After waving off the waitress NPC who could barely maintain her expression, Jia Hyson began to eat heartily. The crunch of something deep fried, that unfamiliar but nostalgic taste of oil, fat and heavily processed carbohydrates and sugar…
Jia Hyson covers his chewing mouth with his hand as a tear of satisfaction slides down his eyes.
Ah! Simply heavenly!
Quickly the large platters of food were demolished and he waved for the servers to come back. In the face of junk food and MSG, the handsome and beautiful NPC servers subtly winking and flirting with him were simply more faceless than plain paper. Jia Hyson, not giving them much opportunity to do anything immediately passes the plates back into their hands.
Sex was great but it was an instinct that really can only be prioritized once the basic needs of food and shelter were fulfilled. On a similar vein, sexual pleasures are enjoyable but it could only be third in the face of the pleasures for good food and a soft bed.
To the female waitress he smiles, "Please grab as much fried food as possible. Chips, onion rings, fried chicken, anything greasy and fatty and savoury. Oh and I saw there was a steak table there, I'll have three wagyu steaks, two medium rare and one rare as well as a raw egg and a bowl of rice."
Waitress NPC: …I'm a little jealous.
Jia Hyson then turns to the male waiter and with the same gentle voice he orders, "As for you, can you please fill up the platter with any dessert that isn't jelly. You can pick which ones I don't mind, but I prefer cakes over fruit." After a moment of thought he adds, "Of course it's fine if the fruit are on the cakes or pies. But for ice creams I don't want any fruit flavours."
After all, his own fruit and vegetables were really the only things he could eat to barely satisfy his sense of taste back in his original apocalyptic world. And as the nutrients of the soil got even harder and harder to absorb, he taste of the produce became exceedingly worse to the point that Jia Hyson almost had a shadow in his heart about vegetarianism.
He! Wanted! Meat! Gluten! Diary! (ノಥ益ಥ)ノ彡┻━┻
Both the server NPCs exchanged glances before hurriedly following the commands. Neither of them spoke, but as individuals who still had a large amount of freedom in this instance, they couldn't help but contemplate the identity of this NPC. Generally such good roles like theirs were either randomly assigned to some lucky new souls or snatched up by veteran souls. They, who were part of the latter group naturally had many colourful experiences.
To maximise the suffering though, a lot of details and memories in an instance was very foggy for them. It was the equivalent of recognising you went to a certain restaurant but not remembering what you ate other than the fact that it was tasty.
This was to make them more helpless and unaware of things to come, and to make their future pain fresh in their minds. It was only when they could finally leave an instance that all the past memories would once again hit them, causing them to relive the highlights of their most agonising times and feel fresh stabs of regret at the countless mistakes they've made.
Still, while their memories was foggy their mind was relatively clear, and they at least had their original life's memories and not constructed ones that came from a script. With their varying knowledge of horror media supplemented by the feeling dismay and terror and faint recollections, they could come up with various ideas.
Both of them glance at their assigned special NPC. He was a young man, with slanted bedroom eyes that gave him a dreamy yet flirtatious charm, however he had an overall elegant appearance. While not completely out of the question, he didn't seem like someone from the military, research sector or the streamers, feeling more like one of the rich and noble guests.
But this was a horror world and thus this special young guest that looked elegant and polite must hold something terrifying in his heart. Given their task… it couldn't be this was some perverted cannibal killer was it? Would that mean they had to slowly cater to more and more extreme requests until they had to help kill and carve out body parts for the NPC to eat??
The waiter and waitress NPC balked at their own thoughts. Maybe they've done worse before, maybe they've experienced more twisted things, but right now they were just two people who knew that they were veterans in this strange system but truly felt they had only recently died, with their original lives fresh in their minds. Any experiences in previous instances blurred and their emotions in those already blurred memories more or less cut off, allowing them the freshest of torment.
So while their morals couldn't be defined as great, not even good, but things like personally murdering someone? They, they couldn't do it!
Thinking all sorts of messy thoughts, their bodies were very honest and were collecting the food just as the other had ordered them to. Jia Hyson, meanwhile, was looking through his phone with nostalgic novelty.
Pressing the button, seeing the screen turn on to show the date and time on the lock screen, the facial recognition, the apps, oh the apps…
Ah, he really can't get over it.
Hot food, phone, modern conveniences, and modern luxuries, Jia Hyson really felt so moved with every little thing. To be honest if Pero had presented him these things beforehand, if he had landed in an instance that was set in a five-star hotel, forget negotiations- Jia Hyson was pretty sure he would've kowtowed and offered his mind, body and soul straight up.
Pero: I suddenly have the feeling of loss that comes after feeling satisfied over a purchase, only to realise it went on sale the next day.
[Is there any game you are interested in?] Pero asks curiously as he sees the other scroll back and forth through the phone with joy but without any real goal or intention. In the phone was some basic apps that a young person would have but overall there wasn't much else. [If you have any in mind I can recommend the world's equivalent. And if there is none then I can simply create the game for you.]
Jia Hyson: …Fuck, that's so convenient!
Jia Hyson was a little glad he wasn't particularly attached to gaming in his original life, otherwise such an offer would've been very dangerous indeed. Right now he's just a little technology hungry.
Thinking about it for a moment, he's the most addicted to farming games. Kairohard games, Sundew Valley, Demon Crossing… however if he asks for such games now, forget about the plan, Jia Hyson really feels he won't even come out of his room for five days straight to play his heart out.
After a few minutes Jia Hyson requested the simple, puzzle game of Cookie Crush. Pero easily produced it and soon a familiar looking app icon was now on his phone.
"That's great!" Jia Hyson praises before going to search for online novels to read instead.
Pero: …So what was the point?
"Well," Jia Hyson hums as he spears a steak with his fork, the vibrant red blood leaking out. "I like to read while I eat."
Fortunately the world was really complete enough and the online novel presence was pretty good. It's just, Jia Hyson frowns as he scrolls through the options. The instance world's books really didn't suit his current tastes. A mix of fairytales, dark short stories, horror and melodramatic soap operas… should he say, as expected of a horror instance?
"Tsk." Jia Hyson clicks his tongue, scrolling in frustration as he tears into a fried chicken drumstick, the crunch of the golden coating delighting the senses. However such a delicious sound did not make the pair of NPCs serving him salivate, instead they looked on in horror.
This special NPC they must take care of looks so refined and elegant, clearly belonging to a rich family, so… why does he eat so brutally?
The steak he ate before was not cut at all but torn apart with his teeth, large chunks of red meat that would be slowly chewed and swallowed in a manner that reminded them a little of a wood chipper. The type you see in serial killer movies where the victim slowly gets chewed up into little pieces. To be honest, they seriously suspected that if the other was less interested in keeping the phone clean, he would definitely have discarded the fork he was using and just begin to eat with his hands.
Server NPCs: Fuck… no matter how you think about it, this man should be a weirdo with extremely perverted eating habits and won't be satisfied easily. QAQ QwQ
Finally, feeling he was wasting too much time scrolling and looking for something, rather than enjoying the meal, Jia Hyson pulls up the StreamUs app that the players were meant to be on.
'Are there funny skits on here?' He asks to Pero internally. 'It's okay to have the horror element but ultimately I still want something comedic and lighthearted.' After all he had become more perverted but he still wasn't at the level of relishing in watching gore while eating… well not often anyway.
Pero takes a second to manipulate the app to open to a comedy group's profile. [This one is pretty good.] He says a little tentatively. After all it's the first time the system has experienced the anxiety of recommending a funny video to someone. [StreamUs is a more complete app so there is indeed more variety of established genres here. However naturally, the horror videos are the most popular which is to best explain why a lot of 'streamers' do so many horror challenges.]
Jia Hyson couldn't fully wrap his head around the logistics of this. To his recollection, most infinite flow stories will have instances that are set in the same world as each other but ultimately are more like linked chains. This makes sense given that instances generally will reset every time. However Pero ambitiously has created a generally complete small world to the best of his abilities, and not just one either. No matter how you look at it, there is probably a net loss of energy here.
Still…
"You're really amazing." Jia Hyson sighs under his breath with sincere admiration. He can create detailed worlds with his stories but it's simply a two-dimensional cartoon compared to actually creating a real world. Various instances have their own stories, gods and mythologies, and to find a way to incorporate multiple of them into a larger narrative is seriously impressive.
Even though there's multiple worlds with their own groups of instances, there's many individuals and groups that overlap many of them. Such a thing is really not easy and even small inconsistencies would slowly snowball into big logical plot holes if not corrected properly. Not to mention introducing overarching stories like this was not necessary either, and really can only be attributed to Pero's interest and passion.
Creating such an incredibly complex multiverse of horror is something Jia Hyson deeply appreciates.
Pero, naturally can feel the genuine sincerity behind the words of praise and was even more delighted. It's not like he hasn't heard such words before but most players would only say such this in sarcasm, making it clear they weren't even the slightest bit appreciative or touched by the efforts he was making.
Players: …Sorry we're so unappreciative!
┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻
With the system's recommendations, Ji Hyson began to watch and eat with relish. Good food and good entertainment was a simple yet appreciated luxury.
…
Meanwhile, the players did not share the same feeling of relaxation at all. For the newcomers they were nervous and in disbelief, while most of the veterans of varying levels were busy taking this unusually long safety period to establish friendships and figure out any clues or important information to better prepare themselves for when they finally step onto the island.
"Hey don't you think it's strange?" One murmurs to their companion as she looks around strangely, "The overall appearances of all the players are like, super high."
"You face-con," Her companion rolls her eyes but there's a hint of consideration after a moment of looking around, "But now that you mention it your right, I've not seen anyone who doesn't look objectively super attractive. Do you think beauty plays a factor in this new version of Unicorn Island?"
"Well… there's always shops in these fancy cruises right?" The first player tentatively bites her lip as she considers her appearance in comparison to some others. "If so then maybe I'll just go take a look. Plus I can get that unique beauty vlogger angle for the viewers you know?"
"You… are a fucking genius, girl. I'll come with you!"
"Yay! Shopping time!"
Overhearing the pair of female players, a few others glance at each other assessingly. "Their observation holds some weight…" One handsome young man in a suit frowns, touching a large jagged scar on his forehead a bit self-consciously. But then his eyes glint coldly. "However who knows if being beautiful is a good thing or not."
His companion pulls out his phone to open up the camera to check his own face out. "Damn, don't say that. If that's the case you're the only one safe!" He despairs.
"…"
Among the clamouring, a nervous young man stood awkwardly unsure what to do, a slightly blank look in his almond shaped eyes. He was good looking but not necessarily outstanding compared to most of the others, giving off a plain but clean and soft feeling that felt pleasant the more you look at him. The young man in a way can be considered attractive with his aura, an innocent lamb among the predatory carnivores and opportunistic omnivores.
Unfortunately lambs were not very useful in this world unless they're used for slaughter.
Xiao Yi glances at the players quickly breaking off into groups with a sense of dismay and panic. Opening and closing his mouth, he can't find it in him to say a word, his brain still slowly processing sentences finished half a conversation ago.
The feeling of anxiety and isolation was nothing new, but the ever present dread truly made it hard for him to remain calm. After all, Xiao Yi couldn't grasp much but at the very least he understood this inexplicable new world he came in after he died was not a kind one. And there will be no kind grocery shop uncle who will patiently help him out if he didn't calculate the correct amount of money for his purchase, nor a grandma who will hug him and tell him he's doing the best he can when he's having a bad day.
Thinking about his grandma, Xiao Yi's eyes begin to well up with tears. His grandma…
He has to get back.
Mustering up the courage the young man tries to walk over to some nearby players. However his speech was slow, and his responses not any better, causing great impatience. In fairness, Xiao Yi was truly doing his best, but for veteran players every second was crucial and there was enough players around that having another newbie cannonfodder in the group wasn't as appealing anymore.
Dejected, Xiao Yi's eyes redden feeling his life was ending but he couldn't do much about it, also aware he would be a burden. Walking around helplessly, he wipes his tears with his sleeves stubbornly. "It's okay… it's okay.." He shakily comforts himself. "Just one day at a time.." He mumbles, remembering what his grandma told him. "One day at a time…"
As long as he lives today he can work on the problems of tomorrow. And maybe if he just focuses on surviving a day longer he will finally see a day where he can go home to grandma.
After a few minutes of slowly muttering his mantra, Xiao Yi lifts his head up, his soft look now pitiful and beautiful with red rimmed teary eyes. Coughing a little from the dryness in his throat the young man purses his lips before looking around at the signs and nearby map, slowly making his way to the buffet area.
Not realising the moment he enters he will really be a lamb for slaughter.
…
Extra:
Jia Hyson: I think it's time to order some lamb (っ˘ڡ˘)っ─∈
Xiao Yi: Ꮚ•ꈊ•Ꮚ Baa?