Chapter Seventeen: The Tacitly Approved Bug and the Momentum Mechanism (Please Add to Favorites)

Ye Yu’s figure suddenly withdrew, swift as a breeze, and his hands gently swept across the strings of his zither. A violet arc of light shot forth, transforming into a chain that flew out like lightning.

“Gentle Strings, Still the Wind.”

The three soldiers were instantly bound by the violet chains, unable to move a muscle. Above their heads appeared exclamation marks, prompting the surrounding soldiers to halt abruptly. Their heads slowly turned, eyes brimming with anger. Driven by fury, the remaining soldiers advanced, spears and swords raised, their steps whipping up biting winds wherever they passed.

Ye Yu’s expression grew grave, his brow arching slightly. His hands swept the strings again, sending several more violet arcs streaking out. The dazzling violet light transformed into chains, binding soldier after soldier.

Gentle Strings, Still the Wind was an early skill on the string path. Players who specialized in it naturally leaned toward comprehensive support. The string path, in the world of Fallen Gods, was considered a cumbersome, underwhelming class—skilled in many ways but lacking any standout strengths. Some advanced players chose mainstream offense with auxiliary support, others the reverse.

Yet the string path was not without its luminaries. In Fallen Gods, those who invested heavily to grow stronger comprised nearly seventy or eighty percent of the top ranks. With luck on their side, these players rose to the peak, and even the string path, seen as lackluster, was no exception.

On the old server, Heaven’s Mirror, there was the renowned Smile That Toppled A City, ranked among the top three string players worldwide. His class claimed six consecutive crowns, cementing his unshakable status, and he remained an active presence, consistently in the top ten of Fallen Gods’ celebrity rankings.

Through Fallen Gods, he also met his wife, taking their relationship from game to reality. His beloved, Heart Toppled In An Instant, was herself a famed player, once among the top ten female players of Fallen Gods.

Ye Yu chose this profession inspired by the strategies of that elite string player, drawn by the challenge it offered.

As the saying goes, one cannot have both the fish and the bear’s paw. Yet Smile That Toppled A City managed both, blending offense and support. Though the string path lacked obvious strengths, that very absence made it difficult to target, earning it the attention of all players. On the Heaven’s Mirror server, both the rankings and the level leaderboard were topped by Smile That Toppled A City, and for ten years since, he had held his throne.

“All right, now’s the time—attack!” Ye Yu called, stepping back. A strange scene unfolded: all the soldiers were frozen mid-stride, trapped by the chains, twenty in total, locked in a running pose.

“What’s going on?!”

Everyone’s first reaction was shock, staring at Ye Yu in confusion.

“It’s a technique,” Ye Yu explained. “I read about it in an advanced string player’s guide. In these early dungeons, there’s always a loophole left unpatched. Only the string path can exploit it—other classes can’t immobilize so many enemies at once in the early stages while maintaining this state. I discovered it myself; it’s not just about the skill, but also their subtle movements.”

Fallen Gods had integrated intelligent game systems, raising monster AI to a new level. Yet low-level monsters remained low-level; no matter how challenging, they wouldn’t make progression impossible for players.

Due to this AI, monsters had an inherent flaw: low intelligence.

Even with a level advantage, skilled players could always find a breakthrough. Ye Yu, equipped with string path strategies and natural talent, had found such a loophole. The monsters’ only advantage was their level—otherwise, they were slow and inflexible.

Thus, Ye Yu used his actions to bind the twenty soldiers in a loop of immobilized running.

“Hasn’t the Fallen Gods team noticed and fixed this?” Tan Cong raised his brow. Everyone knew how popular the game was, and its bugs were exceedingly rare. Given its importance to China’s Mythic Technology Network, and the team’s unmatched strength, how could such a loophole exist?

“They’ve tacitly allowed it,” Ye Yu replied. “It’s an exploit players discovered themselves. With the intelligent system now, future dungeons won’t allow this. This dungeon isn’t even within our level range—every soldier monster, no matter how weak, must be handled cautiously. Mechanic monsters like these are meant to obstruct us.”

His explanation enlightened the others. In the future, as their levels increased, the dungeons would balance out, relying on level and gear for combat. The present challenges would vanish, along with the mysterious disparities.

Immediately, the other four surged forward atop their Abyssal Nightmares. Brilliant attacks crashed onto soldiers one by one. Luo Feng wielded an ancient staff that glowed green, restoring everyone’s health and granting brief buffs.

Yet the situation soon proved troublesome. Physical melee attacks were largely blocked by the soldiers. Though unable to attack the players, their defense still functioned, resulting in constant blocks.

“It’s fine—just keep attacking. Even if blocked, damage will get through and accumulate,” Ye Yu said, maintaining his zither-playing stance, a slight smile on his lips.

“In that case, let’s go all out. It’s a bit frustrating, but zero casualties is enough,” Huang Hong replied, gripping his spear. He launched a ferocious thrust, the spear wind piercing through. Twirling his weapon, he carved out a faint gleam—a shadow of spear energy that sliced through the soldier with a sharp whistle, dealing a critical blow.

The soldier’s health bar dropped by at least fifty points, the result of a strike atop his head.

The armor shattered, chunks falling to the ground. Huang Hong squinted, thrusting again.

“Double Swallow Spear Strike.”

Two spear lights flashed like flying swallows, shooting out to fell the soldier before him.

With a light tap of his toe, Huang Hong’s figure shifted, spear spinning, gleaming with icy blue light. He stomped, leapt, and brought the spear’s tip crashing down onto another soldier’s crown.

A soft hum sounded.

Green light shimmered around Huang Hong, as Luo Feng, beside Ye Yu, raised his left hand, fingers spread, ancient runes swirling around his fingertips.

“Protective Qi Barrier.”

For a short duration, Huang Hong’s defense and attack were boosted. With this enhancement, a perfect strike settled the second soldier.

Luo Wei, having chosen the Puppet path, naturally focused his skills there.

He leapt forward, hands forming seals. Ancient characters glimmered faintly across his hands, a dim halo blossoming with captivating light.

A bronze puppet appeared beside him, and at this moment, the tips of his ten fingers glowed faintly, threadlike.

“Summon Puppet.”

The Puppet path could call forth mechanical puppets of varying grades: bronze, silver, and gold. Their weapon was a pair of gloves, inscribed with ancient characters for summoning.

Luo Wei’s fingers moved fluidly, and the massive puppet shot forward, hands closing slowly, fire and clouds swirling around its fists.

“Cloudfire Stone Fists.”

Both fists blasted out, unleashing terrifying flames and clouds. With the intense heat, one punch dispatched a soldier. As technique improved, the number of blocks decreased.

In Fallen Gods, there was a momentum mechanic: as a player’s momentum grew, dungeon or map monsters weakened; conversely, if the player’s momentum waned, monsters would strengthen, and some special monsters had unique momentum mechanisms for players to discover.

After several minutes, Huang Hong and Luo Wei had swept through eight soldiers. Under Ye Yu’s control, the remaining soldiers remained trapped in the special running loop, giving the others ample opportunity to practice their skills.