Old Cat was still lying on the cliff. He, too, had spotted the Bohemian soldiers slowly approaching from both sides. Their vivid blue uniforms stood out glaringly in the sunlight; even the pines could not conceal them.
At that moment, Old Cat's heartbeat abruptly quickened, and his breathing grew rapid.
It was not fear, but an involuntary physical response. Once his brain recognized the danger, his body naturally began secreting adrenaline.
The hormone filled his entire body with strength. His muscles tightened, and he felt as though every cell was preparing for the coming fight. His reactions became extraordinarily sharp, too. He could clearly hear his own heartbeat and feel the rhythm of blood surging through his veins.
"It really feels real..."
Old Cat marveled sincerely. He had played plenty of games, including single-player AAA stealth titles praised as "hardcore," but however exciting those virtual experiences were, they ultimately lacked this sense of actually being there.
In those games, a simple thought could make his character perform all sorts of complex movements, yet there was always a layer separating them. He felt he was issuing orders to a body rather than controlling it.
That feeling was a little complicated and awkward to describe. If he had to make a comparison, it was like taking a graduation exam with a female teacher while wearing a rubber.
In Empire, however, he could truly feel every breath his character took, every heartbeat, every tightening muscle.
He could feel adrenaline surging through him and his body preparing for the coming fight. That realism made him feel as though he were actually standing on a dangerous battlefield, rather than controlling a virtual character from a first-person perspective.
This feeling... it really was easy to get addicted to.
That was also why, despite how hardcore and