Chapter 11: The Path of the Guilty

Translator: Daoist6fubtiW

Brother Yin swung his weapon from top to bottom, from the left side of the map to the right side.

He described the game in just two words: “smooth”!

Especially when he saw the monsters ahead already raising their bows and arrows, but his strike could still interrupt most of their attack animations.

The swift melee weapon and the player’s agile movements made him feel powerful.

While jumping in mid-air, he could also roll to evade incoming enemies and even attack them while fleeing.

The gameplay flowed effortlessly, making him feel like an agile master.

“Wow, it’s been a while since I played such a thrilling game, though it’s a bit easier than expected.” Brother Yin twisted his neck and flexed his fingers.

Though he had only cleared the first level, he already sensed the richness of the game content.

In a brief experience, he had encountered various weapons, both ranged and melee, hand grenades, and deployable traps…

Besides, there were three types of scrolls, each representing different attributes…

The red scroll represented ferocity, the purple one stood for tactics, and the green scroll symbolized survival.

If the colors were only on the scrolls, Brother Yin thought the game’s design was still relatively simple. However, when he discovered that the weapons also had colors, the game became much more interesting.

Overall, the game offered players a wide range of playstyles, and it was hard to believe it was developed by the same creator as “Get Over It: Digging for Ascension.”

Pixel games were often criticized for their low-cost and simplistic visuals, seen as a visual disaster by many players. Brother Yin used to hold a similar bias against pixel games, but this time, he truly felt the excitement of playing one.

The variety of weapons, diverse monster forms, and the satisfying gameplay mechanics showed the game creator’s dedication and attention to detail.

“It’s really rich in content and worth the price of 48. The only drawback is that it’s too easy. I haven’t died once since the beginning.” Brother Yin had already changed several weapons during the game, and the process was truly satisfying!

He killed monsters, accumulated gold, and bought weapons from a weapon merchant along the way.

The whole journey was exhilarating.

Especially, several teleporters appeared on one of the maps.

Once the path came to an end, players could click on a teleporter to select another path covered in black mist, saving them from the tedious and cumbersome process of replaying the same map.

Brother Yin encountered various scrolls along the way, and after some careful consideration, he chose to develop a balanced approach.

He decided to select one scroll of each color.

In the future, players who became familiar with the game would classify the scroll choices into three schools of thought.

The Red School focused on speed and high damage, often used for no-damage runs.

The Green School emphasized survival and was suitable for beginners.

The Purple School provided various effects and was known for its quirky and unique weapons.

At this moment, he still didn’t know that he was playing another famous gameplay style, the Rainbow School!

Also known as the Balanced School!

But for now, he felt satisfied with his choice.

When he cleared most of the monsters on the map, he saw a passage ahead.

A blue-green passage seemed to radiate light from the outside world.

Shining into the dim and dilapidated sewer.

Above the passage was a name: “The Path of the Guilty.”

“It seems like the next level. I hope it’s more challenging; the previous level was too simple.” Brother Yin couldn’t help but complain. While the combat in this game was incredibly satisfying, he craved more than just that.

As he loaded “The Path of the Guilty,” the waiting screen showed a cultivation container with a transparent, reddish liquid in which a cell glowed with a red light, seemingly growing.

Below the image, there was some fine print:

“Cells are rare and precious resources, almost worth sacrificing everything.”

“Time: 8 minutes 12.038 seconds.”

Time?

Brother Yin frowned as he looked at this time record, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.

Sure enough, as he emerged from the passage, the door behind him slammed shut with a metallic sound.

The entire map appeared dark and slightly purplish-red, infected by some kind of virus.

In front of the map, there were two wooden doors.

He rushed past the two wooden doors in a flash.

Dang! Dang!

The two wooden doors were instantly sealed with numerous bright red magic seals.

Above each door were two different numbers.

“2m00s” and “30.”

The first door’s condition for opening: reaching this point within two minutes would open it.

The second door’s condition for opening: killing 30 enemies consecutively without taking any damage.

Brother Yin: …

He recalled his earlier comments in the bullet comments and couldn’t help but laugh at himself:

“Classic term, ‘Very simple.'”

“Two minutes should be doable; it seems unnecessary to kill all the monsters in this game.”

“Killing 30 enemies without taking damage might be a bit difficult. Some of those small monsters’ attacks are hard to dodge, and there’s not enough time to be cautious.”

…

Seeing these two doors, Brother Yin’s face truly darkened.

Because during his previous play, he had tried his best to go without damage, but he couldn’t manage it.

“No way, I’ll start a new game and give it a try. As a perfectionist like me, I won’t accept failure without attempting it again!”

“Even if I can’t do it without taking damage, I should be able to make it within the two minutes for the first door, right?”

The first level wasn’t too hard, so he wasn’t burdened even when starting anew.

Without any hesitation, Brother Yin took action. After all, it was only two additional minutes.

However, when he finished building a new save and proceeded from the beginning, he intended to rely on his memory for a speed run. But as he went out, he felt somewhat bewildered.

This place seems different from when I played earlier, right?

Time was ticking, and he didn’t have much time to ponder, so he rushed toward the path he remembered.

But the more he played, the more he felt something was off because the map was entirely different.

Though he hadn’t played for long before, he still had some impression of the previous map in his mind.

However, why did it feel…

A bit different?

When he reached the spot he remembered, he looked at the location that should lead to “The Path of the Guilty.” Instead, there was only a solitary teleporter commonly found in the game.

“Wait a minute!” Brother Yin finally realized.

“D* mn, each time the map is different in this game!?”