Chapter 279: Counter-Offensive Tower Defense PVE
Yes, that's right. In this Ys Origin dungeon, the real decision-maker for the Twin Goddesses faction is actually Cheng Tian.
Because he completed the "Sun and Moon Radiance Contract" with the Twin Goddesses, Cheng Tian indirectly gained partial access to the Black Pearl's authority. Furthermore, he was the primary executor and participant in the premature opening of this bounty dungeon, so his current identity is somewhere between a Chosen Player and a native NPC, more deeply bound than other players.
For other players, if the Twin White Towers were breached, there would still be an option to retreat, and their lives would likely be safe. However, for him, being deeply intertwined with the Twin Goddesses means he would definitely be a prime target and would have no escape.
Of course, he didn't intend to escape anyway.
Leveraging his understanding of the Ys Origin dungeon and borrowing the Black Pearl's creation authority, Cheng Tian participated in and reasonably modified the special entries of the current dungeon. His own "Oni warrior" template, which derived the "Soul Fragment" rule, also participated in the modification of the dungeon entries.
This tower defense counter-offensive game mode is essentially an extreme simplification of Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games.
Normal RTS games require a lot of player input, like Red Alert, Warcraft, StarCraft, Age of Empires, and so on. But tower defense counter-offensives simplify the operations entirely, so players only need to be responsible for spending resources to deploy troops. All soldiers will rush towards the enemy's main base and engage with enemy soldiers encountered along the way, until they destroy the opponent's main base, which has troop deployment capabilities.
Speaking of which, Cheng Tian first encountered this mode through a bonus mini-game called "Gashapon Servants/Capsule Servants" in the PSV version of the legitimate Fate sequel, *Fate/hollow ataraxia*.
Cheng Tian wasn't joking before; he was serious about wanting to play tower defense counter-offensive.
However, when players and high-level NPCs were introduced as elements, it became less like a tower defense counter-offensive and more like MOBA battles such as Dota and LOL. And due to the existence of the Soul Fragment entry, every player is essentially a monster spawner that fights on its own.
Because he was wearing a mask, and the NPCs all maintained such an attitude, no player currently suspected Cheng Tian's identity.
It was Cheng Tian, however, who paused slightly when he saw familiar faces among the player group, then, as if nothing happened, he directly explained some information about the two faction forces.
Simply put, the Black Tower spawns cannon fodder, and the White Tower spawns heroes. One focuses on quantity, the other on quality.
Theoretically, as long as players kill enough monsters, they can summon their own NPC projection troops, forming a positive feedback loop.
However, powerful NPCs and BOSS-level monsters will also appear in the Black Tower, which players can try to collectively challenge.
Although Cheng Tian had eliminated the guard BOSSes on the first three floors, he hadn't yet had time to touch the guard BOSSes on the later floors. Moreover, the Dark Clan had monster masters like Saba, who, in addition to her primary familiar, the Ice and Fire Twin-Headed Beast, could also summon other elite and champion-level monsters.
Of course, even if Cheng Tian didn't elaborate on these things, it wouldn't matter. As a fellow player, he knew exactly what players needed.
Bounty dungeons generally don't offer permanent attribute increases, so Cheng Tian simply changed direction, using the existing Clearlia Ore system to provide dungeon entries that grant permanent equipment upgrades. It was clearly written there: as long as players still had a need to upgrade their equipment, they would inevitably take the bait.
Sure enough, before Cheng Tian had even finished revealing the information about the Dark Clan members, the vast majority of players in front of him had already displayed the unique "SKIP" characteristic of players, skipping all unnecessary plot introductions and ignoring Cheng Mouren to immediately start forming teams on the spot.
Well, compared to the single-player scenario of "I don't know who I am, I just know I need to kill a lot," the players present were relatively rational.
The absence of PVP elements, the restriction to white-name players for entry, and the ample supply of monster units to kill—these conditions combined significantly reduced the possibility of infighting and betrayal. Uniting together made it easier to snowball.
And, without a doubt, the Shield Guard Ogre received strong acclaim from everyone. Such a presence, standing there like a small mountain, was universally liked.
Not to mention players, even the native Temple Knights and Mages looked at the large iron lump holding a door-sized heavy shield with nothing but fondness.
But Ogre's gaze remained fixed on Cheng Mouren, who, because ninety percent of players chose to SKIP, had to grudgingly stop his revelations.
Then he saw it: after exchanging glances for a few seconds, Cheng Mouren, wearing a mask, suddenly relaxed his body, adopting a clumsy, zombie-like gait.
Ogre, the Shield Guard, Congming Tou, had an expression of sudden realization, having already recognized Cheng Mouren's true identity.
But Congming Tou was Congming Tou. While recognizing Cheng Tian's identity, he chose not to make a fuss, but instead silently accepted the suggestions of others and participated in the defense of the White Tower's front line.
Currently, all players have 0 Soul Fragments, so cooperating with the NPCs to conserve strength and wait for the monsters to attack proactively is a better choice.
Meanwhile, the monster army from the Black Tower was already surging towards the White Tower. These monsters were all forcibly regenerated and then multiplied by Dalles, who activated the Root of Evil, from the monster hordes of the Crying Domain. They were mainly Skeleton Armored Warriors, supplemented by Skeleton Mages.
However, even though there was still some distance between the two sides, the player side had already taken the initiative.
Based on the dungeon entry restrictions, the basic composition of players entering this dungeon was Mages, Archers, and Warriors. And the player responsible for the initial strike, wearing a large red cloak, was enveloped in fierce fire elements. Subsequently, scorching flames swept across the battlefield, instantly melting a dozen skeleton soldiers, and the lingering embers and flames on the ground would continue to deal damage to subsequent monster units—
Skill blueprint: PC *Warcraft*, Blood Mage skill: Flame Strike!
Another player, completely enveloped in a green robe, condensed lightning elements in his palm and unleashed them forward—
Skill blueprint: Arcade *Dungeons & Dragons*, Mage Evocation spell: Thunderclap!
However, among the players, a muscular man who at first glance appeared almost naked, but actually had blue greaves, bracers, and briefs, and many skull decorations on his body, made a single-handed upward gesture. What followed was five geysers suddenly erupting from the solid ground, spraying skeleton warriors directly into the air. Before they could even land, their bodies were shattered by the geyser's water flow—
Skill blueprint: MD *Golden Axe III*, Male Warrior Kain Grinder's spell: Assault Fountain!
These consecutive castings of water, fire, and lightning elements officially raised the curtain on the Battle of the Twin Towers.