The dungeon was cramped. More speed would be useless without room to dodge. Constitution probably determined how much punishment he could take, which would not help much, and he could not increase spirit.
In the end, those three free attribute points went into "strength."
After he allocated the points, Zuo Cheng'an's panel became:
[Player: Zuo Cheng'an] [Level: Not yet on the ladder] [Spirit: 97/100] [Constitution: 6] [Strength: 8] [Speed: 7] [Items: Tetanus Potion ×1 (vial)] [Skills: Eye of Truth]
--
With no suitable equipment nearby, Zuo Cheng'an could not immediately determine how much stronger those three attribute points had made him.
But the axe and small wooden shield in his hands, weapons that had felt rather heavy before, now felt almost weightless.
They did not feel like real weapons anymore, but more like cardboard props.
It looked like he would have to find a more suitable weapon when he had the chance.
Not long after Zuo Cheng'an applied the Tetanus Potion to his axe, the game's notification sounded:
[Day has broken! The hunter has left.]
The hunter was already dead. Of course it could not leave.
The hunter's battered corpse lay in the corridor, its head split in two. As the notification sounded, it rapidly decomposed until nothing remained on the floor except Zheng Ren's blood.
Seeing that the game was still going, Li Yueqiu looked panicked. "Why hasn't the game ended yet? Do we really have to endure all seven days before it's over?!"
Click. Click. Doors opened one after another.
The four people hiding in their rooms emerged, unsurprised to see the three survivors in the corridor.
The rooms had terrible soundproofing. When the fighting stopped during the night, they had known the battle was over and the hunter was dead.
But to stay out of sight during the fighting, then pop out the instant the enemy died...
Probably only someone with skin as thick as the soles of their feet could manage that.
So the people in the rooms had simply stayed put to spare themselves the embarrassment, leaving things until morning.
One peaceful night gave everyone a shot of confidence, making them realize that the hunter was not some invincible being after all.
As long as everyone worked together...
Uh...
Better not bring that up.
With an odd expression, Liu Shuang glanced at room 201, whose bloodstained door had a huge hole in it, then at room 202, whose door bore several claw marks.
He made no effort to hide his actions, so everyone noticed his gaze and followed it to examine the two rooms the hunter had attacked.
Liu Shuang voiced everyone's question. "It was 201 on the first night and 202 last night. Does that mean the hunters sent in next will attack in order too-203, 204, then 205?"
Apart from Zuo Cheng'an, the occupants whose room numbers Liu Shuang had called out all looked unhappy.
Li Yueqiu went pale with fright. Her room was 203! Didn't that mean it would be her turn tonight?!
If she had known, she would not have gone out to help last night. Wouldn't it have been better to save her skill for herself?
Meanwhile, those with higher room numbers, especially 207 and 208, felt an enormous weight lift from their hearts and became rather cavalier about other people's troubles.
Oh, so it just attacks in order. The rule was that simple? Seriously, and here we'd spent all that time worrying.
The dungeon lasted seven days, which meant six nights. If one person died each day, rooms seven and eight could win without doing a thing.
Most people, upon learning this rule, would still consider how close to breaking down the occupants of the lower-numbered rooms were. Even if they were laughing inside, they would have to keep looking worried.
But compared with the woman in 208, Liu Shuang, the occupant of 207, seemed less capable of controlling his expression. Or perhaps he simply could not be bothered to pretend anymore. He carelessly displayed an exaggerated air of relief.
The plainly dressed man from room 206 broke down on the spot, pointing at the bespectacled man and angrily demanding what exactly he meant and what he was playing at.
A single digit stood between him and survival! If his room number were 207, he would not have to worry anymore either!
Knowing he was in the wrong, Liu Shuang meekly tried to soothe him.
Just think of it as showing a little respect for the dead ahead of time.
Liu Shuang's indifferent expression provoked the man again. When he thought of how, after he died in the game, his hospitalized mother, who needed the surgery money in his bag to save her life, might miss the best window for treatment...
The taut string in his mind suddenly snapped, and he rushed back into room 206, screaming in a breakdown.
The bespectacled man who had proposed the pattern behind the hunter's attacks looked grim too. He was in room 205, also on the hunter's hit list.
As though oblivious to everyone's despair, Liu Shuang offered unsolicited advice like an uninvolved bystander:
"The hunter can be killed. As long as we join forces to fight it, everyone can definitely clear the game alive. Just like those three last night."
Li Yueqiu instantly felt as sick as if she had eaten cold noodles left out overnight.
Seriously, man, you're still talking about cooperation? Why didn't we see your precious feet step into the corridor last night?
Seeing that no one appreciated his advice,
Liu Shuang washed his hands of it. "You lot in two, three, four, five, and six can just team up yourselves. What's it got to do with me?"
By now, he was completely at ease, no longer clinging desperately to everyone as he had during the previous two nights.
Hearing this, Li Yueqiu silently took stock of their current fighting strength.
Apart from herself, there were only the half-crippled Zheng Ren, Zuo Cheng'an, and the man having a breakdown... She did not count the bespectacled man in 205.
That was because the bespectacled man gave her the impression of someone who seemed meek enough for anyone to trample on, but would silently nurse a grudge and wait for a critical moment to deliver a fatal stab.
Four people in total, one crippled and one unhinged. Their fighting strength was negligible.
And although she had the skill [Double Kick], her constitution fell short of the minimum requirement of seven points to use it.
Forcing it would injure her legs. One use meant cramps and pulled muscles; a second would probably put her tendons at risk. It might even leave her legs permanently disabled.
Zuo Cheng'an considered the row of doors for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Actually, we might not have to fight the hunter."
Liu Shuang thought Zuo Cheng'an had been scared senseless and started spouting nonsense now that he knew his turn was coming soon. "Not fight the hunter? Are you planning to kill yourself ahead of time?"
Zuo Cheng'an could not be bothered to waste words on him. He directed Li Yueqiu to help him carry the injured Zheng Ren back to his room, 202, first.
Once they were done, Li Yueqiu was about to leave when Zuo Cheng'an caught her arm. "Wait. Stay with me tonight."
Li Yueqiu: "????"
"Huh?"
She darted away, folded her arms over her chest, and eyed Zuo Cheng'an warily. "What are you trying to do? Even if I get killed tonight! Even if I smash my head against the wall! I'll never give you what you want!"
Zuo Cheng'an ignored her for the moment and discreetly looked at the floating comments instead.
[Holy shit! He actually figured out how to clear it without anyone getting hurt all by himself?! Is he a genius?]
[What's so hard about that? I'd have figured it out ages ago if I were there. People from higher worlds really are smarter.]
[Exactly. It's so simple. Why else would Screaming Night be a level-one dungeon? Why else do players so often bring guides and come in groups to farm points? Isn't it because the rules are simple and easy to work around?]
[True. I've watched dozens of Screaming Night dungeon streams. Players who come prepared always start out in rooms two through six.
Once they've confirmed whether the hunter kills from front to back or back to front on the first night, they avoid the rooms with those particular numbers. As long as you understand the rules, everyone clears it unharmed every time.]
[It's that simple? That's ridiculously easy, isn't it? Nobody could possibly die!]
[Eh, there are actually quite a few rules. Like no more than two people to a room, no making noise inside your room, having to lock the door at night, and so on. But it's an old dungeon, after all. Its guides get bundled with other dungeon guides and sold for next to nothing. Those few rules are way too easy to avoid.]
[Screaming Night had its glory days too. Sure, it's a point-farming dungeon now, but when it first came out, plenty of the pioneering teams died trying to figure out the rules. Oh, right, I've got some well-worn footage here. Want a look?]
Before you continue