into the distance!

He saw the iconic Neon Sengoku-style buildings scattered around, pavilions towering, and the cliff sides sturdy.

Pew followed the only path on the left.

Whoosh! Swish!

He swung his grappling hook several times!

Pew successfully arrived atop a cliff edge!

“Woohoo!”

Pew shouted with delight:

“This grappling hook feels so smooth! Man! I feel like a Sengoku-era Spider-Man!”

However!

Before his voice even fell!

Suddenly!

A rustle came from the nearby reed bushes!

He just turned his head back!

Clatter! Swish!

Pfft!!!

The sentry soldier’s angry roar and the sound of a katana slashing across a face rang out simultaneously!

“Who! Are you?!”

“Wo! De! Fa!”

Pew screamed!

He collided head-on with the soldier’s blade!

Because he had just arrived at the cliff edge, he was very close to it.

The soldier had been crouching in the reeds and hadn’t noticed him at all.

Now, suddenly charging out, Pew was caught off guard and staggered from the slash!

Swish!

His foot slipped, and a scream rang out!

Pew, nearly losing a third of his health from the strike, fell off the cliff!

Worse yet!

He fell toward the cliff edge right beside him!

“Wuuuuuuu—Oh my god, oh my god—Thank you so much—”

Pew struggled to get up from the ground, pebbles rolling at his feet and clattering down the cliff, fading without echo.

He almost fell and died from the fall!

He blamed that damn little soldier!

For a moment, fury surged from his heart, anger born on his courage.

Whoosh!

His grappling hook caught a branch on the cliff edge, attempting to climb back up and deal with that annoying soldier!

Shhh!

As the rope retracted!

Pew leapt toward the cliff edge!

However.

Just as he was about to jump back up,

In a split second of lightning-fast reflex!

“Here! Someone’s here!”

A scream and roar rang from above again.

Just as Pew popped his head out from the cliff edge,

A katana came crashing down vertically!

Buzz—Pfft!!!

No energy wasted.

Like whacking a mole, it slammed solidly into Pew’s face!

“Aaaaaa——!!!”

A scream!

From near to far, finally falling into the valley abyss.

[Death]

A big red “Death” appeared before Pew.

Old Thief’s malice.

From ambush to sneak attack, to whack-a-mole style.

Pew knew perfectly well.

All of this was designed by Gu Sheng.

Don’t ask how he was so sure.

Because at this moment, he felt the same thrill as when he played Cat Mario back then.

A brief silence hung in the motion pod for two seconds.

“Fvvvvvvvvvk! Fuck you, Saaaaam! Don’t eat the sour radish!”

“Fuck! You!”

“Fu—ck—!!!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com