The Uncrowned King (Two-in-one)

Above a vast field of white flowers.

Lu Xiu looked at the semi-transparent pop-up window in front of her and slowly typed a question mark.

----?"

She looked at it twice, and after confirming that she hadn't misread it, she was somewhat shocked.

no.

Who the prototype for the Daughter of the Cosmos is has nothing to do with your system.

Why ask this? It doesn't seem like something that would affect the dungeon, does it?

So why does the system ask this?

etc.

The system shouldn't theoretically ask her such a question, so the real person asking the question is ------

"No way—who started this rumor?!"

Lu Xiu instantly realized that if it wasn't the system, then it could only be the goddess.

Think about it carefully.

The first player-created Fifteen Turns job class open for competition in a dungeon—it's understandable that the Goddess would take notice.

But how does this generate any association?

What does the Daughter of the Cosmos have to do with a goddess?

[Please answer, tutor.]

The prompt appeared again.

Although the window in front of her only displayed text, Lu Xiu felt as if extremely oppressive music was playing. "No prototype."

Lu Xiu explained, "In terms of the setting, it's an Great Ones who was dragged from a corner of the universe into a nightmare by humans, whose power was extracted, and who was ultimately abandoned on the altar of despair."

That's the truth.

After all, you can't exactly say the prototype is H. P. Lovecraft, or more accurately, the Cthulhu Mythos he created, can you?

However, to be fair...

The Daughter of the Cosmos of Bloodborne is indeed very close to the Cthulhu style.

The overall design looks like a hodgepodge of sea anemones, corals, sea cucumbers, squid, and other marine creatures, all painted a lifeless blue-gray, covered in glossy mucus, and featuring tentacles, staghorn-coral-like wings on either side, and a face resembling a sea anemone split in two, with pale, writhing tentacles along the edges.

It was indeed ugly and terrifying.

But when it moves, it possesses a strange kind of beauty—

Thinking of this...

"Don't you think this BOSS's design is quite interesting?"

After Lu Xiu finished answering, the window hadn't disappeared yet, so she started talking nonsense. "Although it poses a deadly danger to Hunter, its movements are gentle and graceful, and its wings, which flutter irregularly in the air, give people the illusion of being underwater."

Furthermore, as its tentacles sweep across, a pale, strange halo envelops its upper surface, casting beams of light like a meteor shower, making it seem as if one is witnessing the universe—if someone with complete mental fog were to see it, they might mistake it for a blue-haired, green-eyed twin-tailed beauty. This is a genuine star-like beauty!

----]

The window finally disappeared.

Lu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and immediately summoned the System Panel, ready to check the players' movements—to find out who was talking nonsense and linking the Starry Sky Beauty to the Goddess!

She never said that the Daughter of the Cosmos and the Goddess were related; she never even mentioned it.

That leaves only one possibility—as one player mentioned!

I don't know who had to be so talkative!

If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!

And don't let me catch you, or I'll give you a real dressing down!

Lu Xiu slid the window open as she pondered.

On the other side, Wei Yidong, who was in the Astral Clocktower, suddenly shivered without warning.

Achoo!

Wei Yidong rubbed his nose and looked around. "What's wrong? Why do I feel a chill down my back?"

Don't get distracted.

Cheng Xiu wiped the blood from his face and glanced at Wei Yidong: "One last question, is there anyone who wants to quit and go straight to the main storyline? If we don't fight Maria now, we'll have some half-baked Berserker skills, which should be enough to get to the end of the dungeon, but that's not guaranteed once we reach the end—"

Upon hearing this, one player couldn't help but ask, "The final stage of the dungeon shouldn't be that difficult, right?! What does 'not necessarily' mean?"

"Have you forgotten what was mentioned in the announcement, about facing the progenitor of the Berserker? And the figure that appeared at the end of the dungeon trailer?"

Cheng Xiu explained, "Lu Xiu is definitely in this instance—although it hasn't been revealed yet how she will intervene in the instance, whether we fight her or need to gain her approval, we must face her in the end no matter what."

Do you think facing her will be easier than facing Maria? Definitely not. Even with the system's restrictions on her, she's definitely not an opponent you can easily defeat.

"Then what's the point of even talking about it!"

Wei Yidong broke the silence, shouting, "Trying to fight the Great Demon King with only half-baked skills? That's suicide! Lu Xiu definitely knows the most authentic Berserker skills! Then she'll utterly crush us half-baked players who only rely on the system to fight for us!"

"Besides, now that we know the true nature of this profession, who would want to go out with only a half-baked knowledge? We're part of the Strategy Group, after all; we can't afford to lose face like that!"

"It's rare for that Da Shadong to say something sensible."

Cheng Xiu nodded, then looked at the others. "So what are your thoughts? Let me make it clear, defeating Maria won't be easy. You've all seen her life-stealing speed. I don't have a plan yet—I can only keep trying, over and over again. And during this process, someone will definitely be forced to transform into a beast and be eliminated. The BOSS's attack frequency is just too outrageous."

"It's alright, go ahead."

"I'm not willing to go into battle with only a half-baked understanding."

I want to learn how to Blood Draw.

"Let's keep going! The worst that can happen is death!"

at last.

Not a single person backed down.

The main reason was that when Cheng Xiu mentioned Lu Xiu was also in the instance, realizing they might have to face such a being again, everyone instantly became more determined.

"Let's go then."

Cheng Xiu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was backing down, and stood up.

The group stepped into the Astral Clocktower once again.

And in the period that followed----

The Astral Clocktower has become a purgatory for these top teams, and also their Berserker training course.

They entered the fog gate again and again, only to be cut down by Maria time and time again.

Graceful movements, unpredictable strikes, invincible stats, explosions of blood, deadly beams of blood, and charged Draw Sword—

Every single time.

Once players reduce Maria's health to half, she will stab herself with her Dual Blades, instantly transforming into a demon and chasing after the players, hacking them down while simultaneously replenishing her health, giving them no chance to cheat.

Players suffer and die constantly.

Then a conclusion was reached.

This is a boss that cannot be defeated by conventional means—because its strength is simply too outrageous. Gun Parry is basically useless. As for exchanging blows, it's okay in the first phase, but in the second phase, even if the Berserker's skills hit her, it's not enough to kill her instantly.

But when the opponent lands a single blow, it can instantly restore your health to full.

It's like they've been given a cheat code.

That's really shameless.

"No."

Rosalind returned to the Lamp once more, took a deep breath, and said, "If we keep fighting like this, we'll never be able to beat this boss, even if we try ten thousand times."

"What should we do then?"

Her teammates' morale had been completely shattered; they were at their wits' end.

Rosalind pondered for a moment, then opened her mouth.

At the same time.

Cheng Xiu pondered for a moment and said, "What should we do? I think we should fight Maria for control of her blood and qi. If that doesn't work, we should at least try to disrupt her moves."

Wei Yidong was taken aback upon hearing this. "Seize control of her qi and blood? Disrupt her moves?"

"That's right, you've probably noticed it too."

Cheng Xiu explained, "All of her moves utilize qi and blood, whether it's blood explosion, blood beam, or charged Draw Sword— "

There is a process of qi and blood condensation, although it is very brief.

But since there is a process of Qi and blood condensation, theoretically we have the potential to disrupt it. Don't forget that the Berserker skills we've acquired are essentially based on the use of Qi and blood, and we can learn them ourselves. This means we can completely control the condensation of Qi and blood, and correspondingly, we can certainly disrupt the condensation of others' Qi and blood.

"But the problem is, we can't even control our own qi and blood right now."

Another player from Nine Provinces asked, "How do you control someone else's health and mana?"

Cheng Xiu fell silent.

At the same time.

"That's why we need to learn; that's why those White Spirit Hunter keep pointing to the Astral Clocktower."

Shen Nian smoothed her shoulder-length short hair and explained to her teammates, "This Lady Maria is, in a way, another instructor. The Berserker skills we learned only cover the form. To defeat her, we must learn the true essence, which is controlling our Qi and Blood. Even if we can't control it, we must be able to disrupt the Qi and Blood attacks released by the BOSS."

Otherwise, even if we eventually reach the end of the dungeon, we'll just be cannon fodder.

For example, if you're fighting other players, one can only use skills systematically, while the other can disrupt the opponent's health and mana while using their skills, who do you think will win?

"Since you can't control your Qi and blood right now, then first learn how to use your Mental Strength to interrupt other people's Qi and blood skills."

"Let's continue."

After dying countless times.

Almost all teams realized the correct strategy for defeating this boss.

But I realized it.

That doesn't mean you can win immediately.

Some of them began to learn to control their blood, wanting to emulate Maria, while others strived to disrupt Maria's techniques.

But no matter which path you choose, you need to project your Mental Strength outwards, and the ability to seize opportunities is extremely important.

So very quickly.

Rosalind, Ulysses, Xia, Shen Nian, Cheng Xiu —all the teams that refused to skip Maria's challenge began a brutal trial-and-error process inside the clock tower.

Regardless of which path players chose, they all faced very difficult beginnings.

The former struggles even to control their own internal energy and blood, let alone control others; the latter wants to disrupt—but they can't even accurately...

Even controlling detached Mental Strength is impossible.

Controlling one's detached Mental Strength while simultaneously searching for openings amidst Maria's Hard Rain barrage of attacks, and also managing one's own internal energy to avoid transforming into a beast—it's practically hellish difficulty!

You are dead.

You are dead.

You are dead.

The familiar system notifications began to flood the players' screens.

Every death is a drain on the players' spirit and will.

In this training ground where there are no shortcuts, everyone is pushed to their limits.

More players have turned into beasts.

The remaining players are also increasingly more likely to be matched with familiar faces.

Because everyone's dying and there's no one left.

Death, over and over again.

Try it again and again.

finally.

After countless deaths and resets, the players slowly began to find their way to that door.

"Again!"

Inside the Astral Clocktower, Wei Yidong wiped the blood from his face and charged forward again with a roar.

Ahead.

Maria retreated like a ghost, her Dual Blades suddenly drawn back.

Blood energy began to gather on her blade once more, and the long-range blood beam was about to shoot out.

"Now!"

This time, however, Wei Yidong did not choose to roll to dodge, nor did he use any Berserker skills.

Instead, he raised his hand directly, aimed at the blood energy gathering on the tip of Maria's knife, mobilized his Mental Strength, and instinctively condensed it into a beam, like a sharp cone, piercing into the gathering blood energy.

Then.

A forceful, disruptive stirring.

"Break it!!!"

Boom!

The crimson beam failed to penetrate further, because under Wei Yidong's near-suicidal intervention, the beam that had already reached the tip of Maria's blade...

The compressed and condensed blood energy exploded before it was even launched.

The blood mist suddenly exploded.

Maria staggered, seemingly unaffected by the interruption of her attack, and her health bar also dropped slightly.

first.

They made Maria hold back her attack!

Not only that, but due to the backlash from her blood and qi, Maria also became stiff!

"Interrupted!"

Cheng Xiu excitedly shouted, "Continue!"

"Gotcha!"

On the other side.

In another mirror copy.

Taking advantage of the moment Maria was charging up her blade, Shen Nian suddenly closed in, swung her long blade, and used her Mental Strength to Maria into Mariana's condensed blood energy, stirring it violently!

"Um----"

Maria immediately let out a muffled groan, Draw Sword failed on its own; the blood aura clinging to the blade instantly dimmed.

Shen Nian started chasing after Maria and slashing at her.

Once the facade was broken, the players displayed an astonishing resilience and learning ability.

The balance of power within the clock tower has finally begun to shift.

It's no longer a one-sided massacre.

Instead, it turned into a brutal battle of wits and strength.

Simply put, players need to use their Mental Strength to destroy Maria's health-boosting attacks before being killed by Maria —otherwise, they will die.

Of course, the entire team was wiped out at the beginning.

But gradually, the players became more skilled.

After all, controlling one's qi and blood with one's Mental Strength is difficult for them, but disrupting someone's qi and blood—it doesn't require much precision. Just seize the right moment and bombard them with Mental Strength.

Besides, they've died far too many times.

They could practically recite all of Maria's moves by heart.

Therefore, as time goes by...

Their success rate in interrupting Maria's skills is increasing.

The feeling of interrupting an opponent's skill before they can unleash it is indeed quite satisfying, even giving many players a sense of exhilaration in countering their moves.

Therefore, after a team is wiped out, they will often have their teammates unleash the Berserker skill next to the Lamp, and then try to interrupt it themselves.

In the end, it actually succeeded.

This generates positive feedback.

The players were even more enthusiastic.

Die!!!

Half an hour later.

Cheng Xiu and Wei Yidong, working in perfect unison, interrupted Maria's Draw Sword from the left and right, and then each plunged their blades into her chest.

Accompanied by a sigh of relief.

The boss who had beaten them to the point of near death and danced like a nightmare finally stopped all his movements and slowly collapsed into a pool of blood.

Then it transformed into a sky full of Bai Guang.

[Massacre Completed]

The moment I saw the notification.

Cheng Xiu, Wei Yidong, and the remaining players all plopped down on their seats.

I'm really exhausted.

But besides fatigue, there was also a lot of excitement on their faces.

"Wow, that's awesome! I've never seen anything like it! Mental Strength can be used like that!"

Wei Yidong couldn't help but say, "If someone had told me before that Mental Strength could interrupt someone else's skills, I would have said that it was a pipe dream. How could it be possible to destroy someone else's skills with Mental Strength?"

But I didn't expect it to actually work! And it's so satisfying! Especially considering that the BOSS was like a god of war before! But now he can't even unleash a few powerful moves, and instead keeps getting stunned and beaten the whole time, it's so satisfying!

Cheng Xiu was also somewhat excited.

He raised his hand, sensing the invisible Mental Strength: "Yes—so this is how you use Mental Strength. Because I keep interrupting skills with Mental Strength, I can barely control my blood and qi to condense into a form. How interesting."

The other Nine Provinces players nearby were equally immersed in excitement.

Break free from the system's constraints and use your Mental Strength to forcibly interfere with the enemy's life force and skills.

This sense of control is much more satisfying than simply unleashing skills.

"Let's keep practicing; we don't feel like we're quite proficient yet."

After a Cheng Xiu excitement, Cheng Xiu took a deep breath and managed to calm down. "If we master this move, even if the final battle of the dungeon is a free-for-all, we can interrupt anyone's skills, and maybe even Lu Xiu's skills—so how about we try again?"

Wei Yidong was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. "This BOSS can be fought repeatedly?"

Cheng Xiu knew he was too excited to look and simply slid the window over.

Wei Yidong glanced at it and realized that this BOSS could be challenged repeatedly.

No wonder it was so difficult----

"Walk!"

After reading the instructions, Wei Yidong immediately stood up. "What else is there to say? Continue!"

Among so many teams, Cheng Xiu and his group were not the only ones to succeed.

Bang!

In another mirror copy.

Rosalind destroyed a teammate's Berserker skill that had just begun to take shape. As her teammate groaned and staggered back due to the skill's backlash, her beautiful eyes immediately lit up with a bright light.

I see.

Not only Maria, but if timed well, she can even interrupt players' Berserker skills—that's incredibly useful.

Moreover, as her proficiency increased, she felt she was close to reaching the threshold of controllable Blood Frenzy Art.

"----Is this the ultimate form of the Berserker?"

Rosalind looked at the clock tower in front of her, murmured, and then said, "Let's go practice some more!"

At the same time.

The other teams were similar; almost all the teams that overcame Maria, the boss, underwent a transformation.

Even after the fight.

Many teams were reluctant to leave, and played Maria several more times, practicing for a long time until they felt they had completely mastered it before moving on.

The direct result of this transformation was a qualitative change in their subsequent progress through the dungeons.

Whether it's the small fishing village behind the Astral Clocktower or the Unseen Village in the main storyline, it's all part of the Nightmare of Mensis.

The Monster Tide and gatekeeper bosses that used to kill players dozens of times are no longer as troublesome as before.

The monster remains powerful.

Players will still be killed if they're destined to be.

The players are far from being able to completely dominate.

For example, Orphan of Kos, when it swings its round sword like a mad dog, still makes players run for their lives.

But at least players won't be helpless anymore; they can beat it after a few rounds if they get used to it.

that's all.

From the Astral Clocktower to the final main storyline.

The players progressed faster and faster as they fought, quickly reaching the final stage of the main storyline.

The final section of the main storyline.

The enormous black shadow with countless hands wielding blades— Mergo's Wet Nurse— collapsed with a deafening crash.

The annoying baby crying finally stopped.

[The nightmare has been extinguished]

A system notification pops up in front of you.

Wei Yidong immediately let out a long sigh of relief, "Finally finished—to be honest, the later stuff felt much easier than Maria and Orphan of Kos, except there were Amygdala everywhere, and you could hear eerie baby cries every now and then. I feel like I'll get a lot of Mental Strength attributes after this run—"

"Really."

Cheng Xiu nodded, just about to speak.

But at that moment...

[Bite!]

[Congratulations, player! You have successfully defeated the main story boss, Mergo's Wet Nurse.]

[Main storyline completed, you have met the requirements.]

[You will be forcibly teleported to the main instance Hunter's Dream, in ten seconds to face the final trial.]

Please be prepared.

[Countdown: 10, 9, 8----]

"The final trial?"

Wei Yidong stared at the window in front of him, paused for a moment, then exclaimed excitedly, "It's finally coming! Are we finally going to clear the dungeon?"

"It's finally here."

Cheng Xiu took a deep breath. "Let's be prepared, we don't know how this will end."

The others had just responded with a "Yes."

They were then teleported away.

A flash of Bai Guang.

Cheng Xiu, Wei Yidong, and the others felt a moment of dizziness, and then their feet landed firmly on the ground.

However, before they could even get a clear look at their surroundings, a wave of scorching heat washed over them.

"Holy crap! What's going on with Hunter's Dream? Who opened it?!"

Wei Yidong followed the heatwave and looked over, then was startled by the sight before him.

The once tranquil Hunter's Dream is now engulfed in flames, the workshop bathed in the fire, crackling and popping intermittently. "You've all finished the game, and you still don't know the plot?"

Just as Wei Yidong was shouting and yelling, a voice with a hint of helplessness suddenly came from the side. "This is not a fire started by someone—it is a symbol. The Hunter's Dream, as a sanctuary created by the Moon Presence for Gehrman, has the core mission of using the Hunter to strangle the newly born Great Ones. Now that Mergo is dead, the mission of the dream has been completed, and it will naturally come to an end."

Wei Yidong was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned his head to look in the direction from which the sound came.

They then realized that they weren't the only team around them.

There were about thirty people standing not far away.

The one who just spoke was Princess Rosalind of Franca.

Not far from her, in an open space, Jian Li and Shen Nian stood there listlessly. Shen Nian was talking to Jian Li about something, while on the other side...

Zhao Heng of the Longsword Guild stood with Ulysses of the Red Tide.

As for Xia, Wei Yidong didn't recognize her, but he vaguely remembered hearing the ID.

In short, they are all top-tier players.

After so much time spent progressing through the dungeon, they finally met. There were over forty players present.

Cheng Xiu then realized what was happening, greeted Jian Li and the others, and asked, "You only have two teams? Why are there so few of you?"

" At Maria's location, it's getting difficult to find matchmaking later on."

Ulysses replied helplessly, "There are actually four teams here, but if you include you, there are five."

"No wonder, so everyone paid their dues there—this dungeon is definitely not easy."

Cheng Xiu shook his head and glanced behind him. After finishing Maria, he couldn't find any other players to match with—but at least he still had twelve players. However, the four teams in front of him couldn't even muster thirty players.

It seems there's a good chance our team will eventually get their Profession Certificate.

If it's just infighting, Jian Li and Shen Nian are all on our side, and Zhao Heng can also be won over.

Just as Cheng Xiu was thinking about the alliance...

Rosalind looked at Cheng Xiu and the others, and suddenly asked, "You also learned how to interrupt with Mental Strength from Maria, right?"

Cheng Xiu snapped out of his daze, but before he could speak, he was still speechless.

Wei Yidong quickly interjected, "That's right! I feel like taking you all down wouldn't be a problem now! Besides, Jian Li, Shen Nian, and Zhao Heng are all from Nine Provinces, and the players behind me are also from Nine Provinces. We Nine Provinces people make up two-thirds of the team, your end is nigh!"

Zhao Heng was watching the show from the sidelines when he was caught off guard when Wei Yidong included him in the calculations, leaving him completely bewildered.

no.

Why are you including yourself? It makes it seem like the Strategy Group has a great relationship with High Sequence players from major guilds.

However, he soon realized what was going on, and he was both amused and exasperated.

This Wei Yidong ----

He usually acts like a complete idiot, I never expected him to be so adept at forming alliances.

"You Da Shadong, shut up!"

Cheng Xiu glared at Wei Yidong, then looked at Rosalind: "You guys should be the same, right? I don't believe you skipped it."

"Of course."

Ulysses cracked his neck. "If we really have to fight each other in the end, then let's see who's stronger. Although you Nine Provinces people outnumber me, I don't think I'll lose."

Gong Yu, Xia, and Rosalind also looked at Wei Yidong and the others.

Gong Yu didn't seem to be in a very high mood. He had been like this ever since he found that ribbon in the sewer.

But these players from other regions clearly share the same thoughts as Ulysses.

The atmosphere became tense.

"You guys are crazy."

Just then, Shen Nian raised her hand and tossed her shoulder-length short hair. "Lu Xiu hasn't even appeared yet—are you really sure this is just infighting? If it's really infighting, then the invasion should have been allowed after the Blood Moon."

Upon hearing this, the others immediately looked at Shen Nian.

Facing over forty pairs of eyes, Shen Nian immediately moved closer to Jian Li, indicating that she was standing with her. Then, she raised her snow-white chin and said, "Look at the scenery around us. Doesn't it look familiar? Isn't it the same as the scene where Lu Xiu appears at the end of the promotional video?"

Upon hearing this, those present involuntarily turned their gaze to the flower field beside them.

It's exactly the same as the promotional video.

"We can't possibly have over forty of us ganging up on Lu Xiu, can we? We're all in the same situation now."

Rosalind was silent for a moment, then said, "If so, can Lu Xiu use skills from the real world? If so, can she win?"

Huh?!

Furthermore, if we can win in a siege, who gets the victory? Everyone? Can over forty people all obtain Profession Certificate?

Hearing Rosalind's question.

All the players fell silent, including Shen Nian.

They certainly didn't know the answer.

As for fighting Lu Xiu ----

They had considered this possibility, but subconsciously avoided it, especially considering that in the end they would be facing Lu Xiu —the fully-fledged Lu Xiu.

Even if she goes all out, it's not guaranteed she'll win.

Especially for Cheng Xiu and others who knew Lu Xiu well, Lu Xiu was the last person they wanted to face.

Furthermore, given the current situation, if so many people were to face Lu Xiu, and Lu Xiu could use her real-world skills within the Roleplay Instance, that would be clearly unfair. If she couldn't use them...

However.

Without waiting for them to discuss it.

Another team of six entered.

Immediately afterwards.

A system announcement sounded.

[The number of participants has reached the threshold.]

The final trial begins.

[All players are requested to enter the flower field and speak with the First Hunter Gehrman, before facing the Berserker progenitor and mentor, Lu Xiu.]

[Players do not need to kill the mentor in battle; they only need to demonstrate their understanding of the Berserker in combat and gain the mentor's approval. The system will score their performance and issue Berserker Profession Certificate.]

[To ensure fairness, during this trial, Instructor Lu Xiu will be subject to system restrictions, only able to use skills within the Berserker class and unable to use any skills outside the Berserker class. Additionally, the Progenitor's Suppression effect will be temporarily disabled.]

Note: Anyone who defeats the class mentor will automatically acquire the Berserker and the special Title"Uncrowned King." Afterward, they will be able to ignore the Berserker progenitor's suppression and gain some of the progenitor's abilities.

Best of Good Luck to you.

After reading this announcement.

The previously somber atmosphere in the open space instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Wei Yidong rubbed his eyes, seemingly to confirm that he hadn't seen wrong. After confirming that he hadn't, he gasped in shock.

"Forty people—no, over fifty now! So many people ganging up on Lu Xiu? And Lu Xiu can only use skills from the Berserker class? What's the point of fighting then? We can just interrupt her skills one by one and defeat her!"

Ulysses, Cheng Xiu, Xia, Gong Yu, Rosalind, and the others were also somewhat taken aback.

Then, upon seeing the Title "Uncrowned King," a strange expression appeared on their faces.