Chapter 16
Chapter 16
【Scenario complete. Calculating rewards.】
【Earned experience points: 500, game currency: 0】
【Items/equipment obtained: None】
【Completed/accepted tasks: 0/0】
【Special hidden tasks completed: 0, World lore deciphered: None】
【Terror Value surge: 0 times, Maximum Terror Value: 0%, Average Terror Value: 0%】
【Your fear rating is "Fearless." No additional rewards for this mode.】
【Reward calculation complete. Proceed.】
A brief explanation of multiplayer mode reward mechanics is needed here.
In Terrifying Paradise, the number of monsters you kill personally doesn’t affect final experience gains—all experience is distributed after the scenario concludes. As long as a player doesn’t severely hinder the scenario’s progress or cause counterproductive outcomes, all survivors receive equal experience. Only players who embody the worst "deadweight teammate" tropes will face experience point deductions during calculation.
This system prevents "mob stealing" and "overkill" issues. Some players, desperate to secure loot or experience shares, resort to absurdly excessive attacks—like using rocket launchers to kill dogs—just to out-damage teammates. Such behavior isn’t just inefficient; it’s a waste of team resources.
However, this mechanic creates another problem: if experience is equal regardless of kills, players might avoid combat to conserve vitality and stamina. But this isn’t entirely true. Active, skilled combatants earn skill points—a reward system explained later.
Beyond killing monsters, Terrifying Paradise eliminates traditional "loot drops." Killing a mummy won’t magically spawn a sword, shield, or gun. At best, you might tear off decaying bandages or shriveled muscles by hand—then the system will display an item description so hilariously useless it’ll make you want to scream. See 【stone】 for reference.
Acquiring equipment in this game is… creatively challenging. Outside puzzle-based storage areas, most non-essential items—including gear—require active searching. A Spider-Man bodysuit in a shop window might be worthless or a rare "fine" grade item. A sewer might hide dual blades, twin daggers, nunchaku, or staffs.
To obtain gear in scenarios, you need one of three things: intelligence, luck, or diligence. The first two are fickle, but diligence simply demands time. Of course, searching requires combat readiness—scenarios rarely grant free roam time, and stamina depletion remains a factor.
As for acquiring gear outside scenarios, the internal test phase offers nothing, but public testing will introduce the "Exchange"—where game currency and skill points can purchase items.
Game currency functions like any other game’s: buy store items, bid at auctions, or trade directly.
Skill points, however, are rare. They’re non-tradable and exclusive to one place: the "Scare Box"—the system’s special shop. No one knows why it’s named that, but rumors suggest the goods might literally scare you.
The Scare Box sells two things:
1. Game currency at a 1:10 exchange rate (player-to-system only).
2. Scenario-exclusive items like Feng Bu Jue’s 【blood wraith must die】 from the Newbie Tutorial. That sword was a plot device—unrestricted by level or proficiency—to help him defeat the Bloodless Corpse, an otherwise impossible foe. Such items vanish from scenarios but enter the Scare Box as "recycled" goods. Their attributes adjust: usage conditions change, scenario-specific effects alter, and skill cards often become permanent—but harder to learn.
The Scare Box remains closed during internal testing due to limited inventory. Public testing will flood the system, so developers will purge unsold items after seven real-world days to manage clutter.
Internal testers max at level 20. Since level advantages vanish in queue-based scenarios and currency can be bought later, the biggest post-launch edge lies in stockpiled skill points. Only testers will afford the Scare Box’s initial offerings—a head start on priority purchases.
This brings us back to combat incentives: fighting earns skill points. Not everyone excels at puzzles, but anyone can fight. The system rewards "efficiency-boosting actions" with skill points—whether solving puzzles or combat feats like high-efficiency kills, multi-kills, or using environmental traps.
Take Feng Bu Jue’s Newbie Tutorial: if he’d kicked down the door instead of searching for a key, he’d still earn skill points. The trick? Technique matters. Most would kick head-on, wasting energy. A side or spinning kick saves stamina. Using efficient methods nets ~10 points—even if less than puzzle-solving.
Two paths emerge:
- Thinkers gain massive skill points via puzzles and lore decryption.
- Fighters accumulate gradually through combat.
But both face pitfalls. The game despises recklessness. Terror mechanics exist to provoke panic—like using rocket launchers on dogs. In Terrifying Paradise, rational combat yields rewards. A rocket leaves scraps; a clever dog-whacking method gives fur and stew.
…
Feng Bu Jue reviewed his reward data in the landing zone, then opened his menu. He’d hit level 4—stamina maxed at 400/400, experience reset to 0/400. Leveling costs seem linear for now (100 XP per level, matching stamina growth). Official guides omit late-game data, so exponential costs remain possible.
"Jue Ge, I jumped straight to level 3! And just 30 XP from level 4!" Wang Tan Zhi’s voice crackled through the comms.
"I figured." Feng calculated their XP gap—only 30 skill points from the Newbie Tutorial separated them. "If we reran multiplayer training, we’d hit level 5. But this mode’s inefficient. Team Survival Mode is the real meat. Problem is, we’re gear-starved. Enter a team underleveled, and we’ll drag others down."
"Drag who down? Team?!" Wang blinked.
"You didn’t read the manual, did you?" Feng sighed. "Team Survival Mode runs 2–6 players via queue. If we queue six, we’re fine. But as a duo, we’ll join randoms in 3–6 player scenarios. If we die, we’ll only get partial XP based on contributions pre-death—not full rewards.
Plus loot distribution’s cutthroat. Ungrouped players keep what they find. No one shares unless it’s scenario-locked trash they can’t use. People hoard even useless gear—wouldn’t give away a ‘junk’ item for free unless they profit."
Wang nodded. "So we need stronger stats now. Without proficiency levels, even if someone gifts us gear, we can’t use it."
"Exactly. Disband the team. Let’s grind Singleplayer Survival Mode (Common)."
"You’re just ditching me to solo?!"
Feng smirked. "The multiplayer training gave us bonus XP—this scenario’s clearly not meant for boss kills. Escape-based clears probably only give 300 XP. But since we’re leveling fast, soloing Common mode to level 5 makes sense. Boosts stamina, unlocks proficiencies, maybe gear/skills."
"Fine. You’ll see my game status in friends list, right?"
"Yup. Whoever finishes first waits. We’ll hit level 5 in an hour, then try Legendary Team Survival Mode."
(End of Chapter)
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