Welcome to our company's product. The scan has initiated; please stand by.
[Whirring sounds~~]
The soft whirring of machinery filled the air as Fenric Noire lay inside the hg2100 standard single-user game pod, his eyes closed in anticipation. He had meticulously prepared for this moment, having gone through a series of pre-game checks and protocols that ensured not only his safety but also an optimal experience. This was no ordinary gaming session; it was a journey into the depths of fear, a realm he had longed to explore ever since he discovered the void within himself—a void where fear should have resided.
The scan is complete. Confirmed ID: sh95***145, Name: Fenric Noire; Connected device: Standard single-user game pod model hg2100; No abnormal external hardware detected; Cardio-pulmonary functions within normal range; Neural connection program ready. Please select the type of connection.
Fenric's heart raced with anticipation as he readied himself for the non-sleep mode connection. He knew that the neural link would provide an unparalleled level of immersion, one that could potentially bring him closer to the edge of fear than he had ever been. Adjustments were made swiftly, ensuring that every aspect of the pod was perfectly calibrated to his physical and mental state. With the adjustments completed, the system prompted him to confirm the loading of the game or return to the previous menu.
System startup, loading game in ten seconds...
As the countdown began, Fenric took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He had spent countless hours researching Abyssal Awakeni, poring over its intricate mechanics and unique selling point—the concept of "fear value." This metric promised to measure his fear response in real-time, offering a tailor-made experience that could push him to the brink. The anticipation was almost unbearable, yet he welcomed it, knowing that what awaited him could be the key to unlocking emotions he had long lost.
After listening to the countdown, Fenric Noire quickly found himself immersed in the world of the game. He stood in an environment strikingly similar to an elevator but without any floor selection buttons next to the door. On the wall to his right was a 32-inch touchscreen. Directly opposite the door, an entire wall served as a full-length mirror, reflecting the player from head to toe.
Fenric glanced at his reflection in the mirror and noticed that his attire had changed into a black long-sleeved T-shirt and trousers, nothing out of the ordinary. The face of the character in-game closely resembled his real-life appearance. For a moment, he felt a strange sense of detachment, as if he were observing someone else's life. But then, reality set in—he was here for a reason, a singular purpose that transcended mere entertainment.
"Welcome to the Abyssal Awakeni game login space. Please confirm your login."
"To play this game, users must be over sixteen years of age. Our company does not recommend this experience for individuals with heart conditions, mental illnesses, or relevant medical histories."
The system voice sounded again in his ears, while beside him, icons appeared on the touchscreen offering choices. Fenric tapped the only game option on the screen – Abyssal Awakeni – with his finger, initiating the process that would take him deeper into the game.
The warning reappeared on the screen, and the system voice reiterated it once more before three icons surfaced on the display: one labeled "Confirm Login," another "Cancel," and a particularly prominent link option beside them titled "Related Disclaimer."
"Mental illness...," Fenric muttered to himself. "Better take a look." He chose the third option and tapped on the disclaimer. Immediately, dense paragraphs of text terms popped up on the screen. A glance at the scrollbar on the right side was enough to tell that this disclaimer was exceptionally long. Most people would likely close such agreements or notices without reading, or skim through them quickly, scrolling to the bottom to click agree. But Fenric Noire was not your average person.
He was twenty-four years old and currently a doctoral student in biology. His initial motivation for playing this game was to "treat an illness"—not an addiction to the internet, but a real and tangible condition. About one or two years ago, Fenric had suddenly noticed an anomaly within himself; he had seemingly lost the ability to feel fear. No matter how terrifying the sounds or visuals were, they could not provoke any response from him. He watched horror films and read horror novels day and night, trying to scare himself with his imagination, but it was all in vain. It was as if a door in his mind had been closed, blocking out the sensation of fear.
So, he went to a nearby hospital. Upon examination, a significant issue was indeed found. An MRI revealed a vague shadow near his amygdala, hinting at the possibility of a tumor. After visiting several hospitals and undergoing countless tests and treatments, Fenric eventually had the tissue removed, but he still could not perceive fear. Fenric came to terms with the fact that this condition might be incurable. As a patient, he had two considerations: first, which doctor should have the honor of naming this illness, and second, whether he should donate his brain for medical research after death, contributing to science.
Over the following one or two years, the shadow in Fenric's brain reappeared, neither worsening nor diminishing. Otherwise, his health remained perfectly normal. After much thought, he decided to forego further treatment and accept this reality. Although the loss of fear was his only symptom, and no one could predict if or when it would lead to his death, he chose to leave it to fate.
One day, Fenric stumbled upon extensive advertisements for the internal testing of Abyssal Awakeni, which promised "a breakthrough in traditional gaming modes, immersing you in despair, shock, and ever-present terror, offering an unprecedented gaming experience." Intrigued, he delved into the game's setting explanations and watched a promotional video claimed to have frightened children to tears. Notably, he saw a link offering an internal test account with the purchase of a new game pod.
Thus, although it seemed bizarre, Fenric's purpose for entering the game was not just to play but primarily to seek fright. Adopting a last-resort attitude, he hoped that the immersive horror experience might somehow stimulate him to reclaim the feeling of fear. Of course, such a peculiar psychological abnormality alone indicated that he was a patient. But saying he was not "an ordinary person" wasn't solely due to his brain tumor. Even before developing this condition, he was already different—what some might call a quirky individual.
Fenric Noire had many peculiar traits, none reaching the severity of OCD, but most were perplexing. One such trait worth mentioning here was his reading obsession. His desire for reading was incomprehensible to most people. For example, he would read the text on shampoo packaging; household appliance manuals he could recite verbatim; and even more astonishingly, he wouldn't miss a chance to read the tags cut off from new clothes. Whenever something or someone became relevant to Fenric Noire, he instinctively gathered all related information. And it wasn't just superficial reading; he possessed remarkable reading and memory skills. While not photographic, he could recall at least sixty percent of what he had read, even after a long time.
"Hmm… pretty much the same as other game agreements," Fenric mused after spending just two minutes skimming through the thousands of words in the terms and conditions. "The only particularly unique part is probably those few clauses in paragraph six…" He lowered his head slightly, supporting his right elbow with his left hand, resting his index and middle fingers of his right hand on his forehead before gently sliding them down along the bridge of his nose—a habitual gesture when he was deep in thought. "In other words… if a player dies from a heart attack or if mental illness is triggered, it has nothing to do with their company." He summarized aloud.
Fenric couldn't rule out the possibility that this clause might be a gimmick Dream Company had intentionally included. He had previously reviewed the game's settings on the official website, knowing that the game's biggest selling point was the concept of "fear value." Through the combination of optical brain technology and the functions of the game pod, the game monitored players' heart rate, pulse, blood pressure, and neural reactions in real-time to calculate the level of fear. If a player's fear value exceeded the critical threshold during gameplay, the neural connection would be forcibly disconnected, logging them out immediately. And should there be severe abnormalities in the player's physical condition, such as a stopped heartbeat or suffocation after being logged out, the game pod would notify an ambulance at once. All neural-link networks were connected to police and emergency services, so by design, the likelihood of someone being scared to death should be minimal.
After tapping the continue button, Fenric heard the system prompt again: "This is your first login to the game, please enter a nickname for in-game use."
"Check complete. The nickname 'LunaticSerenade' is available. Please confirm."
Upon confirming, the system voice continued: "Next, you will undergo the new player tutorial, which can only be completed once. The scenario for this tutorial is randomly generated, and upon completion, you will receive corresponding initial rewards. Should you interrupt the tutorial due to excessively high fear levels, voluntarily disconnecting, leaving the game pod, or other reasons, you will not be able to continue with the original scenario when you next enter the game. A new tutorial will be generated for you."
Fenric listened to the instructions and reached out to tap the confirmation option once more. However, just as his finger touched the icon on the touchscreen, the entire elevator-like space suddenly went pitch black.
In the next second, a voice sounded, distinctly different from the mechanical system prompts he had been hearing—it was raspy and witch-like: "Welcome to Abyssal Awakeni…"
As soon as the words faded, the enclosed space shook violently without warning. Then, this pitch-black box began to move, slowly descending downwards. The darkness enveloped him completely, and for a moment, Fenric felt a flicker of something—something akin to fear. Could this be it? Was this the beginning of his journey back to feeling?
The descent continued, each second stretching into an eternity. The absence of light was absolute, and yet, in the silence, Fenric could hear his own breathing, rapid and shallow. He waited, heart pounding, for whatever horrors awaited him in the abyss. Little did he know, this was just the beginning of an experience that would challenge everything he thought he knew about fear.