All fear stems from the unknown.
This is a line learned at the training academy, and it's also one of the guidelines for making horror games.
A horror game is the genre that takes the element of the unknown to the extreme, and it's the subject Fang Cheng is challenging.
Having checked out of the academy's dormitory, Fang Cheng called for a ride-share. While constantly reminding the driver to "keep your eyes on the road, not on me," he returned to his newly rented apartment.
The apartment was cheap and far from the city center, basically in the suburbs.
However, Fang Cheng could teleport at will, come and go as he pleased, and only occasionally took a car to experience life, so distance didn't matter.
His apartment was small and sparsely furnished, with just a bed and a computer. Beyond that, there was nothing else.
As an Immortal dedicated to the pursuit of the Taoist Way, Fang Cheng's room was almost devoid of possessions and devoid of any devices for pleasure.
But today, he was ready to indulge.
He picked up some soda, took out some high-calorie fried chicken he had ordered online, turned on his computer, downloaded all the top-ranked horror movies from a famous movie platform, opened sixty-four windows, watched each film at ten times the speed, and finished watching the top three hundred movies within an hour.
After finishing, he silently turned off the screen, then chewed on his crispy fried chicken, a question in his mind.
Where was the horror in these movies?
"Midnight Bell" — if the protagonist knew Palm Thunder, then the moment the antagonist crawled out, a single Palm Thunder would take them out.
"Dawn of the Living Dead" — if the protagonist knew Palm Thunder, a single Palm Thunder would be enough at the break of dawn.
In "Iron Blood Warrior," if the protagonist knew Palm Thunder, as soon as the warrior appeared, a Palm Thunder would suffice.
Other movies like "Vampire Legend," "Black Monday," and "Texas Chicken Killer" could all be resolved with a single Palm Thunder, so Fang Cheng couldn't understand why people found these movies scary.
Unable to draw inspiration from the movies, Fang Cheng decided to turn on his computer and start playing horror games based on rating recommendations.
After spending an hour completing a game involving a music box, black fog, and Cthulhu, he subconsciously thought "a Palm Thunder solves everything," when suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his brain, and he thought of a keyword.
Helplessness.
In those highly-rated horror games, the protagonist is always helpless.
They have to face terrifying monsters, huge beasts, elusive demons, and all they can do is run.
If you placed the essential items for escape on the monsters themselves, then the fear would intensify because the players would have to confront their own Heart Demons and defeat them.
Thinking this way, it seemed a bit fun.
So, Fang Cheng closed his eyes, and the next second, his entire being appeared above another planet.
As soon as he appeared in space, he felt a tentacle reaching out for him.
Clasping the tentacle that could pierce through heaven and earth, he saw that the whole planet had been devoured by a gray monster.
This monstrous creature was unimaginably huge, its gray skin covered in slime, which was filled with various rocks and trees, continually being devoured by the beast.
Maintaining his posture, Fang Cheng did not act but scrutinized the monster, nodding and saying, "So ugly, so terrifying."
The aura emanating from Fang Cheng affected this fearsome cosmic creature, instilling it with both fear and hunger.
Instinct told it that this was an existence it could never reach, but its voracious appetite drove its tentacles to lunge at Fang Cheng.
But Fang Cheng merely pushed through the void, unleashing a Palm Thunder. The invisible lightning pierced through the monster's body, shattering its core and killing the beast, which had already become one with the planet, on the spot.
However, he then cast another Mana spell, resurrecting the already dead monster once more.
Between life and death, the creature's will was utterly broken, and it tremulously extended its tentacles to submit to Fang Cheng.
"Very good. Eat slowly, and keep still in that position. Later, I'll let some little guys come over, and you just need to keep attacking them. Right, if any of the little guys touch the marking on your tentacles, then let them leave."
The monster in front of him was extremely ferocious in appearance and had an overwhelming desire to attack, making the players seem insignificantly tiny and utterly unable to escape.
The only way to pass the challenge was to touch the switch at the tip of its tentacles, which was, of course, an act of utter despair.
Although such a task was simple for him, an Immortal, it must have been terrifying for those players without the strength to truss a chicken.
He had even thought of a name for the game—"Towards Death and Life".
The massive Star-devouring Beast had millions of tentacles and could accommodate millions of players simultaneously, allowing him to validate his ideas through their performance and thus strengthen his Taoist Heart further.
The Spirit Gathering Array was ready, and the player's bodies were formed and their physical functions were adjusted—all was prepared!
He was now eager to see the players panic and scream.
Satisfied with his work, Fang Cheng sealed everything with Immortal Spell, packaged the game, and then began to select a platform to release it.
Last time, the rookie cup, aside from the honor, included a prize of ten thousand yuan.
Although an Immortal could live without money, he still wished to earn a little in the secular way, feeling that it would give him a better understanding of the people's experiences and help him in game development.
Using that money, he bought a small advertising spot and placed "Towards Death and Life" on the largest international Steam platform, still for free, and then returned to the planet where the Star-devouring Beast resided.
Now, all that was left was to wait for the players' performances.
At this moment, Wang Say Games could hardly take it anymore.
Seven consecutive days of grinding "The Forest's Second Son" had transformed his base dramatically and pushed him to the brink of exhaustion.
He had put off ranting about new games, advertising new games, revisiting old games, discussing games, and even his promotional streams.
All his time was spent chopping down trees in the forest, crafting, building his base, and preparing to launch a new assault on the Relic Guardian.
The last time, three hundred players joined forces and finally breached the first layer of defense of the Relic Guardian, draining its shield and toppling it to the ground.
Unexpectedly, that little darling managed to transform a second time.
The transformed Relic Guardian was even more formidable, instantly killing all the players, who cursed the game's developers while enthusiastically continuing to chop trees and craft equipment.
Wang Say Games wanted to continue, but someone in the live chat couldn't help but say, "Wang, give yourself a break."
"Stop grinding, get some sleep. The earlier you sleep, the longer you'll live; the longer you live, the longer you can grind; therefore, the earlier you sleep, the longer you can grind."
"Impeccable logic, totally convincing."
Wang yawned, ready to take the advice, when he saw an advertisement float by on the Steam platform.
"From your favorite, the developer of "The Forest's Second Son" has released a new game "Towards Death and Life", now on hot sale..."
"..."
"Forget my life!"