Chapter 699: Malice from the Depths of the Soul (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 699: Malice from the Depths of the Soul (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

"This damn Shichimen Warrior feels even harder than Genichiro!"

Zhang Yi was completely Stunned/Overwhelmed.

At first, he thought the elite monsters in this pitch-black area weren't much different from the previous ones like the Genichiro Ashina's Seven Spears or the Purple-clad Shinobi of the Lone Shadow.

But once the fight truly began, he realized something was off.

Aside from regular attacks, nearly every skill inflicted a fear DEBUFF on him.

And those blue-violet glowing orbs appearing in the air—getting hit by them wasn’t just about losing health; the real issue was the stacking DEBUFF.

Once the fear meter filled up, unlike the Blazing Bull’s fire-attribute ‘Fiery Rush’ indicator that just made things intense, this fear effect resulted in instant death—utterly unreasonable.

Even more critical was the fact that this boss suffered from ADHD.

While it summoned ghostly orbs on the ground, it would place down a magic array. Approaching allowed Zhang Yi to land free hits, but his terror gauge visibly climbed with every step.

And if he didn’t attack? Then the Shichimen Warrior wouldn’t just teleport—it would frequently leap into the air and launch orbs, leaving him with no opportunity to deal damage.

Once too many orbs filled the area, death was inevitable.

In short, the Shichimen Warrior was like a porcupine—attacking was bad, not attacking was worse.

"How can there be such a disgusting monster?! How can there be such a disgusting monster?!" Zhang Yi finally screamed, voice hoarse with desperation.

If Genichiro Ashina had felt like a challenge, then the Shichimen Warrior felt downright unbearable.

This monster was just too nauseating!

And he had absolutely no idea how to fight it!

Zhang Yi wasn’t alone in this frustration.

Many players who had defeated Genichiro Ashina felt they’d broken through their limits.

Like martial arts masters who’d finally achieved enlightenment, they were ready to sweep across the world.

And indeed, as one of the game’s tutorial bosses, Genichiro Ashina had genuinely improved players’ skills.

This was the greatest hallmark of Souls-like games—not just numerical growth, but real improvement in experience and technique.

And the following battles seemed to confirm this.

Whether heading to Mibu Village in the Ashina lands, Senpou Temple at the dungeon entrance, or Gun Fort’s Bosatsu Valley—

Players encountered bosses that made them feel stronger.

Snake Eyes, Lone Shadow, Genichiro’s Seven Spears…

For players who had endured Genichiro’s thrashing, these bosses no longer felt overwhelmingly powerful or threatening.

By carefully observing their moves, players could respond calmly and effectively.

These bosses had limited move variety—whether in phase one or two, there wasn’t much difference.

Their attacking tells were minimal. Compared to Genichiro’s second phase or Lady Butterfly’s arrow-shooting and delayed slashes, these bosses were far more straightforward.

But as players progressed, they soon encountered monsters that left them bewildering.

Namely, the Shichimen Warrior and the Headless.

Most of their attacks carried the terrifying DEBUFF—once fully stacked, it meant instant death, no exceptions.

The Shichimen Warrior was more agile, while the Headless created a field that slowed the player—both were extremely nauseating.

The best tools against them were Pacifying Agent and Divine Snow.

The former dispelled the fear meter and granted resistance.

The latter dealt extra damage against Apparition attribute enemies.

In essence, if Genichiro was the teacher who taught dodge step, blocking, deflect, and Mikiri Counter, then the Headless and Shichimen Warrior were the monsters teaching players to use items.

But the real problem was that players who hadn’t mastered the basics, after Genichiro’s trial, had already developed a habit.

Facing bosses, they relied solely on one sword and one Healing Gourd.

Many had even sold off all their items at the in-game Shop to afford Gourd Seeds sold at checkpoints across various map areas.

Even Divine Snow, one of the most expensive items, had been dumped into the Shop by numerous players.

So when they faced the Headless and Shichimen Warrior again, this radically different playstyle made them suffer immensely.

The only silver lining? These were just elite bosses—players could choose to skip them.

After dying over a dozen times—so many that nearby spectators felt like coughing up blood—Zhang Yi chose to back down.

Even then, what came next tormented him to the brink of death.

Because after leaving Ashina Castle, just like Farron Keep and Blighttown in Dark Souls or the Forbidden Woods in Bloodborne, the malice embedded in the map and bosses gradually revealed itself.

………………

Inside the Hidden Forest

Thick fog filled the air. Phantom Samurai, giant black roosters, and a headless figure chasing relentlessly made countless players feel like they were trapped in a horror game.

"F**k! Stop chasing me! Why do other people’s phantoms just stand still, but mine go mad hunting me down?!"

"Can anyone help?! Where the hell am I supposed to go?! I’ve circled the whole area already!"

"Fk fk f**k! How do I even get up to that house?! Whose residual echo is that?! Why is tree-jumping so damn hard?!"

Across this map, players were tormented beyond endurance. The dizzying confusion from Forbidden Woods and Farron Keep returned with full force.

Especially when some players ignored NPC hints to find the fat poison monk, instead spotting residual echoes left by players using unconventional methods to climb trees—and assuming that was the correct path, jumping endlessly into oblivion.

The only comfort? Inside the house, players met Mist Noble, the game’s ‘strongest’ boss—and got to thoroughly enjoy a satisfying victory.

………………

Senpou Temple and Gun Fort.

"F**k! These damn mountain-path rats couldn’t be any more annoying! Stop shooting poison arrows! This isn’t Blighttown!"

"Can someone tell me how to beat this Armored Warrior?! He’s acting insane! I’ve Shinobi Executed him three times—why is he still full of vigor?!"

"Don’t monks believe in compassion?! Come at me one by one! Don’t gang up! And why are you using clubs?!"

"Are you cowards?! Flintlocks are bad enough, but cannons too?! You hide so far away—why not come down and fight me face to face?!"

Players who chose to head to Senpou Temple first suffered similarly cruel beatings, leaving them mentally dazed.

The poison-arrow-shooting rats on the mountain paths reminded countless Dark Souls veterans of Blighttown’s poison archers.

And along the road up the mountain, the monks would suddenly attack with no warning, unleashing their Senpou martial arts.

In the long corridors, players would encounter an Armored Warrior who, upon death, would scream "Robert!"

But on first encounter, unless by pure accident they performed a Shinobi Execution from the window, players were usually left in despair—because no matter how many times they executed him, the boss remained full of vigor.

As for those heading to Sunken Valley’s Gun Fort, their initial experience was pure despair.

While traversing narrow cliffside paths, cannon fire and bullets would strike from unseen positions.

Enemies remained invisible, yet your health bar evaporated instantly—this happened all too often.

And such traps? After leaving Ashina Castle, nearly every new region’s map delivered this kind of malice from the soul itself.

Countless players couldn’t help but sighed with emotion:

"Indeed! Mr. Chen is still Mr. Chen. After all these years, he hasn’t forgotten his初心. The map levels, the monster designs—still just as malicious as ever!"

(End of Chapter) <>