Chapter 834: Suffered Greatly

Of course, discussing XP in a Souls game is more or less a bit absurd.

But he was genuinely quite pleased.

Moreover, compared to his previous life, there was a slight difference: sometimes, when lighting a Site of Grace, dialogue options with Melina would randomly appear, allowing players to converse with her.

It wasn't that Melina would only appear to narrate the main story after reaching specific points.

Roughly, if a player rested at a Site of Grace six or seven times, Melina would appear once.

However, at the moment, aside from observing Melina's appearance and figure, Song Ren was more concerned with the game's content.

He used the Runes he had acquired from previously defeating the Tree Sentinel and miscellaneous enemies to level up in the upgrade interface.

At the same time, he didn't allocate points according to the Golden Halberd's requirements from defeating the Tree Sentinel; after all, as a veteran Souls player, he knew well what to prioritize.

Health and Stamina were always the top priority, no doubt about it.

And Melina's arrival, besides allowing him to level up at the Site of Grace, served another crucial purpose.

That was, he obtained a Spirit Steed that could serve as transportation.

It could be said that this steed was incredibly useful; not only could it run swiftly, but it even had a double-jump ability.

“I feel like in the future, not many players will be sticking to the main roads.”

Riding the steed, Song Ren circled around the Stormgate, smacking his lips.

His mind had already conjured up future gameplay possibilities: riding this steed, using its double jump, to bravely scale peaks.

“Also, if it can double jump, does that mean I won't die from falling?”

Suddenly thinking of something, he looked at the Spirit Steed beneath him, his eyes lighting up.

Urging the Spirit Steed to a high cliff, Song Ren, without a second thought, spurred it to leap.

“Fly, Tarnished!”

Feeling the wind in his ears, hearing the Spirit Steed's neigh beneath him, just as he was about to hit the ground, Song Ren decisively controlled the Tarnished in the game, pulling tight on the reins.

‘Ding!’

With a crisp sound, a layer of blue ripples appeared beneath the Spirit Steed's hooves in mid-air. Then, the steed seemingly leaped a short distance higher out of thin air before safely landing.

‘Clang...’

A muffled sound rang in his ears. The Tarnished and the Spirit Steed in the game both dissolved into white ashes, dissipating into the air.

【YOU DIED!】

The blood-red large letters appeared in the center of the screen.

“Damn it! This is unscientific!” Song Ren couldn't help but grumble.

After all, the double jump's height was only that much; why should it kill him from a fall?!

After wandering through Limgrave for a long time, he encountered packs of wolves descending from the sky, giants carrying greatswords on their backs, and the dragon in Dragon-Burnt Ruins that Old Zhang had mentioned.

As a professional Souls player, he was already well-versed in all sorts of game mechanics. Although fraught with danger, it hadn't led to his miserable death.

Moreover, as an open-world game, Song Ren was pleasantly surprised to find that even if he encountered a BOSS in the wilderness, he could still 'kite' it on horseback.

Except for certain specific BOSSes, if he couldn't beat them, he could simply choose not to fight.

Aside from that, his only other feeling was that the game's map was simply too vast.

Although the main storyline would undoubtedly lead to Stormveil Castle, he still wanted to explore the surrounding areas for now.

The massive dragon in the Dragon-Burnt Ruins by the lake, its colossal body exuding an oppressive aura, made Song Ren decide to temporarily leave it alone after experiencing two waves of its dragon breath damage.

In Song Ren's understanding, as an open-world game, he could fully explore other regions first to raise his level and improve his equipment.

Although many jokingly say that in Souls games, levels and equipment don't matter, and the difference between plate armor and cloth armor is merely a stack of paper.

But that's just a jest; after actually playing, it becomes quite clear.

The difference between dying in two hits from a BOSS and dying in three hits is quite significant.

“Eh! A secret room!” Song Ren, about to leave the Dragon-Burnt Ruins, suddenly spotted a secret room, his eyes lighting up.

The ruins before the Stormgate had taught him a lesson.

That is, beneath every ruin, there was either a BOSS or a treasure chest.

“Indeed! With a dragon guarding above, there won't be a BOSS below, only a treasure chest!”

After entering the basement, he killed a few rats and opened a large door. Seeing the silver treasure chest there, Song Ren couldn't help but beam with joy.

Of course, to be safe, before opening the chest, Song Ren still controlled his character to stab the chest with his halberd, in case it was a Mimic.

This was the experience of a veteran Souls player!

What kind of storms hadn't a professional Souls player seen?

Always wary of enemies appearing from behind, always pressing the lock-on button, wary of enemies lurking in walls, skies, and darkness, wary of Mimics disguised as treasure chests.

With such a vigilant Tarnished, how could Mr. Chen possibly trick me!?

Song Ren couldn't help but want to let out a hearty laugh.

However, the next second, his expression froze.

Because after he opened the treasure chest, instead of glittering treasures, a puff of white smoke emerged.

【You triggered a Warp Trap】

Song Ren: ????????

Song Ren, his eyes wide, was utterly bewildered.

What the heck was this teleportation thing!?

He had thought of countless types of traps beforehand, but this warp trap, he truly hadn't anticipated.

“And what the hell is this place?! This must be a late-game map, right?! What the heck are these Mantis Shrimp creatures?! And they're freaking homing!?”

Looking at the mine map before him, named 'Sellia Crystal Tunnel,' Song Ren felt a bit numb all over.

Two words: Despair!

Each slash dealt less than 20 damage.

Furthermore, his attacks would even 'deflect' off their bodies.

Inside, there were creatures resembling Mantis Shrimp standing at high vantage points, capable of launching homing spikes.

Just running wasn't enough; he could only time his rolls to dodge them.

The more critical issue was Song Ren's dismayed discovery: after respawning, he wasn't at the previous Site of Grace, but in a small hut within this mine. Moreover, he couldn't warp to other Sites of Grace, clearly implying players needed to find their own way out of here.

“But I am not alone in my struggle!”

Amidst his despair, Song Ren managed a faint smile.

Why did he spend so much time fighting the Tree Sentinel back then?

Besides his personal perseverance, the bloodstains on the ground were also his motivation to persist.

And inside this mine?

Inside the hut, outside the hut, his entire field of vision was filled with pools of fresh red bloodstains.

Every now and then, he would see those white spirits walking along, only to suddenly collapse.

As for the messages on the ground, they brought a knowing smile to his face.

【Damn it!】【I want to leave】【Someone save me!】

Clearly, these were fellow sufferers!

Of course, he didn't leave a single comment for these messages.

What if the other party recovered their health by his comment and left the tunnel? Wouldn't he then lose a comrade to explore the unknown path with?

(End of Chapter) <>