Chapter 66: Demonstration (2)

The event proceeded very smoothly.

There were no delays, and more people gathered than I had anticipated.

Was it because it was a Friday evening right before the weekend?

It was said that the audience filled the venue to its capacity.

They were probably game enthusiasts who came to enjoy today’s event and planned to stay for the events continuing tomorrow.

Anyway, after the capsule engineers and the programmers from Value completed their final checks, the presentation began immediately.

-Kyaaaah!

-Kurrrrrr!

As the intro video for the pre-released began, the audience erupted in cheers.

The intro video didn’t feel particularly novel.

Rather, it strongly evoked nostalgia for .

Zombies were chasing four survivors, who used their respective weapons to fend off the zombies.

When the screen showed the survivors barely reaching a safe zone, special zombies with bizarre abilities, gained through mutations, appeared and ruthlessly shattered the hopeful atmosphere, creating a scene of hell.

The intro video wasn’t much different from the trailer for the first game.

However, it seemed to be enough to satisfy the audience.

“Wow!”

“Show us the gameplay quickly!”

Cheers erupted, and the development team, who had thoroughly enjoyed the attention, stepped onto the stage.

I thought the development team would give a lengthy explanation of the game. Most game presentations explained changes to the interface or the story.

But the development team from Value didn’t seem to think that was necessary.

They waved to us waiting below the stage and said.

“No matter how much we explain a game, it’s hard to really get it without playing. So today, we’ve invited influencers to try out the game on your behalf!” Ṝ�

Influencers.

It’s a term that always sounds dignified and special.

When you think about it, it’s a collective term for SNS stars, popular YouTubers, and streamers.

With the introduction from the development team, we slowly stepped onto the stage.

Then, once again, cheers erupted from the audience.

“Wowwww!”

“Shout out!”

“Kan! Kan!”

“Uriak!”

“Uriak, I walked from Seoul just to see you, you rascal!”

“Whiiiiii!”

It seemed like not only hardcore game enthusiasts but also our fans had gathered.

Shoutout, who was next to me, gave me a thumbs-up when he heard my fans’ voices.

“Wow. Chan-sik, your fans are crazy.”

“Yeah, they’re not just crazy. They’re totally nuts.”

We had decided to speak casually with each other.

Shoutout wasn’t very good at Korean, and he found formal speech difficult.

So, we decided to speak informally.

Even though he was 27, older than me, he also spoke casually with Dong-su, which could mess up the hierarchy.

So, we just spoke comfortably with each other.

Still, he spoke Korean better than I expected.

Anyway, we stepped onto the stage amidst the cheers. Holding the microphone, we each gave a brief greeting.

“There’s no need for long introductions, is there?”

Unlike me, who was nervous because it was my first event like this, Dong-su spoke to the audience with the composure of a major company representative.

In moments like this, I could feel the difference in experience.

Dong-su interacted with the audience with a calm voice, then turned to the developers with a smile.

“Is there any need for long words? Let’s jump straight into the game. I’m itching to get started.”

With Dong-su’s smooth words, Cha Seok-hwan, who had come out to greet us earlier, grabbed the microphone and spoke.

“Kan, you also need to talk about the streaming.”

A natural flow of conversation.

In response to Cha Seok-hwan’s planned question, Dong-su responded smoothly as if he had just remembered.

“Oh, I forgot because I was so eager to start the game. Today, the gameplay of me, Shoutout, and Sha here will be streamed live. If you want to see individual screens, you can enjoy the play video on your smartphone instead of the big screen.”

“Oooooh!”

There were quite a few people here not only to see but also to watch the streamers play.

This was a meticulous consideration by Value.

Such attention to detail could positively impact the company’s image.

After the brief introductions, we immediately entered the pre-set capsules and launched the game.

We had already checked the synchronization rate earlier.

Though it wasn’t as good as my home capsule, it was set to a near-perfect synchronization rate.

I launched the game and moved my body lightly.

There was no lag, and it felt very smooth.

All that was left was to enjoy the game.

[Launching game .]

[No connection record found. Setting user nickname.]

[Please set your nickname.]

Nothing special about the nickname, right?

I immediately set it as , and the game naturally moved to the tutorial.

[Starting tutorial .]

It was nice that the tutorial started without any unnecessary steps.

After a brief flash in front of my eyes, a semi-basement room appeared.

Soon, Dong-su and Shoutout were summoned to the room.

Once all players had entered, the tutorial system activated.

[Acquire a pistol and a melee weapon.]

As expected of a tutorial, it seemed aimed at cultivating basic combat skills.

As soon as that message appeared, I moved to pick up the equipment sparkling before my eyes.

At that moment, Dong-su lightly slapped my back and said.

“Hey, aren’t you going to start the broadcast?”

Right.

I forgot about that.

“Activate streamer dashboard. Start broadcast.”

[Launching ‘Twipod’ broadcast!]

Thank you, Dong-su!

As soon as I started the broadcast, waiting viewers quickly joined and mercilessly poured out their spicy comments at me.

-This guy already lost his touch, lol.

-Held my breath until Sha started the broadcast and died, watching from heaven now.

-Living Dead 2.

-Wow, Uriak has become a major company to be invited to such a godly game demonstration!

-A truly multinational company, recognized.

-Show us quickly!

-Spoiler) The zombies are pitiful.

“Well, people can make mistakes.”

While I was glancing at the chat window, Dong-su, who was checking the tutorial equipment, called out to me.

“Hey, you can use this.”

I turned to check the ‘equipment’ he was pointing to and understood why Cha Seok-hwan mentioned that a weapon had been prepared for me.

I grabbed the ‘thing’ that Dong-su handed me and nodded in satisfaction.

“It has a good grip.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“There are more melee weapon types compared to the previous game. Not bad. Let’s have some fun.”

[Acquired melee weapon ‘Crowbar’.]

After all, there’s no better weapon for smashing heads!

Alright, let’s proceed with the tutorial.

4.

-Ahh, ‘that weapon’.

-Uriak reminds me of his old days, lol.

-Famous quote ‘If you hit them hard enough, they die’.

-You can already see the zombies trembling in fear, lol.

The tutorial began, and the three of us moved forward, armed with our equipment.

As we opened the door of the semi-basement room, zombies with hollowed-out bodies appeared.

They were terrifying just to look at.

Thanks to the detailed depiction by the game developers, the zombies felt very lifelike despite being just ordinary zombies.

[After clearing the zombies with your weapons, proceed to the outpost 100m ahead.]

[Your health is displayed at the bottom left.]

The friendly system message explained the situation, and as it said, a small red gauge was visible at the bottom left of my view.

So, that’s my health.

Groooar!

While I was briefly checking the interface, the zombies around us started charging at us.

The settings for zombies differ in each game.

In some games, zombies crawl like larvae, while in others, they run as fast as track athletes.

In the case of , it was the latter.

The sight of zombies drooling and rushing was enough to terrify beginners.

Their grotesque appearance.

The overwhelming pressure.

This part made it clear why this game was rated 19+.

But.

“Let’s try shooting.”

“Okay.”

“Yes.”

To us, they were just content.

At Dong-su’s words, we used our default pistols to mercilessly smash the zombies’ heads.

As a veteran player of , Dong-su shot calmly, and Shoutout and I didn’t need any words.

About 20 zombies rushing at us were dispatched in the blink of an eye.

-They shoot so well?

-Lol, shooting skills honed by games.

-The tutorial doesn’t seem that difficult.

-Yeah.

-Not much different from . Just added a bit more realism?

-Too early to judge. It’s just the tutorial.

While viewers exchanged reactions, a system message popped up in front of me again.

[ features not only regular zombies but also special zombies!]

[Be wary of the more complex and powerful special zombies compared to ! They will use extraordinary methods to kill you!]

Special zombies.

They are mechanisms to heighten the tension in the game, monsters with very diverse patterns.

According to the pre-release information, there were a total of five types of special zombies.

Hunter, Vomit, Witch, Charger, and Tank.

The story’s setting described them as ‘monsters with bizarre bodies due to the virus’, each with various abilities.

You could tell how terrifying their abilities were by seeing them.

Right after the system message appeared, a high-pitched, thin scream echoed from afar.

As soon as Dong-su heard that sound, he gave a skilled order.

“It’s

a Hunter. Hunters are hard to hit with a gun.”

“Dong-su, it’s not difficult.”

“…Right, my comrades are you guys.”

Just as Dong-su sighed and nodded, a special zombie ‘Hunter’ suddenly appeared behind us, flashing its claws and flying at us.

Its agile movements.

It was similar to a predator snatching its prey, and its speed was incredible.

But the Hunter made one mistake.

It had chosen me as its prey.

I swung the crowbar in my hand mercilessly at the Hunter’s head, which had already reached me.

Crash-.

With a satisfying impact, the Hunter’s head twisted grotesquely.

Dong-su, watching this dumbfounded, scratched his head and spoke.

“No… Usually, that’s something your teammates help you with…”

“Oh, really?”

“…No, just do whatever you want.”

-Look at Kan’s resigned expression.

-How did you kill it, you crazy bastard!

-I just heard a sound once…

-I would have been doomed.

-What’s with that reaction speed?

Viewers reacted in amazement, and Shoutout, nodding beside me, spoke with burning eyes.

“I can do that too, bro. Watch. I’ll show you too!”

“Oh… Alright.”

“Please, share some of your broadcast time with me. I’m an official ambassador too…”

With Shoutout suddenly burning with competitive spirit, our proper demonstration began.