Great news!
We hit the 200 Power Stone goal last week.
So this week, you'll get 3 daily chapters. And remember, for every 200 Power Stones we get this week, we'll add another extra chapter to the daily total for next week.
Thanks for your support!
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Chapter 116: Clearing the Clouds, Revealing the Blue Sky
"Is there a problem with the way we started the game?"
Sarah looked at Mike beside her, bewildered. 'This game... is wrong!'
"I don't know!"
Mike managed to utter a word after a long pause. How could he know? Although watching Sarah being massacred by Gundyr had been quite satisfying, the key was that he felt he wasn't much better, judging by his previous encounter with the Crystal Lizard.
'This Gundyr seemed to be on her level!'
"And what's the point of this burial gift? It just turned into a stone pillar and that's it?" Sarah was speechless.
After giving up her seat, she watched Mike use the branch he had chosen for his birth. The resulting transformation was completely different from what she had imagined. In her imagination, it should have been a transformation amulet.
And according to the game's store tag, Dark Souls is a dark fantasy story. So, presumably, there should be races like elves, dwarves, dragons, and goblins, right? The branch must be related to elves. According to her idea, after using it, she would become an ancient elf with all her attributes and abilities maxed out.
But the reality? It simply turned into a stone pillar and returned to its original state after being attacked. The difference between the ideal and the real is enormous, isn't it?
After resurrecting in front of the bonfire, Mike controlled the game's "123." However, he discovered a serious problem.
"Why are all the monsters on the path still alive?"
Seeing the zombies resurrect on the path, Mike was surprised. At first, he had thought that bonfire was a save point. Returning after dying was a save point, but now it seemed that was not the case. Resting by the bonfire would make the monsters on the path resurrect.
Although he hadn't played the rest of the game yet, Mike already felt the water heating up.
The journey from the first bonfire to the boss room, Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, was not long and very straightforward. But the key was that this was only the beginning of the game! If this setting were adopted later, wouldn't he have to start from scratch if he died on the way before lighting the bonfire?
Mike had discovered a secret about the game. Although surprised, he didn't delve into it, simply dismissing it as a difficulty mechanic. Mike's biggest challenge was the boss known as Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder.
When it was his turn to play, he did not rush to face the boss immediately. Instead, he circled the Cemetery of Ashes, confirming that there was no other way out. Only then did he confirm one thing: Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, was the boss of the Rookie Village!
"Didn't the previous advice mention shield parrying? I saw the game demo Alex presented at the online press conference, and it showed a shield parrying this very boss, dealing a considerable amount of damage instantly!" Sarah, standing beside him, offered some advice.
"But my shield... it seems it can't parry!" Looking at the broken wooden shield in his hand, Mike unbuckled the button and saw the shirtless '123' in the game pouncing with a small wooden shield.
As for parrying with bare hands, the system prompts did not mention it, so Mike was clearly not aware of it at that moment. Of course, even if he had known, it would have been useless.
"I'll try again. This dual-wielding technique seems to increase attack power." Observing the chicken drumstick and the broken wooden shield in his hands, Mike decided to try again.
Carefully dispatching the zombies blocking his path, Mike soon reached the boss. The original stone door was now shrouded in a thick layer of white fog. Approaching the trigger, the game character entered.
Meanwhile, Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, was no longer the stone statue he once was. Instead, he patrolled the area with a halberd in his hand. Not far away, in addition to red blood puddles from other players, there was also a green stain: the souls of those who had died before.
"Come on, a fair duel!" Switching to dual-wielding mode and letting out a battle cry, Mike saw a weapon and a plus sign appear below the status bar in the top left corner, clearly indicating an increase in attack power.
Canceling dual-wielding mode, Mike bravely charged forward.
"General Gu, your halberd skill is incredible!"
"Let me have a sip of orange juice! A surprise attack, what nonsense!"
"That lousy wooden shield! One hit has drained my stamina bar? What's so good about relying on weapons...? Coward! Drop your weapons, let's fight bare-handed!"
The room was filled with cries of helplessness and fury. One minute later, the familiar image reappeared on the screen, with those two words again.
Mike's eyebrows filled with solemnity.
"This game... is so difficult!" Sarah, standing beside him, finally sighed as she looked at Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, who had only lost a quarter of his health.
Hearing this, Mike unconsciously nodded.
"How can this Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, be so strong? He's like a reincarnated monster. Who can defeat him? Is Nebula Games playing a prank on me? Is the game's numerical design wrong?" Mike said with a lingering fear.
"It shouldn't be. After all, a large-scale game like this must be tested before launch. This situation is impossible. And wasn't there a demo at the previous press conference? I think the shield counter-attack should be a more important skill in this game. After a successful execution, it can deal a lot of damage!" Sarah expressed her guess.
Mike, who had just gotten up from the stool to give way, had an idea upon hearing this. It was as if a lightning bolt illuminated his mind, dispelling the dark fog in front of him.
"I understand! I understand! So that's it!" Mike seemed excited, as if he had found the feeling of solving a difficult problem in high school.
"Do you remember what character was shown at the press conference? A knight! A knight with a shield, sword, and armor! It's not just a class; Dark Souls should be a setting that integrates difficulty with class! Why can't the useless person's small wooden shield attack? This increases the difficulty, forcing them to rely on movement and rolling to fight Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, while the knight has equipment, which will undoubtedly significantly reduce the difficulty." Mike's face reflected excitement.
After listening to him, Sarah reflected and felt that it made sense. It seems to be that way!
"So, should we create a new save file?" Sarah asked.
"We must!" Mike was filled with excitement and pride, as if the clouds had cleared to reveal the blue sky.
It must be said that, as a gamer, Mike still has a lot of experience. But what he said was... right, but not entirely. The solution is correct, is this the answer?