Although pushing through the game’s progression as an instance constructor drove Wren Lux crazy at times, it honestly wasn’t boring.
On one hand, the actual process of constructing an instance was quite interesting.
On the other hand, thinking about the sheer suffering players would endure when entering this instance was also highly amusing…
It was no wonder some game developers harbored such deep-seated malice when creating their games.
Truth be told, it really did provide a twisted sense of satisfaction.
*Hehe…* Wren Lux’s enthusiasm only grew.
Even though she knew the plot and the progression inside out…
every time she witnessed those iconic scenes, she couldn’t help but wonder how players would react when they experienced them firsthand.
That thought gave her even more motivation.
Take the hellish dining table at the beginning of the second chapter, for example.
Wren Lux felt it wasn’t quite disgusting enough, so she gave it a thorough overhaul…
After all, people never get tired when they’re up to no good.
In short, Wren Lux had a lot of fun playing…
wait, no, she worked incredibly hard, spending almost all her waking hours inside the Construction Space.
Since she was merely running through the progression, it didn’t drain much of her energy.
Under these circumstances, her progress was rapid.
Of course, while Wren Lux had a bit of a wicked sense of humor, she didn’t intentionally make things impossible for the players.
As long as they could overcome their fear and respond calmly, the entire instance was absolutely clearable.
After all, this was her first time creating an instance, so she didn’t dare add too many extra elements.
This meant that although the instance had death conditions, all of them were entirely avoidable.
But if the players were too terrified, ran around blindly, or lost their cool, all bets were off.
Wren Lux practically lived in the Construction Space for two straight days.
At this moment, her Survival Points had dwindled down to a mere 17 points.
Fortunately, the instance had been thoroughly inspected.
Wren Lux stood in the arena of the final boss encounter.
She watched as the monstrous mutation of the final boss was struck by Ethan’s neurotoxin rounds, ultimately losing its vitality, collapsing, and crumbling into dust.
Then, Chris’s squad arrived, escorting the protagonist Ethan and Mia onto a helicopter to escape the hellhole.
Next, only the opening and ending CGs were left.
This wasn’t difficult, but it was crucial.
After all, without a prologue, players wouldn’t even know what they were supposed to be doing.
As for the ending, she might as well add it; it didn’t make much of a difference anyway.
Oh, and there were still many scripted events that needed tweaking.
This was an issue Wren Lux discovered while advancing the flow.
Mainly, players controlling a character through a screen and physically entering a game to roleplay were two entirely different things.
Many scripted events might feel perfectly fine when controlling a character with a controller, but experiencing them in the flesh within a horror world would severely break immersion.
They needed adjustments.
Some key nodes were guaranteed to trigger, like Ethan’s severed hand.
However, the process could be made smoother and a bit more logical.
Regardless, the instance was generally complete.
Wren Lux looked at the abruptly paused instance world and slowly let out a breath.
She squatted down, looked at the calcified final boss, and reached out her slender fingers to gently touch it.
A strange sensation washed over her.
Because she had been a bystander the entire time she advanced the plot, merely controlling Ethan to charge forward, it really felt like she had just played through the game all over again.
This caused a subtle shift in her mindset, making her feel that torturing players was actually quite fun.
Wren Lux felt this mindset was dangerous.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had overlooked something, and a faint premonition warned her that this would eventually come back to bite her.
Besides, even putting those worries aside, she only had a dozen or so Survival Points left—meaning she only had a dozen or so days to live.
She didn’t even know how the instance would perform upon release, so what was she smiling like an idiot for?
That was why she touched the physical manifestation of her instance, trying to ground herself and adjust her mindset.
And doing so worked pretty well.
At least after touching those seemingly real ashes, Wren Lux finally remembered that what she was making wasn’t just a game, but an instance that required Survival Points—or more accurately, lifespan—to enter.
If players died inside, they wouldn’t die in reality, but the Survival Point penalty was said to be quite severe.
It literally shortened people’s lifespans.
She really shouldn’t be so gleeful about it.
Thinking of this, Wren Lux gently clapped her fair hands, stood back up, stretched, and got back to work.
Opening and ending CGs.
Scripted event issues.
Finally, still feeling a bit uneasy, Wren Lux used visual imagery to control Ethan and run through the flow one last time.
This time, she didn’t focus on the map, but solely on the overall progression.
Two hours later.
Wren Lux stood on the stage at the end of the story once again.
The sound of the helicopter rotors gradually faded away, the wind pressure kicking up dust from the ground.
Then, everything returned to a dead silence.
The sky was a bleak grayish-white.
Only the messy aftermath of the battle remained.
And right at this moment, the system interface in front of her suddenly lit up, and a prompt box slowly unfolded.
[Instance overall structure complete] [World logic closed loop established] [Story progression verification passed] [NPC behavior tree stable] [Core gameplay validation complete] [Instance Status: Ready for Packaging] [Is the instance complete?] [Package the instance?] Wren Lux froze for a moment.
To be honest, she had been so immersed in modifying the flow and running tests for the past two days that she hadn’t really felt a true sense of completion.
But now, the system had given the final confirmation.
She couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
“Submit.” She reached out and tapped confirm.
The next second, the entire instance world vibrated slightly, and countless tiny data streams materialized in the air once more.
Those thin lines were extracted from the ground, walls, trees, and buildings, converging in the sky into a slowly rotating orb of light.
It was as if the entire world was being packaged.
The process wasn’t slow, finishing in no time.
Once it was done…
the system popped up another prompt.
[Completing packaging—] [Instance packaging complete!] [Construction complete.
Commencing scan of instance scene structure and scale.
Rule Stabilization Fee generating…] [Rule Stabilization Fee: 3000 Survival Points] [Congratulations to the Constructor, you have taken your first step.] [The instance is about to go online.
Pre-release notices:] [1.
Before the instance officially goes online, the Constructor must conduct a live verification.] [2.
Verification method: The Constructor must personally enter and complete the instance.] [3.
During the verification period, all of the Constructor’s memories regarding this instance will be temporarily stripped away.] [4.
The Constructor will enter the instance as an ordinary player, but will not need to pay Survival Points as an entry fee.
Memories will be restored upon clearing the instance.
After the Constructor clears the instance, they can receive clear rewards normally.
You will be the first player of your own instance.] [5.
If the Constructor cannot complete the instance, the instance will not go online and will enter the system’s instance pool as a scrapped project.] [The instance’s system rating, clear rewards, and Constructor rewards will be given after the Constructor clears the instance and the instance is in a releasable state.
Some rewards are affected by the Constructor’s clear performance.] [Enter instance live verification?] “?????” Wren Lux was dumbfounded.
Her beautiful eyes widened abruptly, and then her vision went dark.
*Huh???
I have to play it first?* *Wait a minute!
Wait a minute!
Is this even allowed?
No wonder I kept having a bad feeling about this.
It turns out the Constructor is the first unlucky bastard who has to experience the instance!* *Just a moment ago, I was gloating over how much the players were going to suffer!* *Turns out the Constructor is the first one on the chopping block!* *I’m the one who has to suffer?* *And my memories of the instance have to be stripped away?
Is that even reasonable?
What kind of sick joke is this?* *The bullet I fired two days ago just came back to hit me right between the eyes?* Wren Lux grew frantic.
She immediately raised her hand and protested, “I think there are absolutely no problems with the instance I made!
I demand it go online directly!” There was no reaction.
Obviously, this was a mandatory process.
“…” Wren Lux’s pretty face went completely blank.
After standing frozen for a while, she covered her face, squatted down right where she stood, and let out a miserable wail.
At this moment, she felt like a girl trafficked deep into the mountains, utterly devoid of hope, only to discover that her buyer was another woman…
And just as that woman claimed she was actually there to help her find her family, giving her a glimmer of hope, she immediately turned around and admitted she was lying—she really was just there to buy a wife!
*Are you kidding me!!* CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Otaku_Senpaii Want more chapters?