Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon
Chapter 416 - 414 Global Playtest

Chapter 416: Chapter 414 Global Playtest

June 1, 2024, GamingJoy venue in Jiang City.

Every year on opening day, the place would be bustling with activity as major gaming companies took turns setting up their stages to promote their latest and greatest releases. One could generally gauge which title gamers were most excited about based on the size of the crowd gathered around. However, this year was somewhat special; many of the big companies’ booths were relatively deserted, with throngs of people crowding around an obscure company’s spot, blocking the aisles completely.

"Excuse me, let me through, please!" Lu Ming pushed his way through the dense crowd and finally squeezed up to the edge of the stage, raising his trial pass to the official staff, "I’m here for the trial play!"

These words immediately drew countless envious glances.

"Damn, he actually has a trial pass!"

"How come I never get chosen?"

"It’s not about luck; the lottery is just a monkey show! Those big content creators scooped up all the passes long ago."

Feeling the crowd’s gaze filled with envy and resentment, Lu Ming couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride swell within him. Although he had many online fans, few recognized him in real life. Receiving such envy for a trial pass was a much more tangible experience than the flattery from fans online.

"Did you bring your ID? Please let us verify your identity," the receptionist said with a beaming smile.

"I’ve got it," he handed over his ID card, "Wanting to play your game is no easy feat. I’ve been to many trial play events, but none like yours."

Most game trial play events would open their booths to GJ attendees, which meant that as long as you were willing to show up and queue, you could generally get a first go at the game you were eager to experience. The officials didn’t care who you were, much less ask for ID verification.

"Sorry, it’s a requirement from the higher-ups." After confirming his identity, she gestured towards the stage, "Mr. Lu, please come up to the stage."

Lu Ming climbed the three-step staircase to the stage and for a moment, he became the center of the world. Although the crowd below numbered just four or five thousand—a fraction of his online follower count—in person, they were an overwhelming sea of faces that made his heart pound vigorously.

There were nineteen other people on the stage, and it was clear they too had secured a spot for the trial play.

Unlike other booths, however, the stage was spotless and empty, bereft of game consoles and computers, featuring only ten chairs.

"Looks like this is the real deal," Lu Ming murmured to himself.

Indeed, he was going to try out a brand new VR game called "Misty Phantom," developed by Paradise, a company he had never heard of before. Despite that, the previews they had released were shocking, with top-notch graphics, a lifelike physics engine, and incredible tactile feedback that one would equate with movie special effects.

What’s more, the game’s development pace was frightening. For most games, the highlights were usually crammed into a 30-second promotional video, and one could either end up waiting seven or eight years without a trace or be left hanging until a disappointing release followed a tantalizing buildup. Misty Phantom was different. It first caught the attention of players four months ago, with its debut trailer causing a stir. Just as people began to speculate about its worth, it released several movie-quality gameplay trailers in quick succession, and a month ago, it opened for an invite-only beta test.

The players fortunate enough to participate in the beta were overwhelmingly enthusiastic, bordering on frenetic.

This further amplified everyone’s anticipation for the game.

Then came this June’s global trial play event.

According to Paradise’s official statement, they were set to hold trial plays in sixteen cities across four countries worldwide, offering a total of three hundred and twenty spots. Players could secure their early experience by entering a sharing lottery. Clearly, this marketing strategy was highly effective, but Lu Ming also knew the comment from the bystander wasn’t entirely without merit, since he was an invitee himself, and he guessed that those other nineteen people on the stage were likely his peers in the industry.

The only trouble bothering him was that, no matter how splendid the VR game might be, he wouldn’t be able to record videos to share with his fans.

It seemed he would have to rely on his own eyes to remember as much as possible, and then pair his recollections with the official promo videos to produce a review.

"Dear guests, please take a seat on the chairs; the game is about to begin," the host reminded everyone.

Lu Ming found an empty spot and half-reclined, and then someone handed him a pair of VR glasses.

The biggest doubt about this game was how a pair of glasses could deliver a completely immersive gaming experience. Ever since beta players had started advertising that it was comparable to reality, online debates about it had mostly revolved around this point—after all, neuroscience hadn’t advanced to the point of directly altering brainwaves, so the idea of relying solely on eyesight to depict reality was quite mystical.

But this was, after all, the most anticipated game globally, and whether it was praised or criticized, it garnered immense traffic. All he had to do was to quickly send out firsthand information; the actual quality of the game itself wasn’t his focus.

Even as Lu Ming put on the VR glasses, he already had a rebuttal in mind for the beta testers’ crazy claims—VR is just VR, how could it possibly be exactly like reality? It was just the officials’ exaggerated propaganda.

"Game start."

With a light chant beside his ear, Lu Ming saw a white light appear before his eyes.

Uh... white light plus start-up, he had already figured out how to edit the opening.

But what followed was a strong bout of dizziness, with feelings of weightlessness and spinning coming one after another, almost making him throw up!

What the hell is this? A psychic attack?

Lu Ming raised his hand to remove the VR glasses, only to find there was nothing on his face. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked to find that the conference hall had disappeared, replaced by a dim and rainy land. The pouring rain around him swiftly pulled him from reality into the game world.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! That was the only word left in his mind.

What level of technology is this!?

Lu Ming could not only see his own limbs, but he could also smell the earthy scent in the air—the distinct smell released when heavy rain strikes the ground, perfectly matching the rainy scenery around him.

By then, people beside him had also started to wake up, with expressions just as stunned.

Only then did Lu Ming notice that he was lying askew in a metal trough, one among hundreds. They were arranged in a row, each containing a living person.

"Get the hell up, what are you dawdling for!" an irate shout came from in front of him, "Wake up and grab a gun quickly, or I’ll take you out first!"

From the attitude of the person shouting, it was a good bet he was their "superior".

Although he had never heard the language before, he was surprised that he could understand its meaning.

Lu Ming immediately got into the swing of things—I’ll be damned, this is the newbie tutorial level! He jumped out of the trough and went to the gun rack by the edge of the canopy, picking up a firearm. The moment he grasped the weapon, the hefty feel of it made him shiver! Not only was the tactile sensation spot-on, but even the weight of the weapon was accurately simulated. Could a pair of VR glasses really do this?

Then, a row of text appeared in front of Lu Ming: Weapon 1/1, find and equip the following: Magazines 0/5, Grenades: 0/2, Fog light: 0/1, Game countdown: 1 hour.

This line of hints pulled him back to reality.

Damn, does the designer even understand? With such realistic artistic design and modeling, you give me this kind of out-of-character web game prompt? Couldn’t they create a complete guide with some lively performance?

Despite his griping, Lu Ming was busy because he saw more and more people crowding around the gun rack. To avoid a situation where there were more monks than porridge, he quickly followed the text prompts and found the respective equipment in the adjacent weapon box. Lu Ming even sneakily grabbed two extra grenades to see if it would trigger a BUG. The system number simply changed to 4/2, with no other reaction.

So the guiding mission is just a lure!

The designer has some chops, that’s immediate immersion for you!