Though there had been this and that little interruption.
Actually taking a complete break was definitely impossible—
Lu Xiu could, perhaps, but Jian Li and Shen Nian clearly could not. Not only were they Nine Provinces' top combatants, they were also among the Strategy Group's pioneering spearheads.
After reporting their current progress to the Strategy Group and taking a brief rest, the two of them entered the dungeon once more.
Lu Xiu did not rest for long either. With the idea of seeing whether she could change the Sun Knight's fate, she soon entered the dungeon as well.
If even they were like this, there was no need to mention everyone else.
Nine Provinces and Prison Rock were racing each other. Whether they were elite Strategy Group members or ordinary players, everyone was tensely progressing through the dungeon.
However.
Progress was not particularly fast.
On the first day the dungeon went live.
Amid the wails, breakdowns, amazement, and unwillingness of countless players, the day quietly came to an end—while also opening the curtain on an even more intense phase of exploration.
For every player involved, this SSS-rank dungeon was absolutely an experience of both ice and fire.
It possessed a malice that could make one's scalp go numb and effortlessly shatter a player's resolve.
Yet at the same time, it possessed a breathtaking brilliance that made one's soul tremble.
A vast, three-dimensional map where what you saw was where you could go; seamlessly designed shortcuts; a deep, despairing yet logically consistent worldview; and, after countless [YOUDIED] messages, the supreme sense of accomplishment that shot straight through the roof when one finally defeated a powerful foe through sheer will and steadily improving skill.
Pain and brilliance coexisted. Despair and epic grandeur stood side by side.
Amid this ultimate interweaving, the speedrun