Chapter 181: What haven't I seen before? (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Pass)

Chapter 181: What haven't I seen before? (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Pass)

Song Ren, standing in the Firelink Shrine, was filled with curiosity.

Everything before his eyes was completely different from the previous game.

Aside from the five characters 'Firelink Shrine,' only the bonfire recently lit on the ground bore any resemblance to the past.

There were no thrones for the Lords of Cinder. The entire Firelink Shrine was actually open-air, surrounded by collapsed ruins and broken walls.

The only thing he saw was an NPC sitting on a wooden stump, resembling a mercenary.

'Hey! You're just in time. It's been ages since I've seen a newcomer.'

'I bet you're here for that business—something about the Undead's destiny... Everyone's the same.'

'When cursed, everything's already over. Staying in the Undead Asylum would've been the smart choice... You've suffered!'

'But whatever. I'm bored anyway, so I might as well teach you a thing or two.'

'There are two Bells of Awakening mentioned in the Undead's destiny.'

'One is located above, in the bell tower of the Undead Church. The other lies deep underground, within the ancient RUINS beneath Blighttown.'

'It's said that ringing both bells will trigger something, but... who really knows what will happen?'

'As far as I know, I've never heard what came after... Not that it matters anyway.'

'Off you go then. You came to this cursed land of the Undead for this very reason, didn't you?'

'Hehehehe...'

After this brief dialogue, Song Ren immediately realized that this mercenary-like NPC was essentially the Crestfallen Warrior of this new work.

Compared to the Crestfallen Warrior from the previous game, this one clearly talked much more.

There was another crucial difference—the previous version was merely crestfallen.

This one, however, was sarcastic and mocking, and his words carried a distinct tone of sarcastic comments aimed at Song Ren.

Phrases like 'ready for suffering,' 'isn't this why you came to suffer?' and especially that final 'hehehehe' made him feel thoroughly mocked.

It was just like chatting with someone who sends you the default 'smile' emoji or replies with a cold 'heh.'

It gave off a strong sense of sarcastic mockery!

For a brief moment, staring at the Knight's Broadsword in his hand, Song Ren felt the urge to stab with a white blade and pull out a red one.

But at the last moment, he held back.

Mainly because he recalled the Crestfallen Warrior from the previous game—initially thought to be a weakling, only to be brutally taught a lesson after three attacks, cornered and killed right inside the Firelink Shrine.

Moreover, Dark Souls had a particular setting: opening the bonfire menu or the equipment inventory did not pause time.

This meant that inside the Firelink Shrine, he couldn't light the bonfire and teleport away in time, ultimately getting hacked to death.

Still, from this NPC, Song Ren obtained some useful information—two bells, one in the bell tower of the Undead Church, and one in the ancient RUINS beneath Blighttown.

This perfectly matched the information given by the knight in the prison cell earlier, though he didn't yet know where the Undead Church's bell tower or Blighttown were located.

But since 'underground' was mentioned, it clearly meant heading underground.

Afterward, Song Ren explored the Firelink Shrine, but something felt off—there was no Fire Keeper.

Moreover, he could level up directly at the bonfire without needing to find the Fire Keeper.

This was originally the Fire Keeper's role!

Could it be that the Fire Keeper NPC had been removed?

That couldn't be right!

The Fire Keeper was one of the most beloved NPCs in the Dark Souls series.

Many players had entered the Dark Souls world purely because they were attracted to the young lady Fire Keeper.

Could such a character be cut entirely? Impossible!

Song Ren searched thoroughly around the Firelink Shrine, picking up three humanity items and a Fire Pot along the way.

Like in the previous game, many areas around the Firelink Shrine were accessible, and there were also some Hollows.

But to Song Ren's surprise, when he accidentally stepped into a dark pit and thought he was about to fall to his death, he instead discovered numerous treasure chests below.

Remembering the painful experience with Mimics in the previous game, Song Ren approached these chests ready for battle, deciding to strike each one first before opening.

To his delight, all the chests were genuine—though their contents weren't particularly valuable.

He obtained a Red Eye Orb, a Mace, several Bone Shards, and a Talisman.

The Firelink Shrine wasn't large, but it was layered like an elevator, split into several levels.

As he wandered, Song Ren began to feel slightly lost.

But he eventually found the Fire Keeper young lady he'd been looking for.

She appeared to be imprisoned, and there was no dialogue option.

Wandering through the Firelink Shrine like a bustling market, Song Ren clearly sensed the differences from the previous game.

The map was far more complex, and progressing to the next area didn't seem to involve teleporting via bonfire.

In the previous game, reaching the High Wall of Lothric required only a simple teleport from the Firelink Shrine.

But now, the teleport icon at the bonfire was grayed out, clearly indicating that certain conditions needed to be met before teleportation became available.

This was another UI addition by Chen Xu, designed to give players hope—teleportation did exist in the game, but it was simply unavailable in the early game.

When would it become available? That wasn't Chen Xu's concern—it depended entirely on the player's efforts!

After wandering the Firelink Shrine for so long, Song Ren felt utterly Frustrated, completely unsure of where to go next.

However, he did discover a path lined with numerous gravestone-like markers—found earlier when exiting the area where he collected the treasure chests.

As he passed by, skeletons on the ground instantly reassembled, creating a chilling atmosphere.

Cautiously pulling aggro on a Skeleton Soldier, Song Ren found that the mob had surprisingly high health.

It took five or six hits to defeat, but using the Mace he'd just obtained—though its attack stat was only two points higher than the Broadsword—it dealt noticeably more pain to the skeleton, clearly demonstrating the weapon's blow attribute.

'So it's indeed a bit harder than the previous game. The new work's monsters have more health! And next, I suppose I'm heading to the Undead Burg and the underground RUINS—sounds like they're connected to death and the underground. So this path should lead to the Undead Burg?' Song Ren speculated as he stared at the path.

But regardless, a quick look wouldn't hurt.

And as a veteran Firelinker, what haven't I seen before?

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