"There are actually three different factions to choose from. This dungeon seems to have quite a lot of steps. The quests are different for each faction. Does this mean that you have to complete all three factions to officially clear the dungeon?" Maple Moon analyzed.
"Stop with all that nonsense, which one do you choose?" Frenzied Sword Fried Rice said.
Hao Tian pondered for a moment and said, "This is a level 90 dungeon. We probably can't clear it. We're just starting out, so let's familiarize ourselves with the dungeon first. It would be best to choose a familiar faction, like the deserter mercenaries."
"Ugh, escaped again." The crowd couldn't help but complain; catching someone is never as fun as running away.
However, most of them were professional players, and even though they knew that level 90 dungeons were difficult to clear, they would not give up. Although they were escaping underground and might not be able to see the Dragon Emperor's attacks as before, Meat Bun did not know the specifics of this dungeon, so he did not speak.
Hao Tian selected the fleeing mercenary camp, and a hazy white starlight appeared at the edge of everyone's field of vision. Their vision was pulled by an inexplicable force and they quickly "fell" towards the planet. The surrounding scenery flashed by, various fleets, white clouds, blue sky, etc., crashing head-on into the gray-black rocky land. The next moment, their vision passed through and fell into the dark underground space, returning to the sight of the naked eye.
Before them lay a dark and winding underground path. The group shuddered, regaining control of their bodies. They looked down and saw that their bodies were intact, not a single part missing.
At this moment, a small virtual box appeared in the sight of the ten people. This was the quest list that was always on display. Players could customize the UI to display information from certain panels at all times. Now, the dungeon quests were automatically displayed and could not be canceled, hovering in the upper right corner of their field of vision.
[You are a fugitive mercenary. The underground space is filled with DarkStar floating ships and hordes of warriors. You know very well that if you are captured, you will face torture worse than death. Surrounded by an inescapable net, you have almost no way out, but the reinforcements ignite your will to survive.]
[Instance Objective: Escape Pursuit until the Dragon Emperor descends, 12-hour countdown]
[Completion Reward: 6 million experience points]
[Failure condition: All members are arrested]
[Penalty: For each player captured, total rewards are reduced by 10%]
[Optional Mission I: Kill 100 DarkStar Soldiers, Reward: 400,000 Experience]
[Optional Mission II: Destroy 10 floating ships, reward 700,000 experience points]
[Optional Mission III: Protect 6 mercenaries who are being Pursuit, reward: 1 million experience points]
[Challenge Mission I: Do not trigger any alarms throughout the entire process; reward: 2 million experience points]
[Challenge Mission II: Escape five pursuers without taking damage; reward: 3.5 million experience points]
[Random Events: During your escape, you may encounter random events. Completing two random events will reward you with 3 million experience points.]
[The number of side quests completed affects the dungeon completion rating]
[Note: The main characters, objectives, and difficulty of the instance will change upon contact. You will receive a notification when a main character is within one kilometer of you; please carefully consider whether to change your route.]
After the mission is displayed, a twelve-hour countdown appears in the upper left corner of the view.
"That's a lot of information." Frenzied Saber studied it carefully for a while and said, "The ultimate goal of a fugitive mercenary is to survive. If you want high rewards, you have to be both reckless and cautious..."
Everyone read it through, and Hao Tian frowned as he analyzed:
"12 hours is shorter than our actual experience, and if one team member fails, the total reward will decrease. So to get a high score, everyone has to survive to the end and cooperate. And this mechanism probably means you can sell out your teammates... cough cough, but there's a price to pay. Then the optional missions are only useful when you encounter enemies, which conflicts with the challenge missions. One challenge is stealth, and the other is causing trouble. Does that mean we have to choose between the optional missions and the challenge missions? Hmm, looking at the reward comparison, causing trouble will be more difficult, so the random events should be unexpected factors... This dungeon is very well-designed. Finally, they mentioned the main character, which means we won't be following Black Phantom like before, but will be independent. I..."
Before he could finish his analysis, the buzzing sound of a floating ship suddenly came from ahead, and an anxious voice came through his earpiece.
"Attention all mercenaries! Four floating ships are searching this area. Do not linger, leave immediately!"
As soon as the words were spoken, searchlights illuminated the passage ahead. Everyone's expression changed, and without time to exchange words, they hurriedly turned around and ran for their lives.
"This dungeon started so fast! The enemies are already here after only two or three minutes!" Long Sky said worriedly, "The dungeon's pace is too fast. If the enemy density is too high, it will be extremely difficult to last 12 hours!"
After running for a while, the floating ships behind them moved forward slowly, seemingly unaware of their presence, but their speed was not slow at all. The group's stamina was rapidly depleting, and they hadn't managed to create much distance between them. The worst part was that there was only one path through this passage, and they hadn't found any forks in the road yet.
This is a level 90 dungeon, and the difficulty is evident everywhere. They are only level 60, and they can't even shake off the first wave of enemies. The team is moving too slowly and will be caught up sooner or later. Everyone realized this and discussed it in the channel.
"Let's not run anymore, let's go back and test the monster's strength," Frenzied Saber suggested.
"Alright, adjust the formation. Mechanic Class should stay in the back and deal damage, Esper Class should roam around, and Pugilist Class should go up and take the lead."
Hao Tian made a decisive move, directing everyone to form a simple coordinated formation. Searchlights quickly approached, and a floating ship, only a few meters long, appeared. Upon spotting the group, it immediately accelerated and flew over, its miniature laser cannons firing thin, green beams of light.
Bang bang bang--
The laser cannon exploded without smoke, blasting debris from the rock walls and ground.
The group rushed forward and ganged up on the floating ship, and the battle immediately began.
At the same time, the countdown border in everyone's field of vision suddenly turned red, and a notification popped up.
[You have triggered Level 1 alert. Enemy reinforcements will arrive in ten minutes!]
"Hurry, finish this battle within ten minutes!"
With a time limit in place, everyone's expressions changed slightly, their eyes became serious, and they increased the intensity of their attacks.
Bang bang bang!
Various powerful attacks were thrown at the floating ship, but the floating ship's shields were not just for show, absorbing a massive amount of damage. The micro lasers were quite powerful, capable of taking away two or three hundred points of health with a single shot. Don't be fooled by the seemingly low damage; its attack speed is fast!
If it were Grade B superhuman, dealing with the floating ships would be relatively easy. However, these players are only level 60 Grade C Grade C, and they don't have templates, few specializations, and are not superior in terms of attributes. Level 60 players are at the bottom of the C-level. Even if players in version 2.0 reach level 90, they are only C+. The level gap between each tier is constantly increasing. For them, the floating ships, which should be elite monsters, have become bosses.
As time passed, everyone grew anxious, and anxiety easily leads to mistakes. In the end, it took the lives of three people to destroy the floating ship within ten minutes, producing a deafening explosion.
The remaining people were panting heavily, their energy depleted by more than half.
"This is too difficult! The side quest requires destroying 10 floating ships, and even one is this hard to deal with. We also lost three people, and the level difference is too big!" Frenzied Sword Fried Rice said.
With three people gone, the total rewards were reduced by 30%, and this was only about ten minutes into the game. The losses were already so significant. Everyone realized that entering at their current levels was just asking for trouble, and the monsters in the dungeon had all been strengthened. When the floating ship exploded, several DarkStar soldiers inside had managed to escape in time. They should have been ordinary people or low-level superhumans, but their levels were all question marks, exceeding level 60. Fortunately, the explosion of the floating ship caused the DarkStar soldiers' health to plummet by more than half, otherwise the players would have been wiped out.
The alarm continued, and everyone turned and ran. But reinforcements arrived too quickly, and everyone was exhausted from running for their lives. They had to sell out their teammates to ensure the survival of the rest. But this was just a temporary measure. Before long, Hao Tian was attacked from both sides by two floating ships, beaten to the point of death, and captured.
The entire team was wiped out, the countdown stopped, and only thirty minutes had passed since the start of the game.
In a flash, everyone was kicked out of the instance and returned to the base.
"Half an hour is gone, how can we play like this..." Long Sky was speechless.
At this point, all the other players who were in a dungeon team were kicked out, followed by a chorus of groans. They had all been utterly crushed. They exchanged experiences, and after asking around, they discovered that all the players had chosen the "deserted mercenaries" faction, prioritizing stability. The best performer was the "Kings and Generals" team, which held out for fifty minutes. The worst off was the "Fish-Fragrant Eggplant" team, who encountered the first wave of floating ships, failed to eliminate the enemies within ten minutes, and were surrounded by two reinforcement floating ships, resulting in their immediate demise.
However, no one was discouraged. After all, the dungeon description clearly stated that they were challenging a higher-level dungeon, so they were mentally prepared. Besides, how could it be considered a raid if the entire team didn't wipe eight or ten times?
Professional players always enjoy challenging themselves with high difficulty levels, and hardcore gamers are never defeated by difficulties. Everyone was in high spirits and continued to enter the dungeon. There is a limit to the number of times you can challenge the same dungeon, which is reset to zero every six days in the game. The players also had some Germinal Campaign dungeons that they had obtained from Han Xiao, but they decided to use up the number of attempts for [Campaign: The Might of the Dragon Emperor] first.
Hao Tian and the others entered the dungeon again. The familiar opening animation played, followed by the faction selection screen. This time, Meat Bun couldn't sit still any longer and said, "The escape mercenary faction is too difficult; we can't survive at all. Other factions should be easier. Pursuit is easier to survive than running away. And the support force faction should be manageable, right? Let's try a different faction."
During his first challenge, Meat Bun recorded the process to use as footage, but what he cared about most was the scene of the Dragon Emperor unleashing its power, even if it was just a cutscene. The dungeon wasn't his goal; recording was. His only objective was to survive until the countdown ended and watch the cutscene.
They were all quite familiar with each other, so when he said that, Frenzied Saber and Hao Tian agreed, and the others had no objections. This time, they chose the DarkStar Pursuit camp. After being tortured last time, they felt that choosing the DarkStar camp would be more reliable.
Upon entering the instance, the group discovered they had become a ground force following a floating ship. There was still a countdown, but for the DarkStar faction, it was only a three-hour countdown. Unlike the escaped mercenaries, this time they had to capture a certain number of mercenaries within the time limit. Optional missions included protecting the initial floating ship and helping other DarkStar companions flank the target. The challenge mission was to capture a specific target.
One characteristic of the DarkStar faction is that, as ground forces, they must follow the floating ships and cannot leave freely; otherwise, the instance will be considered a failure, guaranteeing a battle.
"We should be safe now."
With the prey now in the hunter's shoes, everyone felt a little more at ease. Following the floating ship, they quickly spotted a group of mercenaries. The order to attack was given, and everyone immediately charged forward.
Then, they discovered a sad truth...
Damn, mercenaries can fight back, and they're fucking strong!
The floating ship that everyone had painstakingly destroyed was easily shredded into pieces by this group of mercenaries whose ranks were all question marks. Then, in order to clear the area, the mercenaries chased after them and killed them to cover their tracks. Everyone Danger at Every Turn, falling from heaven to hell in an instant, and they were devastated.
Who is the real hunter?!
If you guys are so good at fighting, why are you running away?!
A notification appeared, saying that reinforcements would arrive in ten minutes, and the Pursuit were now running away. Both sides faced dangers; DarkStar had more reinforcements, while the mercenaries were individually stronger. No matter which side they chose, they would have to face the other's advantage. However, DarkStar had one advantage: once they escaped a certain distance, the mercenaries wouldn't dare to follow.
Meat Bun took off running, leaving everyone else in the dust with his incredible speed. He decisively abandoned his teammates, leaving the others no choice but to follow him and escape for their lives.
After fleeing for a while, at the cost of two lives, the mercenaries finally retreated. The remaining survivors, panting heavily and clutching their Meat Bun, were the fastest runners and were in the best condition. He had no other strengths but being fast.
"I... I think, since the floating ship has exploded, we should stay here and wait until the dungeon ends..."
Before the words were even finished, new orders came through everyone's earpieces, ordering them to follow another floating ship. As always, disobeying orders would result in a failed dungeon run; there was absolutely no way to cheat.
--Swimming is impossible.
Everyone looked helpless and was about to get moving when a new notification appeared.
Ding dong ding dong--
The notification tone echoed in my ears, and the border of my vision flashed red continuously, as if it were very urgent.
[Attention! You are now within one kilometer of the main character. Please carefully consider whether to change your route!]
Hao Tian's eyes narrowed, and he pondered, "We can't complete the mission through normal means. Perhaps we should try contacting the main characters. I suspect they're also divided into factions. If we encounter characters from our own faction, the dungeon's difficulty should decrease. If we encounter enemies, it might be a guaranteed kill scenario. This is a gamble..."
He was experienced and his analysis was very logical and insightful.
The group agreed, exchanged glances, and said, "Then let's wait."
The red light flashed more and more rapidly, indicating that the main character was getting closer and closer, like the tolling of a death knell, a storm brewing, and everyone's hearts were in their throats.
Rumble...
A faint tremor came from the wall, growing louder and louder, as if it were getting closer.
"That voice..." Frenzied Saber's eyes widened suddenly as he realized something, his expression panicked, and he cried out, "Run!"
However, it was too late.
Boom!!
The next moment, the rock wall beside them collapsed! The round, silver Ball Vehicle crashed through the rock wall and thundered towards them, blocking their path. They were instantly wiped out!
Inside the stronghold, Hao Tian and the others reappeared, their faces blank, as if they hadn't yet recovered from being instantly killed, and they couldn't help but look at Frenzied Saber.
Frenzied Saber looked like he was in a pained expression.
"That's Black Phantom's vehicle. I was in this sphere trying to escape. If we'd run into him, we definitely wouldn't have survived. We were just unlucky."
Meat Bun's face twitched, tears welling up but no tears, her composure completely shattered. "I just wanted to record some footage! Why are you doing this to me!"
Black Star players embarked on a journey of suffering, enduring excruciating torment, yet they remained undeterred, finding joy in the pain.
Meat Bun was the one who suffered the most. He didn't have the spirit of a professional gamer to face difficulties head-on, and he was so badly beaten that he was almost mentally disoriented.
However, in order to obtain material, he had to force himself to continue suffering, which was extremely arduous.
The instance Han Xiao distributed was meant to keep players busy for a while. The ordered materials arrived in one day. He locked himself in the mechanical modification room, spending all his time with metal and lathes, working on creating a new generation of combat system.
Time passed day by day, and in the neighboring Feven Star System, a small, stealthy spaceship visited Planet Fawn-122.