"This damned Seven Ashina Samurai feels harder to beat than Genichiro!"
Zack was completely floored.
At first, he thought the elite monsters in this dark and gloomy place felt no different from the Ashina Seven Spears and the Purple Robe Ninja, the Shadow Clans, he'd encountered before.
But when he actually started fighting, he realized something was off.
Besides regular attacks, almost every skill he used would inflict him with a fear status effect.
Then there were the blue-purple orbs of light that appeared in the air. Getting hit itself was a minor issue; the main problem was how it stacked up the fear status.
And once the fear meter was full, unlike the Fire Bull's "scorched" notification when its fire buildup maxed out, the fear status effect meant instant death. It was completely unreasonable.
What was even more critical was that this BOSS was a hyperactive one.
Sometimes, when summoning the ghost orbs on the ground, the opponent would cast a magic circle. When he got close, he could freely attack.
But the fear meter on his body visibly climbed.
And if he didn't attack, the Seven Ashina Samurai would not only teleport but also frequently leap into the air to cast orbs of light.
This left him with no chance to deal damage, and if the orbs around him piled up, all that awaited him was death.
You could say the Seven Ashina Samurai was like a porcupine – you couldn't attack, and you couldn't not attack.
"How can there be such a disgusting monster! How can there be such a disgusting monster!" Zack finally couldn't help but shout hoarsely.
If Ashina Genichiro had made Zack feel that it was difficult, then the Seven Ashina Samurai now made Zack feel that it was unbearable.
This monster was simply too disgusting!
And he had no idea how to fight it!
Many players were in the same situation as Zack.
After beating Ashina Genichiro, many players felt as though they had broken through their limits.
It was like a great hero who had mastered their skills, waiting to descend the mountain and sweep away all opposition.
And in reality, it was indeed as players thought. As one of the beginner instructors.
Ashina Genichiro had indeed helped players improve their personal skills.
This was also the biggest feature of soulslike games: not just an increase in game stats, but more importantly, your own experience and skills becoming stronger.
And the next few battles were indeed as players had imagined.
Whether it was heading to the Fountainhead Water Village in Ashina land, or Senpou Temple at the dungeon entrance, or the Valley of the Medecine King in the Gun Fort,
players would encounter BOSSes that made them feel stronger.
Serpent Eyes, Shadow Clans, Ashina Seven Spears…
These BOSSes were no longer as powerful or threatening to players who had been tortured by Ashina Genichiro.
As long as you carefully observed the BOSS's moves, you could basically deal with them well and calmly.
This was because these BOSSes didn't have many move variations. Whether it was the first or second phase, there wasn't much difference.
And they didn't have many small attack animations. Like Genichiro's second phase and Lady Butterfly's second phase, which interspersed shooting arrows and delayed sword strikes, these BOSSes appeared much more straightforward.
But as you advanced, players soon encountered some monsters that baffled them.
That is, the Seven Ashina Samurai and the Headless in the game.
Most of the attack properties of these two monsters carried a terror debuff. Once it was fully stacked, they would instantly kill you regardless of the situation.
The Seven Ashina Samurai was relatively more agile, while the Headless had an area of effect around them that slowed down the player's movement speed, which was quite disgusting.
The best items to use against these two were the Divine Confetti and the Pacifying Agent.
The former could dispel the terror debuff and also grant the player resistance.
The latter could deal additional damage to enemies with a vengeful spirit attribute.
You could say that if Genichiro was a teacher who taught players about dodging, parrying, and mikiri countering, then the Headless and Seven Ashina Samurai were monsters that taught players how to use items.
But the key problem was that players whose foundational skills were not solid enough, after the trial of Genichiro, had basically formed a habit.
That is, when facing a BOSS, it was one sword and one pot of sake. Many players had even sold all their items to the shops to afford items like gourd seeds sold by the memorial service helpers at the entrance of each map area.
The most expensive item, Divine Confetti, had also been thrown into the shop by many players.
Therefore, when players faced the Headless and Seven Ashina Samurai again, the drastically different playstyle caused them to suffer greatly.
Of course, the only good news was that these BOSSes were only elite BOSSes, and players could choose to bypass them.
After dying more than ten times, to the point where people around him were coughing themselves to death, Zack chose to surrender.
But even so, the later content still brutally beat him.
Because after leaving Ashina Castle, similar to areas like Farron Keep, Blighttown in Dark Souls, and Forbidden Woods in Bloodborne, the malice of the maps and BOSSes gradually became apparent.
...
Inside the Hidden Forest
The air was filled with mist. All sorts of phantom samurai, large black roosters, and a headless figure made countless players feel like they were playing a horror game.
'Damn it, stop chasing me! Why are the phantoms for other people static, but they're chasing me like crazy?'
'Who can save me? Where should I go? I've already circled the entire area!'
'Shit! How do I get onto this house? Whose residual image is this? Why is jumping on trees so difficult?'
In this map, countless players were tortured to the point of wanting to die. The experience of their heads spinning in the Forbidden Woods and Farron Keep resurfaced.
Especially some players who didn't pay attention to NPC hints to find the poison fat man, but instead saw the residual images left by players who took shortcuts to jump on trees, and thought this was the correct path, directly jumping until forever.
The only comfort was that inside the house, players encountered the game's "most powerful" BOSS, Mist Noble, and had a good time.
...
Senpou Temple and Gun Fort.
'Damn it! Can these rats on the mountain path be any more disgusting? Stop blowing poison arrows! This isn't Blighttown!'
'Who can tell me how to fight this tin man? He's like a madman; I've assassinated him three times, why is he still so full of life?'
'Don't monks understand mercy? Come at me one by one, don't gang up on me with sticks!'
'Are you guys cheating! Cannons are one thing, but you have cannons too? You're all hiding so far away, come down if you dare!'
Players who chose to go to Senpou Temple first also suffered brutal beatings, making them feel a bit dazed.
The rats on the mountain path blowing poison arrows reminded many Dark Souls players of the poison arrow guys in Blighttown.
And on the path leading up the mountain, the monks would start a set of Senpou Fist techniques at the slightest disagreement.
And in the long corridors, players would encounter a tin man who would shout "Robert!" after dying.
But on the first encounter, unless they accidentally stumbled upon a stealth assassination prompt by the window, players would likely feel despair, because no matter how many times this BOSS was assassinated, it remained as lively as ever.
As for the Gun Fort, which led to the Fallen Valley, players were filled with despair upon their first arrival.
Because while crossing the cliffs, cannon fire and bullets would be shot at you from nowhere.
You couldn't even see the enemy, and your health bar would disappear; this was a common occurrence.
And after leaving Ashina Castle, almost every new area map had such traps; players could feel the malice originating from their souls.
It made countless players sigh with emotion.
As expected! Boss Lucas is still Boss Lucas. After so many years, he hasn't forgotten his original intention. The map design, the level design, and the monster design are still so malicious!
(End of Chapter)
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