As a newcomer who has just entered "Sword Maiden Online," after going through the initial test and selection, one must enter the initial dungeon. Based on the completion and perfection of the dungeon, different initial sword maidens and some small additional rewards will be obtained.
This dungeon, which newcomers must experience, is also the one with the most strategy guides... After centuries of continuous development, the internet is filled with various detailed strategies and methods for passing through, making it a foolproof guide... Even a fool can easily pass through by following the steps in the guide.
In fact, even if you do nothing, you can still pass through. There is no possibility of failure in this dungeon, and the success rate for newcomers over the past few centuries has been as high as 100%.
However, in contrast, the SSS rating for this dungeon has always been stuck at 0%... Over the past few centuries, no newcomer has managed to raise the rating to the SSS level, and even the lower SS level has only been achieved by one person.
The damage received, the damage dealt, the time taken to complete, and a series of other indicators in the dungeon are all combined to form the final rating after completion. The ratings, from highest to lowest, are SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, and E, with E being the lowest and SSS being the highest.
However, the evaluation criteria for the initial dungeon are very simple, based solely on the time taken to complete it. Completing the initial dungeon within an hour will result in the highest SSS rating. According to the data published by BAT, 30% of those who complete the dungeon receive an E rating... This is still due to the increasingly detailed strategies over time, which have gradually reduced this percentage. In the early years of the game's release, the E rating accounted for as high as 85% of completions—considering that in most civilian dungeons in Sword Maiden, the E rating does not exceed 10%.
After that, 20% receive a D rating, 40% receive a C rating, 7% receive a B rating, and 2% receive an A rating. Above A, only a pitiful 1% remains. Therefore, the initial dungeon is also known as the "most difficult unbeatable dungeon" by players, meaning that while the difficulty is extremely high, there is no possibility of failure.
It's worth noting that this dungeon, unlike other dungeons that can be reset, can only be entered once by anyone when they first enter the game. After that, they can never enter it again. The first rating obtained is the one that will stay with you for life. Even if you surpass the divine swords, sweep through the Yuan Kuo, and become the best in the world, and all other dungeons are completed with SSS ratings, if your first completion of the initial dungeon was a pitiful E rating, you will carry that E rating for the rest of your life, forever...
Such examples are not uncommon. The strongest sword wielder in the human world has repeatedly expressed regret to the media about his E rating in the initial dungeon, even stating that he would be willing to give up half of his wealth to have the chance to enter the initial dungeon again...
This is also why so many people are desperately researching strategies for this dungeon. Since they cannot prove themselves through ratings, they can only do so through strategies. If someone can use their strategy to achieve an A rating or higher, it indirectly proves their worth.
From the age of eight, Gu Han began collecting various strategies for the initial dungeon, studying every detail and every step. After ten years of effort, it can be said that every brick of this dungeon is deeply etched in Gu Han's mind. Without exaggeration, there is probably no one in the world who knows the initial dungeon better than Gu Han.
However, Gu Han did not do this to obtain an A rating or higher. He does not care about ratings; such fame is meaningless to him. What he cares about is something in this dungeon.
When it comes to the ratings of the initial dungeon, many people are filled with resentment. But when it comes to what they obtained from the initial dungeon, most people have vague memories, as if the only memorable reward was their initial sword maiden. Indeed, even the unique SS rating only rewards an initial sword maiden, the three inherent elements, and some beginner items, which can be bought for a few dollars in the system store. No one cares about these things.
But Gu Han does. Gu Han has a vague suspicion. If this suspicion is true, then Gu Han will receive a reward, an unprecedented reward, a reward that will allow him to surpass all beginners and that many people cannot obtain even after playing the game for a lifetime. Gu Han must obtain this reward; it is his only hope for a significant increase in his innate sword element value.
——
"Welcome to the prologue of 'Sword Maiden Online: The Sword of King Goujian.'"
As the system's voice faded, Gu Han felt a darkness before his eyes. When he saw light again, he found himself squeezed into a very narrow space, with his waist and below tightly held by something, his left hand pinned down, and his right hand free to move.
Through the gap in the ceiling, he could vaguely see the surroundings. The area around him was filled with broken steel and concrete, shattered furniture, and various broken household items... It was a collapsed house, and Gu Han was trapped underneath it.
System prompt: "Main quest refreshed: Task 1: Escape from the house ruins. Task time: Unlimited."
This was the first challenge Gu Han faced: escaping from the collapsed house. It seemed very difficult. In TV shows, every survivor trapped after an earthquake is rescued by firefighters using dozens of people, heavy machinery, and hours of effort. Ordinary people cannot escape on their own.
In fact, most survivors escape on their own, and it doesn't take long. Most are buried very shallowly, and the things trapping them are few. A bit of struggling is enough to free themselves. Those who need firefighters to rescue them are buried very deeply, and they make up a very small proportion of all survivors.
When new players enter the dungeon, they are usually in a position where they are buried shallowly. In the early days of the game, new players would generally use their free right hand to move the debris near their left hand, freeing their left hand.
Once both hands are free, they can break the bicycle handle that is holding their waist... This is not difficult, as the handle is already half-broken, and a normal person's strength is enough to break it.
After successfully freeing their waist, players will be pleasantly surprised to find that their legs are not tightly trapped. A few kicks will create a significant space. The next step is to follow the light and throw the debris in front of them to the ground, using it as a stepping stone to climb out of the ruins—this process takes about an hour.
As a beginner dungeon that does not aim to frustrate players, the escape process is not complicated, and there are no strict constraints. Normal people can easily escape. If someone is very stupid or physically weak, they can simply wait patiently. After three hours, someone will find them and rescue them from outside.
The first task is very simple, easy, and stress-free, right? New players think this way, but according to official data, to achieve an SSS rating, the entire task must be completed within one hour... If Gu Han spends an hour on the first task, it would be a waste of time...
Therefore, many players who aim for the SSS rating have continuously studied the entire escape process, optimizing the escape procedure and finding the best route. In the end, they only managed to reduce the time to 20 minutes... This is only possible for those who have undergone escape simulation training before entering the game.
Gu Han did not go through any escape simulation training; he had no time to waste on such things. Besides, he had a better way to escape from the ruins.
Gu Han quickly moved his right hand under his armpit and found a one-yuan coin in his palm—next to the coin was a broken piggy bank, which originally contained a child's savings for a semester—this child planned to buy a new year's outfit for DNF.
"Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one... Now!" After counting to seven, Gu Han decisively threw the coin through the gap above, then quickly lowered his head, closed his eyes tightly, and curled his body as far as possible into the gap.
Gu Han had to do this because the next second, a blinding laser beam pierced through most of the ruins, just grazing his hair. If he hadn't lowered his head, his head would have been shattered.
"Oh, there's still a survivor here!" A cheerful female voice, similar to a boy's, echoed in the ruins. She walked to where Gu Han was, grabbed his collar, and easily pulled him out of the ruins.
"Turns out it's just a creepy guy..." She glanced at the tightly closed-eyed Gu Han, spat out a contemptuous remark, and lightly tossed him into the air... It was hard to believe that this girl had such strength; Gu Han, who weighed over a hundred pounds, was thrown hundreds of meters into the sky, then fell a few kilometers away, landing in some unknown place.
Then, the girl decisively left in the opposite direction of where Gu Han fell. Gu Han was just an unexpected situation; she had no intention of checking if he was alive or dead. She had more important things to do.