Ch 16

Even Lisa couldn't help but hesitate for a moment. Just at that moment, Dvalin directly swooped down and launched a fierce bite attack on the platform. Lisa was unfamiliar with Dvalin's attack pattern, and she inevitably took some damage from this sudden attack. Fortunately, the damage wasn't too high. Her health dropped by only one-third. As a result of this action, Dvalin's dragon claws rested on the platform. Lisa's eyes lit up, and now she could finally attack it head-on!

She immediately used her charged elemental skill. At the moment of the lightning strike, Dvalin's shield value dropped by nearly one-fourth. Lisa originally wanted to use Venti's elemental skill again, but Dvalin had already gotten up. It seemed that this vulnerability was fleeting.

According to the previous logic, Dvalin would stay in the air for a while and then launch another attack. So when Dvalin seamlessly propped itself up at the edge of the platform again, Lisa was clearly caught off guard.

She immediately switched to Venti and used an elemental skill. Instantly, she dealt damage to the position of Dvalin's dragon claw, reducing the shield value by another one-fourth. But just at that moment, a white light appeared above, and before anyone could react, Dvalin's dragon breath gushed out continuously.

Lisa tried to evade this attack, but her stamina had already been depleted, and this dragon breath attack seemed extremely powerful, leaving the characters in a state of continuous bombardment.

"Thump..." Venti collapsed directly in this series of attacks. Fortunately, Lisa had plenty of Teyvat Fried Eggs and Sweet Madame for healing. Venti could still fight!

Lisa also understood Dvalin's attack pattern by now. The key point was to evade the dragon's attacks while taking the opportunity to weaken its shield gauge. But just then, Dvalin swung its wings and let out a roar to the sky. Large screens of light scattered like raindrops. The platform began to crack, and Lisa's character continuously received prompts of taking Anemo elemental damage.

The floor was scorching hot! Lisa immediately came to the nearby Wind Seeds, which she had noticed earlier. After passing through them, a wind field was immediately formed. Staying suspended in the wind field meant not suffering damage from the platform. However, this was not a long-term solution. Dvalin quickly launched its second Dragon's Breath attack.

This time, Lisa predicted the opponent's move and, riding on the wind field, avoided this breath attack. She kept switching to her character and launched attacks on the dragon claw continuously. Finally, the shield gauge was successfully cleared. Dvalin howled in pain and fell directly onto the platform.

"Here's our chance! The target is the blood clot on its neck!" Venti reminded.

But how to attack? There was still a height difference. While Lisa was thinking of a strategy, the damage caused by the ground beneath her feet became increasingly painful. As time passed, the damage became higher and higher.

Before, the damage was only a little over a hundred, but now it's already over five hundred damage.

"It seems I was too careless..."

Before she could make an attack on the blood clot on Dvalin's neck, her in-game character had already fallen. And just when the Traveler, who was already low on health from the previous battle, entered the scene, they also immediately fell. In the team, only Bennett and Sucrose remained. Both characters lacked offensive capabilities, and in this situation, they also fell in quick succession.

They returned to the seal's entrance. Lisa let out a long sigh. This battle was unlike any other they had faced before. Even she couldn't immediately find the best strategy to deal with it. The most powerful monsters they had faced before were Abyss Mages or Hillchurl mobs. Now, facing Dvalin, their previous battle experiences seemed somewhat inadequate.

"Lisa, even you failed?" A nearby player saw Lisa being teleported to the entrance, and the entire team was low on health, feeling surprised. In their hearts, Lisa was considered a godlike player, and her failure indicated the difficulty of this battle.

Lisa slightly furrowed her brows. The player suddenly felt a chill and hurriedly returned to their seat, afraid of annoying Lisa. They were teleported to the Seven Statues to heal the entire team. At the same time, Lisa pondered whether there were any overlooked details in the previous battle.

She clenched her fists slightly. In any case, she had to clear this battle today. She really hated the words "failure."

.....

"Oh my god, this battle is way too difficult!"

"I finally managed to clear the aerial combat, but then there's a second phase battle on the platform, and I'm stupefied."

"Boss, can you lower the difficulty a bit? This level is driving me insane!"

"I heard even Lisa got stuck on this level and is currently working on a strategy."

"I'd like to call this level 'The Nightmare of Players'!"

Hearing the players' various complaints in the hall, Takumi's inner calm remained undisturbed, and he even felt like laughing. During the early days of exploration, which player hadn't been tormented by the Stormterror Dragon? At that time, Takumi, with Razor and a maid, barely cleared the story in twenty minutes with all platforms shattered. Although later on, many powerful characters emerged, and Dvalin's mechanics were thoroughly understood, becoming a weekly boss to clear in seconds, the experiences from those early days of exploration were still amusing to recall. Therefore, Takumi wanted the players in Teyvat to experience this kind of "fun."

"Boss, isn't the difficulty of this level a bit too high?" Eula asked.

"Heh, this is the strongest boss in the early stages of the game. If it's not designed to be a bit challenging, how can we leave a deep impression on the players?"

"But even Lisa failed."

"Don't worry, although this level seems difficult at first glance, it's actually quite simple once you find the right methods and strategies."

"Oh..."

Eula nodded thoughtfully, feeling that her boss was indeed wise in his words.

Afterward, Takumi directly made an announcement in the game.

The first three players to defeat Dvalin would receive a reward of 1600 primogems.

As soon as this message came out, the players who had previously been complaining suddenly became as excited as if they were injected with chicken blood.

1600 primogems!

That's equivalent to ten wishes!

In terms of Mora, it's 160,000 Mora, and with the first recharge bonus, it's 80,000 Mora.

For the average player, this is definitely not a small amount.

"Boss Takumi is generous!"

"Takumi Boss has gone to great lengths to let us be tormented by Dvalin."

"I won't say more, I'm going back to challenge the Stormterror Dragon. I'm determined to get those 1600 primogems."

"I just saw Lisa's gameplay earlier; I think I can do it again!"

Players who originally planned to temporarily set aside the main storyline and complete other tasks immediately joined the camp battling Dvalin because of Takumi's move.

Thanks to Takumi's decision, players enthusiastically entered the dungeon, battled, and then all fell down, returning to the Seven-Day Statue to replenish their health.

There were even quite a few players who drained the Statue's health completely.

Today was destined to be a day of grinding for the players.

At dinner time, finally, the first player to clear the challenge appeared.

It was none other than Lisa herself!

This result was within the expectations of many players.

Lisa rightfully received the reward of 1600 primogems.

Many players wanted to consult Lisa for tips on battling the Stormterror Dragon, but Lisa immediately pulled down the door curtain outside her seat.

The meaning was clear: no distractions allowed!

At this time, no player dared to disturb Lisa, so they continued to strategize and battle Dvalin.

Since Lisa could do it, they should be able to as well.

As for Lisa herself, she was enjoying the sense of achievement from this victory.

On her third attempt, she found the unique mechanics of battling Dvalin.

Firstly, at the beginning, she could use Venti's charged attack, firing three arrows at once. If she could hit Dvalin, it would significantly speed up the process of depleting the shield.

Secondly, when Dvalin's shield was depleted and he fell on the platform, she needed to climb onto the dragon's neck to attack the clotting area.

Lastly, after Dvalin released the "Endless Waltz," she needed to use the wind currents on the platform to move to the adjacent safe platform.

As long as these three unique mechanics were mastered, this challenge became much easier.

After successfully clearing the challenge, Lisa even admired Takumi a bit.

This battle was completely different from previous ones, but defeating Dvalin using these unique mechanics brought a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

She took a sip of the fruit juice on the table and prepared to face the upcoming storyline.

Successfully clearing the last traces of poison, Dvalin fell from the cliff like a severed kite. At the same time, the platform seemed to have reached its limit, starting to shatter and collapse. There was no time for anyone to react, and they fell through the cracks into the unfathomable Eye of the Storm.

During the descent, Dvalin's figure flashed by. Then, the screen went black. Opening their eyes once again, Venti, Jean, Paimon, the Traveler, and Diluc were all seated on the broad back of the dragon, appearing to be safe and sound. Clearly, at the critical moment, Dvalin had regained his self-will and caught the falling group.

Carrying everyone away from the storm, they arrived under the vast sky of the outside world. Venti lay on the dragon's back, displaying a gentle expression.

"It's been a long time since we flew together like this, Dvalin..."

"Just now... why didn't it feel the same as before... asking me to 'protect,'" Dvalin voiced his confusion.

"I don't want you to follow the Abyss, but that doesn't mean you have to follow me, Dvalin."

"The 'freedom' given by the gods can also be a kind of 'unfreedom.'"

Venti said as he held up his hands. A ball of swirling divine and elemental wind power appeared and entered Dvalin's body.

"Is this... the power of the Wind God's ally?"

"But I am no longer a protector of the Four Winds."

Venti smiled. "Even without that title, haven't you still protected us?"

"From now on, may you fly with my blessings and more ease."

....

"The ending seems quite nice," Lisa couldn't help but feel some warmth in her heart, even though she didn't consider herself a sentimental person.

The curse on Dvalin was removed, and he regained his self-awareness. Although he was no longer one of the Four Winds' protectors, he had become a truly free dragon soaring in the sky. Thanks to everyone's efforts, this epic journey had finally come to a satisfactory conclusion.

In the game's storyline, just like the end of a story, it was recorded from Jean's perspective as the first person.

The scene shifted to the Knights of Favonius, to Jean's office, where she was seen working at her desk.

Jean's voice sounded off-screen. "Mondstadt's Dragon Crisis has come to an end."

"I have cleared up misunderstandings with the citizens on behalf of the Knights and announced the resolution of the incident."

"For ordinary people, the sudden attack of the Stormterror Dragon on Mondstadt and its subsequent disappearance must still leave them with many questions."

The scene then transitioned to Dvalin freely soaring in the sky, with the Traveler and Paimon seemingly moved by the sight. Diluc leaned against the wall, and Venti sat on the palm of the open hand of the Anemo Archon statue, gazing into the sky.

"But, the wind's direction can change."

"Someday, it will blow in a brighter direction."

Beneath the serene white clouds, in the center of Lake Mondstadt, Mondstadt City resembled a pearl, appearing so peaceful and beautiful. Perhaps the days of carefree freedom had been forgotten during the prolonged 'Dragon Crisis.' People had forgotten how wonderful those days were.

After completing the third act of the storyline, Lisa couldn't help but display a satisfied smile. The reason she left the Sumeru Akademiya and came to Mondstadt was because she had grown tired of the arrogant scholars and the oppressive rule of the Academia in Sumeru. Mondstadt's freedom allowed her to choose to reside here. And now, she seemed to feel the same attraction to this city as she had when she first decided to stay.

As a developer, Takumi had managed to express Mondstadt's concept of freedom so deeply and profoundly through the game's storyline that it evoked a subtle emotion in Lisa. At this moment, she felt like she had found a kindred spirit. It was the first time in many years that she had such a feeling of excitement.

She drew the curtains and went to the front desk. Lisa saw Takumi sitting at the bar, facing the air, seemingly simulating and planning something.

Quietly approaching Takumi, she said, "I really like the final chapter's storyline." Lisa left a light kiss on Takumi's cheek.

This scene happened to be witnessed by Eula, who had just returned with drinks. Eula felt a pang of jealousy. "Damn, I haven't even kissed my boss yet! Lisa just took the lead like that! Well, at least it wasn't on the lips. The boss's first kiss is still safe. That must be reserved for me!"

"How's it feel, boss?" Eula walked over to Takumi and asked, feigning nonchalance.

"Well, it feels a bit tingly," Takumi replied.

"Boss, you...!"

"It's probably because Lisa used her elemental power."

"Hmph, I'll remember this grudge!" Eula said, striking a pose with her hands on her hips. She was determined to make Takumi experience the full range of icy and fiery sensations when the time came, even more profound than what Lisa had given him!

...As it approached dawn, the second and third players to defeat Dvalin appeared one after another. They were a member of the Adventurers' Guild and a bartender from a tavern. They both received their 1600 primogems as agreed, but they didn't rush to make wishes; instead, they continued with the subsequent storyline.

With the top three positions now secured, the remaining players temporarily gave up on challenging Dvalin. After a day of grinding, their current concern was not the primogem rewards but the storyline that would unfold after defeating Dvalin.

A crowd gathered around the two players. Among them was Amber, who had finished her scouting work and come to join in the game. Although she had only progressed in the game to the point of reclaiming Mondstadt's skies from Jean's mission, she was curious about what would happen next.

Is Dvalin alive or dead? Can the main characters escape unscathed? What lies in the future for Mondstadt? These questions could only be answered in the unfolding storyline.

When they saw Venti bestowing freedom upon Dvalin, the onlookers couldn't hold back their emotions.

"Oh, Venti is so gentle!"

"Even though Lord Barbatos isn't very reliable most of the time, he's surprisingly tender at this moment!"

"Dvalin has also been reborn, and everyone has returned safely. It's truly wonderful!" Amber was moved by this beautiful ending, and there were hints of glistening tears in her eyes.

"I won't say more; I must pull Barbados... I mean, Venti, into my team!" Now, many players had fully accepted the present Wind God. They recognized his transformation into the bard Venti. It was all because in the mobile game's storyline, they had come to understand the gentleness of the Wind God.

"I remember you saying something like whoever pulls Venti is a great champion, right?"

"Laying it all out, I'm the great champion. Even if Venti heals the monsters, I'll still pull him!"

"Based on the trial gameplay, the feel and damage both seem great. I must pull him!"

"For Lord Barbados, I'm willing to offer up my wallet!"

....

The storyline wasn't completely over at this point. While the Traveler and Acting Grand Master Jean were battling Dvalin, Mondstadt also faced an attack from the Hilichurls. Fortunately, the strength of the Knights of Favonius successfully defended against the Hilichurl's full-scale assault. These Hilichurls were most likely manipulated by Abyss Mages.

Kaeya remained within the city, dealing with infiltrators from the Abyss Order and obtaining vital information. Behind the monsters gathered by the Abyss Order, there was a leader referred to as "[His Highness]." He shared this information with the Traveler.

Subsequently, as per their initial agreement, they joined Amber at the Good Hunter to enjoy their specialty sauce and carrot stir-fried meat.

Seeing this scene, something stirred slightly in Amber's heart. The game developer, Takumi, seemed to understand her... But she knew nothing about Takumi. However, through the many concepts presented in these storylines, Amber believed that Takumi must be a gentle person. She should find an opportunity to get to know him better.

"Amber, you're really playing your part here!" one of the players teased Amber.

"Don't get distracted, don't get distracted. Let's see what happens in the next part of the storyline!"

After bidding farewell to Amber, the Traveler went to the cathedral to meet with Jean. Upon entering the cathedral, besides Jean and Venti, there was another familiar figure, Sister Barbara.

"Although I may not have the authority to say this compared to the Acting Grand Master..."