Changing Strategy Again, Again, and Again

As more and more players learn about the hidden maps and DLC content in the original game, they go out to explore.

The full picture of [Dark Souls] has finally been revealed to players.

but.

Even the Painted World.

Urazir, where Artorias, is also a good Oolacile.

These are all areas with relatively high difficulty.

Needless to say, the Painted World is a completely independent and enclosed area. Once you enter, it is very difficult to leave by conventional means, and it is extremely easy to get lost. Moreover, every single enemy is a heavyweight.

As for Oolacile, where Artorias, since it was DLC content in the original game, its difficulty is far greater than the base game.

Furthermore, when Lu Xiu Constructed Instance, the first bosses to be changed and tested were from the DLC, which made the Oolacile area even more difficult and demanded extremely high levels of skill from players.

The exploration process was fraught with malice.

So many players can't even beat the Sanctuary Guardian, let Artorias.

At the beginning.

Players were quite excited upon learning about the hidden map.

Because it involves speed, many players are willing to share, in addition to the Bonfire rest mechanism.

And Solaire also helped.

This has allowed many players to barely adapt to the dungeons.

----It's hidden so well, the rewards for completing the hidden area must be even better, right?

Many players think so.

As a result, a large number of players who considered themselves to be fairly skilled and were already accustomed to Dark Souls dungeons rushed towards the Painted World and Oolacile with great enthusiasm.

And then—that was it.

The vast majority of ambitious players who rushed into Oolacile never even got to see the infamous Abysswalker Artorias; they were crushed by the Sanctuary Guardian before they could even touch the Abyss.

What followed was a desperate struggle.

After being instantly defeated countless times without even having a chance to fight back, the struggle was finally replaced by insults.

After experiencing so many complex emotions----

All the resentment, grievances, shock, and insults ultimately coalesced into a self-comforting statement imbued with the spirit of Ah Q.

--Forget it, let's not bother playing. It's not like we can't beat the game without playing.

After the Coordination Bureau had people try it out, it immediately issued an announcement, which to some extent prevented players from wasting time.

The main point is that [Dark Souls] is a dungeon in Nine Provinces —clear it first, and then slowly fight that Oolacile after the arena ends, which is also a viable strategy.

Why torture yourself now?

However, Prison Rock's reaction was a beat slower.

When the rewards for [Dark Souls] were revealed—even though they could only get one reward—they were still astonished.

The rewards from this system's SSS-rank dungeon aren't even that good, are they?

no.

Is this the kind of reward you can get from unofficial dungeons?

As a result, many players in Prison Rock wanted better rewards, and upon learning about the hidden map, they immediately went to try it out.

The Prison Rock Royal Court initially wanted its players to receive better rewards, since this wasn't the Prison Rock's Dungeon and they might not be able to enter after the speedrun phase.

They wanted to seize this rare opportunity.

That's how it happened.

Then something bad happened.

That very night, the Coordination Bureau sent people to the Painted World and Oolacile to understand the difficulty level and issued an announcement immediately, although some players were still struggling to clear the hidden map.

But most players immediately gave up and stopped playing.

Prison Rock, however, is quite the opposite.

So it starts on the third day.

The number of people clearing customs in both regions began to diverge.

When Prison Rock realized this, it also required players to complete the game, but the difference in the number of players who completed the game could not be easily bridged.

And then came the fourth day.

The ratio of people clearing customs on both sides is now 21:13.

Top players' second completions are not counted in the total number of players who have completed the game for their faction.

This means that the competition will be about the overall leveling efficiency of the first and second tiers of players on both sides.

But if Prison Rock is slow at one step, he will be slow at every step.

With such a lopsided score, there's little chance of a comeback.

Ultimately...

It's because the Architect isn't from Prison Rock, and the dungeon Lu Xiu built doesn't belong to Prison Rock either, but the dungeon rewards are just too good.

The initial decision by the Prison Rock Royal Court to prioritize rewards had consequences far beyond simply wasting a day.

In Dark Souls, what really messes with your mindset isn't the monster stats, but the pacing and your mental state.

Those elite players from Prison Rock who had already figured out a steady rhythm in the main storyline excitedly ran off to the Painted World and Oolacile after receiving orders from their superiors to explore the hidden maps.

As a result of repeated friction, the confidence I had painstakingly built up in being able to pass the game was completely shattered in those few short hours.

When the higher-ups at Prison Rock finally realized something was wrong and urgently called a halt, ordering them to go back and complete the main storyline—these players were on the verge of a breakdown, and their gameplay was practically nonexistent.

The dungeon is already quite difficult, so if your skills are off, you're doomed.

On the other hand, let's look at Nine Provinces.

That's much better.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the Strategy Group of the Coordination Bureau is used to tackling Lu Xiu's high-difficulty dungeons.

But in any case.

The outcome is decided.

Prison Rock.

Royal Court.

The Prime Minister remained silent.

He knew very well that Prison Rock had already lost this race for Dark Souls.

It wasn't the players who lost—it was the Architect who lost.

If [Dark Souls] was built by Helag, why would they need to rush and waste time? Hidden maps and hidden bosses could be explored slowly in their own backyards after the arena phase.

But unfortunately, that's not the case.

Because the dungeon doesn't belong to Prison Rock, and because the rewards from that SSS dungeon are so amazing and tempting, Prison Rock Royal Court is eager to maximize its profits as much as possible before the speedrun ends and while it still has time to enter the dungeon.

This ultimately led to a complete and utter defeat.

Thinking of this...

The Prime Minister of Prison Rock slowly turned his head and looked at Helag, the chief Architect of Prison Rock, who was sitting to one side.

Feeling the Prime Minister's piercing gaze, Helag stiffened, then lowered his head, focusing on the bare table in front of him, essentially playing dead.

Seeing Helag's appearance, the Prime Minister could only look away and let out a soft sigh.

Then.

He sat up straight, his gaze falling on the group of top players from Prison Rock below, led by Gallagher.

"Let's adjust our mindset."

The Prime Minister said, "Then everyone should immediately switch targets and attack the hidden area."

As soon as those words were spoken...

Gallagher abruptly raised his head. "Prime Minister—?"

The Prime Minister shook his head expressionlessly.

"I know what you're trying to say, but there's nothing I can do. We've already lost the speed race."

"If we proceed according to the normal process, we will absolutely not be able to catch up."

Since the normal route is no longer an option, we might as well take a gamble.

"In Nine Provinces, to ensure victory in the speedrun, they've probably already made most players abandon exploring the more difficult hidden areas and focus entirely on speedrunning the main storyline."

"This means that most Nine Provinces players know nothing about the Painted World, or about Oolacile."

"The next phase will be a collective battle."

"In such a large-scale melee, the advantage of intelligence and terrain might allow us to turn the tide of battle, as long as we can thoroughly understand the structure and mechanics of the hidden areas before the collective battle begins—"

"While players who have cleared the dungeons twice in Nine Provinces may have figured things out through trial and error, most Nine Provinces players are probably completely clueless. And reading text guides certainly can't compare to firsthand experience."

"If we encounter difficulties in the group battle, we'll simply move to the hidden areas as a group, using those two areas as our base to deal with the Nine Provinces players."

"We lost the speed race, but we still have a chance in the team battle. Let's conquer the hidden map and make it our Prison Rock in team battles."

J

The top players in Prison Rock exchanged glances, then slowly nodded.

At the same time.

Nine Provinces.

Yan Fushou looked at Jian Li in surprise. "That difficult?"

"Um.

Jian Li nodded slightly. "All the enemies in Oolacile are about five times stronger than the enemies encountered in the normal process."

Five times----

--

Yan Fushou had a bit of a headache. "I understand. Let's leave it for now. Those of you who have already cleared the level can give it a try."

I don't ask for anything else, just that you familiarize yourselves with the Painted World and Oolacile, to prevent the Prison Rock from panicking and running all over the place, leaving us helpless."

Jian Li nodded gently. "I understand."

"By the way, what has Lu Xiu been up to lately?"

Yan Fushou lowered his hand and asked curiously, "Did she clear the dungeon for the third time?"

Ever since she sent Lu Xiu to check on Jian Li.

Jian Li seemed to have forgotten what happened that day, and instead went to see Lu Xiu even more frequently.

This is also why Yan Fushou asked Jian Li.

No, she's Construction Space.

Jian Li hearing Lu Xiu's name, Jian Li's expression visibly softened. "She seems very happy."

"Construction Space? Having fun?"

Yan Fushou gave a wry smile, "Dark Souls has only been out for a short time, she wouldn't be building a new dungeon already, would she?"

"Have no idea."

"Okay."

Yan Fushou looked at Jian Li, then hesitated for a moment. "Did you tell Lu Xiu about Jian Ning?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Li's gentle expression vanished instantly. "No, and this has nothing to do with her. She is her, and Jian Ning is Jian Ning —that's my business, and I don't want to cause her any trouble."

66

Yan Fushou was taken aback. Was this something Jian Li would say?

Although it was well concealed.

But Jian Li had always considered Lu Xiu as an older sister, right?

What exactly did Lu Xiu say?

How could this happen so suddenly----

But seeing Jian Li expression, Yan Fushou ultimately didn't ask.

Because this is a good thing.

Lu Xiu is definitely not Jian Ning.

Jian Li can come to her senses and return to normal interpersonal relationships, it will be good for both of them.

"I understand, go enter the instance."

I'm going to find Lu Xiu.

Jian Li shook her head. "Then enter the instance from her side."

That's all.

Jian Li then left without looking back.

Yan Fushou watched Jian Li's retreating figure and suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

Why does the girl I watched grow up always go to other people's houses?

It seems Lu Xiu is also a girl.

oh.

That's alright then.