CHAPTER 94: SEKIRO LAUNCH

At dinner time, with a ordinary family, a mother was cooking, a father watched TV, and their son sat in the bedroom doing homework.

Soon the smell of food drifted from the kitchen, and the mother’s voice rang out, "Dinner’s ready!"

Father and son immediately came out, obediently helping set the table with plates and forks.

"Oh? Why are you two so diligent today?" The mother couldn’t help but tease, amused by the rare sight.

The father and son didn’t answer. Instead, the father kept sneaking glances at his son, while the boy responded with exaggerated winks. The two exchanged looks like they were sending Morse code across the table, clearly plotting something.

In the end, it was the son who caved. While eating, he put down his chopsticks and said carefully, "Mom... I want to learn martial arts."

"Martial arts?" His mother frowned. "Didn’t you just learn swimming on the VR machine last month? Why are you suddenly talking about martial arts?"

The boy quickly defended himself. "Haven’t you heard the saying, men change their minds fast? And besides, I really did learn swimming last time! I even placed second in the school competition."

At that point, his face twisted with a little resentment. The kid who came first was a specially trained swimmer... and most importantly, he also played Subnautica! Without that, there’s no way he would’ve lost.

"That’s true." His mother nodded. She had to admit, the VR swimming software they bought for $499 was effective. Not only did her son learn quickly, even her husband picked it up.

"Ahem." The father cleared his throat. "Hobbies can’t be stifled. Let him try martial arts. At the very least, it’ll strengthen his body."

"I never said it was bad," his mother replied. "But learning martial arts is expensive. You’d have to enroll in a real martial arts school, and it would interfere with his studies."

"No, no, no, no need for that!" The son quickly waved his hands. "I can learn it through VR too!"

"Martial arts through VR?" His mother raised a brow. "And how much would that cost?"

"Still $4-"

"This time it’s $520!" The father cut in before his son could answer. "After all, martial arts is more complicated than swimming. Of course it’s a little more expensive. Understandable, right?"

The boy turned to stare at his father, baffled. His mother also narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "And how do you know that so clearly?"

"Because my son already told me he wanted this." The father answered smoothly, not even blinking. "I did some research beforehand. It’s the same company that made the swimming software. They’re very professional. With this, our boy will definitely pick it up fast! And the best part is, it’s at home, convenient, and not overpriced."

His mother thought it over for a moment, then finally nodded. "Fine. It’s not too expensive. You can buy it and try it."

Both father and son grinned at the same time.

Later, while their mother was washing dishes, the two slipped away to whisper in secret.

The son scowled. "Dad! Why didn’t you stick to the plan? Why did you suddenly raise the price? What if Mom refused?"

His father coughed and said shamelessly, "I need a little pocket money for cigarettes. Don’t I deserve a commission for convincing your mother?"

The boy’s eyes narrowed. "Heh. Last time you hogged Subnautica. Now I finally want to buy Sekiro, and you’re trying to profit off me again? Dad, doesn’t your conscience hurt?"

The father looked embarrassed but didn’t argue. He knew he’d been caught red-handed.

"Tsk. Dad, you’re hopeless. When I grow up, I swear I’ll never be a husband like you. No way I’m letting my wife keep me on a leash." The boy gave him a withering look.

"..."

Although he wanted to scold his son on the spot, he couldn’t find a single word to refute him!

Time passed quickly. As the clock ticked toward eight in the evening, players around the world grew restless. They donned their VR helmets one after another, logging into the New World platform. There, they idled, chatting and admiring the elegant virtual hostess Tifa while waiting for the moment Sekiro would go live.

And it wasn’t just players. In a certain bank, the president himself was leading employees as if preparing for battle. His expression was tense yet full of anticipation. He knew very well, tonight was the big night.

The release of Sekiro could make or break their quarterly performance. If the bank’s servers failed during payment processing, and the wrong person got annoyed and switch to a rival bank.

The second hand on the clock crept closer and closer. Finally, it struck eight.

At that moment, players who had been waiting were greeted by Tifa’s voice, "Dear players, Sekiro is now available. Would you like to purchase it?"

"Buy, buy, buy! Of course!"

"Finally! I’ve been waiting forever!"

"Hurry, hurry, download it already!"

The New World platform instantly erupted with activity. Unlike the overloaded servers on Steam, this system ran smoothly. Payments processed in seconds, downloads completed without a hitch, and within moments players were launching the game.

After the opening cutscene, they awoke inside a dimly lit well, stepping into the role of the Wolf.

The very first impression was unforgettable, the body felt light, strong, brimming with power. A simple leap carried them over two meters. A punch sliced the air with a sharp whistle.

"Holy, this feels incredible!"

"Damn! How does the dev make it feel this real?"

"Wow, I’m basically Captain America right now!"

Players were stunned. Even though they had seen Natalie play before, experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely. No wonder she couldn’t stop streaming it, who could resist the thrill of becoming this powerful, going from an ordinary person to a superhuman? It was impossible to put down!

Just as everyone was testing their newfound strength, the plot began.

From above, a note fluttered down. At the same time, a voice spoke, "A man lost in despair... For your master’s sake, awaken."

The line was somber, but with the Wolf still happily hopping around the bottom of the well, the contrast was hilarious.

"Despair? Confused? He looks more like a rabbit on caffeine!"

The tutorial followed soon after: double jumps, wall kicks, rock climbing. Everything flowed smoothly, until the climbing section.

Many players froze up the moment they saw the cliff. Those with a fear of heights especially broke out in a sweat. But when they finally gathered the courage to climb, they realized something surprising.

"Wait, what the? The cliff has suction power! You literally can’t fall!"

"This is the dev showing mercy!"

"I thought Natalie was just that good at climbing. Turns out the game helps you!"

"Damn, I even tipped her during that stream thinking she was pro. She scammed me with her acting!"

"Unbelievable, this woman!"

The players who had watched her live broadcast the day before flooded the chat with complaints, realizing they had been completely fooled.

1212 Words.