When Lucas entered the game and created a new "Useless Person" character, Hector and the others exchanged a knowing look and smiled.
They stared wide-eyed at the screen in front of Lucas, as if they were expecting something exciting to happen.
Lucas, who was testing the game, naturally noticed their little actions.
But he didn't say anything, just smiled quietly and kept testing the game features.
There weren't any major problems with the UI, and the face customization system was even more detailed than in his past life.
After trying it for a bit, Lucas picked a default preset and entered the game.
The first thing that stood out was the visuals.
In the old Dark Souls games, or really the whole Souls series, graphics were never the main focus.
Players didn't praise the graphics so much as the art design — like the fairy-tale-like cold valley in Dark Souls 3 that amazed countless players seeing it for the first time.
Or the Fountainhead Palace in Sekiro, and Cathedral Ward in Bloodborne, all of which left a deep impression.
But in this parallel world, technology was better than in his previous life, and the standard hardware was also higher.
Lucas wasn't going to purposely hold back and make the graphics the same as before when they could be much better.
After all, great visuals can also make the game experience better.
And from what he'd seen so far, he was very happy with it.
The game had a cold gray tone, the scene was bleak, and the ground was littered with bones and ash.
A faint mist drifted in the air, giving off a slightly chilling feel.
The atmosphere was fully set.
The opening cutscene was still the same trailer from the earlier game show.
It was just trimmed down a bit, removing some pauses that were only there to hype up the show's atmosphere, making the story flow better.
Since the CG had cost a lot, he might as well use it fully.
Once in the game, Lucas controlled his half-naked character wearing ragged shorts, holding a broken wooden shield and a drumstick-like club, and started trying out basic moves.
Like before, there were tutorial messages on the ground and nearby undead enemies for players to practice on.
But Lucas didn't need them.
He knew every detail of the game system like the back of his hand.
Run, lock-on, light attack, heavy attack, weapon skills, and rolling.
Lucas tested each move one by one.
Then he opened the in-game console and typed a code to bring out a shield that could parry.
The small broken wooden shield for the "Useless Person" start could only bash and couldn't parry, so to practice parrying, he needed one with the block skill.
This code was just for convenience in the dev build — it would be removed in the final release.
With the spawned shield equipped, Lucas walked up to the first undead enemy.
He didn't attack right away, but circled it to draw its attention until it stood up.
The undead let out a hoarse roar and charged at him with its broken sword.
In Hector and the others' puzzled stares, a deep "thunk" came from the monitor's speakers.
Those familiar with the combat system knew this was the sound of a successful parry.
Lucas's character, facing the staggered undead kneeling on the ground, smashed its head with the club, instantly emptying its long health bar.
The execution animation was more detailed than before.
In the old Dark Souls, while there were different execution animations for weapon categories like greatswords, axes, straight swords, fists, and claws, each set was reused across several weapons.
Lucas had improved that a lot here.
Adding executions didn't really change the game's core content.
But for players, it had a direct effect.
Because these executions were a form of reward.
Like in fighting games, when players build up a special meter and land a super move, they're treated to a flashy sequence.
It's a reward system.
Executions in Dark Souls worked the same way.
For enemies that could be parried, pulling off a parry and then an execution gave the player a visual payoff.
And there was another benefit — if every weapon had its own execution, players would naturally get curious and want to see what each one looked like.
What? You're asking if the whip has an execution animation? And this weapon too?
Watching Lucas block and counter with his shield so smoothly, Hector and the others nearby were stunned.
Why are you so good at this counter move, Boss Lucas?
Shouldn't the normal way be to just run up and slash the zombie a couple of times to finish it?
What's with starting off with a shield counter right away?
Sure, the whole combat system and movement system in the game were designed by you, Boss Lucas…
But whether it's asset creation or game testing, we've been the ones doing it first. So how come you're the one who's so skilled now?
In the game, Lucas moved smoothly to reach the first bonfire and lit it. Then he ran and jumped onto another coffin step to pick up a glowing white item.
Without losing a single drop of health, Lucas had already reached the first boss—Ash Judge Gundyr.
Hector and the others, who were expecting to see something flashy, were all dumbfounded.
This was nothing like what they imagined!
Still, even so, the group led by Hector had a little bit of hope left.
After all, small enemies are one thing, but bosses are another. Even though Lucas is the producer, they were all part of making the game, right?
Knowing it is one thing, but actually playing it is something else entirely.
It's like those guides or high-level tips—you can watch all the videos or read all the text you want, but can you actually do it afterward?
Usually not. You might even post a comment saying, "This creator really thinks I can pull that off?"
Everyone stared closely at Lucas's next moves.
Especially Hector—he'd been beaten badly by this boss before.
In Dark Souls, most bosses share a trait: they're huge.
That alone gives players a strong sense of pressure.
On top of that, the bosses usually carry massive weapons that can attack from far away and often have wide-sweeping moves with huge attack ranges.
Even though Ash Judge Gundyr is the first boss, he still looks terrifying.
His attacks are also extremely strong—sure, you can block them with your shield, but it drains a huge chunk of stamina.
And the killer part is that in Dark Souls, most bosses have two phases. Gundyr is no exception.
His second phase—where he turns into a black, pus-covered giant snake—had kept Hector stuck for quite a while before.
As Hector and the others kept their expectant eyes on the screen, Lucas in the game got ready to start the boss fight.
(End of The Chapter)
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