Chapter 1 The Infinite World

December 1st marked the official launch of Thriller Paradise v1.50 Final Edition—Infinite Worlds.

At midnight that day, the game servers reached an unprecedented peak load; millions chose to log in at the first moment to experience the changes brought about by the new version.

But those few from Hell's Frontline... didn't join in the excitement.

After all, they weren't professional gamers and didn't need to rush to level up. Besides, having experienced most of the new features during the "limited-time experience" period, they lacked the enthusiasm.

However, Feng Bujue... still went online right on time.

Moreover, he wasn't here to play Thriller Paradise tonight, but rather...

[Welcome to the Game Login Space. The following are all the game projects provided by Dream Inc. Please select one to log in to.]

This was the first time Feng Bujue had selected the "Game Project Switch" option in the login space.

Previously, the only option on the screen had been [Thriller Paradise], but now, there was another one—[Crazy Thinking].

[This game is suitable for all ages. We wish you a pleasant gaming experience.]

Unlike the somewhat intimidating login prompt for [Thriller Paradise] (Age sixteen or older; users with heart conditions, mental illnesses, or related medical histories are advised not to engage with this project), the login prompt for [Crazy Thinking] was quite normal.

After the voice prompt, the usual options of "Confirm Login," "Cancel," and "Related Disclaimer" popped up on the touchscreen.

Feng Bujue's habit hadn't changed either. He spent five minutes reading through the long and tedious disclaimer, which most people wouldn't even finish in twenty minutes.

Then, he chose to log in.

Instantly, a thick, white stream of data flowed over the top of the elevator and slowly "scanned" the entire elevator car from top to bottom like a moving "filter."

After about a dozen seconds, this "scan conversion" was completed.

The "style" of the entire elevator, including Jue Ge himself, had undergone some changes.

If the game graphics of [Thriller Paradise] were high-quality realistic CG, then the graphics of [Crazy Thinking] were a "faux 2D," "retro-style" 3D comic rendering.

[Welcome to the world of Crazy Thinking. The system has detected that you have purchased another product from our company, "Thriller Paradise." Do you wish to use the character appearance and nickname from Thriller Paradise?]

After the conversion was complete, this voice prompt sounded, and a dialog box appeared in front of Jue Ge.

Without much consideration, Feng Bujue chose "Yes."

[Confirmed. P.S. Players using Thriller Paradise character names will have a special mark next to their nicknames.]

After this line of subtitles flashed, there were no further prompts.

Feng Bujue turned his head to look; the buttons next to the elevator door, such as "Conference Room" and "Storage Room," had all disappeared. Now there was only one button next to the door, and it read [dueL!].

A simple word, plus an exclamation point, didn't need much explanation. Anyone with the soul of a duelist would be fired up upon seeing this word.

"Hmm... I wonder what happens if I press it now?" Jue Ge immediately pressed it to try.

[Please prepare for the duel first.]

The voice prompt came the moment he pressed it.

"Alright..." Feng Bujue shrugged and returned to the touchscreen.

It may be hard for many people to believe... the operating interface of [Crazy Thinking] was much more complex than that of [Thriller Paradise]. The reason... was naturally because many of the game's features were completed on the screen in the login space.

For example, in [Thriller Paradise], buying things required players to "run" to many places, such as NPC stores, auction houses, puzzle card exchanges, scare boxes, and so on... the forms and content of the transactions were also diverse.

In [Crazy Thinking], all of these things had to be done in front of the screen, in the "online store."

For example, the "newbie tutorial" of [Thriller Paradise] was in the form of a script that players experienced.

But [Crazy Thinking]... didn't provide that kind of "interactive tutorial" at all. This game directly listed the rules and let you flip through them yourself. If you understood, you understood; if you didn't understand... you would understand after losing a few more games. Anyway, there would be relevant prompts during the actual gameplay.

In addition, the modes and settings of [Crazy Thinking]... were re~ally numerous.

Don't let the fact that this game had just officially launched fool you; it felt more mature and complete than card games that had been operating for many years.

First, let's talk about the "game experience" part. As we all know, for games that are primarily PvP, it is extremely important to avoid players with too much of a skill gap from encountering each other in random matchmaking.

Dream Inc. paid close attention to this point. Therefore, [Crazy Thinking] already had a "strength zone" setting on November 25th... the day it opened.

The current 1.0 version mainly has four zones: [Newbie], [Advanced], [Expert], and [Master]. The system will determine which strength zone a player should be assigned to based on three values.

These three values are: "Skill Level," determined by data such as win count, win rate, winning points, and hidden points; "Character Level," which is increased through experience; and the most intuitive "Deck Strength Value."

Of course, the game also provides a [Non-Differential] zone for players to use...

Next, let's talk about the "gameplay" part; in addition to the common 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3, there are also some modes that adopt special rules, such as 1v2, 1v3, three-person free-for-all, three-person rotation battle, four-person cross battle, single-player survival consecutive battle, double-player survival consecutive battle, random card selection battle, mirror battle (both sides use completely identical decks), etc.; In addition, there are many bizarre options for matchmaking methods. The basic ones include "random matchmaking," "friend battle," and "fixed table duel." The alternative ones include "underdog challenge matchmaking," "handicap matchmaking (first give specific handicap conditions before joining the queue)," "same age group matchmaking," "gender matchmaking," "zodiac matchmaking," and so on.

Finally, the stakes for winning or losing can also be defined. In addition to the usual winning/losing points duels, there are also extra "card gambling wins/losses," "half-table bidding," and so on.

In short, even though it's a card game, [Crazy Thinking] still has the quality of a "big production," upholding Dream Inc.'s consistent standards, and exuding a sense of "seriousness" everywhere.

"Okay... let's see if that guy is here yet." After browsing the screen for a while, Feng Bujue entered the [Non-Differential Zone] and found a password-protected table named "Organizer and Crazy Crow" in "District Group 233."

"Heh... he really is punctual." After muttering, Jue Ge clicked on the table name and entered a password "20551129," and then successfully logged into the table.