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Chapter 121: So I am the Vegetable!
"After watching for so long, your hands must be itching, right?"
Resurrected in front of the bonfire, Mike looked at Sarah, who was peeling grapes nearby.
Hearing Mike's words, Sarah glanced at the game screen and said without hesitation: "My hands are itching, but not my skin!"
Sighing, Mike continued to control his character's exploration.
Upon entering the Lothric Wall, the map was much more complex than the Firelink Shrine and the Cemetery of Ashes. And without a map, there was no way to know where to go.
Of course, there was another more important reason: playing there was like cutting melons and vegetables.
Well... he was the vegetable.
On the Lothric Wall, apart from the undead kneeling on the ground like pilgrims, he was able to kill almost everyone else. And the most crucial point was that, just like the Crystal Lizard, the Sword Master, and the Judge of Cinder he had just met, these small monsters could be crushed head-on with pure individual strength.
The key is that the monsters here are usually quite unsportsmanlike.
You often ran into a dagger-wielding monster around a corner, unleashing a flurry of attacks, which could kill you instantly if your health was not at its maximum.
Additionally, if you weren't careful, you could attract two or three monsters. When they all attacked together, Mike felt, perhaps an illusion, that they were even more challenging than his previous battle against the Judge of Cinder.
A monster, similar to a zombie dog, was particularly agile and boasted great attack power.
There were also monsters armed with fire crossbows hidden in the cracks of the walls, who remained motionless as you passed by. Once you got down and faced other monsters, they would start shooting arrows at your back.
There were also monsters hidden behind boxes, leaving you vulnerable to attacks if you weren't careful, and some could even backstab you.
In this ARPG, which recalls Mike's old days of playing Outlast, you never knew what traps awaited you.
Of course, if that were all, there would be no problem. These unsportsmanlike monsters are usually weak. In a one-on-one fight, they are easy to defeat, as long as you are not too reckless.
However, as Mike explored the Lothric Walls, he ran into tough opponents. In a hallway leading to a watchtower, he ran into a Lothric Knight wielding a sword and shield.
This character had appeared in the trailer, but only as a supporting character, to illustrate how to counter small monsters with shields.
"Finally, a monster that can face me head-on, and in a one-on-one fight!" Mike exclaimed with eyes full of excitement as he looked at the Lothric Knight.
"Come on, let's fight in peace!"
The brave man prevailed in a close encounter, and Mike felt his blood boil.
He had always been outnumbered and treated unethically, but now, finally, he could face off in a one-on-one.
The Lothric Knight in front of him had clearly noticed Mike and was preparing. They advanced, I retreated, testing each other.
Unconsciously, Mike slowly entered the dark watchtower.
Just then, the sound of a box breaking was heard. A weirdo with a dagger appeared out of nowhere and backstabbed him.
"Puff!"
Blood splattered. The rebellious weirdo kicked him, leaving him staggering. The knight, who had just gotten up, swung his sword and knocked him down.
Mike, dead!
"We agreed on a one-on-one, but you secretly called for help!" Mike was completely stunned.
"Stay here! Don't run!" With that severe reprimand, Mike resurrected at the nearest bonfire.
Back at the site, this time with a masterful twist, he dodged the Lothric Knight with a series of rolls before finding the monster that had attacked him earlier in the dark watchtower. He dispatched it before facing the Lothric Knight.
"I'll use you as a shield parry! Show me what a fiery hero is!"
Mike raised his shield, attracting aggression, and stood still, ready to perfect his shield parry skills.
First shield parry, one elemental flask.
Second shield parry, two elemental flasks.
The third time Mike felt that something was wrong, he chose not to parry with his shield. Instead, he prepared to wait with it until the Lothric Knight finished attacking before launching a counterattack.
However, in front of Mike, who was holding his shield, the Lothric Knight charged him directly with it.
This collision instantly emptied his stamina bar, as well as his health bar, and the character was paralyzed due to lack of stamina.
The Lothric Knight in front of him calmly raised his sword and unleashed a series of slashes, also emptying his health bar. This gave Mike another lesson in humility and allowed him to review those three words: You are dead.
"Why do I always feel that the monsters I encounter after defeating Gundyr have the same damage?" Mike, who had resurrected at the bonfire, was speechless.
At first, he thought Gundyr should be relatively strong, but the Crystal Lizard, the Sword Master, and even this Lothric Knight, felt particularly powerful!
"Maybe it's a game feature?" Sarah asked beside him.
Mike was speechless upon hearing her.
Upon entering the Lothric Walls, he encountered an even greater variety of monsters. Now he was completely sure of one thing: this was undoubtedly a very difficult game. He even felt that navigating the terrain was more challenging than defeating the bosses.
After confirming it with a glance, he knew it was a monster he couldn't afford to mess with.
Mike decided to temporarily ignore the Lothric Knight and continue exploring. Meanwhile, on a bridge full of monsters, Mike was about to lure them out and eliminate them one by one when a flying dragon descended from the sky, spitting flames directly onto the bridge.
Just like the other monsters on the bridge, Mike had to learn to type "you are dead."
After overcoming numerous difficulties and using the experience gained from dying, Mike finally entered the watchtower room. However, what baffled him was the lack of monsters inside. And, surprisingly, there was a treasure chest in the corner of the ground floor.
"There's a treasure chest!" Upon approaching it, Mike saw the "activate" button on the screen with a face full of surprise. 'Finally, I can change my equipment?!'
After all, in action RPGs, treasure chests are synonymous with quality equipment!
Mike was filled with joy as he looked at the chest.
He pressed the interaction button, but what followed startled him. It wasn't just a precious treasure inside. When he opened it, the top and bottom edges were covered with sharp teeth. A long tongue and a pair of hands shot out, grabbing his character.
"What the heck!" Mike shivered with fear and almost dropped the mouse.
The chest monster's sharp teeth sank hard into the character's head. Blood gushed out, and the character struggled, but his health bar instantly disappeared. After a brief struggle, there was finally no sound.
The game screen went dark. Those three familiar blood-red characters reappeared in the center of the screen.
"What the heck! This treasure chest is a trap!" Mike's eyes widened, completely stunned.
However, he quickly resurrected at the bonfire and prepared to return, not only to collect souls, but also for revenge! And, based on his previous experience, this type of aggressive monster was probably quite weak.
Upon returning to the treasure chest room, thirty seconds later... the cramped space... Mike watched as his character was held and stuffed into the mouth of the treasure chest monster and he put down the mouse.
He patted his chest softly, telling himself that this was not a sign of weakness; it was the sign of a knight's revenge, even after ten years.
It was the same shortcut as before, with the Sword Master and the Lothric Knight.
Dying several times to learn the opponent's attack patterns and then easily defeating them, but it was not necessary. Even so, the sigh of relief in his chest made him quietly turn off the computer. He decided to stop playing for the day; continuing to play would be a concern for his newly purchased keyboard and mouse.
Just then, Mike's phone, on the table, began to ring. He looked at it and saw a message from his old acquaintance, Tom.
"Tom, how are you spending the holidays? I'm lost! I just checked into the hotel. This boss is an idiot! Whose company is going on a business trip for the holidays?!"
Upon seeing the incoming message, Mike replied: "Playing. That Dark Souls we saw at the expo is out today. Have you played it?"
Two seconds later, another message arrived: "I haven't played it yet. By the way, is it fun? If it's not, I'm not buying it."
Upon seeing this message, Mike instantly remembered why he had played Outlast and immediately replied: "It has a grand, epic story, the graphics and combat are top-notch, and the gameplay experience can only be described in four words: cutting melons and vegetables!"
That night, Mike logged into his girlfriend Sarah's Nebula Gaming account and bought her a copy of Dark Souls. He laughed cruelly at Tom's message.
The message was simple: "You call this cutting melons and vegetables?"
Even through the screen, Mike could imagine Tom's expression