The Player Who Cleared the Stage

at the same time.

Another copy.

Kiln of the First Flame.

The melancholic yet fateful piano piece gradually came to a stop.

clang----

Accompanied by the dull thud of the greatsword hitting the ground.

Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight who once ruled the entire world, shattered the scales of Ancient Dragon with lightning, and ushered in the Great Age of Fire, finally fell slowly to the ground under Jian Li's sword. Jian Li took a deep breath, unable to hide her exhaustion.

Starting from the Northern Undead Asylum, she passed through all sorts of chaotic places, which was quite a burden for her.

Thankfully, it's finally all over.

She collected all the King Souls and defeated the final boss.

Jian Li slowly stood up and walked to the center of the field.

There, a faint First Flame flickers forlornly.

And it was also when she was walking towards the First Flame.

The final choice for the dungeon has been revealed.

Ignite yourself, become Kindling, and continue the world.

Or turn away, let darkness descend, and become the Dark Lord.

Jian Li was slightly taken aback, then lowered her eyes.

Clearly, they didn't expect the dungeon to give players a choice at the end.

Along her journey, she had seen Lautrec kill the Fire Keeper for the sake of humanity, seen the despondent Crestfallen Warrior, and seen the Witch who hunted the Undead madly to alleviate her sister's pain—she had seen many NPCs.

We know that fire brings more than just light.

There is also warmth, life, distinction, and hope.

She walked through all these places: the swamps of Blighttown, the mechanisms of the Sen's Fortress, the illusory sunset of Anor Londo, and the pitch-black darkness of the Tomb of Giants.

Along the way, those mindless zombies were once immortal beings, once harboring some kind of hope, ringing the bell, and moving forward step by step, but ultimately succumbing to madness.

Not all immortals can reach the end.

But she arrived.

Logically speaking...

At this point, she should pass the fire on.

But Jian Li had also carefully read the fragmented narrative and knew that the Dark Ages would eventually come. Gwyn was going against the tide, and linking the fire only allowed the world to prolong its existence.

So, how should we choose? What is the correct choice?

Jian Li lowered her eyes, suddenly thinking of the front lines and the significance of her role as a member of the Strategy Group in conquering the dungeon.

Ultimately, it seems to have only allowed the gamified world to allow those in the safe zone to eke out a living.

Because everyone knows it.

If the monsters really do periodically strengthen, then the front line can never hold them off forever—although recently, thanks to Lu Xiu's dungeon, the hope of keeping the monsters at bay forever has increased.

But ultimately...

Everyone knows that it all depends on the system's decision.

What if it significantly strengthens the monsters again?

Will reality one day become just like this copy of the game?

And at this moment, are the efforts of the Coordination Bureau merely allowing the entire Nine Provinces to barely survive?

Jian Li rarely thinks about these things.

But this is Lu Xiu's storyline, and she really likes the stories in Lu Xiu's stories, whether it's the initial Resident Evil or the current Dark Souls, they all have a strong sense of immersion.

Jian Li likes the story whether it has a good ending or a bad ending.

It's so much better than the system's duplicates.

The theme of this instance is clearly "Kindling".

When Lu Xiu constructed it, she piled up despair layer by layer: the collapsing zombies along the way, the Quelaag sisters, Solaire, who went mad after searching for the sun in vain, and the Siegmeyer who lost faith—

But in the very end...

After defeating Gwyn, Lu Xiu asks players to choose whether or not to continue this world that is destined to collapse.

Jian Li looked up at the trembling flame.

Then take a step forward.

She had indeed considered turning away, pushing open that door, and letting the darkness fall.

Let this world, riddled with holes, fall into complete silence; let all suffering end; let everything that the firelight illuminated and scorched sink into the Abyss of darkness.

But the moment this thought crossed her mind, Lu Xiu's beautiful and charming face appeared in her mind.

What will she choose?

No need to guess.

Jian Li quickly found her answer.

She's so gentle, she definitely wouldn't choose to turn away.

Moreover, reality wasn't actually that bad. Although there was a lot of pain, she still liked that world, and she liked certain people in that world.

Jian Li slowly raised her hand.

The moment her fingertips touched the flame, the First Flame trembled violently, as if it had come to life, and climbed up her fingers.

The warmth spread from my fingertips to my arms, then to my shoulders, and finally to my whole body.

There was no burning sensation.

There was only warmth, like seeing a Bonfire at the end of a very, very long journey.

Flames exploded inside her body.

Next.

The dungeon settlement window has popped up.

[System Announcement]

[Jian Li, a player from the game "Nine Provinces", has completed the Dark Souls dungeon.]

At the same time.

forum.

Many players paused upon hearing the announcement, then suddenly realized what it meant.

[Someone beat it! Nine Provinces is leading! Awesome!]

Wow! Someone actually cleared it! That's amazing! I wonder what the rewards were, and what the ending of this dungeon is?

[Jian Li —Doesn't this seem to be a member of the Strategy Group? Or maybe the Coordination Bureau?]

[I just got the Lordvessel. You need to collect four King's Souls after getting the Lordvessel, right? I'll be there soon!]

[It won't be any faster! You'll see when you go and collect them yourself [crying]]

[What's the ending of this dungeon, Jian Li? Could you tell me? I'm really curious.]

[----]

On the other side.

The announcement also sounded simultaneously from Prison Rock.

However, the players over there weren't as active.

Players in the instance also received the notification.

Upon hearing the system announcement, Finn, a top player in Prison Rock, took a deep breath and continued forward.

He'll be here soon too.

Coordination Bureau.

Jian Li landed quietly.

As soon as she landed, she checked the results panel, and her movements paused slightly when she saw the reward.

And at this time...

There was a knock on the door of the lounge.

Yan Fushou Open Gate and walked in.

"Jian Li."

I just came in.

Yan Fushou then asked, "How was it? How much could you remember?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Li remained silent for a moment, then recalled briefly, "Although many key details are missing, I've still memorized quite a bit."

"That's good."

Yan Fushou breathed a sigh of relief. This was good news, meaning that the success rate of the other members of the Strategy Group would increase significantly.

Next.

He thought for a moment, then asked, "By the way, what's the ending of the dungeon?"

As the leader of the Strategy Group, he not only knew about the players' suffering, but also had a thorough understanding of the dungeon's storyline.

He was genuinely curious about how this hopeless world would ultimately end.

Jian Li her head and glanced at Yan Fushou, her clear black and white eyes reflecting his image. "----There are two choices."

She explained the final choice made in the dungeon.

Passing the fire.

Or leave.

Yan Fushou remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

It's obvious.

This moment.

He also considered reality—

The feeling of being pushed along by fate, where even the best efforts only result in a precarious existence, is like a mirror reflecting the reality of Nine Provinces facing monster attacks.

"That's amazing!"

Yan Fushou suddenly sighed, then murmured, "How can this all be matched?"

At the same time.

Another copy.

Jian Ning also arrived at the Kiln of the First Flame, facing the same choice.

But unlike Jian Li, she did not choose to pass on the torch; instead, she resolutely turned away.

This world, riddled with holes and like a cesspool, has no reason to linger any longer.

Just destroy it already.

Only a fool would perpetuate such a cesspool of a world.

The era of the Dark Lord is about to begin.

She forced a smile and walked back the way she came. Ashes fell softly, covering her shoulders as if the world were crowning her.

A dark age will descend, without fire or warmth.

But so what?

Hope is always illusory anyway.

As Jian Ning walked, she pondered something, then, as if suddenly remembering something interesting, she slowed her pace and looked back.

Speaking of which...

This Architect certainly has ideas.

Moreover, according to intelligence, he seems to know his stepsister.

Thinking of this, Jian Ning smiled softly.

She had never met the Architect, but she had pieced together some details from the information: a very young and beautiful girl with an unbelievable talent for Constructed Instance, and seemingly good combat strength.

Their combat strength is quite good.

I wonder if she'll side with her stepsister?

If so.

That can only be described as truly unfortunate.