Chapter 60: The First Draft of the Official Novel

Fang Qi was not playing games at this time; instead, he held a delicate volume of manuscript in his hands.

Upon the cover, written in a graceful and elegant regular script, were the characters: Diablo, Volume One.

Fang Qi lifted his gaze to find a delicate and beautiful face entering his sight, as Shen Qingqing, with her hands clasped behind her back, leaned over and said expectantly, "Hurry up and read it!"

Fang Qi nodded and flipped to the first page, noting the writer's meticulous care; though it was merely a first draft, the handwriting was neat and orderly in every line, a true pleasure to behold.

Indeed, as Xu Zixin had said, the literary talent of Shen Qingqing, a young lady accomplished in both martial and scholarly arts, was beyond reproach; because Fang Qi played a Paladin and Shen Qingqing had also chosen to play one herself, she naturally picked the Paladin as the main protagonist to chronicle the entire tale from beginning to end, being most familiar with the class.

A game like Diablo, before Fang Qi's transmigration, at least back when Diablo II had just released, could be hailed as a classic among classics in terms of both plot and gameplay.

It was precisely for this reason that years later, when web literature began to flourish, a vast number of fan fictions would sprout up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Therefore, holding the first draft of the official novel's first volume written by Shen Qingqing, Fang Qi could not help but feel a touch of nostalgia stir within his heart.

Meanwhile, the internet cafe had grown exceptionally lively; An Cheng, Nalan Hongwu, and their companions, along with Song Qingfeng's party, were all rushing toward Andariel's lair in the Catacombs, encountering an endless stream of various monsters along the way; the Mage's Ice Blast and Inferno were unleashed ruthlessly into the crowds of monsters, while the Druid's Molten Boulder and Volcano possessed even more astonishing power, making the scene spectacularly grand!

"You boys in the back, watch your step, we won't cover you if you get ambushed!" Nalan Hongwu and Old Fu each held a shield, anchoring the front line; the closer they drew to Andariel's lair, the stronger the monsters became!

Furthermore, being underground at this moment meant many places were devoid of light, and more often than not, a single careless step could plunge them into a swarm of monsters!

With their current levels, if they blundered into a monster horde near Andariel's lair, it went without saying that they would never return alive!

Maintaining their formation, they pressed forward steadily, when Nalan Hongwu suddenly paused his steps slightly.

Listening closely, he seemed to hear a faint and unusual sound echoing from the darkness ahead.

It was like the heavy, slumbering breath of a wild beast in the shadows.

Very soon, they saw giant monsters with horns atop their heads charging toward them!

"Tainted!"

"Fall back a bit! There's probably a whole pack of them!" Everyone's expressions darkened slightly; these things always roamed in packs within the Catacombs, possessing robust physiques and the ability to spit lightning balls from their mouths; if they encountered a pack, the monsters wouldn't even need to close the distance before a synchronized volley of lightning from afar would strip them of their skin, if not their lives!

Before the words could fully leave his mouth, streak after streak of white light began to illuminate the depths of the darkness!

As veterans of the battlefield, Nalan Hongwu and Old Fu naturally reacted with extreme swiftness; one rolled to immediately evade a massive barrage of lightning balls, while the other dashed aside, both retreating from the room as they raised their shields: "Block the door! Block the door!"

Seeing the two retreat, Bu Che raised his hand and hurled a Molten Boulder toward the entrance!

An Elemental Druid's area-of-effect attacks were incredibly potent in the early stages, and the massive, molten rock crashed squarely into the rushing Tainted on the spot! As the Molten Boulder exploded, the massive carcass of a Tainted instantly choked the entrance!

"Mage, Ice Blast!"

"Old Bu, another Volcano!"

"Two of them have broken through!"

"Leave them to this old man! Old Fu, activate the Holy Fire aura! Kill!" Nalan Hongwu activated Blessed Aim and, lifting his shield, immediately charged toward the Tainted that had slipped through!

...

In contrast to the spectacular scene over there, a corner of the internet cafe always retained a peaceful and quiet view.

Fang Qi sipped his Sprite while leisurely reading the first volume of Diablo written by Shen Qingqing.

"It is the Wanderer... Yes, it is... the Dark Wanderer..."

"My days in the Rogue Citadel seem like a lifetime ago..."

"..."

Fang Qi was very pleased to see these words; this was Marius's recollection of the Dark Wanderer from the game's opening cinematic.

Without any flashy descriptions, it was clear that Shen Qingqing, a dedicated lore enthusiast, respected the original plot immensely; reading onward, the entire narrative structure was rigorous, perfectly paced, and did not superfluously add redundant changes like the game-to-film adaptations of later generations.

In the depiction of scenes and characters, it was even far more delicate than Fang Qi had anticipated; seeing the words on the paper, Fang Qi could perfectly feel that precise atmosphere:

The once magnificent citadel was now reduced to a desolate, downhearted camp, where adventurers filled with ideals traversed the gloomy streets one after another beneath the pattering, cold rain.

The thick, dark style interwoven between the lines truly made one feel that this was Diablo, and nothing else.

"As expected, are girls' thoughts generally more delicate?"

Holding the manuscript in his hands, Fang Qi continued to read.

Xu Zixin and Shen Qingqing were indeed young ladies raised in great clans, maintaining excellent upbringing at this moment by remaining quiet and sitting peacefully beside him without making a sound to disturb him.

...

"The fourth level of the Catacombs!"

When Nalan Hongwu, An Cheng, and the others stepped into the fourth level of the Catacombs, they could clearly feel a somber and oppressive aura of evil washing over their faces!

"Be careful!" Nalan Hongwu had an intuition in his heart that Andariel, the most powerful demon entrenched in this land, was likely in the depths of this very level!

Within his heart, a trace of excitement arose for no particular reason.

"According to the plot, this is the final battlefield of this Act?" An Cheng twirled his staff in his hand and laughed heartily, "Damn it, I am about to save the world!"

"When we talk about this in the future, we brothers can at least claim to be people who have saved the world," Bu Che laughed, "Doesn't putting it that way sound incredibly thrilling?"

"Come off it, at most you're saving a single city," Ouyang Cheng sneered, "Reaching this point, I still haven't figured out where these demons even came from."

"I think there should be a biographical book recording our glorious history!" An Cheng smiled, "I heard Act II requires us to go to the distant East?"

"The battle begins! Get in here quickly!" Nalan Hongwu slowly pushed open the heavy, decaying double doors in the center of the Catacombs' fourth level!

An increasingly ominous aura shrouded everyone's hearts; a heavy oppression mingled with excitement, two entirely different emotions occupying their minds.

Ouyang Cheng, who followed at the rear, suddenly asked, "What good gear will the final boss demon of Act I drop?"

"You're still thinking about gear drops at a time like this!" Caught between tears and laughter, An Cheng kicked him in the backside and scolded with a smile, "Can you show a little backbone?"

"How about I trade my backbone to you for a piece of gold gear!"

"Get lost!"

The crowd could not help but burst into laughter together!

A low, raspy demonic whisper echoed from the depths of the darkness; Andariel, the most wicked demon entrenched deep underground, had already been awakened!

"This old man will go first!" Old Fu tightened his grip on the broadsword in his hand and shouted in a deep voice.

"Good!"

"Kill—!"

"Turn on Blessed Aim!"

"Watch your positioning! Mind your positioning!"

"Clear out the minions first!"

"Poison Nova! Let the wolves hold the front! Everyone else fall back and drink antidotes!"

"Hold the aggro! Hold it! Don't let it go after the Mage!"

...

"It is very well written," Fang Qi stood up from his seat, watching An Cheng and the others as they charged toward Andariel in the Catacombs, shouting with total self-forgetfulness as if no one else were around, a nameless emotion stirred within his heart.

Perhaps his own state of mind when pioneering content with his friends back in the day had been exactly the same.

Though many years had passed, certain things suddenly leapt into his mind, remaining vivid in his memory.

He took a deep breath, pointed toward An Cheng and the others, and spoke, "If you add a bit of this kind of emotion that comes straight from the heart, it will be even better."

Fang Qi closed the book and handed it back to Shen Qingqing. As an advanced reader who had devoured countless web novels before his transmigration, he chose not to add any flashy, alien elements to this official novel, allowing everything to return to its original state.

.