Victory Conditions

At the same time.

Inside another pure white space.

Five tall figures were waiting.

These players from the otherworldly Prison Rock, although also humanoid, exhibited extremely obvious physical differences compared to the players from Nine Provinces.

They were generally taller and more robust, with an average height of almost 2.2 meters. Their muscles were bulging, like towering iron towers. Just standing there, they exuded a wild and violent aura that was extremely oppressive.

"Haha! It seems the players from Nine Provinces are quite conflicted; they haven't made a decision yet."

A rough, jarring laugh suddenly rang out in the pure white space.

The laughter came from a tall, Prison Rock player Gran.

The other three players from Prison Rock joined in with laughter.

Only one man, dressed in a dark robe and appearing somewhat thin compared to the exaggerated physiques of the other Prison Rock players, stood to the side, silent.

Gran noticed and looked at the man. "Zane, are you scared out of your wits? Or has your last defeat made you too afraid to even laugh?"

That's right.

The man was none other than Zane, the leader of the Prison Rock Squad who had crossed the border into Nine Provinces during a special event some time ago, and who was eventually connected to Lu Xiu.

"I'm not easily scared. I just think we should take the arena seriously. Nine Provinces is not weak, and their Architect are no ordinary people."

Upon hearing this, Zane glanced at Gran and said, "You've heard about our experiences too."

That's because you're incompetent!

Upon hearing this, Gran immediately scoffed, making no attempt to hide the contempt and mockery in his tone. "If I were leading the team, do you think I would be like you? Twenty people, all wiped out, and one even betrayed us! We couldn't even kill a single Architect! Everyone's high-level equipment and skills were completely lost! What a bunch of trash!"

Finally—you actually have the nerve to say you died at the hands of Architect? What a joke! If I were you, I would have returned to the earth long ago! Don't hold us back when the arena starts fighting later."

Upon hearing this, the other three players from Prison Rock also turned their heads, their eyes filled with undisguised suspicion and disdain.

In the Prison Rock, where victory is revered, the Living Failures does not deserve respect.

Despite the failure of the last special event, the Prison Rock Royal Court, in an effort to appease public sentiment, still publicly declared that Zane and his men were warriors.

But the results weren't very good.

Almost all players of Prison Rock consider Zane and his group a disgrace.

But then he faced the taunts of his arch-rival, Gran.

Zane remained unusually calm, simply stating, "I admit that I underestimated Nine Provinces last time—but one thing is one thing. This time, I'm here for the sake of Prison Rock, and I absolutely will not hold you back."

"But."

He paused, glanced at his compatriots who didn't take it seriously, and said solemnly, "I have a piece of advice for you: when the system gives you the battle scenarios later, try to avoid those high-rated civilian dungeons. If you can avoid Lu Xiu's dungeon, then avoid hers."

"Based on the intelligence gathered about Zhang Chongshan, the traitor from Nine Provinces, it's clear that Lu Xiu's combat strength is not only absurd, but the dungeons she creates also defy conventional judgment."

"Try to choose low-rated, relatively simple dungeons and challenge players from Nine Provinces to head-on battles. This will maximize your chances of winning! Even if you lose, the cost will be minimal. We're still in the early stages of the arena, so proceed with caution."

Upon hearing this, Gran's mockery deepened. "Zane, once a genius, is now like a stray dog whose spine has been broken by the people of Nine Provinces."

Low-rated dungeons? Didn't you read the rules? The Plunder penalty after a battle is directly linked to the dungeon's rating, and as the attacking party, we have the right to choose.

By choosing high-tier dungeons and winning, you can reliably obtain loot of the corresponding rating! You can even Plunder your opponent's S-rank skills or equipment! Why waste your chances Plunder a bunch of low-rated junk?

Zane frowned, about to continue his rebuttal.

A system window suddenly popped up, interrupting the argument.

[The defending team has completed the banning phase!]

[Disabled scenarios have been removed, and the remaining combat scenario library has been updated.]

Gran immediately looked at the system window. When he glanced at the remaining dungeons, he was first stunned, then burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! The other side actually banned the low-level dungeons!"

Next.

Greed gleamed in his eyes. "It seems the defenders are very confident in themselves—and they even have an SS-level dungeon! Since they dared to leave a high-level dungeon behind, those Nine Provinces players on the other side must have SS-level skills or equipment, right?"

Zane, after reviewing the remaining dungeon ratings, immediately raised his voice. "Gran, don't be impulsive! Use your brain! Even a great Architect like Lord Helag hasn't been able to build an SS-rated dungeon yet! Don't choose Sekiro! We have no idea what that rating represents!"

"That's because Nine Provinces players are a joke!"

Gran smirked again. "The system's rating of unofficial dungeons can't possibly have only one standard. The same dungeon might only be an S for us Prison Rock players—but it might be an SSS for players in other regions."

Hey, haven't you seen Zhang Chongshan, that traitor to the Nine Provinces?

That good-for-nothing even struggled to clear the A-rank Helag dungeon! The reason the Architect dungeon in Nine Provinces has such a high rating is simply because Nine Provinces players are so incompetent! It's an SS-rank dungeon for them! But it's nothing for us!"

The other three players from Prison Rock shared a similar attitude.

"You bunch of idiots! Zhang Chongshan can't be trusted!"

Zane's ominous premonition grew stronger.

He's just crawled out of hell!

I won't be in the ring----

But Gran had completely lost patience. He couldn't be bothered to listen to Zane's Living Failures anymore and simply turned away.

"Vote."

Without a doubt.

The other three players from Prison Rock also chose the highest-rated dungeon.

[Attacker confirmed!]

[Scene Locked: Sekiro (SS), Resident Evil (S)!]

[The business plan (BP) session is over!]

[System randomly selecting - Selection complete!]

[Final Battle Scene: Sekiro (SS)!]

Zane's vision went black.

I haven't reacted yet.

A prominent countdown timer popped up in the center of my field of vision.

[Countdown begins: 5]

[4]

[3]

The numbers kept ticking relentlessly.

Now that things have come to this, Zane knows the die is cast, and there's no point in complaining or getting angry.

He gritted his teeth, forced to adjust his mindset, and looked at Gran and the other three, saying, "I hope you won't regret this—"

However, before he could finish speaking, the countdown had already reached zero.

The white light engulfed the five towering Prison Rock players.

The dizziness caused by the spatial displacement lasted only a brief moment.

When the dizziness completely subsides.

When Zane opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a biting wind mixed with fine snowflakes.

He immediately pulled out a long gun from his backpack and cautiously looked around.

He found himself and four other teammates in a dilapidated and desolate courtyard.

Beneath my feet lay muddy ground covered with a thin layer of snow, and not far away stood a dilapidated ancient temple with its wooden doors wide open, as if it might collapse at any moment in the wind and snow.

At the edge of the courtyard, several stone statues of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, covered in moss and wearing tattered straw hats, stood quietly in the cold wind.

Further away, there are bottomless cliffs and the silhouette of a majestic ancient city hidden deep in the wind and snow.

This is the SS-level dungeon in Nine Provinces?

While the five people in Prison Rock were still surveying their surroundings...

[Battle scene has loaded!]

[Current Scene: Sekiro (SS)]

[Ding! The victory conditions for this arena battle have been updated!]

[Victory Condition 1: Kill all enemy players!]

[Victory Condition 2: Go to the Ashina Castle Heavenly Watchtower watchtower and kill the Divine Child protected by [the Wolf Played by the Constructor]!]

[Note: Achieving any one of the above conditions will grant you final victory and allow you to proceed to the loot settlement phase!]

Two victory conditions are visible.

Look at that Wolf Played by the Constructor!

Zane's palms instantly broke out in a cold sweat as he gripped the spear, his unease reaching its peak, and he recalled the fear of being impaled by the spear.

"We choose the first victory condition and immediately go find the players in Nine Provinces!"

He suddenly turned his head and looked at Gran.

"Waste!"

Gran paused for a moment, then scoffed dismissively, about to say something more.

But at that moment...

The entrance to the courtyard.

Suddenly, a very faint sound of footsteps came from behind.

rustle.

The footsteps were light, neither hurried nor slow.

But Zane noticed it instantly and turned his head sharply.

Gran paused, slowly turned his head, and narrowed his eyes.

Outside the door.

A figure stepped slowly into the courtyard through the fine snow.

It was a woman, petite compared to the rugged and burly physique of the Prison Rock, dressed in a simple and elegant light-colored kimono, exuding a tranquil charm.

Snowflakes fell on her shoulders, making her expressionless face appear even more aloof and cold.

Gran stared at the woman's slender and delicate figure for a moment, then laughed and said, "This is... an enemy from the dungeon?"

Are you sure you're not kidding?

The woman didn't speak, but silently walked forward until she was a short distance in front of the five people.

Then.

She slowly stopped, lowered her eyes, and gently drew the white scabbard without a guard.

The blade deflected.

The cold, sharp blade reflected the faces of Gran and the others.

"I want to ask you something—"

now.

If a player from Nine Provinces were standing here, then a series of sharp explosions would probably start.

What's the meaning?

A direct Shura Route?!

Unfortunately, the player standing here right now is Prison Rock.

They didn't take it seriously.

At the same time.

The dizziness subsided.

Zhao Heng also suddenly opened his eyes, and as soon as he could see the scene in front of him, his dead memories began to attack him.

At the empty city gate, a massive black warhorse was pawing restlessly at the muddy ground. Seated atop the horse was a general clad in heavy armor, wielding an exaggeratedly long spear.

And then wait for the victory conditions to pop up.

He went completely numb.

---- Wolf Played by the Constructor?!

Coming again?!

Zhao Heng took a deep breath, then turned to the others. "Let's go fight the players from Prison Rock!"