Chapter 122: Players Who Doubt Life Itself

Not just Song Ren, Zhang Yi, and Wang Han—other players who got their hands on Dark Souls immediately also felt utterly bewildered.

They even began questioning whether they had opened the game incorrectly.

Because it was simply too malicious!

Players experiencing Dark Souls generally went through four distinct emotional stages.

First, the excitement and joy before even starting the game—eagerly anticipating passing the so-called fire of hope and becoming a Firelinker.

Then, encountering the Crystal Lizard and Gundyr the Ash, only to be easily defeated and left looking completely bewildered.

Choosing to persevere and finally defeating Gundyr the Ash, players regained confidence and renewed their hopes for the upcoming Firelinking journey.

Finally, arriving at the High Wall of Lothric—this was when they truly began to doubt life itself.

Because upon reaching the High Wall of Lothric, players fully grasped the game’s underlying tone.

That was—aside from the Gem Crystal Bug, affectionately nicknamed "Porsche" by players, any hostile unit in the game that could move had the potential to end the player’s life.

Although in the game you could easily kill mobs, usually taking only three to five hits to down one.

The same applied in reverse—mobs could kill you just as swiftly.

In this game, you felt as fragile as glass—shattering with a single touch.

Of course, if you wore full armor, things improved slightly.

It was like wrapping that layer of glass in a plastic bag.

In short, any monster in this game could take your life.

Even the seemingly weakest enemies, the Hollows.

Yet once faced with two or three simultaneously, an inexperienced player could easily meet a gruesome end.

Moreover, players could fully experience the game’s level design, brimming with malicious intent.

After barely defeating a squad of enemies and advancing with joy, around the next corner lurked a Hollow brandishing a short sword, charging straight at you.

When you thought the path ahead held only one enemy and thus seemed manageable, hidden in some corner were additional mobs lying in wait to ambush you.

Even more infuriating for countless players was the first treasure chest encountered within the High Wall of Lothric—it was actually a Mimic.

Virtually every player who encountered this creature lost their precious life to it.

And similar scenarios occurred numerous times throughout the game.

The wyvern spewing fire from the bridge, the Lothric Knight in the corridor, the Pus of Man on the rooftop, and the Spear Knight lurking within rooms.

Finally, in the courtyard littered with corpses, there awaited a fat Winged Knight wielding a great axe, teaching players what true cruelty meant.

Of course, players who started later had it slightly easier, thanks to the game’s in-game messages and bloodstains system.

Players could leave behind messages in certain areas to warn newcomers.

Additionally, the bloodstains of recently deceased players would appear on the ground, serving as warnings to those who followed.

Later players arriving at the treasure chest room, seeing the blood-soaked floor, would naturally become wary.

But for new players pioneering these areas, luck wasn’t so generous.

Everything they faced was unknown.

Still, these "veteran" players would actively leave behind messages.

Though sometimes, the truth was mixed with falsehood.

For instance, near the treasure chest room, a player who had previously suffered might leave a warning: [Beware of Treasure Chest]. Seeing this, subsequent players would naturally grow cautious of the chest inside.

Yet some mischievous players would leave ambiguous hints, such as [Treasure Chest contains a great treasure].

Although messages had like and dislike buttons, sometimes they proved of no use.

For such hints, impatient players who didn’t think too deeply would naturally follow in their predecessors’ footsteps.

On the other hand, the message system was also one of the main reasons many players persevered in Dark Souls.

Because through these messages, they realized they weren’t the only ones suffering.

This was a unique human trait—when you suffer alone, your endurance plummets, and loneliness sets in.

But when you know others are suffering alongside you, and some are even worse off—

Then you can somehow endure.

Of course, while this offered psychological solace, the hardships themselves were unavoidable.

In the game, enemies you thought you could defeat? You might still lose.

Enemies you thought you couldn’t beat? You definitely couldn’t.

Moreover, the most heartbreaking aspect for players was this:

Monsters you just barely managed to kill would respawn entirely after resting or teleporting at a bonfire.

And the souls you carried—the game’s currency and experience—

In other ARPGs, these were valuable assets, but in Dark Souls, many players felt they had become a burden.

When you accumulated a substantial amount of souls, yet still fell short of leveling up—

It felt like a heavy burden.

Because upon death, you’d lose them all. And if you died again on the way back? Everything was gone!

After suffering brutal physical and emotional blows in Lothric, many players would return to Firelink Shrine to admire the stunningly beautiful Fire Keeper, fantasizing about the breathtaking face hidden beneath her metal mask.

Listening to the Fire Keeper’s gentle lines in-game, their motivation to Link the Fire surged once more.

The only thing that annoyed players? The Uchigatana Guy—"Old Wang Next Door"—lurking outside Firelink Shrine.

And inside the shrine, there was the Crestfallen Warrior, crouched by the stairs, constantly spreading negative energy.

So when some players, emotionally shattered from being tormented, saw the Crestfallen Warrior still spewing negativity, they lunged forward with two slashes.

If I’m not going to Link the Fire, why do you keep spreading such negativity?!

I can’t beat Old Wang outside with his uchigatana, but I can’t take you down, Crestfallen Warrior?!

Three slashes later, the enemy entered a hostile state—and players realized, damn it, they actually couldn’t beat him.

Rolling, drinking Estus Flasks, Perfect Guard—he was proficient in everything.

Looking at the bewildered player, the Crestfallen Warrior revealed a sinister grin: "Heard you call me Crestfallen Warrior, huh? Today, I’ll show you another interpretation of that name!"

And once hostility was triggered, players had no chance to repent. The moment they appeared in Firelink Shrine, they were hunted down.

What? You say it was a misunderstanding?

Once could be a hand slip, twice could be mischievous hands—but slashing three times? You call that a misunderstanding?

Come on! Let’s dance street dance together!

Besides, even if you attacked the Blacksmith or the old lady vendor, they wouldn’t turn hostile and would respawn later.

But the Uncle Blacksmith would outright refuse to serve the player. Kill the old lady once, and she’d still sell to you—but the prices? Well…

Though you could later atone using souls in the sewers of a subsequent map,

Current players had absolutely no idea about this.

And even if they did, it wouldn’t help much. Besides whether they could even reach there, the souls required for atonement were a painful topic they couldn’t bear.

Many players, driven to despair, deleted their save files.

At the beginning, this was undoubtedly a quit-inducing setting.

But for players who had already defeated Ash Judgment Gundyr and reached Firelink Shrine, a certain attribute had quietly awakened.

Though filled with despair, it gave them a strangely exhilarating sensation.

After all, being able to attack NPCs and trigger subsequent reactions—such mechanics were truly rare in other games.

Besides players who had "awakened" this trait, many others, full of hope and ready to Link the Fire, were instead taught a harsh lesson and quit the game, venting their anger in forum communities.

"Damn it, damn it! Chen Xu is clearly retaliating against the world! The malicious difficulty in Dark Souls is simply unbelievable!"

"+1! Don’t buy this if you don’t enjoy masochism—I’m completely broken!"

"I thought it was a hack-and-slash game—and I was right! Except it’s the monsters hacking and slashing me!"

"It’s an old meme, but I have to say it—‘Warrior of Love’ hehehehe…"

Numerous players, tormented and quitting, voiced warnings to those who hadn’t purchased yet.

Yet some players rebutted these claims.

Their logic was simple—just like with Outlast, they hoped more people would get into the game and experience the suffering they endured.

Of course, not all were merely fooling around or tricking people.

These players, whose unique traits had been awakened by the game, were genuinely attracted to Dark Souls’ art design, mysterious world-building, and intense, thrilling BOSS battles.

"Honestly, the tags on Nebula Games Platform clearly state high difficulty. Compared to typical ARPGs, it’s just a bit more hardcore—but don’t exaggerate so much, okay?"

"Exactly! When did Mr. Chen ever claim this was a hack-and-slash game? Isn’t it up to the player?"

"+1. Action game—I say, those who know, know. Those who don’t, can’t understand."

"Strongly recommend players to experience it—the Fire Keeper in Firelink Shrine is so beautiful! I solemnly declare: she’s my wife now!"

"Bro upstairs, your wife is awesome!"

But for now, players who grumbled and disparaged still made up the majority.

(Today, no more begging with a broken bowl—this is a robbery! Hand over your Monthly Pass and recommendation votes!)

(End of Chapter) <>