Shortcut

Yan Fushou looked at the elite Strategy Group in front of him, who usually faced life and death in various high-difficulty dungeons without even flinching.

All right.

It's actually wrinkled too.

Every copy of Lu Xiu's work is wrinkled.

But this is really a bit exaggerated—their eyes are lifeless, as if all their energy has been drained.

Yan Fushou's lips twitched involuntarily.

He shook his head, ignoring the seemingly soulless members of the Strategy Group, and turned his attention back to the report on the table.

I started to look at it carefully.

The content is quite disorganized.

The reports documented a wide variety of ways people died, and most of the Strategy Group members were progressing primarily in the Undead Burg.

---- Some were killed by leaping zombies in the blind spots around corners, some were crushed by gunpowder barrels that suddenly rolled down the stairs, some were snatched off the narrow city walls by Taurus Demon and plunged into the Abyss, and some were even bitten to death by giant rats in the sewers.

It's obvious.

SSS-rated copies are indeed very difficult to obtain.

It contains numerous insidious traps designed to exploit players' instincts and exploration habits, completely overturning players' previous understanding and making it even more difficult to resist than simple numerical superiority.

But difficulty is absolutely not a reason to abandon the problem.

This time, [Dark Souls] is not just an ordinary civilian dungeon. It has also been given the nature of a two-sided regional speedrun, and the outcome directly affects the ownership of the fifty districts of each capital.

If Nine Provinces loses to Prison Rock in this instance, the impact will be enormous.

Even though Nine Provinces currently has the advantage.

The countdown to the dual-track race is like a sharp blade hanging overhead; there's no time to mourn for the Strategy Group members—the next step is to put together a strategy that will at least help players have a smooth early game!

Yan Fushou glanced at the report briefly, then finally spoke again, "Stop talking pessimistically. Let's compare our experiences and routes."

Upon hearing this, the members of the Strategy Group could only brace themselves and begin piecing together information, one after another. Some things that had been obscured by the shadow of death and their volatile emotions began to slowly surface.

To their surprise, they discovered that even when exploring the same area, each person's path, encounters, and even the items they acquired were subtly different.

"In the corner under the Bonfire in Undead Burg, there's a hiding, desiccated thief—actually, you can talk to him."

"I just attacked directly. It was a lot of hard work, and all I got was a Uchigatana."

"What? You can still kill?"

"I didn't kill anyone. I just bought the key. You can use the key to enter the house below the gunpowder barrel and mummified corpse. Inside, you can find an item called [Gold Pine Resin]."

After wiping the weapon, it will gain lightning attributes, but I haven't tried it yet, I was killed by a gunpowder barrel rolling on me.

"This dead-end road in front of the city wall, blocked by a pile of broken wooden crates, is passable; there's a hidden passage underneath."

0

"Jump over this rooftop in Undead Burg, and you can get a crossbow."

"Wait, are you all taking the same path? You can also go down this path; you can jump down and open a lot of treasure chests, and when you come out you'll see a graveyard, but the enemies in the graveyard are very strong, you can't fight them at all."

"Ah?"

"

"

The Strategy Group members started talking amongst themselves.

The Memory Blur mechanism in this dungeon is clearly much more lenient than that in the [Witch] dungeon.

As more and more members of the Strategy Group emerged from the dungeon, the details they reported increased exponentially.

Many members of the Strategy Group did not follow the same path at all.

The solutions are also different.

However, hidden paths to survival and shortcuts lie beside what seem like deadly traps.

Even those seemingly invincible enemies have tools hidden in some ordinary house that can be used to counter them.

Killing, buying, exploring, destroying—every action will receive a realistic response within the instance.

Gradually.

All members of the Strategy Group realized what was happening.

This is not a Shura battlefield where difficulty is arbitrarily piled up simply to torture players.

As the fog surrounding the map was gradually lifted, a corner of a complex, intricate, interconnected, and three-dimensional world that was so vast it made one's scalp tingle was slowly revealed before Yan Fushou.

The atmosphere in the meeting room changed imperceptibly.

Those members of the Strategy Group who had initially been listless and nearly driven to the brink of shattering by the torment gradually got into the swing of things.

They huddled around the tactics board, intensely discussing various routes and tactics, each with an expression that seemed to say, "You can do that?"

Many people couldn't contain themselves, captivated by the dungeon's ingenious design, briefly forgetting their previous pain, and eager to return to the dungeon immediately to verify the hidden treasure chests and shortcuts.

Yan Fushou listened to the increasingly heated discussion, although he did not enter the instance, he slowly sketched out the instance map.

Then, an overwhelming sense of amazement welled up within him.

He turned his head, his gaze passing over the noisy Strategy Group members, and looked out the window.

Lu Xiu —what kind of incredible world resides within her mind?

At the same time.

Lin Yi, a member of the Strategy Group, leaned against the cold stone wall, panting heavily.

Her health bar was down to two-thirds, and her Estus Flask was already empty.

--

A few minutes ago.

She finally managed to defeat the Taurus Demon by throwing firebombs and rolling around.

It has to be said.

That's inhuman! Putting a BOSS in that lousy place.

After the fight.

She practically scrambled off the city wall, but her whole body was still trembling uncontrollably with excitement.

I feel so hopeless.

As she delved deeper into the dungeon, the strength and treachery of the monsters increased dramatically. She felt as if she were walking through a dark tunnel with no end in sight, where she could be swallowed up at any moment.

How much longer until we see the next Bonfire?

How much further do we have to go before it's safe?

What kind of monsters will we encounter next?

She didn't know.

She knew nothing.

She felt her hands and feet were ice-cold; dying meant starting all over again, and it was utterly despairing.

"----"

Lin Yi rested for a while, but finally gritted his teeth and pulled himself together.

You can't pass the level by hiding.

Let's keep moving forward.

She left the city wall and then cautiously walked forward, descending a flight of steps.

The not-so-strong sunlight unexpectedly fell on her face.

Lin Yi subconsciously squinted.

Outside the terrace, there were no zombies hiding in the corners, no boulders suddenly rolling down, and no formidable enemies.

There was only one plump knight wearing a robe with a sun emblem, his back to her, quietly gazing at the sunlight piercing through the thick clouds in the distance.

Seemingly hearing footsteps, the knight turned around, looked at the disheveled Lin Yi through his helmet, and suddenly spoke.

"Ah, hello there! It seems you're not a wandering ghost."

"I am Solaire of Astora. You guessed it, I am a follower of the sun god. After becoming an immortal, I came to this place where Lord Gwyn was born, to search for my own sun."

"In this broken world, it's fate that we met. Since we're all walking alone—if you encounter any difficulties, just call upon me, and I'll be happy to help!"

As he spoke.

He handed me a piece of White Sign Soapstone that emitted a faint glow.

If you encounter difficulties, you can use this item to summon Solaire's help.

Lin Yi stared blankly at the description of the [White Sign Soapstone] in his hand, then looked at the Sunshine Knight who seemed out of place in this cold, malicious world.

Finally, I glanced at the magnificent scenery in the distance, which seemed out of place with the rest of the scene.

I feel a little dazed.

Looking for the sun?

In this world where the fire is about to die out?

A world that feels like it's about to be swallowed by darkness?

Is the sun still shining?

Lin Yi couldn't help but think that the person in front of him was delusional.

Although the dungeon has only just begun, this world is truly hopeless.

but----

She looked at the White Sign Soapstone in her hand again, and her mind did indeed relax.

After all, all along the way, there were only traps, deceptions, and mocking comments.

This was the first touch of human warmth she felt in this instance.

It turns out I wasn't fighting this battle alone.

This feeling was inexplicable, but it certainly lifted her spirits.

Saying goodbye to Solaire.

With this unexpected warmth and a renewed sense of confidence in the future, Lin Yi gripped his weapon again and stepped onto the terrace.

However.

This exhilarating feeling of not being alone lasted for less than two minutes.

As she rounded the corner and saw Abyss bizarrely shaped, wide stone bridge spanning the abyss, its surface littered with countless charred corpses, her nerves instantly tightened as if she'd been electrocuted.

I've been tortured in the dungeon for so long.

If she still doesn't understand what this seemingly unobstructed straight road means, then she's died so many times for nothing.

There was almost no hesitation.

Lin Yi immediately lowered his body and began to run wildly along the edge of the bridge.

She had only gone less than ten meters when she finally broke through.

Hold head high!

A furious, enormous dragon roar resounded behind her!

Immediately afterwards, the sound of flapping wings came.

A terrifyingly hot temperature followed, assaulting us from behind.

Run!!!

Lin Yi didn't dare to turn around; only this one thought remained in his mind.

She pushed herself to the limit, and just as the flames were about to engulf her back, she saw a small gap on the right side of the middle section of the bridge.

Without the slightest hesitation.

Lin Yi made an extremely desperate forward lunge, tumbling down through the gap and landing awkwardly in the semi-enclosed steps of the barbican below the bridge.

boom-

Terrifying flames roared across the bridge above her head, the intense heat causing her hair to curl slightly.

"Cough cough----"

Lin Yi coughed violently as he got up from the ground, staring in shock at the dark red slab of stone above him, his heart pounding wildly.

----This is utterly hopeless.

Just when you feel a little warmth from the NPCs, you're suddenly faced with this devastating, indiscriminate slaughter trap.

real.

In this instance, the slightest mistake can lead to certain death.

She leaned against the wall, catching her breath for a moment, before gathering her strength and beginning to look around at the place she had rushed down in such a hurry.

This appears to be a structural level beneath the bridge, with a downward staircase nearby.

Lin Yi gripped his weapon tightly and carefully descended the stairs.

Soon, she arrived at a small platform.

There was no path ahead of the platform, but at its edge stood a rusty iron folding ladder, its top secured by a simple mechanical lock.

It looks like it could be kicked down.

Lin Yi cautiously looked around, and after confirming that there were no monsters hiding in the shadows, he walked to the ladder and kicked the latch hard.

Clang.

Splash----

The latch came loose, and the long iron ladder plummeted downwards with a screeching metallic scraping sound, finally crashing onto the ground at the bottom.

At this moment, Lin Yi moved closer to the edge and peered down.

And it was just that one glance.

She was struck dumb, frozen in place.

Directly below the ladder was a very familiar stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber, there was a flame emitting a faint yet warm light.

That's— the Bonfire in Undead Burg!

It was that Bonfire she had seen countless times before entering the tower!

Lin Yi stared in disbelief at the familiar scene below, then looked up at the bridge overhead, which had just been scorched by the dragon's breath. His breath caught in his throat.

How did I get here?

She clearly started from Undead Burg, traversed the treacherous sewers, climbed the tower, killed the Taurus Demon, walked along a long stretch of city walls, and finally encountered that Knight of the Sun.

She thought she had ventured very far into the unknown depths of this perilous instance.

She thought she was separated from that safe haven by thousands of miles, from countless deadly traps from which there was no turning back, but now...

She simply kicked down a ladder.

The familiar Bonfire appeared before us.

Clang.

The weapon that Lin Yi was holding tightly fell to the ground.

The exhaustion from Outlast was mixed with the ecstatic joy of discovering a safe haven right beneath my feet.

She couldn't wait any longer, so she quickly climbed down the ladder and plopped down right next to the Bonfire.

At this moment, listening to the faint crackling of the Bonfire before him, Lin Yi even felt that the sound of the fire was more reassuring than any heavenly music in the world.

This is not an isolated incident.

In another instance, Jiang Qiu, who was progressing even faster, experienced something similar, but the shock Jiang Qiu felt at this moment was much stronger than Lin Yi's.

The top of the Undead Parish.

Jiang Qiu gripped the weapon riddled with chips in his hand, watching the two enormous gargoyles before him wail as they vanished into a shower of Bai Guang. He felt utterly exhausted.

Much later.

She dragged her weary steps toward the Bell Tower ahead, before climbing the stairs.

Jiang Qiu turned around angrily, glanced at the rooftop that had just resembled Shura, and laughed in exasperation.

"Halfway through the fight, at half health, a second gargoyle spawned?! Two gargoyles at once?! Lu Xiu, you're really inhuman----"

As Jiang Qiu climbed the stairs that resembled a cosmic elevator, she cursed inwardly.

finally.

She climbed to the top of the Bell Tower, pulled the lever, and rang the first Bells of Awakening.

A deep, resonant bell rang out.

It is clear that a phased victory has been achieved.

Jiang Qiu, however, seemed somewhat dazed.

This is only the first bell ringing?

Anyone who didn't know better would think they'd been away from home for a century!

She slumped wearily and retraced her steps.

It's obvious.

The adventure must continue.

But this is really exhausting.

This dungeon is really hard!

Jiang Qiu glanced at her own condition.

With only half his health remaining, the Estus Flask had long been consumed during the fierce battle between the Bell Gargoyles.

Even the weapon in his hand was about to lose all its durability.

Out of ammunition and food.

But she had no idea how many monsters were lurking in the shadows ahead, or what kind of traps she might encounter.

She was very uneasy.

Exploring this instance is truly a perilous journey, every step of the way is a life-or-death struggle.

She was afraid of making mistakes; she was afraid that all the progress she had worked so hard to achieve would have to be started all over again because of a small error.

In particular—she realized she was getting further and further away from the Bonfire, and there was no way to turn back.

Because if she goes back to rest, all the monsters that she had tormented and finally managed to get rid of will come back to life on the spot.

Forced by this almost cruel system at the bottom, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and drag her body, which was on the verge of collapse, forward.

Jiang Qiu was filled with trepidation and unease, slowly groping forward like a frightened bird.

She walked carefully forward along the church path.

Then, I stepped into an elevator with iron railings.

Click.

Step on the button, and the elevator begins to slowly move downwards.

Jiang Qiu instantly raised the shield in her hand, her nerves tense to the limit once again.

What's next?

Is it an even darker Dungeon?

Or is the pool full of poisonous water?

What kind of monstrous creature awaits her around the corner?

However.

As the elevator passed through the long, dark shaft, the ambient light gradually changed from gloomy and enclosed to open and dimly lit.

Jiang Qiu's hand, which was holding the shield, froze in mid-air.

She stared in astonishment, her eyes widening.

Because what appeared before her was neither a terrifying monster's lair nor an unknown, desperate situation.

Instead, it was that familiar ruin, that Crestfallen Warrior sitting on the steps, rambling on and on, and that quietly burning, warm flame.

This is the Firelink Shrine!

It was the first starting village she saw after leaving the Northern Undead Asylum!

""

The moment Jiang Qiu saw her surroundings clearly, she felt an indescribable electric current rush up her spine to the top of her head, making her scalp tingle!

All the pent-up repression, all the fear, all the exhaustion and despair—in this instant, vanished like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun!

Take Their Place, there is an unprecedented sense of security.

It even felt like coming home!

Jiang Qiu stepped out of the elevator, looked around at the familiar scene before her, then plopped down in front of the Bonfire, tilted her head back, and let out a long sigh.

This isn't as simple as just going around in circles and coming back. Only players who have truly experienced running out of ammunition and supplies and being on edge in this malicious instance can understand her feelings at this moment.

That moment of relaxation after your nerves have been stretched to the limit!

That ultimate joy of suddenly discovering a glimmer of hope in the midst of despair!

It is interconnected from top to bottom and from beginning to end.

All the suffering, despair, and battles she experienced were merely cleverly arranged in a perilous loop upwards within this vast and intricate three-dimensional map.

"It really is----"

Jiang Qiu stared at the dim sky, somewhat dazed.

Although Lu Xiu was still not human—she had somehow evolved again.

She is no longer limited to using conventional methods to Constructed Instance.

She can even precisely control and guide the player's emotions through the ingenious design of the 3D map structure and a simple elevator, amplifying the sense of immersion and exploration feedback to an outrageous degree!

Even if the dungeons are really difficult and really torturous.

But at this moment.

Jiang Qiu had to admit it.

That's amazing!

And that's really outrageous!

Jiang Qiu couldn't help but think.

Does that young and beautiful Architect have no limits?