Cleaning Up and Some Thoughts

Lu Xiu's bedroom.

At this moment, she was unaware of what was happening outside.

Although I guessed that players would re-enter the Witch Instance's dungeon after learning about its hidden mechanics, and then face the challenge of reversing the ending, they would definitely have something to say----

But this time, it wasn't that she forgot about the player experience when Constructed Instance; rather, it was a necessary increase in difficulty.

Therefore, Lu Xiu was no longer in a hurry to pay attention to player feedback.

After all, she had a pretty good idea of how the players would react.

Going to see it now is just a matter of player emotions; she plans to wait until a certain number of people have completed the reverse ending before going to see it.

At this moment, Lu Xiu was sitting on the floor, surrounded by a pile of clothes of all shapes and styles.

There were soft, fitted knitwear, skirts and dresses of various lengths, wide-leg pants with a good drape, casual sweatshirts—and even a few outfits she had never heard of in her previous life.

Lu Xiu casually picked up a beige knitted sweater.

These are all items I kept from before. They're not very expensive brands, but there are quite a few of them, with all sorts of styles and types.

As for why there are so many.

It's not surprising.

Although she only had her grandmother as family growing up, her life wasn't too hard; her grandmother doted on her. And after her grandmother passed away and the World Gamification, she had a considerable number of Survival Points converted from her good health. Furthermore, textiles were very cheap in the early stages of the game; only equipment with attributes was valuable then. And since she was in her adolescence, she gradually accumulated a large collection.

The reason Lu Xiu only had 23 Survival Points left was mainly because she was tricked.

Otherwise, it really wouldn't have come to this.

"Categorizing them is such a hassle—"

Lu Xiu looked at the cardigan in her hand, then at the clothes on the ground, and regretted her sudden urge to tidy up her clothes. She usually wore the same few outfits. When she moved to Chen Capital, she only brought a few sets of her usual clothes with her. Her other personal belongings were packed and delivered by staff from the Coordination Bureau.

She hadn't expected so much—

never mind.

Lu Xiu looked at the clothes on the ground and then started to move.

Let's dig these out and see which ones we don't want.

She sighed and began to separate the clothes by season and style, then took out storage boxes to put them in different boxes.

"Pants, skirts, and even stockings... wait, an off-the-shoulder sweater? Why buy this kind of clothing? Is it hot or cold?"

While complaining, Lu Xiu put the folded clothes into the storage box.

soon.

The clothes on the ground started to decrease, but not quickly.

When Lu Xiu encountered clothes she wasn't familiar with, she would hold them up in front of her. Her memories of the original clothes were clear in every aspect—but she was vague about how many clothes she didn't wear in her wardrobe.

I don't know why.

As more and more new types were discovered, Lu Xiu found that if the categories were too detailed, her own storage boxes wouldn't be enough.

How about we throw some away?

As Lu Xiu pondered this, she gently shook the clothes in her hands.

And just then...

Knock knock.

A knock suddenly sounded on the door.

Lu Xiu responded.

Shen Nian pushed open the door, carrying with her the resentment of having just been devoured by hundreds upon hundreds of vengeful spirits.

Just as I entered.

She wanted to start from zero frames and had already prepared dozens of lines accusing Lu Xiu.

But when Shen Nian saw the scene inside the room, she still couldn't say anything.

The last rays of the setting sun shone through the translucent window curtains and fell onto the floor.

Meanwhile, Nine Provinces's top Architect was casually sitting on the floor, making full use of his flexible physique and graceful posture.

She was surrounded by a cluster of softly colored clothes, the glow of the setting sun softening her delicate and sweet profile, even revealing the fine, soft downy hairs on her fair skin.

Lu Xiu turned her head, still holding a half-folded skirt in her hand. Her clear black and white eyes reflected Shen Nian's figure. "What's wrong?"

"

"

Shen Nian's resentment vanished instantly, leaving her completely deflated.

She sighed, walked over to Lu Xiu, adjusted the hem of her black and white maid outfit, sat down next to her, and said listlessly, "I think I might be possessed—"

"Shall I find you a Daoist priest?"

Lu Xiu stopped folding clothes. "By the way, are Daoists useful in a game-like world?"

Looking at Lu Xiu's deceptively beautiful face, Shen Nian gently shook her head, giving up the struggle, and asked weakly, "I just want to ask—why did you set the difficulty of reversing the ending so ridiculously high?"

"Well—I should be able to say that."

Lu Xiu placed a folded dress into the storage box beside her, and thought for a moment, "Because we have to set an ending that represents the highest difficulty of the dungeon as an anchor point, otherwise, let alone the rating, other endings will not be valid."

"If players could easily save the real Viola through a few lines of dialogue or simple actions, without that demanding reversal ending, then the players would be a joke—because if players couldn't even achieve such a simple reversal, the logic of the normal ending would become invalid, and the entire instance would collapse."

It is precisely because the reverse ending is so demanding that it proves the Witch's cunning and that achieving the normal ending is justified.

Otherwise, wouldn't it make you look like you've lost your minds?

"..

Upon hearing these words...

Shen Nian opened her mouth, only to find that she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

She lowered her head in dejection, and even her once vibrant and pretty short hair seemed to have lost its vitality, hanging down limply.

She was completely unable to file a complaint.

Lu Xiu glanced at her subtly, secretly relieved.

She had a pretty good idea why Shen Nian had barged in so aggressively.

----I didn't expect that I could actually fool them.

Are you tidying up? Let me help you.

Shen Nian stood there dejected for a moment, then moved forward, grabbed a coat from the ground, and helped Lu Xiu pick up the clothes scattered all over the floor.

Since we're already here...

"Thanks."

Lu Xiu thanked her, as she was actually finding it troublesome.

It would be better if someone could help.

After a while...

"Speaking of which----"

Shen Nian put the folded pleated skirt into the storage box, looked around at the various styles of skirts, and couldn't help but ask, "You have so many skirts in your closet, why don't I often see you wearing them?"

"I don't want to wear it."

Lu Xiu casually grabbed a pair of casual trousers and shook them, saying, "Why make things difficult for yourself, especially when you're fighting? Not everyone is Jian Li. Wearing trousers can at least prevent your legs from getting scratched by gravel or bushes, right?"

"Really."

Shen Nian was taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded in deep agreement.

Then, the image of Jian Li, who always wore a dress, involuntarily appeared in her mind.

"I really don't know how Jian Li endured it."

Shen Nian subconsciously said, "I think she always seems to wear dresses."

"Then you just don't understand."

Lu Xiu stopped what she was doing, held up a slender white finger, and gently waved it in front of Shen Nian: "This is what a young girl is like. Getting hurt is nothing. Looking good is the most important thing. And don't you think it looks good?"

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

Shen Nian turned her head and looked into Lu Xiu's clear, beautiful eyes, noticing the mischievous smile in them. Then her gaze naturally moved down to her fair and delicate legs.

Who are you praising? -- You really have no self-awareness.

However, it was also thanks to her.

In just a few words.

The frustration and resentment that Shen Nian felt from the repeated tragic deaths in the dungeon, unable to reverse the outcome no matter what she tried, miraculously dissipated completely.

It has to be said.

That's amazing.

Shen Nian gently shook her head, then revealed a gentle smile, and picked up another piece of clothing from the pile to fold.

This time, however, what she bought was not normal clothes, but a piece of underwear.

As Shen Nian folded clothes, she couldn't help but glance up at Lu Xiu, who was folding clothes beside her with her head slightly lowered. Due to her sitting posture, the beautiful curve of the girl's chest was clearly outlined and attracted attention.

Shen Nian leaned closer, and asked in a low voice with some curiosity, "Speaking of which, Lu Xiu, if I may be so bold as to ask, what is your size?"

"

Lu Xiu let out a slightly puzzled nasal sound, then looked up. When she followed Shen Nian's gaze and saw the clothes in his hand, she instantly realized what was going on.

She gave Shen Nian a slight glare. "Why do you ask so many questions? Clean up!"

That's all.

She lowered her head slightly and continued folding the clothes in her hands.

Although she seemed impatient, Shen Nian still keenly noticed that Lu Xiu's ears had turned red.

Oh, it was shyness.

I thought she could face anything calmly—I was prepared for her to ask me questions in return.

Shen Nian's eyes widened slightly, as if she had discovered New World, and she was about to say something more.

Knock knock.

The knocking sounded again.

Lu Xiu responded again.

The door was pushed open again, Jian Li appeared in the doorway.

She noticed Shen Nian immediately, mainly because Shen Nian was holding Lu Xiu's clothes.

Killing intent!

here we go again!

Shen Nian's body stiffened slightly.

What are you doing?

I'll report you for bullying.

Shen Nian turned to look at Jian Li, pursed her glossy red lips, and suddenly felt a little resentful. She had come to help, but hadn't done anything, so why was she glaring at her? Lu Xiu wasn't hers—

Thinking of this...

Shen Nian didn't look away; instead, she straightened her back and cautiously glared back.

He seemed both cowardly and brave.

Jian Li calmly gazed at Shen Nian.

"You beat the game?"

Lu Xiu felt incredibly energetic and didn't notice what the two were doing. She put another folded piece of clothing into the storage box, looked up at Jian Li standing in the doorway, and asked, "Still not doing well even with the reverse ending?"

"You've cleared the level."

Jian Li looked away and went to Lu Xiu's other side, sitting down next to her as well.

Upon hearing this...

Shen Nian's straightened back bent instantly.

That once again, her pretty short hair lost its vitality.

----Devastated.

"It's alright, you'll be there soon too."

Seeing the bespectacled maid suddenly become dejected, Lu Xiu smiled and offered a word of comfort.

Shen Nian waved her hand, raised her head again, and continued tidying up the clothes listlessly.

Lu Xiu looked at Jian Li again and asked curiously, "So what reward did you receive?"

Jian Li showed the reward to Lu Xiu.

[Skill Name: Take Their Place]

[Rating: SS]

[Type: Active Skill]

[Effect Description:]

1. Imitation: During combat, if you observe any active skill used by the target, you can forcibly convert it into a counterfeit and store it in your own skill bar (for a maximum of five minutes). The skill can be released, but the final power and judgment effect of the counterfeit skill will be forcibly reduced by 30%, and the original exclusive passive skill of the target cannot be triggered. The higher the target's skill sequence, the lower the success rate of imitation. It is ineffective for high-level skills such as talent skills.

2. Same Origin: While the counterfeit skill is in your skill bar, you will gain same-origin resistance against the original target. When the target uses the original skill on you, the final damage you receive will be forcibly reduced by 80%, and you will be completely immune to any control or stun effects associated with that skill. (Skills without damage effects are ineffective.)

[Cooldown time: 3 hours]

[Consumable: None]

[Note: Putting on your clothes, imitating your movements and tone, only to discover—a fake is ultimately just a fake.]

""

After reading the skill description, Lu Xiu was somewhat surprised and subconsciously glanced at the Ellen's Headband on her wrist.

It's actually a variant of an accessory skill.

Although both are rated SS, this skill is clearly more geared towards countering mechanics—while the skill characteristic brought by Ellen's Headband is stripping.

----Don't even mention damage reduction.

They've banned all your skills!

If I had to choose, I feel that Ellen's Headband was better.

At least Lu Xiu preferred the skills displayed on the hairband.

But this isn't bad either.

However, this skill seems to be ineffective against her—because she still has Viola's headband.

"That's pretty impressive----"

Lu Xiu gave a fair assessment, then looked at the damage reduction effect and suddenly had a brilliant idea. "Would this be helpful to the front lines—could monster skills be imitated?"

"I'm not quite sure----"

Jian Li gently shook her head. "What skills to train for the front lines is still undecided and will probably require further discussion."

"I see----"

Lu Xiu nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Jian Li closed the System Panel, then thought for a moment, and naturally reached out and picked up a hoodie as well.

Although her movements were a little clumsy, clearly indicating that she rarely did this kind of housework, Jian Li still followed Lu Xiu's example, sitting quietly on the floor bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, her head slightly bowed, and carefully folding the clothes.

Don't be discouraged.

Lu Xiu gently nudged Shen Nian's arm with her elbow, who had been silent since the beginning. "Now that you've found a way out, how could you not pass the level?"

95

Shen Nian nodded in response to Lu Xiu's words of comfort, even though she wasn't actually upset about it.

Next.

The sunlight was serene, and the three of them sat side by side on the sun-drenched floor, chatting idly while tidying up their clothes.

Lu Xiu sat in the middle, with Shen Nian, who was as cold as frost and snow, with her silver hair tied into twin ponytails at the bottom, on her Jian Li.

Although the bedroom was not small, it was filled with clothes, making them appear unusually close together.

The air was filled with the faint fragrance of clothes, a beautiful and peaceful atmosphere.

This was a rare experience for Lu Xiu.

It feels pretty good.

"Lu Xiu, do we really need to categorize things so meticulously?"

But as they tidied up...

Shen Nian suddenly noticed something was wrong and said, "Why are skirts and pants separated? Even if you have that many storage boxes, your wardrobe won't be big enough to hold them all, right? If you put them in another room, will you go find them to wear?"

"I'm actually thinking about whether I should throw some away; there are too many. I can wear the same outfit every day for a long time without repeating a single one."

Lu Xiu looked at the storage box on the ground with a subtle expression, but as she spoke, her hand, which was folding clothes, suddenly stopped.

Shen Nian's words.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her.

The seemingly chaotic whole is divided by different storage boxes, while still within the larger framework of the wardrobe.

This looks like a road!

Looking at the storage box in front of him.

Not long ago, she was troubled by the problem of how to divide the map and create a rest mechanism for the new combat instance without compromising its size.

Lu Xiu suddenly had a flash of inspiration----

If you were to directly present players with a 30-hour-long dungeon with no breaks in between----

Those players would definitely curse and break down.

But what if we break down the entire massive instance? Just like sorting messy clothes into storage boxes, we can treat each unique key map as an independent entity.

Then—connect them together with Bonfire, just like putting storage boxes into a wardrobe.

certainly.

In order to bypass system restrictions.

The "fire" here shouldn't just be a means for players to rest; it also needs to be part of the dungeon setting. The player's role in this dungeon is no longer designed to be tireless, but rather to be similar to that of an adventurer.

When players arrive at the Bonfire after a battle, they can sit down, listen to the crackling sound of the fire, recover their stamina, and recharge before exploring further.

Because the system currently does not support any form of partitioned replicas, it requires replicas to be treated as a whole.

To prevent it from rejecting your application, you can set it up like this: the rest mechanism is also part of the gameplay!

If a player gets carried away when they reach the Bonfire, or feels they're still in good shape, they can choose not to sit down and rest. Instead, they can tough it out, enduring their fatigue and injuries, and continue venturing into the unknown depths beyond the Bonfire.

At this point, the player is deemed to have made a "time waits for no one" decision, and is given a courage buff, which enhances the instant recovery effect of Blood Vial and can even increase attack power based on the percentage of health remaining.

If players are truly exhausted, they can sit down and rest by the Bonfire, listening to the crackling of the fire to dispel their fatigue.

After resting, players will be given a buff that makes them feel refreshed.

Because you've had enough rest, your attack power will increase based on your health percentage. However, instead of decreasing your health to increase your attack power, it will increase as you get closer to full health. Also, when using Blood Vial, in addition to the instant recovery, you will receive a percentage-based recovery for the next five seconds.

The two enhancements essentially lead to the same result, albeit through different means.

On the one hand, this preserves the possibility for players who want a challenge to clear the dungeon in one go.

On the other hand, this rest period could be extended and synchronized with reality. When players are resting while playing their roles, they could be forced to stop playing and kicked out of the instance. This would allow players to rest in reality as well, and also deceive the system.

Tell it that this is also part of the game.

certainly.

This shouldn't be too excessive. If there's a Bonfire every few dozen meters, the dungeon will become completely unchallenging. The number of Bonfire should be gradually reduced as the dungeon progresses.

Furthermore, we need to carefully consider how to design the buffs.

"In this way, the problem of the dungeon's massive size is solved, allowing players to rest and avoid becoming overwhelmed. To some extent, it can even give rise to a set of gameplay styles that players can choose themselves."

"But whether it will work or not, we'll have to try."

What should I do when exploring the map?

"Will this kind of cutting affect the rewards and rating?"

Lu Xiu sat in the pile of clothes, hugging her own clothes, and suddenly began to brainstorm, muttering to herself.

Shen Nian and Jian Li both turned to look at her, somewhat puzzled.

until.

Lu Xiu looked up at Shen Nian and said happily, "Shen Nian, you've been a huge help! I've got the idea for the new dungeon—the one I mentioned not long ago that took thirty hours to clear. You're truly my lucky star!"

Although there are still quite a few problems.

However, once you have a clear idea, things become easier—other problems can be solved gradually during the construction phase.

If it really works, then she can go all out and do it!

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian parted her red lips slightly, revealing her pearly white teeth, then suddenly realized what she had said and cried out in alarm, "I didn't! I didn't!"

Don't talk nonsense! I didn't do anything! I didn't inspire you to make any new dungeons! It's none of my business!

No!

How is this any of my business?