CHAPTER 79: NEW WORLD Q&A

"Welcome back, players!" Tony smiled as he addressed the crowd. "As you saw in the trailer, in Sekiro, you will take on the role of ’Wolf’ and travel deep into the mountainous land of Ashina. Armed with deadly, finely crafted weapons, you’ll face intense battles against all manner of foes.

"You can approach the fight however you want, silently assassinate your enemies from the shadows for a quick resolution... or charge in head on and enjoy the raw, unmatched thrill of combat. But remember, when it comes to bosses, stealth won’t save you."

The audience erupted.

"Wait, you’re seriously making us fight with blades?!"

"Damn! This guy really has guts!"

"This combat system sounds insane!"

"Yeah, this feels like real life hand to hand combat!"

"He’s really going for it, no half measures!"

"Just thinking about the sword fighting makes me excited... I’ve never even been in a real fight!"

"Hah! I’m hyped! This is straight out of a novel!"

Tony’s words split the crowd into two camps.

One group grew nervous, a game so realistic that you’d have to clash blades in person? The tension, the danger... it was almost too much. They had just watched that brutal battlefield scene, their hearts still hadn’t calmed.

The other group? Mostly men with restless, eager smiles.

After all, who hadn’t dreamed of being in a sword fight as a kid?

They remembered grabbing bamboo sticks and sparring with friends, pretending to be wandering swordsmen. Those scenes had lit a fire in their hearts.

And now, this game might let them live that dream.

While the crowd was still buzzing, Tony’s voice cut in again. "Alright. I’m sure you’re not satisfied just hearing about it. Let me show you a live demo. Let’s... pick a boss fight."

He clapped his hands. The center stage shifted, rising into an ancient style red wooden arch bridge.

At the far end, a massive figure emerged, easily three meters tall. She wore a heavy yellow monk’s robe, held a four meter long curved blade, and hid her face behind a fearsome ghost mask. Her presence alone radiated danger.

A health bar appeared above her head: Monk of the Broken Ring.

Tony’s avatar appeared on the other side of the bridge, not as the handsome blond, but as a scarred, weathered warrior. He wore a black robe, a yellow cloak draped over his shoulders, and a short, horizontal blade at his hip. His eyes were cold, resolute.

The crowd reacted instantly.

"That monk is the boss?! She’s way more intimidating than the player character!"

"Three meters tall, with a massive blade? He’s only, what, 1.8 meters? His sword barely reaches a meter. How’s he supposed to fight that?!"

"Relax, it’s not us fighting. Let’s just see how he handles it."

"Yeah, if the game’s creator can’t win, that’s a bad look in front of millions!"

"He’s been acting all cool, time to see him get humbled!"

Without hesitation, Tony drew his blade and charged.

The monk roared and lunged, her massive weapon sweeping through the air. They met in the middle of the bridge with a clang, the impact sparking where steel met steel. The sheer force pushed Tony back two steps.

She pressed the attack, blade sweeping, thrusting, striking from every angle. Tony countered, parrying, sidestepping, slashing back whenever he found an opening.

The crowd was on the edge of their seats.

"Damn! This is brutal, they’re really going at it!"

"Feels like I’m watching a real duel!"

"My blood’s boiling!"

"This game... I need to get it!"

Even the heads of other gaming companies sat frozen. Tanner stared, wide-eyed.

"What... how? This isn’t just a game, it’s like watching a live sword fighting performance!"

On the bridge, the monk suddenly let out another fierce cry and thrust her blade straight at Tony.

Tony reacted instantly. He raised his leg, stomping down on the blade mid thrust, pinning it to the bridge. The monk stumbled, off balance.

Seizing the moment, Tony vaulted up the weapon, leapt high into the air, flipped over her massive frame, and landed behind her. In the same motion, he drove his blade straight into her back.

Pfft!

The tip burst from her chest, blood spraying across the bridge. Tony yanked the blade free in one smooth motion, crimson droplets arcing through the air.

The monk let out a final, guttural cry before collapsing. Her health bar plummeted, and the word Execution flashed in blood red letters.

The crowd went wild.

"Holy Shit!!"

"That last move was sick!"

"Perfect form, perfect finish!"

"How the hell did he even pull that off?!"

They weren’t exaggerating, every movement Tony made carried the grace and precision of a true sword master.

As the monk’s body faded, the bridge vanished, and the stage returned to normal. Tony’s avatar shifted back into his custom made avatar.

"Well," Tony said with a grin, "that’s the end of the demo. What do you think?"

The audience exploded.

"What do we think? Release it already!"

"Shut up and take our money!"

"I’m ready, send me back to the Sengoku period!"

The crowd who had just witnessed Tony’s demo, especially the action game fanatics, were practically buzzing with excitement. This kind of tense, back and forth sword fight against a boss?

Normally, you’d only ever see something that cinematic in a pre-rendered cutscene or a quick time event.

But now... players could actually do it themselves. That level of realism and intensity, it wasn’t just a step forward for action games, it was a whole new thing. And anyone who had actually played Subnautica knew just how terrifyingly real it must have felt.

The audience murmured with excitement, voices rising, when Tony smirked and said, "Too quiet. I can’t even hear you. You sure you want to play a game like this?"

"We want to play!!!"

"I beg you, release it already!"

The venue roared to life, shouts overlapping, the atmosphere boiling over.

"Good! Now that’s the energy I want!" Tony nodded in satisfaction. "Alright. After discussion with the team, we’ve decided Sekiro will be priced the same as Subnautica $499 dollars. The release date is next Saturday, 8 p.m., GMT."

The reaction was instant.

"$499 again? That cheap?!"

"Why not raise the price?! We’d pay more!"

"Yeah, think about yourself for once!"

"At this rate, this guy’s basically an angel sent to save gamers!"

"Blessed be the dev himself!"

Anyone who had played Subnautica already knew how outrageous the value was. A $499 ticket to what felt like a real, thrilling alien world expedition, a trip that, in real life, would cost tens of thousands and still not match the experience.

And now Sekiro was going for the same price? Some even felt bad for Tony’s wallet. Compared to him, NetPack’s prices looked downright vampiric, those guys deserved to be strung up in shame.

Still, not everyone was satisfied.

"Its a good price, sure, but a whole week?!"

"What am I supposed to do until then?!"

"My blade thirsts now!"

"Blood for the Blood God!"

Truth be told, Tony would’ve loved to release it immediately. But the game wasn’t finished, he still had to add some finishing touches.

Ignoring the grumbles, he smiled and said, "Before we wrap up, we’ll have a little Q&A. I’ll pick four lucky audience members to come up on stage and ask me anything. Everyone here gets a number, and I’ll draw at random."

Players glanced down to see a string of virtual digits hovering in the corner of their view.

"I’m 777777!"

"Mine’s 2455525, why’s it so long?"

"Ha, you think that’s bad? My number’s 32846737... How many players are here anyway?"

"Tens of millions for sure. New World is insane!"

Tony gestured. "Let’s draw the first one."

A large, floating number plate appeared in midair, spinning rapidly until, "Stop!"

It froze. "Number 324566!"

Before the poor guy could even react, his avatar blinked from the audience and reappeared on stage beside Tony.

And that’s when the venue erupted with laughter.

The guy had gone all out in character customization, full green skin, goblin like features, and, to top it off, a bright green hat.

The sight was ridiculous enough to crack up players.

"Hah! His dedication to green is admirable!"

"Green everything! How much do you love that color?"

Even Tony had to fight the urge to laugh. "Alright, Player 324566 what’s your question?"

The goblin man froze under the spotlight, his expression cycling between tension, embarrassment, helplessness, and something like despair.

Player 324566 was on the verge of despair. He had dressed himself like this, full green skin, ridiculous hat, completely on a whim. Before he could change it, Tony had disabled the character editor for the event, locking him into this absurd look.

And out of millions of players... somehow, Tony had drawn him. What kind of cursed luck was this?

"Look..." 324566’s expression was bitter as he stared at Tony. "I just happen to like the color green, alright? That’s all. No other meaning, no hidden reason. Believe me?"

"Of course I believe you!" Tony nodded seriously. "Don’t worry, as the host, I’m a professional. I never laugh unless I absolutely can’t, pfft!"

"..."

The crowd erupted.

"Hahaha! Some professional you are, barely finished speaking before you burst out laughing!"

"The bastard held it in for so long, I thought he’d actually manage to keep a straight face!"

"Damn it, I was holding back too, but when I saw him break, I lost it!"

"...Forget it." 324566 finally gave up. It was just an online game, no one knew his real identity. Might as well get his question in. "Anyway, I wanted to ask something about Subnautica."

"Oh? Go ahead." Tony quickly straightened his expression.

"Is it possible for players to actually kill a Leviathan?"

The crowd immediately perked up. Ridiculous avatar or not, this was a good question.

"Good question," Tony said, smiling. "In the game, you can kill any type of Leviathan... except the Ancient Leviathan."

The audience stirred.

"Wait, seriously?!"

"But how are we supposed to take down a hundred meter monster from so far away?"

"Yeah, all we’ve got are little pistols and torpedoes! They can’t even scratch the thing’s armor!"

Tony chuckled. "You’re forgetting something. In Subnautica, the deadliest creatures aren’t the Leviathans... but a certain small, poisonous creature."

Players instantly understood.

"Oh... it’s that thing!"

"Wait, are you telling me you made that little monster the strongest creature in the game?!"

324566 looked deep in thought, probably already plotting how to weaponize it.

"Alright, next player," Tony said, waving his hand. 324566 vanished, replaced by a new contestant.

This time, the chosen player’s appearance was... well, normal. She had a feminine avatar, average proportions, except for one glaring detail, her chest looked like it had two yoga balls stuffed inside.

The audience lost it.

"Holy, are those things regulation size?!"

"She’s gonna float away at this rate!"

"Players really go wild with the character editor..."

The woman’s face flushed red, but she managed to speak in German, "Hello, my question is about Sekiro. Will the combat be... too bloody or violent?"

Tony auto-translated her question for the audience before replying.

"Don’t worry. While Sekiro is an intense combat game, it won’t be overly graphic. There will be blood, yes, but nothing too cruel or inhumane."

Relieved, the woman hesitated... then asked shyly, "Um... could I give you a hug?"

"Of course," Tony said easily.

The two stepped forward... and immediately got stuck. The ’yoga balls’ created a full barrier between them, making it physically impossible to hug.

The venue exploded.

"Pfft! He’s about to bounce right off!"

"Careful, girl, if you push too hard, you’ll suffocate him!"

In the end, the hug failed miserably, and the embarrassed player hurried offstage.

"Alright, third player," Tony announced.

The next contestant looked completely ordinary, loose clothes, normal body proportions, disappointing those who’d been hoping for more funny avatars.

But then he opened his mouth.

"Hey, when are you going to fix the bug where players can’t physically interact with Tifa?"

The crowd went dead silent for a beat, then roared to life.

"YES! Finally, someone asks the real questions!"

"This man is a hero!"

"Promote him! Knight him! Give him a statue!"

Even Tony’s mouth twitched. This Q&A session... was getting out of hand.

2062 Words.