Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 887: Chapter 886: The Main Quest Begins

With the team officially formed, Fang Zheng also began the next step of action.

However, for the others, it was nothing short of a nightmare.

Asuna and Black Cat were long accustomed to Fang Zheng’s special training, but for newcomers like Leafa and others, this unheard-of special training had them crying out in agony. Especially Gabriel, who, on the first day, couldn’t last more than a morning before shouting about quitting and going home.

But Fang Zheng naturally had his ways. He stated that Gabriel could leave, but she had to return the money—yes, 5000 Core!

Wait, why is it five thousand?

Because you have to count interest, don’t you know loan sharks charge money?

Hearing this, Gabriel turned pale, and not only that, Fang Zheng also told her that if she stayed with the team, she would earn a steady salary every month, and if they leveled up to a Level Three Guild, they’d be able to purchase a guild residence. By then, Fang Zheng would let Gabriel pick the best room!

But if Gabriel left, then she would have to repay the money... Well, it’s 5000 Core now, but in a few days it’ll rise to ten thousand!

Confronted with Fang Zheng’s carrot-and-stick strategy, Gabriel thought for a long time and finally surrendered obediently, with a mournful face, to join the training.

Since the number of people was already sufficient, Fang Zheng’s training also had tailored changes. Asuna, Yuki, Aoba, Leafa, and Eiriri’s main tasks remained to continue leveling up. After all, if the margin for error is insufficient, it relies on health; the higher the level, the more health, and the easier to survive.

The group naturally understood this reasoning, and team leveling up was much faster than solo leveling up. Moreover, Fang Zheng also began targeted training. This involved the most crucial aspect within the combat system—switching!

Here, it’s necessary to mention some settings of the game itself.

At first, Fang Zheng thought the creatures in this game were no different from those in other online games, but after further confirmation, he was surprised to discover one thing.

That is, the creatures in this game have learning abilities!

This means if a player encounters a creature and struggles long or even gets killed, that creature would gradually learn the player’s combat techniques, meaning players gain experience from fighting, and creatures gain ’experience’ from fighting players too!

Initially, the creatures might be dumb and cute, but if they consecutively kill several players, they will transform into elite creatures, which not only means their health and skill power will significantly increase, but also that the creatures will learn and mimic players’ combat styles!

Damn, that guy named Kayaba Akihiko must’ve intended to kill us from the start.

This realization shocked Fang Zheng. This meant if a large number of players sent themselves to die in front of a BOSS, wouldn’t that be equipping the BOSS to be more formidable?

Isn’t this deadly?!

Of course, although this indeed is strikingly real...

But AI is just AI. After figuring it out, Fang Zheng also discovered these AIs have a weakness, which is that facing different enemies, their reaction speed would slow down.

For example, if Fang Zheng battles a creature, as the fight progresses, the creature would gradually get used to Fang Zheng’s technique with the greatsword. But if at that moment, Fang Zheng disengaged, and Restia with a rapier took over, the creature would be momentarily stunned.

Eh? Who am I?

Where am I?

Where did the greatsword fighter I was battling go?

Why is there suddenly a rapier user?

Even people might not react immediately, let alone AI. Therefore, if switching during battle, the creature would be momentarily hesitant, meaning it needs to discard the previous ’experience’ learned from Fang Zheng’s greatsword and start learning from scratch with the ’rapier’.

To some extent, this switching is akin to an enforced ’interrupt’ skill, also throwing the enemy into a few seconds of stunned silence. If coordinated perfectly, it might even work to switch back and forth continuously, causing the enemy to doubt its life, and taking down the BOSS without a scratch is not impossible.

Of course, this is just theoretical; in reality, it’s naturally impossible. Because the creature’s reaction also requires time, the longer it fights the same opponent, the longer the ’stunned’ time during switching, but conversely, if you switch continuously non-stop, then the AI’s reaction speed is absolutely beyond imagination.

In this aspect, it doesn’t kneel to reality as much.

Thus, Fang Zheng currently guides them in leveling up and familiarizing themselves with the rhythm of switching, developing tacit understanding. This isn’t a simple or easy task; after all, ten people are neither too many nor too few, but if you practice facing a group of creatures, it can be quite a headache, for example...

”Gabriel, you bumped into me again!”

”Shut up, you loser, who told you not to have eyes in the back of your head!”

”Move aside, Aoba, it’s my turn!”

”Hold on, Black Cat, I haven’t yet—Aaaah, help!!!”

In the beginning, facing Fang Zheng’s training, almost everyone was flipping over, either because their movements were not synchronous enough they bumped into each other, or they mistimed the switch, being ready while the other hadn’t finished, or getting so caught up in the fight they forgot to switch.

Even Ester and Restia were no exceptions. Though you’d think they coordinated well with Fang Zheng, when asked to team up without him, the two elves started competing.

Either Restia killing a creature just as Ester charged in, or Ester purposely blocking Restia’s path, preventing the switch... It left Fang Zheng shaking his head speechlessly.

Of course, this was just the beginning. As time passed day after day, their coordination improved. Though they loved making trouble, they knew this wasn’t an ordinary MMORPG; it was more than a game, it was tied to their life and death. Even the most frivolous wouldn’t gamble with their lives.

Finally, on the nineteenth day of entering this world, Fang Zheng’s group left the forest and swamp, arriving at the village under the ruined castle.

And this marked their embarkation on the final stage to raid the first-floor Lord.

”I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Looking at the bustling village, Fang Zheng gestured.

”Accept the quests here, then tell me what the requirements are.”

”Got it!”

Upon hearing Fang Zheng, everyone scattered swiftly, entering the village resolutely. This was one of their rare rest times, after all, interacting with NPCs in the village is better than crazily grinding monsters outside, right? Although leveling up is important, the tedium from insane monster grinding needs relieving, doesn’t it?

Watching the girls disperse joyfully like birds, Fang Zheng yawned and leisurely strolled into the village.

Fang Zheng’s team was the fastest advancing group, so besides them, only some NPC villagers were in this village. According to the information Argo brought to Fang Zheng, although many guilds had more members than Fang Zheng’s ”Dark Moon Sword”, they, because of this, had to be more cautious. After all, larger numbers meant varying quality, and you couldn’t force every player to focus on leveling up.

What a headache...

Fang Zheng couldn’t help pressing his head. The Trial of Wisdom lived up to its name. Ever since entering this game, Fang Zheng found he had to be constantly thinking, analyzing the game’s physics and damage models, guessing the thinking behind its design, and attempting to uncover hidden meanings and intelligence from behind every mission.

In comparison, in other worlds, Fang Zheng could solve problems easily with Prophecy Spells and Ratziel—which is perhaps also why the system threw him into this place.

”Mr. Fang Zheng!”

At this moment, Eiriri’s voice rang in Fang Zheng’s ear.

”I triggered a quest, and it’s probably a main quest!”