Fat Brother Street

All living beings instinctively sought comfort, especially intelligent ones.

Sithran was a living example.

"Yahaha! You can't hurt me, you can't hurt me!"

Facing a beat-up from two plump Fat Brothers, she wasn't scared at all with the Great Shield in hand. All she had to do was poke, poke, poke, and victory was hers!

If she used a bow, she'd have to watch for the monsters' weak points, consider how to combine arrows of different elements for the best results, and stay highly alert at all times. She couldn't let the monsters get close, since she could barely defend herself while drawing her bow.

If she used a spiked club, she'd have to fight the dangerous monsters in Blighttown, whose threat level was much higher than that of the Swamp Area, dancing on the edge of a blade. One careless mistake, and she'd lose everything.

But shield-poking solved every problem.

A Great Shield and a spear—how could there be a more perfect combination in the world?

No need to think too hard. Just keep an eye on your stamina and the enemy's grabs, and dodge the occasional spell that could pass through your shield. Shield-poking was the perfect style for adventurers who couldn't be bothered to use their brains!

Even a player like Sithran, who already had some understanding of combat, fell in love with shield-poking as soon as she tried it.

The sense of security a Great Shield offered was irreplaceable!

She'd found her comfort zone in shield-poking, and had no desire to leave it. This trip through the dungeon had been incredibly rewarding. Not only had she learned shield-poking from Gong Qiying, she'd also figured out the layout of the Swamp Area and Blighttown from this suspected dungeon-exploration expert.

She'd hit the jackpot.

Gong Qiying watched Sithran from behind. As expected of someone with a martial arts background, she'd picked up shield-poking in no time and applied it perfectly in actual combat.

He watched with satisfaction, reflecting that when it came to Soulslike games, you really did have to learn to find an easy mode.

He'd decided to help Sithran because he found her likable, and because he was desperate for someone to talk to. With no choice but to pick a suitable candidate from among the dungeon's adventurers, the options were:

Option A: A lunatic who dual-wielded battle axes and cared only about the thrill of fighting.

Option B: Verde, who kept dying in the dungeon.

Option C: An adventurer with a regular party who explored very cautiously.

Option D: A lone, easily fooled elf beauty.

Even the dead knew you had to pick D!

There was another reason, too: no one had cleared Sain Underground City yet.

The changes in Sain Underground City hadn't attracted much attention outside just yet. The people who came here couldn't clear it, and which expert who could clear it would make a special trip all the way here? There had to be rewards worth the journey.

Gong Qiying believed he'd prepared a grand prize for whoever cleared the dungeon—a reward that would make people green with envy. Once the news got out, it would definitely draw in experts.

The problem was that no one could claim the reward. The news couldn't get out at all.

Only by attracting more people and gaining more Mental Power could he create better and better dungeons. He needed to establish a virtuous cycle of Mental Power.

"Um, Mr. Mareda..."

Sithran instinctively used an honorific. It showed that she truly respected and admired Gong Qiying.

"What is it?" Gong Qiying followed her gaze, and immediately grinned.

"Could shield-poking handle what's up ahead, too?"

She was pointing at the only fairly wide road in Blighttown. Crumbling houses lined both sides, and if they crossed the street, they'd find a path leading straight to the Middle Level.

But the houses were full of Fat Brothers.

[Giant Ghoul]

[Mental Power required per unit: 80]

[Health: D, Strength: D+, Intelligence: F, Stamina: D, Speed: D-, Combat Power: D]

Giant Ghouls came from Blighttown in Dark Souls. They looked like bloated, hulking ghouls. They could take more hits than ordinary ghouls, were stronger, and were harder to stagger.

They were sure to give adventurers an authentic Blighttown experience.

"If you don't want to fight them, you can try running straight through," Gong Qiying suggested. "Look how fat they are. There's no way they can catch you. Just run all the way through."

"I have a feeling something will go wrong."

Sithran didn't think that plan was very reliable. What if the ghouls only looked fat, but were actually quick on their feet?

If they caught her, she'd probably be chopped into mince by nearly ten Giant Ghouls.

Besides—

She took a telescope from her pocket and carefully examined the houses on both sides.

Sure enough, there were monsters hiding on the rooftops!

They were small, like Goblins, with rag hoods over their heads. They were crouched atop the houses, nearly impossible to spot unless you looked closely!

If she really ran through openly, the monsters would probably jump down from above and block her way, leaving her to be caught by the Fat Brothers.

"Oh, you noticed them," Gong Qiying said, clapping his hands. "Good observation."

"Hmph. It's all experience."

Though she didn't want to admit it, the only reason she'd thought to check the rooftops was that she'd been ambushed too many times in the Swamp Area. It had made her paranoid. Now, if an obstacle looked like it could hide something, she had to approach it carefully and check.

You could say she was already an entry-level Soulslike player.

"Think about what you have that might be useful. Like the weapons and equipment you picked up in the dungeon," Gong Qiying hinted.

"What could I use?"

Sithran thought for a moment, then took out an oddly shaped claw and put it on her hand.

It was the weapon that came with the Hound's Step Battle Skill!

She decided to try luring over a monster with her bow. She shot a lone Giant Ghoul, drawing it toward her.

The Giant Ghoul raised its club and brought it down. Sithran activated Hound's Step just in time, and the next moment, the club struck empty air.

She appeared several steps away in an instant, looking completely stunned.

This Battle Skill seemed pretty strong!

Sithran's eyes lit up. She immediately started playing cat and mouse with the Giant Ghoul, only killing it once she'd mastered Hound's Step.

"With this Battle Skill, I can run all the way through."

Confidence welled up in her. She turned back to Gong Qiying and asked, "What about you?"

Gong Qiying took out an identical claw. "I have one too."

"Don't tell me you've already collected every reward in the dungeon?" Sithran felt that even if Gong Qiying said he'd already cleared the dungeon, it wouldn't sound far-fetched.

"No, no. There's still a lot left."

Gong Qiying equipped the claw and said, "There's an elite monster just past this street. Get ready to fight."

"Of course."

Sithran stroked her Great Shield as though she were caressing a friend she hadn't seen in a long time.