Cheating and Genius

"We crack down hard on privately-run instances that are controlled by individuals, but we're timid and hesitant when it comes to system-generated instances."

That makes no sense.

"You can say it's difficult! You can say we should make more dungeons with support mechanics! You can criticize me! But you absolutely cannot say—"

Privately created copies are simpler if someone is in charge.

"Who would dare to Constructed Instance after this?"

Lu Xiu wasn't particularly angry; she was mainly disappointed in her son's lack of ambition.

These top players actually have such thoughts!

It was only a short time ago.

Lu Xiu still held high hopes for these top players.

It's difficult to Sifu, but there will definitely be capable people who can do it.

As it turns out, there are indeed capable people.

But I'm fighting with myself right now.

Lu Xiu was still talking.

The others, however, did not continue listening.

Training Ground, everyone was stunned after Lu Xiu announced the reward.

"Evolve skills rated S or below ----- times?!"

Yan Fushou's eyes widened slightly, and he murmured in shock.

Not only him, but Li Shengkai and the others beside him also stared wide-eyed.

Skill Evolution!

This is absolutely something that the vast majority of players dream of having.

It's important to know that for many skills, a difference of just one rating can make a world of difference in their effectiveness.

Especially A-rank and S-rank skills!

If this could be upgraded----

Even top-tier players find this very useful; after all, who doesn't have a useful skill with relatively low stats?

Now.

Lu Xiu told them that these skills could be upgraded!

On the field.

Jiang Qiu stared blankly at the agitated girl so close to him, somewhat lost in thought.

Her face was sweet and delicate, her skin so smooth it seemed like it could be broken with a touch, and her fingertips had a healthy pale pink hue. Not only were there no large knuckles, but there wasn't even a trace of calluses or hidden injuries to be seen.

She's so cute.

So, when she Architect's legacy, she also died dozens of times a day?

She completed five highly difficult dungeons—how many times did she die during that time? Did she struggle with the decision? Did she ever consider giving up?

There must be.

But she still managed to create the copy.

It seems like everyone is asking, how exactly did the Architect manage to beat the game?

But no one ever considered how much effort she put in behind the scenes.

And what about myself? It seems like after dying once, I felt the difficulty was ridiculously high.

Just because Lu Xiu passed the test so smoothly, and I couldn't do it, I broke down?

Just because unofficial dungeons are created by players, does that mean they can be made simpler?

Why am I so arrogant?

If the Sifu were a system instance, would I still think this way?

He'll probably just yell at you once, then keep practicing, right?

And so do other ordinary players.

If it's a system-run SS-rank dungeon, would so many people really complain about how difficult it is?

No.

Many people never even enter the instance.

That makes sense.

Architect are human too—how could they possibly complete the game so easily?

On the other side.

After speaking about the mature woman in front of her, Lu Xiu suddenly realized an even more serious problem. She turned to Yan Fushou and the others. "Wait, you guys don't also think that because player-created instances are built, they can be made much simpler, right?"

Yan Fushou and the others came to their senses and then silently looked away.

It's obvious.

They all thought about it----

Only Jian Li gently shook her head.

"Damn system! It's ruined me by promoting this!"

Lu Xiu's expression was somewhat unpleasant, and she pursed her glossy red lips.

She vaguely understood.

Why would even a top-tier player like Jiang Qiu come to question her face-to-face?

The difficulty of Sifu is only one aspect; on the other hand, the phrase "folk version" itself lowers everyone's expectations as if it were an original sin.

Even with so many precedents set up.

However, the presence of a specific Architect in the instance can still influence the judgment.

My impression had already changed after the previous dungeons.

But then, the system happens to promote her game! It even plays clips of her completing the game.

After watching it, the player went back to where they left off.

Architect it so easy.

Sharp!

I should be able to do it too!

No! It's too difficult!

Why is it so difficult for Architect? Just because she can do it doesn't mean everyone else can!

Why can't it be simpler?

Then their patience was tested.

"Feel sorry----"

Just then, Jiang Qiu's voice interrupted Lu Xiu's thoughts.

Jiang Qiu took a deep breath, straightened up, and looked at Lu Xiu.

Lu Xiu also looked over.

"Because it's a privately made copy."

Jiang Qiu said softly, "I had a very arrogant thought. I saw the clips of you verifying your success, but I can't just let my guard down like you did—"

I always assumed you could easily clear the game, without considering the huge price you'd have to pay. Instead, I subconsciously thought it could be made easier, ignoring the rating system and the connection between difficulty and rewards. Then, arrogance took hold of you. If it were a system-generated dungeon, I certainly wouldn't have thought that way."

"There's nothing wrong with your dungeon. The problem is my double standards. I have a huge number of Survival Points and my abilities are pretty good, but I got beaten up by a bunch of monsters with mechanics, so I came to question the Architect about why it was made so abnormally."

But I never thought of overcoming the difficulties to continue playing.

"How cowardly."

I take back all my previous complaints.

"After I get back, I'll enter the dungeon! I won't finish it—"

"I, Jiang Qiu, will never step out of the dungeon!"

Lu Xiu looked at the mature woman in front of her who had a look on her face that said, "I'm going back to grind to death." She said, "You don't need to make such a promise to me. Whether you clear the game or not is your problem, but I hope you can realize that there is a reason why the top dungeon has such a high rating."

The dungeon I've built will definitely have problems, and you're welcome to give me feedback, but I at least hope you can clear it first.

"You are fully capable of doing it; only after you complete the game can you give an overall evaluation."

"Also, I hope you can take a closer look at the enemy's attack methods in the dungeon; this should be helpful. That's all I can say—"

"Hmm... and keep it up!"

Lu Xiu thought for a moment, then looked away and added a sentence.

Looking at Lu Xiu, whose expression had changed slightly, Jiang Qiu felt the last trace of defeat in her heart completely vanish at that moment.

Take Their Place, there's a strange feeling—a delightful sensation of being unexpectedly touched on something endearing.

Are you feeling a little embarrassed about what you just said?

A hint of surprise flickered in Jiang Qiu's eyes, and she smiled gently.

"Good."

"I will definitely beat the game. After I do, I will come back to ask you for advice with the most objective evaluation—and also, you are very amazing."

"Could you tell me about that bizarre way you Neutralize just now? --"

"I leveled up in a dungeon."

Lu Xiu replied, "But in reality, you need skills to achieve that level."

"Understood."

Jiang Qiu took a deep breath, then turned and walked towards the Training Ground exit. As she passed Yan Fushou, she whispered, "Director Yan, I will fulfill my promise to you."

Yan Fushou nodded.

Jiang Qiu then strode away.

Yan Fushou watched her leave before turning his gaze back to Lu Xiu.

Lu Xiu, still standing in the center of the Training Ground, lowered her head slightly and summoned a virtual keyboard, seemingly typing.

Yan Fushou walked over. "Lu Xiu —what's this?"

"I'm thinking of an explanation on the forum; this can't go on like this."

Lu Xiu replied, "How can even top players think that way? Because casual players Don't Look ratings, because they think casual players can make them simpler—"

As they talked...

Lu Xiu, however, didn't know how to explain it.

What should we say, after all?

Did he actually die many times?

It's not actually that difficult?

Or should we say we should act according to our capabilities?

Thinking and thinking.

She thought of Jiang Qiu, who had fought so fiercely just now, and her previous accusations.

"Director Yan."

Lu Xiu was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised her head and looked at Yan Fushou: "Do you think the dungeon I created is difficult even for geniuses?"

Yan Fushou: "That depends on what level of genius you're talking about—you've seen someone at Jiang Qiu's level, and that's equally difficult."

"Shen Nian?"

Lu Xiu then looked at Shen Nian.

Shen Nian said helplessly, "A little."

Lu Xiu looked at Jian Li one last time. Jian Li hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "It's alright."

"Even someone like Jian Li, who's at that level, just thinks it's okay?"

Lu Xiu pondered for a moment, then looked at Yan Fushou again. "So, Director Yan, what level of genius do you think I am? — Although it sounds a bit arrogant to say this, I'm really curious about how others see me."

"No, that's not arrogance."

Yan Fushou shook his head. "What you said is an objective fact. As for which level—the very top."

"Top-tier? You've seen so many different kinds of geniuses, am I even in the top tier?"

"Right!"

"Is this true even without considering miscellaneous skills or Constructed Instance abilities?"

"Yes!"

Lu Xiu fell silent.

Previously, she genuinely felt that she was nothing special.

This is partly because the memories of her past life are still too vivid for her.

Even though the world's instance is a life-or-death trial that requires risking one's life, deep in Lu Xiu's subconscious, it is still vaguely linked to the hardcore action games of her previous life.

In her previous life, during the era of information overload, the gaming industry was a battleground of geniuses, with countless talents emerging.

There are countless insane players who can speedrun through content without taking damage, fight bosses blindfolded, or even kill the final enemy with a wooden stick without leveling up.

In comparison, she felt that she had only managed to anticipate the actions of a group of weaklings, which was at best the level of a skilled worker in front of those true gaming gods.

on the other hand----

This is because she had a somewhat skewed perception of her own abilities.

She always believed that her ability to navigate various high-difficulty dungeons was mainly due to her cheat-like abilities—

In other words, memory is not affected when verifying success.

It can utilize the memories of the previous game while also retaining the memories of all the Constructed Instance.

This allowed her to clear dungeons faster by memorizing the patterns.

But she completely overlooked a very important point.

Dungeons are not static.

To ensure fairness, the system changes the attack methods of many enemies in the dungeon in real time. Although it won't be changed so drastically that even your own mother wouldn't recognize them, how could you possibly pass the dungeon by simply memorizing the patterns?

If that were truly the case, then other Architect could develop muscle memory, and even if that memory were stripped away, they could still clear the game.

Furthermore, in high-pressure life-or-death battles, even if one memorizes the enemy's moves, achieving perfect muscle coordination in an instant to execute one-against-many combat and extreme micro-management is not something an ordinary person can do.

This requires something called talent.

Finally, that's it.

Subconsciously, Lu Xiu always felt that she was a cheater.

Having shed her memories of her past life and her special abilities, she believes that she is essentially still just an ordinary person, someone who would be lost in a crowd.

I don't know if this counts as low self-esteem.

But now, Yan Fushou, the director of the Strategy Group who has seen countless geniuses, told her with extreme certainty.

Even disregarding everything else, she is still a genius among the most talented.

Somewhat unexpected.

So, it turns out I'm a genius?

"I see----"