22: Strategy, review

As soon as Baldy mentioned a large amount of points, Cheng Zhen immediately became interested.

“Besides various transactions, the most effective way to earn points is by creating guides!”

Creating guides?

Seeing that Cheng Zhen didn't quite understand, Jacket Uncle on the side helped explain:

“Those who venture into and explore various instances are called 'Strategists' because, after successfully clearing an instance, they can analyze and weaken it.”

Since the Endless Game descended upon Blue Star, the world has undergone earth-shattering changes.

Everyone could awaken various magical abilities, which sounded like a good thing at first, but various disturbances followed.

First, criminals emerged endlessly, with absurd crime scenes that could make a veteran detective of ten years go bald on the spot.

Fortunately, under the temptation of official positions, various powerhouses also joined the ranks of law enforcement, stabilizing social order.

The end of the universe is about passing examinations for official positions, and this also applies to ability users.

After society returned to stability, there was still one thing everyone had to face—

Participating in the Endless Game's instances.

No one knew why it descended upon Blue Star, nor did anyone know its purpose.

People from 18 to 50 years old could be forcibly drawn into various instances, which coincidentally aligned with China's age of majority and legal retirement age.

However, not everyone was willing to enter instances; simple ones were fine, but encountering high-risk instances meant dying without even knowing how.

To avoid entering instances, one needed to use points to exchange for the item [Stasis Stopwatch], which guaranteed not entering an instance for one month.

Newcomers had no points, so many guilds offered point loan services, allowing newcomers to avoid danger.

When Cheng Zhen's teacher learned he had awakened a Tier 1 skill, it was out of good intentions that he suggested taking a point loan, otherwise, without the help of skills, he would surely struggle in the instance.

However, the price of the [Stasis Stopwatch] was high, and not everyone could afford it continuously.

Therefore, another method emerged—purchasing the cheaper [Downgrade Card] or [Novice Card] to enter 'low-risk instances' or 'novice instances.'

'Low-risk instances' referred to instances that had been cleared by many people, successfully solved all puzzles, and completed all route endings, thereby having reduced difficulty and complete guides.

There were two advantages to the second method:

Firstly, the prices of the [Downgrade Card] and [Novice Card] were lower, making them more affordable than the [Stasis Stopwatch].

Secondly, as long as one memorized the guide, they could still survive, and if they were lucky enough to get good items from the clear reward chest, they could even earn a lot.

However, the instances entered were random, and no one could guarantee entering the desired instance, so people could only try to memorize more instance guides.

Instance guides did not fall from the sky; they were written by the strong and powerful individuals who charged ahead, after numerous attempts and efforts, clearing various instances, and condensing valuable experience.

This is precisely the origin of the title 'Strategist.'

It was like an exam; ordinary people took the exam, while Strategists were like kind teachers who desperately highlighted key points to help them pass, the kind who could save lives.

Therefore, when powerful individuals created guides, many people would flock to them. Ordinary people bought them to save their lives, and the powerful earned money, a win-win situation.

“I saw that you seemed to know about this instance before, so did you also buy a guide?”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhen couldn't help but ask curiously.

“Since there's a guide, then why...”

He didn't have the nerve to say 'why were you almost dead,' but Baldy understood the implication.

“Because currently, there is no guide for this instance.”

Baldy said with a helpless expression, “In the real world, instance information in the Endless Game is somewhat censored; many crucial clues cannot be explicitly revealed, so everyone can only hint at them vaguely.”

“And to lift this censorship, at least half of the Strategists need to successfully clear this instance, and they need to clear it multiple times.”

“Before us, most of the newcomers who entered this instance were wiped out, failing to meet the half-standard. The few lucky ones couldn't lift the censorship, so naturally, they couldn't speak out.”

“I also saw this 'Newbie Graveyard' in the official forum's statistics and looked at it twice out of curiosity. There were some vague hints, such as paying attention to the villagers. I thought the NPCs held the key to survival, so on the first day, I kept asking the villagers questions, never expecting these NPCs wanted me dead!”

After complaining, Baldy then looked at Cheng Zhen expectantly: “But after we clear it, the censorship should be lifted somewhat. You, boss, are the MVP, with a high instance evaluation, so you must have fewer restrictions. Therefore, if you are willing to post a guide on the forum, it will definitely be a huge hit!”

Cheng Zhen was indeed moved by these words. Which single-player gamer hasn't searched for a walkthrough on 3DM? If he created a suitable guide and posted it on the forum, he could continuously earn points and money.

Moreover, due to the special nature of the Endless Game, forums required real-name authentication, so there was no need to worry about content thieves.

Cheng Zhen agreed to Baldy's suggestion, but since he had never written a guide, he asked the veterans how to best approach it.

“For example, start by analyzing the given hints to make them easier for others to understand,” Short-Haired Girl said.

“'Don't listen, don't it,' huh...”

Cheng Zhen pondered: “The 'don't listen' in the survival tips should mean not to follow the villagers' arrangements. Because they harbor ill will towards us and wish for us to die quickly in their place.”

“When he told us not to go to other people's rooms, it was to scatter us. Although Mountain Child's combat power is strong, if the Strategists stick together, there's still a chance to hold on, and if they happen to have a powerful skill against Mountain Child, then basically everyone in the room can be safe.”

For example, Green Hair's skill, although only Tier 2, undoubtedly completely countered the misty Mountain Child. If they hadn't listened to the villagers' arrangements and stayed together from the start, Mountain Child wouldn't have been able to get close.

Moreover, according to Cheng Zhen's observation, the reason Mountain Child could use the nursery rhyme to bewitch him and Green Hair seemed to be because it was a single-target skill; others who heard it had no reaction at all. If teammates were nearby, they might have been able to stop the bewitched person.

Unfortunately, this was just a hypothetical, because in novice instances, Rookies basically wouldn't defy NPCs, even if the other party seemed to harbor ill intentions, they wouldn't dare to refuse.

And 'don't it' referred to those blood-colored toys.

Those were Mountain Child's guiding lights, the missile's guidance system, and the marked targets for focused fire. If the newcomers could find them and throw those unlucky things out, they might be able to survive a couple more days.

But how many people would actually dismantle their beds based on the broken wooden bed's description?

“Not only that, but we also need to find a way to get talismans and black dog blood to block the mist's invasion.”

Jacket Uncle sighed, “Entering a four-star instance, most people are probably panicking, so how could they be in the mood to research the differences between their room and the villagers' rooms?”

“Now it seems that this instance's puzzle isn't difficult; it's just that the hints aren't obvious, so ordinary newcomers don't notice them and are maliciously misled by NPCs, which is why this instance has always been called the 'Newbie Graveyard.'”

Thinking about what they did after entering, even veterans were misled, let alone Rookies?

Baldy pulled a long face and complained, “Trash game, it better go out of business soon.”

“But it didn't leave no way out,” Cheng Zhen said calmly.

“Besides those hard-to-find clues, didn't you notice that everyone's skills had a miraculous effect on Mountain Child?”

Although Green Hair died, his wind-blowing skill completely countered the mist. Han Meimei could interrupt Mountain Child's bewitching skill, and Little Fatty could even use inflation to improve visibility and assist teammates, not to mention having three veterans to command.

If the instance hadn't been upgraded, and everyone had discovered the villagers' malice earlier and united, there would have been a great chance of clearing it.

“It seems the Endless Game thinks highly of you two, to have placed you in this instance,” Cheng Zhen teased the two Rookies.

The weak-kneed Little Fatty now just wanted to kneel, begging, please don't think too highly of him, he was genuinely bad 〒▽〒!

Having summarized almost everything, Cheng Zhen had already figured out how to create the guide and was in a good mood, preparing to leave the settlement space.

“Hey, Big Brother, wait a moment!”

Before he left, Baldy ran over and gave him several items, such as the [Earth Strength Frame] for temporary enhancement.

“Although it's not a rare item, please accept it.”

Baldy scratched his smooth bald head. Having been guided through the instance, he felt obliged to show his gratitude.

Cheng Zhen understood his intention and smiled, “It's nothing. If it weren't for our cooperation at the end, I wouldn't have been able to achieve the special ending alone.”

After all, the bodyguard brother he summoned could only be placed indoors and couldn't leave. If it weren't for the team's cooperation, and Mountain Child escaped for several miles, Cheng Zhen would have been helpless even if he summoned a Buddha in the room.

However, seeing the other party's persistence, Cheng Zhen still smiled and accepted his kind gesture.

Just before he left, Jacket Uncle also called out to him.

“Little Brother Cheng, allow me to be a bit long-winded.”

“In the future, if you get a key item, be more cautious...”

“We won't steal it, but that doesn't mean others won't!”