Inside the Internet Cafe.
Zhou Yang had just finished complaining to Su Ran about his tragic situation when, to his surprise, several other players also approached him with bitter expressions.
"Boss, how exactly do you play this stardew valley?"
"Yeah, I've been playing for ages and I just can't seem to figure it out!"
"Me too, I just wandered around in the game and found nothing to do!"
"And I even got hungry in the game! I starved to death right at the start, can you believe it?"
Su Ran was even more puzzled when he heard this.
Although he had been busy guiding other players with game issues earlier and hadn't had time to pay attention.
But still, it shouldn't be like this. You could say Zhou Yang accidentally played it wrong, that was an accident, but are all these people like that too?
This is just a farming game, not a Souls-like game. Is it really that hard to understand and get into?
Could this so-called 'power-up version' really have such big changes?
Or is every player's starting experience different?
Su Ran couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Isn't there a beginner's guide at the start? Did none of you even meet Mayor Lewis?"
"We did! But that mayor was so funny, he just gave me a bunch of farming tools and told me to farm. How could I, a dignified warrior, an elite of the academy, do such a humble thing?"
"Exactly, that's too much, it completely doesn't fit our status!"
"And me, I just killed a bunch of 'chicken, cow, and sheep' wild beasts in a place called the Ranch. But that Aunt Marnie not only didn't thank me, she insisted I pay her back, saying she'd call the police if I didn't. I was so annoyed, I just logged off to find you, boss. What should I do now?"
Zhou Yang, who was nearby, excitedly grabbed that player's hand and said, "Good brother, don't be afraid, let's team up and come to prison with me!"
Su Ran: "..."
Su Ran seemed to finally understand a little. It wasn't that they couldn't understand the game, but that they couldn't understand how farming could be a game.
This world was originally an era where everyone practiced martial arts.
And these few players, including Zhou Yang, were mostly teenagers of sixteen or seventeen. Their lives had been smooth sailing, they were young and full of vigor, at the peak of their youthful passion, and they all yearned for exciting and grand adventures.
So when Su Ran roughly explained what a farming game was to them again.
"What? The core gameplay is farming?"
"And animal husbandry? Fishing? Mining?"
"Boss, I just want to ask, who came up with such a 'genius' design? Is it really that boring!"
"This game doesn't seem very good. It's far from monster hunter!"
"I agree, I think we should switch games!"
They all expressed difficulty in understanding and accepting it.
Some of them went back and tried to play for a while longer, but still found it hard to continue, so they decided to give up.
Of course, they didn't log off and leave; they just exited this game and restarted another one.
Zhou Yang, for instance, had basically wasted his Stardew Valley account, so he entered the monster hunter world early. And this time, he adapted extremely quickly and passed the beginner's level with great ease, demonstrating excellent combat talent.
Then he officially began his hunting journey.
"Awesome!"
"This is how a good game should be played!"
It wasn't until Zhou Yang had hunted another monster, and after an exhilarating battle, he felt the knot in his heart significantly loosen, an indescribable sense of relief. When he recalled the unpleasant experience in Stardew Valley just now, he couldn't help but snort, "Trash game, I'd rather not play it!"
"The combat experience with these wild beasts is too real, too exciting!"
"And the Melting Mountain Dragon at the start felt so majestic!"
"This is the game I had in mind, it's fun! What was that Stardew Valley thing just now?"
Immediately after, when the new players who had given up on Stardew Valley encountered monster hunter, they quickly became addicted and immersed, stating directly that the gap between the two games was a bit too large.
And the Internet Cafe wasn't big, so these comments naturally caught the attention of the old players.
Originally, the old players were quite looking forward to the new game, and at first, they all thought about playing it after finishing monster hunter. But now, after learning about the experiences and evaluations of those new players, their interest had significantly dwindled, and they were all glad they hadn't impulsively switched games.
So, on the first day of the new game's launch, it only sold less than ten copies, seemingly already unaccepted by players.
The key was that this limited-time mission required selling a full five hundred copies in just one month.
How could they continue to sell it later?
"Could it be that this game really isn't suitable for the people of this world?"
Su Ran had some doubts.
[The Internet Cafe will be closing soon. Players, please log out of the game voluntarily]
Just then, it was almost ten o'clock at night, and the system prompt appeared.
A chorus of sighs and reluctance immediately filled the Internet Cafe from the players.
But the players, already familiar with the Internet Cafe's rules, still voluntarily logged off their computers and left in twos and threes, chatting and boasting about their game experiences and progress from the day, their faces filled with anticipation for tomorrow's early arrival.
After the players left, Su Ran was about to close the Internet Cafe door when the system prompted him: [Host, please note, there is still a customer in the Internet Cafe who has not left]
"Hmm?"
Su Ran looked surprised, then turned back and carefully scanned the Internet Cafe. He finally found the customer the system mentioned, located near the corner of the wall.
Upon closer inspection, it was a rather beautiful woman, but Su Ran had never seen her before. It seemed she was a new customer.
The Internet Cafe closing prompt usually pops up ten minutes in advance, then again after five minutes, then again after three minutes, and finally, at ten o'clock, the computers are forcibly shut down.
But generally, players wouldn't continue playing after the first prompt appeared. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but they couldn't. This was a virtual reality game, and there was no pause button. Being ejected while fighting a monster meant a very high chance of death.
So Su Ran hadn't expected that there would still be a player at this time, playing for the last ten minutes.
How addicted must one be to continue playing despite continuously ignoring the system prompts?
Su Ran couldn't help but walk over curiously.
He looked at the customer's computer screen, intending to see if she was fighting a monster or organizing equipment, but the next moment, he was stunned.
Because he found that this customer was not playing monster hunter, but stardew valley.