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As expected, barely ten minutes later, Zuo Chengan, still inside the dungeon, noticed something peculiar.
While the dungeon ID and name remained unchanged, the game content had transformed dramatically.
The task-driven mission of fulfilling the host's assignments had turned into a survival challenge: surviving ten days on a farm.
In an instant, the dungeon shifted from a quest-based instance to a survival nightmare.
During these ten days, players had to hide on the farm, care for the animals, and fend off waves of attacks from aggressive, wailing tomatoes outside the perimeter.
If even one tomato breached the farmhouse or harmed the animals, the mission would fail.
Zuo Chengan glanced toward the farmlands beyond the barn. The once-quiet tomatoes, rooted obediently in the soil, were now pulling free. One by one, they converged, encircling the farm like an ominous army.
"Well, looks like the next batch of players gets to dive straight into zombie apocalypse mode."
A trace of guilt flashed across Zuo Chengan's face—briefly—before he decisively bolted.
As his body blurred for teleportation, a robust "Woof!" echoed nearby.
It was Mo Dou. Somehow, the loyal dog had slipped out of the sheep pen again, following Zuo Chengan's scent with uncanny precision.
Though Mo Dou couldn't fully recall its life before becoming an NPC, its hatred for Red-Eye remained deeply ingrained.
Unable to face the game's boss as an ordinary NPC, it had resolved to escape the instance entirely—and attach itself to a stronger player.
After quick deliberation, Mo Dou chose Zuo Chengan. Capable, reliable, and the one who had reclaimed the farm, he was the perfect candidate.
Five meters away, Mo Dou sprinted, leaped, and dove toward Zuo Chengan, vanishing alongside him as the teleportation concluded.
[Congratulations! You have gained the recognition of a unique NPC! You have acquired a companion: Mo Dou.]
[Mo Dou]
[Type: Player Companion]
[Abilities: Herding, guarding, laundry, cooking four-dish meals… consumes only a handful of grass every hundred kilometers.]
[Description: Whether it's livestock on the prairie or office drones, Mo Dou's got you covered!]
As the familiar sensation of weightlessness took over, two options appeared before Zuo Chengan.
One allowed him to return directly to his newly rented apartment; the other would send him back to the entrance of Heavenly Tower.
He chose the second option—after surviving a day in the instance on nothing but two nausea-inducing tomatoes, he needed to address both his and Mo Dou's hunger before heading home.
The next moment, Zuo Chengan appeared at the entrance to the Tower of Ascension.
Players bustled about as usual, but just as when he first exited the beginner instance, their conversations were inaudible to him, and they couldn't see him either.
A notification screen popped up.
[Congratulations on passing the pre-ascension trial! Stats unlocked! Rewards calculation in progress...]
[Overall Evaluation: S+]
[Attribute Points: 16 (Pre-ascension trial base cap: 8. S-rating bonus: x2)]
[Earned Points: 200 (Pre-ascension trial base cap: 100. S-rating bonus: x2)]
[Achievement Unlocked: Trailblazer – Successfully clearing an unopened dungeon! Attribute Points +3]
…
With 16 points from the instance, 3 from the achievement, and 2 leftover points, Zuo Chengan now had 21 Attribute Points to allocate.
He weighed his options carefully. Resources were limited, and balance often bred mediocrity.
From his two dungeon runs, he'd learned the value of Strength—without it, even the weakest monsters couldn't be defeated.
Next was Constitution, to ensure he could survive longer when injured.
Speed, while useful, wasn't critical in small-scale instances where there was nowhere to run.
"Just don't pick sprawling urban maps until your speed improves," Zuo Chengan reasoned, swiftly allocating the points.
He assigned 10 points to Strength, 8 to Constitution, and 3 to Speed.
His updated stats read:
[Player: Zuo Chengan]
[Level: 1st Heavenly Ascension]
[Mind: 58/100]
[Constitution: 18]
[Strength: 20+]
[Speed: 13]
[Inventory: Tetanus Serum (31%), Night Vision Spectacles, Dried Lamb (2), Swift Rat Dagger, Shepherd's Bell]
[Skill: Eye of Truth]
…
The strength stat still showed a "+" icon, indicating room for further improvement.
Could the 1st Heavenly Ascension Strength limit be as high as 30 or even 40? If so, closing that gap would be a massive endeavor, even with consistent S-rated clearances.
Hopefully, higher-level dungeons offered increased attribute point caps.
His Mind stat, however, was concerning. At 58, it had dropped into the danger zone. Information from other players suggested that prolonged instance runs caused Mind depletion, and falling below 60 could lead to temporary "distortions," including loss of control, aggression, and disorientation.
A glance at his inventory revealed two new items: the Swift Rat Dagger and the Shepherd's Bell.
He returned the bell to Mo Dou—it was originally the dog's, after all.
As for the dagger, he decided to keep it for now, saving surplus items for future trade.
…
What Zuo Chengan didn't know was that the dungeon he cleared—updated with new mechanics—had now been officially added to the dungeon hall.
The broadcast system announced: [Congratulations to players Fu Yu, Fu You, Zuo Chengan, and Wang Guangfei for clearing Pre-Ascension Trial Instance 1-4779: Uncle Mu Zhou's Farm!]
First-clear players of any dungeon were granted the honor of a public broadcast, with the number of repetitions matching the dungeon's tier.
Most players in the lobby reacted with a brief exclamation of awe—another four players had reached the 1st Heavenly Ascension. They'd acknowledge it silently before resuming their own business.
For ordinary players, the 1st Heavenly Ascension was an impressive feat. But within the massive Safe Zone 7, there were already 50,000 1st Heavenly Ascension players. In fact, nearly half of those in the dungeon lobby belonged to this level.
Such broadcasts were frequent, sometimes echoing through the lobby more than a dozen times a day. As a result, they had lost much of their novelty.
The only ones who paid close attention were the intelligence teams from major guilds.
Dungeons transferred from the Tower of Ascension were their favorites, as they didn't need to risk their own members to gather strategies. All they had to do was track down the first-clear players and purchase walkthroughs directly—preferably exclusivity deals.
Thus, as soon as the broadcast rang out, guild representatives began locating the players who had cleared Dungeon 1-4779 to secure firsthand guides.
As for Zuo Chengan's co-clearers, like Wang Guangfei, their realization that the dungeon had changed drastically after their run—and that their strategies were now irrelevant—was a tale of bitter disappointment.
…
After reattaching the bell to Mo Dou, the protective barrier surrounding the pair gradually faded. Zuo Chengan's figure reappeared in plain view.
A wave of admiring gazes swept over him. Many players, hesitant to enter the pre-ascension trial themselves, looked on enviously.
Appearing near the Heavenly Tower's entrance signified success in clearing the trial.
Higher-level players could choose to be teleported directly home or remain inside the tower itself.
Even though 1st Heavenly Ascension players were the lowest tier, they were guaranteed to earn one credit per week, enough to live decently within Safe Zone 7.
Those with particular skills might even join respectable guilds.
Unsurprisingly, guild recruiters lurking nearby quickly swarmed Zuo Chengan, eager to invite him into their ranks.
Zuo Chengan, however, had no interest in joining a guild. Nor was he keen on engaging with these overly enthusiastic individuals.
He had originally planned to casually ask another player about the mysterious "Great Purge" event, but the recruiters' zeal made this impossible.
Their enthusiasm even surpassed that of the self-appointed guides he had encountered earlier. At least those guides adhered to an unspoken rule: only one person would approach at a time.
Here, though, a whole crowd had descended on him, wrapping around him tighter than cloves of garlic.
At that moment, Zuo Chengan felt a twinge of regret. Perhaps he should've allocated more Attribute Points to Speed—it would've made escaping this mob far easier.