Chapter 178: There's Only One Truth! (5th Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Pass)

Chapter 178: There's Only One Truth! (5th Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Pass)

Looking at the bonfire before the courtyard, Song Ren silently lit it, his heart filled with excitement.

At the start of the game, being given a bonfire clearly signified that the player was meant to challenge a BOSS.

Thinking back to Gundyr the Ash from the previous game, Song Ren felt a surge of anticipation for the upcoming fight.

Especially since right before this courtyard stood a massive stone gate—something that, for any Dark Souls player, wasn't just a hint, but practically a Direct Statement.

Back when he first faced Gundyr the Ash, he'd been beaten into a bloody mess. But now, having thoroughly grasped the game's rules, Song Ren felt confident he could shine.

"But why don't I have any Estus Flasks? Could it be that since I was imprisoned, they took my flasks away?" Song Ren grumbled inwardly.

He realized he didn't have a single Estus Flask on him.

Granted, he had woken up in a prison cell, but his Armor hadn't been confiscated—so why were the flasks gone?

After all, in the previous game, even after crawling out of a grave, he still had his Estus Flask!

Still, it was only a brief complaint. Song Ren didn't dwell on it too much.

It was likely just part of the game's setting—adding extra difficulty for players. Facing the upcoming Discouraging Boss without Estus Flasks naturally ramped up the challenge.

"But it's not very newbie-friendly," Song Ren sighed with emotion, as he pushed open the courtyard's gate.

With a creak, the door swung open.

Song Ren guided his character into the room.

The room was completely empty.

However, on the ground near the entrance, there seemed to be an in-game message he could inspect.

Song Ren also noticed bloodstains scattered across various corners of the room.

Clearly, the game retained the previous installment's message system—whenever a player died to a BOSS, a bloodstain would be left behind.

But where was the BOSS in this room?

Just as Song Ren was about to examine the message on the floor, a dark shadow suddenly dropped from above.

With a thunderous crash, a massive demon wielding a huge Hammer leapt down from the ceiling and landed directly in front of him.

At the same time, the combat UI appeared on-screen, along with the BOSS's name: Asylum Demon.

"Wait, isn't this the elite monster from the tower top in Farron Cesspit?!"

Staring at the Stray Demon before him, the player at the computer was utterly surprised.

The BOSS in front of him looked nearly identical to the Stray Demon encountered in Farron Keep in the earlier Dark Souls game—though slightly smaller in size.

Yet the Sense of Oppression it exuded was just as intense. Being indoors amplified the feeling—the Stray Demon now occupied nearly half the screen, making it look terrifyingly imposing.

Still, the moment Song Ren laid eyes on the monster, he actually felt a sense of relief.

This wasn't some brand-new enemy. It was a familiar face.

Back on the tower top in Farron Cesspit, Song Ren had fought the Stray Demon before. He'd died twice at first, yes—but he'd also killed it!

Sure, he didn't have a shield, no Estus Flasks, and was wielding only a broken sword—but so what?

As an excellent Ashen One, what trials hadn't he faced before?

A mere demon couldn't possibly stop someone determined to carry on the great undertaking of linking the fire!

With a swift rolling, he dodged the BOSS's massive hammer swing and repositioned behind it.

He swung his broken sword at the demon's back.

But then… a '-6' popped up from the monster's health bar.

Song Ren froze. That meant he had dealt a mere 6 points of damage.

And the BOSS's health bar? Well… maybe, just maybe, it had decreased by the tiniest sliver?

Staring at the long, unchanging health bar beneath the name 'Asylum Demon,' Song Ren strained to see any sign of reduction.

Unfortunately, the bar appeared completely untouched.

"Could it be that my attack method is wrong?"

He used two quick rolls to create distance, letting his stamina bar recover, then rushed in again for two more hits.

This time, the damage exploded—from single digits into double digits.

'-11'—seeing the number appear above the BOSS's health bar, Song Ren finally confirmed a grim truth.

The broken sword in his hand was nothing but a massive exploit.

In an instant, Song Ren's Mindset shattered.

"Are you kidding me?! This damage—what kind of joke is this?! This is way too low!"

Back when he played Dark Souls, Song Ren had started as the Deprived before.

That character began with the Small Club, which looked pathetic, sure—but it actually hit pretty hard.

And its Poise Break effect was excellent. In dual-wield mode with a War Cry, he'd crippled Gundyr the Ash in just a few hits.

But now? He'd chosen the Knight class at the start—fine, the Armor was overencumbered, whatever.

But where were his shield and sword? Someone must've stolen them, leaving him with just this broken blade.

If only the broken sword had decent attack power, he wouldn't complain.

But this thing barely made the demon flinch—no visible health loss at all!

If not for the damage numbers, Song Ren would've thought his attacks weren't even breaking hyper armor.

With single-digit and low double-digit damage, how long would it take to whittle this thing down?

While Song Ren was still Speechless, the demon in front of him raised its massive hammer high—and brought it crashing down!

Distracted, Song Ren failed to dodge in time and took the full hit. His health bar instantly dropped by half.

"Now add this to the list—no Estus Flask either!"

If you're making me do foot-trimming, at least give me a nail clipper!

Handing me a tissue paper—how the hell am I supposed to trim my feet?

Maybe after attacking for a while, or after dealing some damage, a story kill would trigger?

Perhaps I don't actually need to kill it myself?

That was entirely possible!

But in this cramped space, without any health regeneration, one small mistake was all it took for the demon to land a single devastating blow and send him straight to the afterlife.

【YOU DIED】

The player at the computer fell silent for a moment.

Unfamiliar scenes, a brand-new game—yet those three Chinese characters remained so familiar!

As the screen faded to black, Song Ren respawned beside the bonfire.

This time, however, he didn't rush in immediately. Instead, he paused to think.

"Did I miss something? No Estus Flask, fine. But such low damage from the broken sword—did I fail to pick up some items earlier?" Standing by the bonfire, Song Ren replayed the events in his mind.

"Could it be that I have to beat this BOSS without drinking, slowly grinding it down with this broken sword?"

"No way!" Song Ren frowned deeply.

If that were true, this difficulty would be way higher than the original Dark Souls!

With that broken sword's attack power, how long would it take to kill the BOSS?

Only those legendary players who dared to give Yhorm a foot-trimming with an axe or clip the Ancient Wyvern's nails could possibly succeed.

And even then—no Estus Flask at all?

This difficulty was practically on par with a level-one challenge against the nameless king!

But those who could beat the nameless king at level one were all elite-level players.

How could an average player possibly manage that?

Clearly, this was just a gatekeeper BOSS. There was no need to make it this brutal for newcomers.

Moreover, Song Ren clearly remembered one thing—Chen Xu's games usually didn't torture players like this.

(Well… except for that hammer-swinging game that nearly made his blood vessels burst.)

Besides, Dark Souls was never famous for being unfairly difficult—it was difficult, yes, but in a fair and meaningful way.

After running through the area again and confirming he hadn't missed any items, Song Ren stared at the BOSS room before him and softly chuckled.

"So… there's only one truth!"

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