C171: If the heart is there, the dream is there!

Song Ren's, thought this area was likely the staff section and the props for the cosplayer, so there was no one around.

Song Ren was the first to speak with the employee.

After being introduced by the staff next to him, he sat on the water tank sofa and zipped up. From the outside, it appeared as though half of his body was submerged in the water tank.

"Is this really a new game!?" he exclaimed.

He picked up the hammer in his hand, and his eyes widened in surprise.

When he picked up the hammer, a screen appeared in front of him.

Then, the LOGO of a Neon game floated by.

The interface displayed a valley, with a hammer hook hanging from a stone next to it.

It offered three options:

enter the game,

options,

and exit the game.

A new game! What a windfall!

Several other players with eagle eyes saw this scene and rushed in.

However, when they noticed only three spots were left, they rushed over.

The players who didn't secure a spot were preparing to queue up nearby.

But after hearing the staff's explanation, the players immediately backed off.--

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"Why is it like this?!" one of them exclaimed.

"Yeah! There are only four spots for this new game. Why does it take so long to try it out?"

"Half an hour for a trial? Isn't that too long?"

"Yeah, there's such a long line now!"

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The players were exasperated.

From the staff's explanation, they learned that this unknown game took as long as thirty minutes to play.

That meant even the second-queued player would have to wait half an hour. And there were only four spots available.

But the game seemed quite retro, and it even had a physical aspect. The large hammer in those hand looks like the controller.

It had to be an action game like the whack the mole stuff! How exciting it would be to fight monsters with such a big hammer!

Noticing the commotion, Chen Xu also arrived.

"Mr. Chen, this unreasonable game time," a player voiced his concern.

"Yeah! That's right!" another added.

As Chen Xu appeared, many players began to express their opinions.

"Everyone, please calm down," Chen Xu said.

"The reason the experience time is set so long is due to the game special requirments. It requires players to have a certain level of skill and perseverance. That's why it's set for this long."

He spoke sincerely.

"Well... Well, let's see for the first ten minutes. After that, everyone will understand, because this game take time to unfurl its characteristics. We set such a long time for players to experience and feel the game properly," Chen Xu comforted everyone.

Hearing Chen Xu's words, the players in the exhibition area quieted down and focused their attention on the screen.

A group of players, who had been queuing up for the Souls Challenge, also joined in.

Watching the order being restored, Chen Xu smiled and turned around, quietly avoiding attention.

Meanwhile, Song Ren, the first to experience the game, entered with excitement.

But the scene that appeared next left them stunned.

There were pieces of stones scattered over the ground, and beside them stood a dark black jar, with a sledgehammer resting next to it.

The jar began to shake, and a figure emerged from within.

A muscular, bald man with a mustache appeared, holding a sledgehammer in both hands. The character resembled Song Ren, standing outside the exhibition.

"This journey is too difficult. You won't be able to climb to the top, so give up!" a cartoon version of an old man, grumbled, much like the disheartened characters in Dark Souls.

The game interface also appeared at that moment.

In this game, instead of using a mouse like most, the hammer in the player's hands replaced it as the primary controller.

But the game was rudimentary!

The players who were watching the exhibition all thought the same in their heads, but no one voiced their concerns. After all, Chen Xu started in independent games.

Compared to Dark Souls or Divide, Chen Xu's previous games had never been overly flashy either.

Song Ren, holding the hammer, swung it. It wasn't heavy, as it was inflated and equipped with a somatosensory sensor. The sofa was comfortable to sit on, offering plenty of space to move the hammer.

As he swung the hammer, the strongman in the game did the same.

The gameplay seemed simple: just swing the hammer and move back and forth.

But it was weird!

Not only Song Ren, but also the spectators, all shared the same thought.

The game's goal was clear: climb the mountain with the hammer.

The method of operation was also simple—swing the hammer in your hand.

However, when Song Ren began playing, it quickly became clear that the game was far more difficult than it initially seemed.

The first obstacle in front of him was a large tree. To get over it, he had to hook the branches with the hammer and pull himself over.

The challenge was in the flexibility of the hammer's point of contact.

The magnitude of the movement is fed back into the game.

For example, swinging a hammer makes the sledgehammer in the game hit the ground hard, and with the help of the rebound force, the character can perform a jump-like action.

Or, hooking it onto the edge of a tree trunk, and then pulling hard, allows the character to turn over.

However, while this may sound simple, when actually operating it, the hammer doesn't seem to cooperate at all.

The hammer in their hand was swung in various ways, but it got stuck on the tree and couldn't pass through.

The other three players experiencing the same thing are also stuck, like Song Ren.

Many players watching couldn't help but laugh.

Watching someone sit on a sofa in the shape of a water tank, then trying to control the hammer, but the character in the game just couldn't get through. It was quite amusing.

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"This old man has been stuck for two minutes!"

"Everyone else is stuck here. It seems really difficult?"

"Shouldn't it be? I think it should be simple. Just hook it at the very edge, right?"

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Song Ren, holding the hammer, heard the whispered comments from players around him and couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth. He really wanted to say, "come try it!"

But after all, he's someone who has cleared Dark Souls and still has some gaming skills.

After two more attempts, he finally managed to get past the first tree.

Seeing that the other players next to him were still stuck, Song Ren couldn't help but feel a little smug.

He continued to use the hammer to move forward, and now almost understood what kind of game this was.

It wasn't about rushing, but the way to progress had become about using the sledgehammer.

However, this game felt too easy. There was no urgency or pressure.

As Song Ren continued to manipulate her character, He began to feel a bit strange.

Soon, He reached a small canyon, and all that was left was to climb the mountain.

It was clear where there were raised spots—places where players were supposed to hook the hammer.

"The operation is a bit weird, but it's actually quite simple. Just pay attention to the hammer's force," Song Ren concluded. He also noticed that the other three players next to him had already passed the first tree.

"Yeah, it is a bit difficult, but after overcoming it, there's a real sense of achievement," another player nearby said.

"Indeed, just like in the Souls. This game requires a student attitude, because it's bound to get harder later," a player commented with deep reflection.

"Well, come on, everyone must laugh when you play this game," the last player added.

"Of course, you must laugh when you play games," Song Ren responded. Everyone was very motivated.

But soon, something didn't feel right.

"Why is the modeling of this game so messy?" the players watching behind expressed their doubts.

A scene in front of them was quite strange. A house suddenly appeared on the mountain, half of it buried inside the mountain. There were also cement pipes, resembling construction materials, which looked out of place. It all felt peculiar.

The overall art style also seemed a little off.

Though it felt strange, Song Ren and the others didn't care too much. They continued playing.

They were currently on a small, steep slope, surrounded by houses, wood, and stones, with many things that could be used as a focal point.

Waving the hammer in hand, Song Ren climbed a little further. However, he made a small mistake, causing the character in the game to fall back down to the ground, making all his previous efforts in vain.

Still, Song Ren didn't think much about it, nor was he discouraged. After all, the road wasn't long. He picked up the hammer again and continued.

This time, he was careful to hook the edge, find the focus point, and climb steadily.

"After making a mistake, sum up and learn from the experience of failure, just like in Dark Souls," Song Ren glanced at the perspectives of the other three players nearby and smiled.

One of them had made it to the same height as him, while the other two were still in there in the game.

"Well, come on, brother!" another player, who had made similar progress, smiled and encouraged Song Ren.

After calming down his excitement, Song Ren focused and continued manipulating his character forward.

A messy stone blocked his path, and in this relatively small space, it needed to be lifted above a steel plate, similar to a construction crane.

The passage was narrow, and the raised positions on either side looked awkward.

Taking a deep breath, Song Ren raised the hammer with both hands and swung it vigorously.

In an instant, the strong man in the game jumped high and seized the opportunity. The hammer in Song Ren's hand hooked the hanging point again.

Then, the character prepared to jump directly onto the platform of the steel plate.

The next moment, as Song Ren swung the hammer, the strong man in the game flew up.

According to his expectation, the character would land on the steel plate platform, but something went wrong with the direction of the flight.

He flew in the opposite direction.

"No!" Song Ren widened his eyes and shouted.

But it was of no use.

Like a falling stone, the man fell steadily to the bottom of the valley.

In front stood tree where it all started.

Song Ren's mouth was slightly open, his eyes fixed on the screen, completely stunned.

Then, the old man who had appeared earlier emerged from the ground again.

"Are you back? I told you it wouldn't work, but maybe you should listen to a song to relax."

In the next moment, a BGM played in the game.

"If the heart has dream, it is there. Success or failure. It's just the beginning... Let's do this again!"

The hands trembled slightly, and Song Ren's expression was still blank.

At this moment, another exclamation filled the air.

Song Ren looked over.

That graceful drop —it was so familiar!

The other player looked at the image of returning to the valley, his expression just as blank as Song Ren's.

Once again, the BGM started playing.

It wasn't the same tune as Song Ren's.

It was another unfamiliar melody.

'Back to the original starting point, the way you began in memory.'

At this point, a group of players on the sidelines laughed.

Though they didn't want to gloat, this scene was just too funny!

"Haha… I'm dying of laughter. Chen Xu definitely did this on purpose!"

"I believe in Chen Xu's tricks, this game is my god!"

"Wouldn't it be even more extreme later? Like climbing to the highest point and then falling down!"

"From the sound of it, that's very likely!"

"Damn it, I finally understand why they said it's going to be a 30-minute experience!"