How Level Zero Devil Destroys Player Experience

Chapter 83: Instance Opening (I)

The Black Prison Forest is located southwest of the town of Soma. Its name may come from the legend that evil wizards imprisoned travelers in the old days, or it may be because the shape of the entire forest is like a pitch-black cage.

However, the long and peaceful time that followed seemed to prove to many people that this was just an ordinary forest that could be found everywhere in the Orwyn Empire.

Although the ruins that were suddenly discovered in the forest recently seemed to have brought some changes, they also brought a lot of adventurers.

But the people living nearby didn't pay much attention to the forest and the rumors of the past. Compared to this, they were more concerned about whether the influx of these adventurers could allow them to live a better life than yesterday.

Until recently, the guards on night patrol discovered something unusual in the depths of the forest.

Countless leaves fell off the branches, the roots of the trees became rotten and dilapidated, and the originally green land seemed to have been deprived of its vitality, becoming charred and dry.

If the flocks of crows drove away the animals, the color symbolizing death would cast a strong ominous atmosphere on the forest.

Then the hazy white fog that had risen up at some unknown time cast a thick shadow over the forest, and in the depths of the gray-white area, there seemed to be a strange and hoarse voice and a flash of red pupils.

It was as if the devil was whispering and the abyss was watching.

Faintly, it was as if an invisible giant hand closed the prison door, turning this forest into a real black prison. Just like the name of the black prison, it swallowed up all visitors silently.

The people in the town began to panic. Some thought that the rumors were true and the evil wizard had reappeared, while others said that a terrible monster was hiding in the depths of the forest.

Faced with the growing public opinion, the executive of Soma Town finally took action. He blocked the entrance to the depths of the forest, sent out a prosecution team, and asked adventurers to assist in investigating the cause of the changes in the Black Prison Forest.

……

Olwen Empire, Soma Town Square.

Zhiye, who was online next to the fountain, couldn't help but yawn, and his face looked a little unhappy.

After all, she was still in a beautiful dream a few minutes ago, but was suddenly woken up by a call from her best friend. Without any explanation and just constant urging, she hurriedly went online without even having time to eat breakfast.

It is impossible to say that I don't feel unhappy at all.

"If that guy doesn't give me a reasonable reason, don't even think about letting me borrow his homework when school starts." With this thought in mind, Zhiye walked towards the agreed gathering place.

But along the way, I was a little surprised by the flow of people on the street.

“When did the crowds increase again?”

There was some obvious surprise in Zhiye's eyes. Although she knew that Soma Town was now the busiest leveling point in the Gruin area and that many players had gathered there in the past, the current crowded situation seemed to have only occurred when a special event had occurred not long ago.

Could it be that something happened again?

Considering the urging in the previous phone call, Zhiye felt more and more that the beast must know something, so with this thought in mind, he quickened his pace.

But when she finally arrived at the gathering point, she was about to grab the leader, the pretty boy in the flashy knight armor, to interrogate him, but she didn't expect that he grabbed her arm first, "My lady, you are finally here, hurry up, everyone is here, hurry up and grab a seat."

"Don't worry, we can't beat others anyway."

"Our equipment and configuration are not bad either, so we can give it a try."

"It was a wise decision to use this place as a base. You really have to thank me."

"Didn't we decide to stay here because you, Yuan, had spent all your money and couldn't teleport?"

"Bullhead, don't talk."

Although the other people were noisy, they also followed behind him.

"Location? What location?"

Only Zhiye didn't understand the situation. She was dragged forward by the Paladin with a confused look on her face. As she listened to her friends' discussion, she suddenly felt like she was studying in a university library.

"Hey, Ye Zi, don't you know?" Everyone looked at him with puzzled eyes.

So it's like I'm the only one who doesn't know what's going on in this situation where there's a midterm exam tomorrow and I haven't reviewed at all.

Yiji Zhichen adjusted the non-existent glasses on his nose and said, "Ahao, didn't you explain this clearly to Ye Zi on the phone?"

"Ahaha, I forgot." The paladin called Ahao just remembered his negligence. He rubbed his head with a sneer, and couldn't help but defend himself in front of everyone's gaze, "I was too anxious at the time, wasn't I?"

"So what is going on?"

Zhiye, who was ignored nearby, couldn't help but shout.

After everyone explained, Zhiye finally understood the cause of the incident, and it also indirectly explained her previous confusion about the sudden increase in the number of players in Soma Town.

"There's a dungeon over there in the forest ruins that can be entered at level eight?" Zhiye blinked, and with that delicate face, he looked a bit playful and cute. "Didn't they say that the minimum level of dungeons is now ten?"

"It's all spread on the forum. It's indeed level eight, and Koizumi just said they've already gone in." White Rabbit Candy spoke vaguely while taking a bite of the bread in his hand, which was obviously meant for recovery but was being treated as a snack.

Otaku Yuan next to him added, with an analysis that seemed to make sense but was actually nonsense, "Many pioneering teams have already gone there, and some studios haven't fallen behind. After all, this is the first real dungeon in the era. If you can leave your name in the clearance record, you will definitely be famous."

"What are you waiting for? Go over there quickly!"

When she heard that she could compete with the big guild, Zhiye's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. She grabbed the paladin's arm and ran out of the town of Soma.

But something was slightly off.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment as they saw the Paladin being dragged away by a petite mage like trash.

"No matter how dumb Ye Zi is, it's impossible for her to use all her strength, right?"

"Could it be that her violent disorder has recurred?"

"Achen, is the method you proposed useful?"

Yiji Zhichen didn't know what to say, so he could only quickly follow him, "Anyway, let's catch up first and talk about it later."

……

……

Ask for next month's ticket~

Don’t… don’t get the wrong idea. I… I don’t mean to add more chapters to your story (turns head)

Chapter 84: Dungeon Opening (Part 2)

Although after the players' levels generally reach level eight, many people choose to go to other more suitable places around Soma Town to fight monsters and level up, the forest ruins can still be said to be the most popular leveling point near Soma Town. Even on normal days, it is very lively here.

Not long ago, after the post that broke the news on the forum was spread, the number of players in it increased several times, and it seemed that the number was comparable to the huge number of monsters in the ruins.

All of this was brought about by the entrance to the depths of the forest in the southeast of the ruins.

Medium-sized dungeon, Deep in the Black Prison Forest (Level 8)

At the beginning, no one knew when this copy appeared in the corner of the forest ruins, and no one knew what the rewards for completing this copy were, but as long as they noticed the minimum entry level, all of this became unimportant.

There are many kinds of dungeons in the Era, and there are definitely quite a few with twists and turns in the plot and grand and spectacular scenes. However, all of these dungeons have very high level requirements, at least they are not accessible to current players.

Most players are eager to reach level 10 and enjoy the fun of exploring new dungeons with their companions.

And now, a copy that can be opened at level eight has undoubtedly brought them great surprises. This is true for ordinary players, and it is even more meaningful for guilds and studios.

The fastest clearance record, the first clearance of the most difficult dungeon, these achievements stored on the dungeon list are symbols of honor and strength, not to mention the special significance of the first opened dungeon.

Therefore, with such hype, Black Prison Forest has become the top priority for many guilds and studio development teams, and ordinary players are also inviting their companions to enjoy the fun of the dungeon together.

When Zhiye dragged the paladin named Xinghe Haohan to the forest ruins, what he saw was the number of people at the entrance of the Black Prison Forest dungeon, which almost occupied half of the ruins.

Some people started the Black Prison Forest dungeon with their companions with great confidence, some teams showed up at the forest entrance in a panic, and many people were looking for suitable teammates everywhere, as if they were turning this place into a temporary gathering place.

"Wow! Deep Sea, Aion, Night Walker, Magnificent Ceremony, these old guilds are all here."

Xinghe Haohan, who was being dragged all the way behind him, finally found the opportunity to stand up, but when he looked at the team gathered around him, he couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.

"Don't be surprised too soon. Guilds like Storm, Empire Epic, and Star Myth have all sent more than a dozen pioneering teams here. The several large guilds that developed in the north at the beginning also sent their elite teams here."

Yiji Zhichen, who came behind him, seemed to have expected this situation and did not seem too surprised.

However, Zhiye couldn't help but do the math when he heard that. "It would cost at least ten silver coins to teleport over there. The entire elite group would probably cost four or five gold coins. Is that such a big sum?"

"After all, this instance means a lot to them."

"Okay, stop talking so much, let's start the dungeon quickly. Isn't it time to level up after all the hard work?" Yuzaku Gen's voice interrupted, and he sounded impatient as well.

Or that was the case for everyone else, including him, but Yiji Zhichen poured a bucket of cold water on them at this moment.

"As much as I want to, I can't right now."

"Hey, why?"

Everyone was puzzled as to what could have made their friend so cautious.

“Because we don’t have enough people.”

"..."

The Black Prison Forest is a medium-sized dungeon that requires at least twelve people to open, but they only have six of them at most.

"So we need to form some other players here?" The shield warrior Minotaur looked around, "What professions do you think we are still lacking?"

"Nurse, of course!"

Everyone nodded. Their team was indeed lacking a necessary healer. Unexpectedly, Yuzakugen's next words came right after.

"Big breast healing is great no matter how you think about it, right?"

"..."

"You're wrong to think so, Ayuan." Before they could react, Xinghe Haohan next to them retorted righteously, "The girl next door can be cute sometimes, isn't she?"

"Yes, I understand, I understand. It's just like meeting a JK biting a piece of bread on the way to school. So we also need to find a tsundere archer."

"Another gentle mage girl."

"The strong warrior sister on the front row."

However, before Xinghe Haohan and Yuzhaiyuan could organize a perfect team in every sense, they were kicked back to the game world by Zhiye alone.

"Don't say weird things. Where are your girlfriends, Hao? Just call them all over and we'll be all here."

Yuzakugen was originally whining about his own ass, but when he heard the words "girlfriend group", he felt like he was betrayed by his brother. He stared at Xinghe Haohan in amazement, "When did you start a harem?"

However, Xinghe Haohan paid no attention to the resentment of a certain single dog. He avoided Zhiye's sight with a strange look on his face and coughed, "I am just a pure friend to them, and the current situation is special."

"What's so special?" Zhiye stared at the other person, trying to find something suspicious.

Receiving someone's gaze asking for help, Yiji Zhichen held the bridge of his nose and rushed to the rescue, "Those girls may not have time, we still have to find suitable teammates here. Minotaur, don't stare at others with that look, it will scare them away."

The shield warrior called Minotaur touched the back of his head, but before he could put on a simple smile to greet his new teammates as his companions requested, the White Rabbit candy next to him gave them a surprise.

"Koizumi and the others have come out and asked if we wanted to team up together, so I asked them to come over."

The two teams often have contact with each other and have a good relationship.

"So fast?"

But Zhiye remembered what White Rabbit Candy had said before, and according to that time calculation, he had only been inside for more than ten minutes.

"They played the easy difficulty first."

"No wonder, it should be easy to clear the game on easy difficulty."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

White Rabbit Candy bit the bread and glanced at the news, "They are all wiped out."

"……Eh?"

“Eh hey hey hey?”×N

Chapter 85: Instance Side Quest

"Leaf, sugar~"

"Otaku, are there any other gals like the one I recommended last time?"

"Stop talking about gals, help me, does anyone have a finished math paper that I can copy?"

Because they were right next to the forest ruins dungeon, Koizumi and his team quickly found us. They were a team of twelve, with people from almost every profession, which was almost the standard lineup for the dungeon.

Because we were in the same school, although there was no formal introduction at the beginning of the school year, we got to know each other through chatting in the class group and have a very good relationship.

So, out of consideration for the faces of this group of friends, even though Zhiye and the others were very curious about what happened and why they failed in the easy difficulty dungeon, they did not ask any questions, but simply responded to the other party and others.

Also, because the other party had completed the dungeon earlier than them and was more familiar with its contents, the command of the team was given to the leader, Trigonometric Function.

"It just so happens that we also need to give it a try, so why don't we continue to choose the easy difficulty this time?" Yiji Zhichen suggested.