Chapter 11: Something Still Seems Missing

Zhao Haiping read the post twice, feeling a surge of excitement.

Right! This is the level that players should be aiming for!

Finally, someone proposed a constructive guess about the game mechanics.

So, the reason this game doesn't provide any mission guidance is because the content in these trial dungeons is based on historical events?

If that's the case, then the player's goal in the dungeon is straightforward: find a way to portray a key historical figure, perform similar actions, and ultimately clear the level.

For example, in the assassin dungeon, players take on the role of Nie Zheng, while in the soldier dungeon, they play as an ordinary soldier under General Geng.

In the dungeon, players receive physical abilities similar to those of the historical figures, supplemented by a special talent skill to offset any shortcomings.

Is it truly impossible to clear the level?

Initially, Zhao Haiping had such doubts. After all, from his personal experience, the game was extremely challenging. But once he realized these were real historical events, he started to change his mind.

If someone managed to do it in history, then it's not entirely impossible for the players to achieve it too!

Take the first dungeon, "Assassinate the King," as an example. Nie Zheng had only one chance, and the psychological pressure must have been immense.

But players not only have talent skills, they can also research, follow guides, and retry multiple times until they succeed.

Thinking about it this way, the difficulty doesn't seem that absurd.

Moreover, Zhao Haiping now knew what to do during the day. Although he couldn't play *Dark Sands* due to his addiction, he could still do some research on historical data to prepare himself.

Knowing how historical figures handled crises back then, he could follow their example, practice where he was weak, or get a matching talent skill. With enough attempts, there was hope of clearing the level.

With this realization, Zhao Haiping felt motivated.

He bookmarked the post and followed the user named "Chu Ge," who mentioned that they would continue updating this post with more content. Zhao Haiping figured he could just copy from there when the time came. For instance, with the scholar dungeon, there's no way a player like him with a Strength stat of 9 could pass it.

He then began researching historical material related to the "One General's Triumph" dungeon.

...

10 p.m.

Zhao Haiping re-entered the world of *Dark Sands*.

"Tonight, I'm fully prepared. I have to find a way to clear this level!"

"…Even if I can't, I at least have to reach Phase Two!"

Initially full of ambition, Zhao Haiping felt a bit hesitant when he remembered that the game might have a third phase after the second one.

After researching, he found that General Geng Zhong defended the northwest border for over forty years. Only seventy-four soldiers survived to await reinforcements, all of whom had aged to the point of having white hair.

In the second phase, soldiers were in their forties or fifties, still about twenty years away from becoming white-haired.

So, Zhao Haiping guessed that this dungeon probably has a third phase, requiring him to be one of the seventy-four survivors with white hair, waiting for reinforcements to finally clear the level.

Upon learning this, Zhao Haiping felt hopeless, as he found the second phase nearly impossible, making the third phase unimaginable.

He directly entered the game's second phase, skillfully choosing the "Endure Hunger" talent skill.

After dying countless times and trying various skills, he found that this game doesn't have many talent skills available early on, with only a few repeating options.

Testing these options, he found that the "Endure Hunger" talent was the most effective in resisting the hunger debuff in the second phase.

For a roguelike game, having fewer skills certainly limits gameplay diversity, but Zhao Haiping felt this might be a special mechanism for the beginner dungeon.

The beginner dungeon's goal is likely to guide players in understanding the gameplay. Too many options might fail to provide direction.

If players try too many skills without fully exploring the talent pool, they might get confused.

So, shrinking the talent pool in the beginner dungeon and including only targeted skills may be the best way to provide guidance.

As for the main content or larger dungeons, more talent skills should unlock later.

Re-entering the game.

Just like the previous night, the northern Di army was pressing on, while the Chu soldiers defending the city fought in a state of hunger and thirst.

A fellow soldier handed over a foul-smelling ragged bag.

Zhao Haiping deftly dodged, letting someone more desperate take it.

After some research, he now knew what was in that bag.

According to historical records, "The Di people blocked the waterway under the city, leaving the soldiers parched, forced to drink horse dung water."

In other words, the bag contained horse dung, which many soldiers, in their extreme thirst, had no choice but to drink.

Zhao Haiping was definitely unwilling to try this, so he firmly chose the "Endure Hunger" skill.

Soon, the distant sound of war drums echoed, and the northern Di soldiers launched another attack!

Zhao Haiping was mentally prepared.

After dying so many times, he was starting to adapt.

With each death, his combat skills improved.

Even though he was using the same body each time, the muscle memory of the soldier's combat skills remained, gradually activating with each battle.

Moreover, his experience with "Sword Mastery" from the first dungeon with Nie Zheng's body added a significant boost to his combat abilities.

Though the endless cycle of death was tiresome, Zhao Haiping found himself oddly enjoying it.

He was naturally focused, sensing his skills improving with each attempt, inching closer to victory.

Unknowingly, several hours passed.

With another desperate roar from General Geng Zhong, the Di soldiers once again overwhelmed Zhao Haiping, sending him back to square one.

"I can feel the improvement, but…

"It's still hard!

"There's no hope of clearing Phase Two, let alone Phase Three."

Zhao Haiping fell into deep thought again.

After enduring such rigorous training, he could sense a significant improvement in his combat skills.

He was now capable of handling two enemies simultaneously, no small feat given his state of hunger and thirst.

His combat experience grew rapidly, possibly due to a hidden game mechanism that simplified the battle system compared to real life.

But as he hit what seemed like the combat skill ceiling for this dungeon, Zhao Haiping began to doubt his current strategy.

He saw no way to win!

This body had its limits; it was easy to handle one enemy, but what about two, three, or four?

To hold the line, he'd need to face not just four, but perhaps forty.

Unless every Chu soldier was buffed to fight two enemies each, there'd be no chance.

"Strange, it feels unwinnable.

"Yet historically, they held the line?

"Did the game intentionally increase the difficulty, or is the storyline not following the historical narrative?

"The former seems unlikely for a beginner dungeon, so…

"Is there something in the historical record I overlooked?"

Once again, Zhao Haiping began reviewing the materials he had studied earlier that day.