On the first day, Welt received a hard lesson from the citizens of Harlan City: nighttime is the most dangerous time, and it's best not to wander outside if you lack the skills. Though the NPCs at the Tower had warned the protagonist to return to the safe zone at night and rest rather than wander around, Welt, being a player, didn't take this advice to heart.
Welt approached the game with the fearlessness of a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger. Even as night fell, he had no intention of returning to the Tower. Consequently, the Night Hunters found Welt.
"Hahaha! Found you, delicious protagonist!"
"These Night Hunters are truly terrifying! The daytime zombies look so weak, and the most threatening one is just a lumbering giant easily distracted by sounds. Who would've thought that night and day zombies are like two different species, with the addition of Night Hunters!"
"I'm putting up a protective barrier in the chat!"
Seeing the audience's reaction, Welt felt a bit helpless. "Alright, lesson learned. I didn't realize Harlan City was this dangerous at night. From now on, I'll avoid nighttime activities as much as possible. For now, let's respawn, head to bed, and wait until morning."
Perhaps due to the continuous supply drops, the survivors in this city never had to worry about running out of food and water. Harlan City's situation wasn't as dire as it seemed, so why hasn't anyone come to rescue everyone? Welt pondered this question, but finding the answer wasn't easy at the moment. Plus, the protagonist had his own role to play.
He was a top agent! Despite being bitten by a zombie right after landing and infected with the virus, requiring a suppressant to avoid turning into a zombie, the protagonist excelled in parkour and combat. Just looking at the numerous skill points, Welt could tell the protagonist had great potential.
On the second day, Welt finally completed his task, only to face another one that required him to confront the Night Hunters again! Suppressants are crucial resources for survivors, and the Tower's supply was almost depleted. The supply drops weren't collected solely by the Tower but also by another survivor group led by someone named Rais.
Rais's group had amassed a large amount of supplies and operated almost like a warlord faction. Rais, calling himself the Emperor of Harlan, commanded a substantial armed force. Welt had encountered Rais's men several times while exploring the city. They wielded guns and powerful melee weapons, showing no mercy to the protagonist. Armed only with a pipe, Welt could do nothing but run.
In this scenario, the protagonist volunteered to search for the supply drops. Whether for the Tower or himself, he needed the suppressants. As a token of recognition from the Tower, the protagonist received a UV flashlight and various other gear. Completing high-difficulty tasks relieved a lot of pressure from the Tower.
However, while searching for the supply drop, time passed exceptionally quickly.
"The night has fallen again, and we're still some distance from the Tower... It seems this task requires the player to face the darkness... but..."
Welt was speechless. He had already faced the night before, and now he had to have another close encounter with a Night Hunter.
Was this reasonable?
Upon reaching the freshly dropped supply crate, Welt found numerous suppressants. As a competent agent, his first thought upon obtaining them wasn't to save the people but to report to his superiors. His superiors came up with a devious plan: destroy the suppressants to force the Tower's leaders to negotiate with Rais for more. This would provide an excuse to get close to Rais and confirm his true identity.
As a good agent, Welt had to obey orders, even though he hesitated. Ultimately, he chose to destroy all the suppressants, keeping two for himself. While he would be fine in the short term, the survivors at the Tower would be in dire straits.
Soon, the protagonist faced immediate consequences. Nearby, on a path blocked by barbed wire, something was gnawing on a corpse. When Welt approached to take a closer look, the grotesque face revived his memories.
"Good grief, another Night Hunter… Normally, this would be the protagonist's first encounter with a Night Hunter, but I guess I was just unlucky before. Now it's the protagonist's turn to pay the price…"
The Night Hunter spotted the protagonist!
What followed was a tense and thrilling chase. The Night Hunter, unimpeded by the heights of buildings, had a significant advantage in pursuing survivors.
However, Welt also had an edge, a reward he had received after completing his first task: a UV flashlight.
In the game, zombies feared UV light, and Night Hunters, as special infected that never ventured out during the day, had an even more extreme reaction to it. When Welt shone the UV flashlight, it was like a flashbang going off in the Night Hunter's eyes. In those few seconds of the Night Hunter flailing and regaining its senses, Welt found a chance to escape.
He climbed over buildings, leaped onto rooftops, and the thrilling chase began. The Night Hunter's howls and the screams of countless zombies echoed behind him. Thanks to the UV flashlight, Welt finally managed to evade the Night Hunter. As he left the shantytown area, the chase music gradually calmed down.
"Phew, nights in Harlan City are truly terrifying. If I had to face Night Hunters in an open area with few buildings, I'd be in serious trouble. I wonder how the survivors manage to live here... Maybe there's an unspoken rule that no one goes out at night?"
Back at the Tower, Welt finally breathed a sigh of relief. He watched as zombies attracted by his movements were killed by traps, confirming their usefulness to the survivors. The game system then informed him that all experience points gained at night were doubled compared to daytime. This meant the game actually encouraged players to venture out at night. Despite the terrifying Night Hunters, if players could find a way to deal with them, they had a chance to defeat them. The experience points awarded by Night Hunters would certainly be high.
"I have to admit, being chased by a Night Hunter is terrifying!"
"Good thing there weren't any other special infected on the way. As the difficulty increases, won't the Night Hunters become nearly invincible?"
"The Night Hunter's difficulty can be set aside for now, but in terms of creating a scary atmosphere, Hackrabbit did a great job… The trailers portrayed the protagonist as a powerful figure, but in reality, they get schooled repeatedly in Harlan City…"
Despite everything, Welt gave the game a high rating. The world wasn't fully opened yet, but the weapon crafting, blueprint collection, and game mechanics had a lot of potential. The protagonist might be weak now, but today's humiliation would be avenged a hundredfold in the future. Welt's legendary journey in Harlan City was just beginning.
...
"Wah! Bronie, how could you scare me with terrifying Night Hunters! When we were developing the game, they weren't supposed to be that scary!"
Miss Pink Elf burst into Bunny's office like a pink lightning bolt, diving into Bunny's arms. Bronie suspected Elysia was just using this as an excuse to see her.
"You weren't fully involved in the game's development. The special monsters were designed at the very beginning, like those possessed spirits."
The hulking zombies might seem clumsy, but they were surrounded by smaller zombies. If a player was caught by the big one even once, they'd be in a critical state. Night Hunters were indeed frightening, but with the proper use of UV light, they could be managed. Bronie thought the game's difficulty was still too low.
"So you designed all the scariest monsters? I had many ideas too!"
"If you have mature ideas, you can tell me. If they're feasible, I'll definitely add them."
"I wanted to include some of the special death warriors we encountered before, but it's not appropriate to promote that now. But I have a question, Bronie."
"Yes?"
"In the game, players can combine special items found on the ground to create new weapons, right?"
"That's right. There are many blueprints scattered across the map. With enough materials, players can combine them to create weapons."
"So combining a car battery with a massage stick to create an Electric Poison Dragon Drill—was that your idea!?"
Bronie was surprised Elysia had found that blueprint so quickly. It required collecting two identical materials from a store in the city to unlock the blueprint. The Electric Poison Dragon Drill was a powerful weapon for supressing bosses, using strong electric currents to exploit physical weak points. It was overkill for small enemies but still a handy tool for eliminating them.
"It's just one of many quirky blueprint weapons. Don't get too hung up on it."
For some reason, looking into Elysia's eyes, Bronie felt she was hinting at something. It was like she was saying, "Elysia is usually hungry and naughty, but now she's well-fed."
"It's about creativity! Don't you feel that relying on blueprints limits the players' creativity?"
Bronie felt like she was seeing a new side of Elysia.
"I didn't expect you to notice that. Blueprints are mainly for quirky, small-fry-clearing weapons and don't encompass the entire game. This design choice was also made in preparation for the next game."
"Oh? What kind of game?"
"A sequel to 'The Legend of Zelda,' where players can combine different materials and weapons or devices to create new weapons. 'Breath of the Wild' is about exploring the land on foot, and the new game, 'Tears of the Kingdom,' will focus on using creativity to change the world."
Bronie had wanted to develop "Tears of the Kingdom" for a long time, but "Breath of the Wild" continued to sell well, with new players joining every day, so she kept delaying it.
Recently, Bronya had asked her when the next open-world game like "Breath of the Wild" would be made. Bronie had said it was in progress, but in truth, she hadn't started at all—not even a new folder.
"Will there be an Electric Poison Dragon Drill?"
"If you insist… human civilization always has a fascination with reproductive worship that never goes out of style."