You Can Meet New Ones in the Dungeon

[Gai Li Darwin: Scholar!! Are you crazy?! It's only been ten minutes!]

[Does anyone know who won the third round of the Trait Dungeon today?]

[He should be Scholar, right? Didn't he sign up? And I heard this Dungeon favors magic-based classes, isn't he pretty strong with Spell?]

[It's hard to say. Trait Dungeons are too unpredictable; many top-tier players have been caught off guard and failed. Whoever said that clearly hasn't participated themselves.]

[Jiang Mengrui: He's Scholar, a bit... strong. I was immune to damage thanks to the mechanics, but he almost killed me by bypassing the Dungeon rules.]

[Looks like Miss Jiang got a little dumbfounded by the elbow; she doesn't usually talk like this (evil grin)]

[Miss Jiang! Miss Jiang! Hissing! (Crawling in the shadows)]

[I couldn't hold back anymore. How come there are so many simps on this channel? They don't even know what the other person looks like, yet they can get excited about it...]

[Isn't it normal to get aroused when you see a nice name? You haven't been online enough... Miss Jiang! Hiss hiss!]

So who actually won the third match?

[Xi Ji: Both of us from Zone 76 are now qualified for special features.]

[...]

Xi Ji saw Su Luo looking over, he nodded to her, indicating that the message had been sent.

Su Luo turned off the channel, walked to the table, and casually picked up the "Vast Sea Scroll" that had caused such a huge reaction from Xi Ji and Jun Lebao. She played with it casually in her hand, feeling its material and the strange fluctuations it faintly emitted.

He briefly described his experience in the first half of the Trait Dungeon to Song Shige, especially the part about Spell combinations and numerical superiority, then looked at the thoughtful Song Shige and asked:

"How does that sound compared to your Dungeon?"

Song Shige shook his head and said frankly, "The Dungeon mode you encountered probably isn't suitable for me... Your negative pre- and post-cast timer modifiers are definitely unfair, and that [Goddess of Luck] Damage Immunity... The game mechanics are still too cunning. Want to hear about the one I participated in?"

Su Luo showed interest and smiled slightly, "Of course. But I'm a little curious, you didn't succeed on your first attempt at the Trait Dungeon? Even if your base Attributes weren't at their maximum, with your Talents stacked, your strength should be at least over 22, Attribute?"

Song Shige gave a "don't mention it" look and explained, "Don't think it's easy. You wouldn't win even if you were in that situation. It's a 5v5 team battle with ten players, fighting for control of strongholds and attacking and defending objectives in complex terrain. You get one point for each round you win, and the first team to reach 13 points wins."

As he spoke, Song Shige glanced at the two people beside him. "The mode is a bit like a game that was popular in our world... um... what was it called again? I saw people playing it in the military computer lab."

Xi Ji: "Counter-Strike."

Almost simultaneously, Jun Lebao also uttered another name. "Wa!"

The two exchanged a glance, and the atmosphere instantly became somewhat awkward.

Xi Ji: "Clearly, they're Counter-Strike. Logically speaking, with so many people dead worldwide, the participants most likely don't have mothers, so it's not Wa."

Jun Lebao: "That makes sense... Wait, isn't it perfect for meeting a new mom in the Dungeon? That's it!"

Su Luo and Song Shige: "..."

Song Shige sighed, "Captain Xi, why are you here too... You two can leave now. The special props experience is over, we don't need you here for the time being."

Su Luo and Song Shige watched Xi Ji and Jun Lebao leave until the door closed gently and the room returned to silence, at which point the two continued their conversation.

"In the two Trait Dungeon I participated in, the system also loaded a temporary data panel for us, but the restriction methods were different."

Song Shige recalled calmly, "In the first round, our real-world strength, Constitution Attributes, and related personal abilities were all converted by the system into specific parameters and skills within the Dungeon according to a certain algorithm..."

Su Luo: "That's a bit like... was the mental Attribute of the tile nerfed?"

"That's right. In the first match, the mental Attribute was completely nerfed, rendering it useless. Just like in today's third match, the one you played, the strength Attribute was completely nerfed."

This is why Song Shige said that even if Su Luo participated in that match, she might not be able to win easily. The system's rules and restrictions largely determine which side the scales of victory tip in her favor.

Su Luo nodded slightly, indicating her understanding. Within a specific framework of rules, advantages and disadvantages can be redefined.

Song Shige continued, "Then, it was all about playing a game of strategy using the Attributes and skills provided by the temporary panel... Essence, it was like playing a game with special rules. After I activated my Talent, the stacked temporary strength value was quite considerable, and during the match, I relied on Attribute overpower to get quite a few 'triple kills'."

Su Luo listened quietly, her fingers tracing the rim of the teacup.

"The problem arose after the team won the team battle. According to the Dungeon's mechanics, the next step was a five-person free-for-all within the winning team to compete for the sole qualification for the special feature."

"The most united they ever were, they knew my stats were too high, so they teamed up and took me down."

Song Shige shrugged.

Logically speaking, Main Attribute of 22 points is like an insurmountable chasm compared to an extreme value of 20 points. Under normal circumstances, it would be almost impossible for someone with 20 points of Attribute to inflict effective damage on someone with 22 points of Attribute.

However, once incorporated into the "gamification" balancing system of the Trait Dungeons, the numerical gaps will be compressed. Coupled with the unique Talents, skills, and tactical coordination of other top professionals, it is not surprising that Song Shige was the first to be eliminated.

"The second match is a 100-player battle royale mode. The rules are less restrictive, but mental Attributes are still heavily Suppression." Song Shige changed the subject, looking at Su Luo, "Guess who I ran into in this match?"

"Shan Yixian," Su Luo answered almost without hesitation.

A hint of surprise flashed in Song Shige's eyes, then he understood. "You guessed so accurately? That makes sense, we only know a few people."

"This guy was dressed like he was in winter, wearing seven or eight layers of clothing, and his ten fingers were almost covered with rings."

Su Luo looked at the picture of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) that Song Shige had sent through his Personal Channel, her expression strange.

"[The Collector] profession... his equipment, it's probably all Perfect quality, right? Where did he get so many high-level items? Didn't anyone try to steal them?"

Song Shige laughed, "Guess if there is?"

"But the second round of the Trait Dungeon had very few restrictions on items, allowing them to be used almost to their full potential, which was a huge advantage for him. With his top-tier equipment, he managed to survive until the final round, and then..."

Then Song Shige became number one, and Su Luo could already imagine him eliminating others while enduring a barrage of attacks.