Diablo—Fang Zheng was, of course, very familiar with this series. Magnificent magic, cult-like images and settings, along with an endless grind, were the impressions most players had of this world. However, any player who delved deeper into this world would know that the world... just seemed thrilling on the surface.
In fact, true to its name, this was a dark world, filled with death and destruction, where there was no chance of redemption. The struggles of humanity only ever brought brief periods of tranquility, and these periods were inevitably shattered, just like the sun eventually rises and the snow eventually melts.
And more importantly, this was a world very unfriendly to the protagonist.
Don't be fooled by the game where the protagonists seem godlike, defeating every divine and demonic being. In reality, across the three Diablo games, almost none of the protagonists met a good end.
The three protagonists in the first Diablo all faced grim fates. The warrior embedded Diablo's Soulstone into his own forehead, hoping to use his powerful will to suppress Diablo's evil soul. Unsurprisingly, he was corrupted, fell into darkness, and became a tool for Diablo's resurrection. The other two fared no better; either turned into evil spirits after death or succumbed to corruption, eventually becoming bosses defeated by the protagonists of the second game. And of course, the successors also met grim fates... killing the Demon King and marrying the princess was just a pipe dream. They either disappeared or were killed.
In other worlds, the protagonist halo could save lives, but in this world, it was deadly!
For this reason, after figuring out this world, Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief... luckily, I'm not the protagonist!
If he remembered correctly, he was in the third Diablo game. The storyline at this point was the beginning, where a meteor fell from the sky, destroying Tristram's Cathedral. Lia, Deckard Cain's granddaughter, was rallying militia to find her grandfather. Just then, the Nephalem protagonist made a dazzling entrance and embarked on a path of no return... yes, no return.
Even though Fang Zheng didn't remember this part of the story very clearly, he believed that this unfortunate Nephalem would meet a bad end. Even if he defeated Diablo, so what? This world's hostility towards protagonists was off the charts—either getting assassinated by old friends, suffering heavy injuries due to rogue magic, or being corrupted by evil forces to become a boss for the next generation of protagonists...
No one would want such a cursed protagonist halo. Fang Zheng certainly didn't.
"Knock, knock, knock...!!"
Just as Fang Zheng finished his meat soup, hurried footsteps echoed, and a militia man rushed into the inn.
"Fang Zheng! Captain Rumford wants you to go to the gate immediately! Those damned undead have appeared again! We must hold them off!"
Upon hearing the militiaman, Fang Zheng didn't say another word. He quickly stood up and followed the militiaman out of the inn. The rain had stopped, and though some people were around, they mostly appeared tense and uneasy. However, Fang Zheng didn't care about them. He rushed to the gate where Captain Rumford, having changed into new clothes, was commanding the militia to build barricades. Seeing Fang Zheng, Captain Rumford waved.
"Quick, Fang Zheng, come help. We just fended off an undead attack—damn it!"
Before Rumford could finish, Fang Zheng saw the barricade on the right side get smashed, and several zombies shambled in, their eyes glowing, lurching towards the gate. This sight made the other militiamen tense up; they gripped their weapons tightly, hardly daring to breathe as they stared at the incoming creatures.
At that moment, a system notification rang in Fang Zheng's ear and a message appeared before him.
[Scenario Mission Triggered: Guardian]
[Dark and evil forces have descended. The flame of civilization is like a candle in the wind, and an apocalyptic trial is coming. All you can do is accept the challenge and face the pitch-black future (Repel the undead attacks and defend the town. Success rewards: +1 Skill, +1 Dimensional Point)]
Seeing the mission before him, Fang Zheng drew his Frostmourne. But seeing everyone else bracing themselves, he felt puzzled. Fang Zheng only knew this world from the game, its plot, and its settings. He wasn't familiar with the strength of the in-game creatures. However, he didn't find these zombies particularly threatening. They were very slow and unlike the mutant zombies in Resident Evil that could evolve. If it were an elite with an aura, it might be a bit worrisome. But as for this group of shambling zombies, did they really warrant such a reaction from a seasoned warrior like Rumford?
Although confused, Fang Zheng stayed alert, watching the zombies. He was new to this world, and he realized Rumford and the others knew more. Given their tension, he wouldn't let his guard down.
Better safe than sorry.
The zombies were slow but had a clear goal, heading straight for the gate. Even Fang Zheng gripped his longsword, feeling his heartbeat quicken. This would be his first serious battle in another world. He didn't know what he could achieve.
Although he could activate the Lich King's Soulstone four times, he wouldn't use it now—the zombies were low-level monsters in the Dark World. Using the Lich King's power on them would be overkill.
As the zombies entered the attack range, Rumford roared and swung his sword at them. Fang Zheng gritted his teeth, gripped Frostmourne tightly, and slashed at the zombie in front of him.
As the sword struck, Fang Zheng was stunned. He finally understood why Rumford, a seasoned warrior, was so wary of these zombies.
These zombies were incredibly tough!
Frostmourne, though unpowered, was still a top-notch sword. It had sliced through Silver Knights' armor like butter. But now, slashing this zombie felt like cutting through a tire! Frostmourne bit into the muscle and got stuck!
How could zombies be this tough!
But that wasn't all that shocked Fang Zheng.
The zombies, though slow, weren't sitting ducks. One growled and lunged at Fang Zheng. He quickly withdrew his sword, shielding himself, but the zombie's claw struck Frostmourne, sending Fang Zheng flying!
He crashed into the gate, feeling like his body was falling apart. He now understood why these slow zombies had managed to wipe out a militia unit.
Besides their speed, they had no real weakness!
Watching Nephalem effortlessly cut them down in the game, Fang Zheng had underestimated them, thinking they were easy prey. These zombies might not be as unpredictable as the mutants in Resident Evil, but they were tough and strong, easily Tyrant-class!
"Fang Zheng! Get up, don't let them surround you!!"
Hearing Captain Rumford's shout, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth, rolled to his feet, and raised Frostmourne to face the zombie again.
This time, Fang Zheng was smarter. He didn't clash head-on with the zombie, having realized that while the zombies in the Dark World were strong and tough, they were also slow. So instead of charging, he waited for the zombie to attack, then sliced off its hands as it raised them.
This time, Frostmourne showed its true power. Although the zombie's arms were tough, Fang Zheng's full-powered strike severed them. Without its hands, the zombie was as threatening as a toothless tiger. Even as it tried to attack again, Fang Zheng smartly decapitated it. The zombie staggered and collapsed, lifeless.
There was a way after all.
Seeing the fallen zombie, Fang Zheng sighed in relief. Then he grabbed his weapon and ran towards the other zombies.
By now, Rumford and the militia were merely stalling the zombies. Fang Zheng quickly saw why they struggled against them.
Their weapons were ineffective!
Fang Zheng wielded Frostmourne, which struggled with these zombies, while they had standard issue weapons, even less effective. Fang Zheng saw Rumford hacking at a zombie, making minimal progress with multiple strikes, as if chiseling stone!
At Fang Zheng's call, Rumford glanced his way, spotted the fallen zombie, and his eyes lit up. He nodded to Fang Zheng, stepped forward, and engaged the zombie. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng took advantage of Rumford's distraction to slip behind the zombie and decapitate it.
The militia, experienced as they were, saw Fang Zheng's weapon's effectiveness and quickly played the tank role. Together, they soon cleared the zombies.
As the last zombie fell, Fang Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead. He saw the zombies' bodies emitting white mist, forming ghostly human faces, which then got drawn into Frostmourne. A series of notifications appeared before Fang Zheng.
[Power of the Soul +10... Power of the Soul +13... Power of the Soul +12...]
Seeing the system notifications, Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been worried about completing Frostmourne's task, but now it seemed manageable.
As Fang Zheng absorbed the Power of the Soul, another system notification rang, and a message appeared before him.
[Scenario Mission "Guardian" Progress 1 Completed]
[User has received skill rewards]
[User has gained +1 Dimensional Point]
[Frost Strike][Crusader Strike]
Seeing the prompt, Fang Zheng was puzzled. These skills were from Yamaguchi Mountain's Death Knight and Paladin classes. Death Knight made sense, but Paladin?
Then he realized, slapping his forehead. He had Arthas' Soulstone equipped. Arthas was a Paladin before becoming the Lich King, after all.
But... which one to choose?