I'm just an internet cafe owner

Looking at the easy, medium difficulty, and densely packed names, he didn't know which one to choose.

At that moment, he remembered the advice everyone had given him in the lobby: "If you don't know what to do, you can ask the network administrator or the boss. Their answers will be the best for you."

So he took off his glasses: "Internet cafe manager!"

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?"

Chelsea, now disguised, approached, and Kirito asked, "I'd like to train myself. Do you have any recommendations for AI opponents here?"

"If it's a 1v1, I recommend you pick Faker to lane against in the mid lane."

What are his distinguishing features?

"Characteristic? Infuriating!"

Chelsea gritted her teeth as she said this. Ever since she started playing the game, due to Liu Yuan's perverse sense of humor and her own fondness for the Zed character, Liu Yuan had always assigned Faker as her enemy.

I've picked Yasuo, Zed, Ryze, Orianna, Galio, and even mid-lane Riven, but the result is always the same: I get completely destroyed. While I'm getting destroyed in other lanes, it's only in my mid-lane that I get destroyed.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Liu Yuan added, "The strongest mid-laner, bar none. Strong in 1v1, and with an excellent sense of rhythm." The character provided by the system was in its most perfect state, a result perfectly simulated by the system based on that state. Chelsea's recommendation was correct, but it was too biased and could easily leave a bad impression on customers.

"He represents the pinnacle of human-machine competition; only by defeating him can you challenge artificial intelligence. If you can even beat artificial intelligence, then you've reached the ceiling in 1v1 gameplay as well."

"Is it that powerful?"

"You can give it a try."

Kirito listened to Chelsea and Liu Yuan's advice and chose Faker, and it was a 1v1 match.

While I was preparing, the computer also selected a character: Zed, the Master of Shadows.

电脑1v1的获胜很简单，投降亦或者被对面拆的连家都不剩。不过要是玩家pvp的话，系统会限制1血1塔外带100兵。

You win if you meet any one of the conditions.

Upon entering the game, Kirito purchased equipment as recommended by the system. However, when he went online, he felt an inexplicable sense of oppression, like prey being targeted by a predator.

With the minion wave arriving, Kirito, having played the game once before, naturally knew what to do in the mid lane: last-hit minions while harassing the enemy. The opponent appeared to be a melee character, so he chose to learn the Demon Sword Assault skill.

Based on my first gaming experience, this skill had the highest hit rate. And Sonic Impact? Sorry, it's not an impact at all; it's more like sonic speed. Later on, Kirito used it purely as a movement skill.

Having already experienced PvP once and grasped its rhythm, Kirito now felt the pressure from the system.

They would occasionally harass him from afar, their shadows suddenly appearing. But fortunately, Kirito's talent was decent, and with his experience, he managed to dodge all those attacks.

"We're still one soldier short!"

In Kirito's calculations, he only needs one more soldier to level up, while the opponent is still two short.

"very good!"

While Sonic Impact can be dodged by other players, it won't be dodged by minions. Use Sonic Impact on a low-health minion, and simultaneously use Four Directions Slash. Instantly upgrade and aim at Zed to use Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens.

However, Jie, without moving an inch, started dancing.

Kirito wasn't distracted or mocked; he simply used his Four Directions Slash to teleport away. However, the instant he teleported next to the shadow, another shadow appeared in front of him, and the other even kindly said something.

"Hi."

In that instant, Kirito's heart stopped. He tried to escape using the other shadows, but the problem was that he had appeared at the very last second, and the other shadows had already disappeared.

"Your clone is laughable."

With his mockery, Zed instantly transformed into a shadow. At that moment, Kirito gave up on treatment; he roughly understood why the girl had gritted her teeth when she said that name.

This feeling is even more powerless than when facing Xiaoyuan.

Chapter 172 New Game: Escape?

Back in his own world, Kirito remained in a daze for a whole day! He was killed for an entire day, and in different ways at that.

"Damn it! He's too strong."

In the wilderness, Kirito clenched his fists, recalling every detail of his battle with Faker—Faker's reaction speed, his anticipation of his moves, and his profound understanding of the game.

Surpass him.

He is confident of winning, but estimates it will take a long time.

"No, I need to adjust my mindset!"

At this moment, Kirito realized that he had returned to SAO. In the internet cafe, there was no serious punishment for dying in the game, but SAO was different. In this game, dying would mean real death.

But surprisingly, after returning to SAO, he was not confused by the constant deaths in LOL. On the contrary, he felt more cautious than before.

"How amazing..."

At the same time, he felt that his combat skills in the game had indeed been brought into this game. He randomly picked a monster to test it out, and he could clearly feel that his reaction speed was faster than before. In addition, when faced with the opponent's attack, more ways to deal with it came to mind in an instant, and even the kind of attack the opponent would launch would automatically appear in his mind.

He understood how this ability could change him in such a deadly game.

LoL battles are mainly against humans, but Kirito knows that there are also non-human beings in the game. He has seen many kinds of terrifying monsters in the hero selection screen. Now he is practicing his reaction by fighting against humans, and he will learn how to deal with monsters when he fights against them in the future.

I'm determined to beat this game.

Meanwhile, Liu Yuan in the internet cafe was already waiting for the day to end so that the discounted games in the store would be refreshed.

In an effort to improve his luck, Liu Yuan took a bath and changed his clothes, even taking a shower half an hour before midnight. He also hung up portraits of the Jade Emperor, Jesus, Satan, Odin, and Zeus in his room.

These portraits were all provided by the system, and according to him, they were extremely effective, almost always fulfilling requests. As for the cost? The system said that their leader was very strong, so they could just leave it at that, but each portrait cost five thousand yuan.

Five cards worth 25,000 each—it felt a little familiar, but Liu Yuan was really going all out to get good game rewards.

"Everyone in this picture! Please bless me with a stroke of good luck!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the system time skipped to midnight. Liu Yuan immediately opened the game store and saw the games inside. His expression turned completely emo.

The two games are Survival and Survival 2. The first game is almost identical to the original, but the second game has changed the flashback storyline. Because it involves the player's own experience, the flashback storyline will be adjusted according to the player's understanding of fear.

Goodness, they've got one!

Well, how should I put it? In Liu Yuan's opinion, this game is playable, but none of the people in his internet cafe are normal. There are human saviors who tear apart heroic spirits every day, black-haired guys who don't want to die and reload their saves, and village chiefs, rejected cursed children, gods, and the like are everywhere.

What about escape? Although it has some science fiction elements and is quite scary, for these people who are far beyond the average person, the game doesn't seem to be scary at all.

Horror games all share a common trait: they're scary the first time you play them, but lose their appeal the second time. Compared to other games in internet cafes, they have relatively poor staying power and can't sustain players' online time.

And after playing this game a lot, it's not scary at all. It's a horror game, a horror game. If it's not scary, what's the point?

"Oh, what a pity... should I say you guys are useful or not?"

Including the cost of buying these paintings, it came to 225,000 yuan. At least after being divisible, it's not 250, so it's still acceptable.

With a sigh, Liu Yuan bought it directly, since it was a game he had played before and had seen many streamers and content creators play.

"Well, it's a classic after all. Let's play it and reminisce about my lost youth."

Liu Yuan dressed and tidied up the portrait. This time the effect was okay; at least it wasn't a trash game, proving that they were still somewhat useful.

As soon as I unlocked the door, I saw Jibril whistling as she walked away down the stairs.

"Hehehe..."

Liu Yuan didn't even need to think to know what this angel was up to; hadn't he been tasked with overseeing the main store lately? Who knows where this scoundrel learned his lock-picking skills?

Despite the fact that his bedroom door was supposed to be secure, she managed to pry it open several times and steal all his clothes.

It's a pity I never caught them in the act; if I had, the punishment would have been much easier. But...

Liu Yuan suddenly had an idea. He asked the system, "System, this survival game isn't scary. Can you enhance the horror atmosphere? Can you make any player experience that deep-seated fear?"

System: "No problem! But you'll have to pay extra."

"... "

Liu Yuan fell silent. Good heavens, the system was waiting for him here?

System: "This involves player engagement and player protection. To stir up the emotions of some special players, the price required is slightly higher. The price is 500,000, which can be paid in advance in terms of lifespan. The host has excellent physical condition and can live to eighty."

At this moment, Liu Yuan fell silent. He asked curiously, "Can we use Jibril's life?"

System: "You cannot use anyone other than the host."

"System, have you ever considered this: one day of lifespan equals ten yuan. Five hundred thousand yuan is roughly my lifespan of over a hundred years, right? After you deduct all that, how much will I still have left to live?"

System: "It's okay, I'll owe you for now."

"So I didn't see anything, and I didn't even agree, yet I owe you over a hundred years of my lifespan? This is exploitation!"

"It's alright, the host's current earning power is evident to all."

,come on!"

One person, one system, chatting as they arrived at the lobby.

The four of them were playing different games when Liu Yuan came over and clapped his hands: "Everyone, we've got a new game. Want to try it out?"

"Huh? A new game?"

Kisara's eyes lit up. She immediately saved the game she was playing, closed it, opened her desktop, and found the game called Escape.

For some reason, when she saw this game, she suddenly had a bad feeling.

She stood up, pressed herself against Liu Yuan, and looked at him with seductive eyes: "Boss, I've never played this game before, can you teach me?"

Liu Yuan said cheerfully, "No problem. Actually, this is a casual hide-and-seek game. Let me give you a simple demonstration."

Liu Yuan turned on his computer and entered the game, and the people around him gathered around to watch.

The game content is very simple. It is nothing more than the protagonist Miles having friendly exchanges with the patients in the mental hospital while carrying a DV camera in order to expose the secrets of the mountain mental hospital.

After system changes, the game's protagonist is now the player themselves. Furthermore, upon entering the game, the player knows the cause and effect, uncovers hidden secrets, and can leave undetected.

Chapter 173 Enhanced System Version, You'll Know Once You Play It

The game controls are very simple; it's all about dodging the mentally ill person's pursuit, hiding under the bed or in the closet. When the DV camera is low on battery, you recharge it with found batteries to maintain power. While playing hide-and-seek with the mentally ill person, you also need to find out the truth about the mental hospital and record the clues.

Throughout the game, Liu Yuan remained calm and composed, even chatting and laughing as he played.

"See? It's basically a hide-and-seek game in a rather eerie environment. The downside is that if you get found, you're dead. So, you have to control your emotions during the game. These lunatics don't make any sense; just rely on your face to hide."

The revamped game no longer guarantees an empty hiding spot on the first try; NPCs will actually search the room based on the surroundings. Loud breathing or unnecessary movements will result in being discovered.

Even if you're unlucky and happen to mess with an NPC's thought process, you can still die instantly.

Unfortunately, Liu Yuan had bad luck during his demonstration and was found twice. Although the NPCs inside were a bit scary, there were no ordinary people present, so seeing the game footage on the screen felt somewhat incomplete.

"It doesn't seem very interesting?"