008. Every Extra Step You Take is a Desecration of the Second Playthrough
The 'Lady of the Glimmering Lake'—Sophia Marlin, was the hardest boss in the entire [Hero of Felicia] questline, and many players had gotten stuck here, unable to progress further.
Her seemingly frail body could easily withstand a tactical nuke, and her wraith form allowed her to step into the spirit realm, making her immune to neutron radiation. As for continuous high-temperature flames, they would only serve to burn the human-faced garden, nothing more.
Zeta, Epsilon, and Delta tiers are the pillars of interstellar civilization. Most professional soldiers and mercenaries exist within this range. To civilizations still confined to their home planets, these beings are disasters, gods even. Traditional kinetic weapons like gunpowder have no effect on their exalted forms. Only magic-enhanced blades and deadly lasers form the core of their battles.
If they desired, they could easily wipe out weaker planetary civilizations.
Even though Sophia Marlin had just barely ascended from Epsilon to Zeta tier, to mortals and Gamma-tier beings—nearly indistinguishable from mortals—it made no difference. She could kill them in an instant.
Sophia Marlin's lore held much to uncover. To defeat her properly would require at least twelve Delta-tier skilled players, focusing fire with flawless timing. Otherwise, all it would take is for her to lightly sweep her scythe, tearing through space to ambush you from behind. She'd devour your entire party like snacks, one bite at a time.
But to Li Aozi, the information about Sophia Marlin had been thoroughly extracted after numerous versions of the game. As for strategies to defeat her? There were countless.
Sophia Marlin's difficulty was infamous, with many rookie streamers proudly showcasing their achievements when they managed to solo her without taking damage.
Li Aozi, however, never boasted about such feats. He hadn't soloed her without taking damage.
——Because he blew up the entire ruins, skipping the whole storyline.
Despite switching bodies and losing access to his previous skills, like [Aura of Benevolence], which remained with his original body, Leo Duretto's powerful base attributes gave Li Aozi newfound freedom in his tactics.
Compared to the situations he had faced against Nimotin and the Professor, this was much more relaxed.
There were many strategies for handling Sophia Marlin. Li Aozi had studied her moves thoroughly. If he chose the brute force approach, he had two legendary-grade weapons that could slowly chip away at her health.
——But that would take five days.
"You should stop…"
Sophia slowly advanced, the evening wind lifting her white veil. The human-faced sunflowers in the garden began to whimper in discomfort, their cries rising and falling in haunting harmony with the clear moonlight, driving one to madness.
Li Aozi said nothing, nor did he intend to respond to Sophia Marlin.
He simply tossed his weapon to the ground. Sophia Marlin immediately halted, hesitating, watching Li Aozi intently.
"Intruder, why are you doing this?"
She gripped her weapon uncertainly, unable to discern Li Aozi's intentions.
Without saying a word, Li Aozi casually strolled forward. Right in front of this hidden boss, he boldly walked through the garden paths, past the dense flowers and gravestones, until he reached a cliff. Then, without hesitation, he stepped off.
Sophia Marlin watched as this strange intruder simply jumped off the edge.
"…Absurd."
Plop!
Li Aozi fell tightly against the cliff but didn't crash into the valley below—there was a hidden slab embedded in the mountainside, which caught him securely.
He twisted left and right with ease, smoothly descending to the halfway point. When his feet touched the soft soil, he turned around and saw a cave entrance.
Although Li Aozi had only 'experienced' this hidden storyline through game videos, his current body's excellent physical condition allowed him to leap down the 700-meter cliff without trembling, despite the strong winds, and reach the cave.
As for fighting?
Forget that. Skipping battles is a sign of true game mastery!
"Sophia won't attack players who drop their weapons and show no aggression. In theory, as long as you don't provoke her, you can just parkour your way through."
——I've mastered the game guide, and you've lost.
He stepped into the cave, taking two steps forward before quickly retreating with a jump.
Swish, swish, swish!
Three poison arrows shot out, embedding themselves in the rock walls. With the trap triggered and disarmed, Li Aozi confidently moved forward, carefully navigating the cave, disarming most of the traps without any equipment or emotions—just strategy.
Unlike the incomplete version issues with Abyss Humanitarian, the guide for [Hero of Felicia] was thoroughly researched and detailed.
Li Aozi even recalled some small tips and tricks he had heard from his community. With his increased [Intelligence], those scattered bits of conversation now became clear.
After bypassing a flame trap, he disarmed the base of the flamethrower and retrieved a strange medal depicting a soldier carrying an assortment of weapons:
[Eureka! You've found an Easter egg from the developer: "Battlefield: Modern Warfare 2042"!]
"Two more Easter eggs, and I'll get a reward—should've picked up a few more while on Azure Star."
The Easter egg reward was quite unique.
Li Aozi continued forward. With his mastery of the guide, it took less than five minutes to clear the trap-laden cave and complete the puzzle collection without taking any unnecessary steps, reaching the final destination.
At the cave's end, there were only two skeletons, surrounded by rusted weapons. They each held broken swords that had been driven into each other's chests, a testament to how they had died.
Looking up, Li Aozi saw a chest displayed atop two small steps.
The story practically wrote itself: two adventurers had made it through all the obstacles and traps, only to fall out over how to divide the treasure, ultimately killing each other.
Notably, each skeleton clutched half of a key, even in death, still fighting for ownership of the chest.
Li Aozi kicked over the skeletons, snatching the key halves from their hands, then combined them into a single key. He inserted it into the lock and turned it counterclockwise. With a 'click,' the chest unlocked.
However, Li Aozi didn't immediately open it.
He stepped back, picked up a torch, lit it, and then circled around to the back of the chest, gently opening it.
Fwoosh—
A swarm of maggots immediately burst forth like a tidal wave, raining down onto the ground in a deluge of writhing, pale, grotesque creatures. Unfazed, Li Aozi calmly raised the torch, driving the maggots away with its light. They scattered faster than rats, covering the ground in a sea of white as they fled the cave.
Only after the maggots were driven out did Li Aozi turn around and approach the front of the chest. From it, he slowly lifted a lightweight longsword wrapped in an unknown beast's hide, along with a broken, dark red potion bottle. The magic within had mostly evaporated, leaving behind little more than a few magical maggots. It was unusable. Besides these, there was only a letter.
Most of the letter had been stained dark red by the potion, making it look as though it had been soaked in blood. Glancing at the letter, only a few words were legible:
'Dearest (Unreadable)… the [Doctor] sends his regards—'
'The [Saintess] will understand me.'
'May Tuwahala guide us.'
The postmark was unreadable. Li Aozi flipped the envelope, finding a few bold words in the Crystal Tower Civilization's language:
'If you see this, remember! — Do not get lost in the Star Abyss, for They are more terrifying than the Societies!'
'(The paper is damaged) The Star Abyss is not home for you, me, or any of us, Eirlia.'
'The corruption continues, (Unreadable) I can no longer hold on. I've seen the Star Abyss, and the truth terrifies me. I must tell you this.'
'Now, I've found the most frightening truth. I will die, but I must tell you—the secret of (Unreadable) is: The Radiance is Eternal, and the Revivers are the Speaker.'
The message was disjointed, and the handwriting didn't match the earlier parts. It seemed someone had hastily scribbled something in secret.
Li Aozi already knew the contents of the letter. He discarded the contaminated envelope, folded the letter, and pocketed it.
He turned around, picking up the longsword wrapped in beast hide. The weapon was peculiar, and he couldn't use it yet, so he simply strapped it to his belt.
Li Aozi then looked toward the wall behind the chest.
He charged straight at it.
Smash—
The illusion shattered as Li Aozi broke through, stepping into a spacious hidden chamber. Pools of ice-blue water collected below, and the elemental energy in the air became highly active, almost alive.
Suspended above the water was a strange little tree, its roots anchored in the void, yet it thrived with vibrant leaves and branches. As Li Aozi approached, the tree began to change colors, first shifting to a wary bright yellow, sparking with lightning and electricity.
Crackle!
[You have been affected by Elemental Bind: Combat is prohibited in this space.]
"I mean no harm," Li Aozi said calmly, continuing to move forward.
The small tree trembled gently, seemingly unsure. Its icy blue hue slowly faded into a cold gray, and the ground shifted from frosted to crystalline metal.
[[Intelligence] Check Failed—Switching to [Charisma] Check]
Li Aozi slowed his pace, exuding a sense of warmth and trust. The leaves swayed gently, shifting to a curious purple. As Li Aozi moved closer, the tree turned fiery red, its branches and leaves ablaze, full of enthusiasm and affection.
[Check Passed with Great Success]
[Do you accept the transformation? Yes/No?]
The tree extended a delicate root toward Li Aozi in friendship. Li Aozi reached out, gently grasping its tendril.