The dull background music was meant to be soothing, but in that moment, it felt incredibly grating.
"Who the heck made this game? Who recorded that narration?" Brother Yin's fists clenched, hammering down on the keyboard in frustration!
The chat exploded with outrage.
"Watching someone spiral into madness!"
"Designer: So you think my game's a walk in the park?"
"Keyboard: HP-1-1-1-1-1..."
"It's like therapy, watching this! I love seeing people lose their minds."
"Keyboard: Does nobody speak up for me?"
"Studying is pointless, might as well breeze through next time!"
...
Brother Yin stared at the screen blankly, the vibrant game lighting casting a harsh glow on his face.
The narrator's ramblings continued to assault his ears, the voice dripping with calm mockery.
Countless rockets shot into the sky in the live chat, the screen flooded with a barrage of "very simple."
Seeing those two words, Brother Yin squirmed uncomfortably. "Damn it!" he swore under his breath, the narration truly tormenting him.
"Let's try again. There can't be a game in this world that'll torture me like this!"
With renewed determination, Brother Yin guided the protagonist to start afresh, this time with extreme caution.
Every movement was executed with meticulous care, each swing of the hammer calculated to avoid any missteps.
Duang!
As the protagonist landed safely on a furniture mountain platform, Brother Yin finally exhaled a sigh of relief.
"Phew!"
"Brothers, I've cracked it! With enough care, you can beat this game in one go!" Brother Yin triumphantly pumped his fists at the camera, victorious atop the mountain.
"Games are meant to be enjoyed with a smile! This one just needs a steady hand!" With a determined gaze, he cheered on his progress with each small step.
This time, he truly held the high ground.
Ahead lay a daunting landslide. Frowning, he held his breath instinctively.
"Let's go!" Brother Yin swung the hammer, propelling the protagonist to leap towards the summit.
As the rounded arm swung, the chat exploded:
"Fall down, fall down!"
"Down you go!"
...
It seemed the peculiar power of the chat had an effect, as the raised hammer suddenly plummeted.
The sensation of freefalling from a great height was unnerving, each descent wrenching at his heart.
"Damn it... No worries, I'll be more careful this time!" Brother Yin took a deep breath.
"Once more!"
"Another mistake!"
"Damn it! What a messed up game!"
"Screw this game!"
...
As the protagonist made their final descent from the furniture mountain, landing beside the lone tree where it all began, Brother Yin's fists pounded the keyboard in frustration.
On camera, the veins in his forehead bulged as he gritted his teeth, eyes wide with frustration.
At this moment, the spark in his eyes dimmed. Since his livestream began, laughter and chatter had filled the room. Now, there was only silence.
[You've been playing this game for 4 hours. If you enjoyed it, please give it a positive review!]
The game platform prompted a rating, snapping Yinzi back to reality.
How dare they ask for a rating for a game like this?
As he prepared to give it a brutally honest review, something caught his eye.
[So you think my game is easy?]
He stared at the slogan in bewilderment, hand hovering over the "Super Difficult" option.
At that moment, Brother Yin was at a loss for words, his mouth half open in front of the camera.
It seemed to mockingly suggest that accepting defeat was the only option.
In that moment, Brother Yin's heart sank.
After years of gaming, his unshakable resolve was shattered by a game where a character sat in a jar, swinging a hammer.
He glanced at the three options:
[Very Easy][Average][Super Difficult]
In his mind, he raged, "Seriously? Is this what games have come to?"
Trembling, his hand moved decisively towards the "Very Easy" option.
"Your game! It's a cakewalk!" Brother Yin yelled into the void, selecting the option with determination.
But he didn't stop there.
He proceeded to write a glowing hundred-word review, praising the game to high heaven.
As soon as he posted it, likes flooded in.
[Brother Yin: This game is incredibly simple and enjoyable. Proceed with caution if you're faint of heart or mind. It's a great stress reliever, and I highly recommend it!]- 2635 likes
...
Reading his own comment, the viewers in the livestream were dumbfounded.
Words of gratitude poured in.
The game's difficulty was undeniable, enough to drive anyone to the brink.
How heartless could he be?!
After posting the review, he promptly uninstalled the game.
As the screen went dark, the chat erupted:
"Don't even mention it!"
"I agree, it's deceptively simple, isn't it?"
"I'll give it a shot."
...
Just as Ye Feng pondered, the dormitory door burst open, and Song Shan burst in, bubbling with excitement.
"Dude, you're blowing up! Huge! Insanely huge!" Song Shan exclaimed, shaking Ye Feng by the shoulders, who was still in a daze.
Song Shan's words were exaggerated, but not by much.
Checking the internet, Ye Feng realized almost every streamer was playing a game called 'Digging for Rise.'
"What's going on?" Ye Feng asked, unaware of the internet's frenzy, thinking no one had started playing his game yet.
The system showed only one 'Super Difficult' rating.
Song Shan proceeded to fill Ye Feng in on what had transpired in Brother Yin's livestream, leaving Ye Feng utterly dumbfounded.
Logging into his account, Ye Feng saw the download count had skyrocketed to 10,000+, with thousands of comments flooding in.
But among the comments, one phrase dominated: "very simple!"
Damn it!
Had his defenses been breached?
Unbelievable!
He had hoped to reap a wave of 'super difficult' ratings before moving on to develop more engaging games.
Who would've thought they'd all rate it 'very simple'?
Watching Brother Yin's replay, Ye Feng realized the poor guy had lost his mind after being tormented.
And yet, he had the audacity to label the game as 'very simple' himself!
Now, it wasn't just the players' sanity that had been shattered; even Ye Feng's own resolve lay in tatters.
"Have I been beaten into submission?" Ye Feng sighed heavily, realizing his aspirations for creating a challenging game had fallen short.
There was only one solution: ramp up the difficulty!
A new game idea sprang to mind: "Dead Cells"!
A game that excelled in every aspect but punished the slightest misstep—
Endless death, endless retries, and endless pain.
This time—
No one would dare call it 'very simple'!