All the Faces of Humanity

Despite various minor incidents.

But a complete rest is definitely impossible.

Lu Xiu is capable, but Jian Li and Shen Nian are clearly not. They are not only top-tier combatants in Nine Provinces, but also the vanguard of the entire Strategy Group.

After sending their progress to the Strategy Group and taking a short break, the two re-entered the dungeon.

Lu Xiu didn't rest for long either. With the idea of trying to change the fate of the Knight of the Sun, she quickly entered the dungeon as well.

If they are like this, then one can only imagine how others are.

Nine Provinces and Prison Rock are racing against time, with top-tier Strategy Group and ordinary players alike working feverishly to conquer the dungeons.

but.

The progress isn't particularly fast.

The first day of the dungeon's release.

Amidst the countless players' wails, despair, amazement, and resentment, the curtain quietly fell, but at the same time, it ushered in an even more intense exploration.

For all the players involved, this SSS-level dungeon was definitely an experience of extreme contrasts – a mix of fire and ice.

It possesses a chilling malice that can easily shatter a player's moral compass.

But at the same time, it also possesses a stunning beauty that shakes the soul.

The vast 3D map that is visible as it is accessible, the meticulously designed shortcuts, the profound and despairing yet logically self-consistent worldview, and the unparalleled sense of accomplishment that soars to the heavens when, after countless [YOUDIED]s, one defeats a powerful enemy through one's own will and gradually mastered skills.

Pain and wonder coexist, despair and Epic are intertwined.

Amidst this extreme interplay, the race to conquer between the two factions, Nine Provinces and Prison Rock, not only didn't stall due to the terrifying difficulty, but instead entered a fiercely competitive phase.

Because there wasn't much time left, and neither side was making much progress on the first day.

The Blighttown was stopping far too many people.

Not everyone can swim in a cesspool and enjoy it.

However, the Bonfire rest mechanism does indeed reduce the difficulty of the dungeon a bit.

otherwise.

It truly allows players to complete the dungeon from beginning to end.

I estimate all players will be in despair.

The next day arrived.

finally.

Many talented top players have gone even further.

But soon...

To their surprise, they discovered even more significant content at the end of the dungeon—

Cheng Xiu slumped helplessly by the Bonfire, listening to the clanging sounds of the Blacksmith not far away. He recalled the past dozen or so hours, the experience of repeatedly swimming in the dark, poisonous swamp of the Blighttown, and being tormented to the point of near collapse by all sorts of disgusting monsters.

He didn't want to continue; he just wanted to stay there until the end of the world.

no way.

It was absolutely torture.

--

However, it is quite obvious.

Staying here won't do.

So in the end, he sighed and stood up.

"Let's continue. Whether we stick our necks out or not, we'll still get hurt."

Cheng Xiu gave a wry smile, then looked at the now-opened Sen's Fortress and walked forward.

"At least I don't have to wallow in the cesspool anymore----"

Cheng Xiu consoled himself with a thought, then, with a glimmer of hope, headed towards the ancient city. "The name is so normal, it shouldn't be too offensive, right? It should be a fair and square duel, shouldn't it?"

It carries a hint of hope that after hardship comes happiness.

Cheng Xiu stepped into this new area called [Sen's Fortress].

However, it turned out that he underestimated the malice of the copy.

----Two snake-men wielding shields came up right away.

After Cheng Xiu painstakingly dealt with the snake-man, he ran uphill for a short distance before reaching the log bridge.

The log bridge isn't a problem.

But what about the Great Axe wielding across the log bridge?

Cheng Xiu stared in silence at the extremely narrow stone log bridge before him, which had no railings on either side.

On this narrow passageway, barely wide enough for one person to pass at a time, four enormous, rust-covered, crescent-shaped Great Axe with side blades swung back and forth above the bridge like pendulums, emitting a dull whooshing sound as they cut through the air!

That's not all.

On the other side of the log bridge, there was a monster over two meters tall with a snake's head and a human body, standing quietly, carrying a large sword and a shield.

"Alright, alright, so after the cesspool in the Blighttown comes the entertainment venue, right?"

Cheng Xiu laughed in exasperation, looking up at the Great Axe mechanical axes. "I thought the poisonous swamp in Blighttown was the bare minimum for the underworld's design, but they've also built a fully automatic meat grinder for the players?!"

I finally managed to crawl out of the suffocating cesspool.

This is the scene that greets you.

It's so funny, it makes me laugh in exasperation.

But after a brief breakdown and impotent rage, Cheng Xiu took a deep breath, slapped his cheeks hard, and forced his wildly beating heart to calm down.

I may curse, and I may be angry.

As an elite member of the Nine Provinces Strategy Group, even if what lay before him was a veritable meat grinder, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and wade through it.

There is no way out.

"Calm----"

Cheng Xiu raised the shield in his hand and stared at the four pendulum-like Great Axe.

He silently counted the beat in his mind, trying to catch the gaps and patterns in the swings of the Great Axe axe.

one.

two.

Three—Charge!

He seized a brief opening, gritted his teeth, and suddenly exerted force with both legs to step onto the narrow stone bridge.

Call!

The first Great Axe swung past him almost touching the tip of his nose, the heavy whooshing sound stinging his cheeks, and the cold wind instantly filled his neck.

But Cheng Xiu was secretly delighted, his adrenaline surging.

----As long as you master the rhythm, this seemingly terrifying trap is not actually an absolute dead end.

If you just run straight to the gap between the two axes and pause for a moment, you can make a perfect transition.

However, just as he was thinking this, just as he was preparing to pass through the second Great Axe at the critical moment, he was about to make the most of the time difference.

Whoosh!

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly erupted from the upper right blind spot, without warning.

Cheng Xiu's pupils contracted sharply, and relying on his intuition honed from countless brushes with death, he subconsciously raised his shield to the right.

Clang!

A lightning arrow exploded on the shield.

Cheng Xiu suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction from which the lightning arrow had been shot.

On the hidden platform high above the ground to the right, stood a snake-man mage wearing a tattered robe!

"I#@%&;!!!"

At this moment, Cheng Xiu truly couldn't hold back anymore, and his loud cursing echoed exceptionally loudly in the empty ancient city.

Because he had just raised his shield to block the arrow, he was a fraction of a second off, and the second crescent-shaped, rusty Great Axe, carrying immense force, swung mercilessly from the side.

In the fraction of a second before being struck by the Great Axe, Cheng Xiu had only one thought in his mind.

Is this dungeon even meant for humans to play?

[YOUDIED]

The familiar large characters were once again plastered on my face.

Cheng Xiu soon discovered in despair that this was merely the first lesson the [Sen's Fortress] had taught him; the combination of an axe and a cold arrow was not even the most disgusting setup in the ancient city.

This building, which claims to be an ancient city, is actually a meticulously designed three-dimensional maze of traps and mechanisms, designed to torment intruders.

Over the next few hours, Cheng Xiu thoroughly experienced what it meant to die in a hundred different ways.

Everywhere you look, there are pedal-operated arrow-shooting mechanisms. Even if you take a half-step back in battle and step on a protruding stone slab, you'll be riddled with arrows fired from the walls the next second.

Narrower than the entrance, the continuous pendulum axe bridge with an even more bizarre swinging frequency forces players to push themselves to the limit.

And then there's that corridor of relentless, volleying arrows that are completely unreasonable; the slightest hesitation will result in being riddled with crossbow bolts.

Not to mention the rolling stones that rumble down the winding stairs, ignoring all armor and shields, crushing people into meat patties!

What's most suffocating is that these traps aren't isolated. While Cheng Xiu is covered in dust and dirt from the traps, those thick-skinned, highly damaging snake-man guards and snake-man mages will always insidiously block his way.

The Heavy Pressure of traps and monsters.

Every step forward pushes the limits of human capability.

A few hours later.

A relatively safe platform on the edge of a cliff somewhere in the Sen's Fortress.

The heavy boulder, with the force to crush everything, rolled down the chute not far away again, making a deafening roar that shook the earth.

But Cheng Xiu couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids.

He slumped onto the cold stone slab, utterly despondent, his eyes completely unfocused, staring blankly at the deep cliff.

Beside him sat a strange NPC.

The NPC was wearing a bulky, round silver suit of armor, and his helmet was also round and bulging, making him look like a giant onion.

This is none other than the famous Siegmeyer from Dark Souls.

The Siegmeyer was also sitting there, occasionally letting out a simple, troubled sound, "Hmm... hmm... how do I get past that mechanism?"

Cheng Xiu listened to the Siegmeyer's mutterings, slowly turned his head, and glanced at his Fat Brother beside him, who was also stuck in the trap and looking worried.

Then, turning his gaze away and staring blankly ahead again, he suddenly said, "Onion Bro—what should I do if I want to die?"

"..

The Siegmeyer, who was deep in thought, was startled and slowly turned his head to look at the undead sitting next to him.

He seemed somewhat shocked.

----How could this person be like this?

On the other side...

Among the top players in Prison Rock, Gallagher's progress is clearly a bit faster than Cheng Xiu's.

In the Sen's Fortress, he was also tormented by the extremely hellish rolling stones, arrow-shooting platforms, and pendulum Great Axe, and even sat with Onion Bro at one point.

But in the end, he still managed to carve out a bloody path with his life, thanks to his top-notch body control, and finally defeated the Iron Golem at the top of the ancient city.

When several pale Demon with bat wings grabbed him, carried him over the towering city wall, and placed him on a magnificent white stone platform.

Gallagher slowly raised his head.

Then he held his breath.

What appeared before him was no longer the cramped, foul-smelling sewers, no longer the nauseating poisonous swamp, and no longer the cramped ancient city covered with rust and dried blood.

Rather, it is a city bathed in the sunset, exuding a sense of holiness and solemnity— Anor Londo.

An endless expanse of magnificent buildings, towering spires reaching into the clouds, flawless white marble sculptures, and the breathtaking sunset that seems to never fade.

This city, inhabited by the Deity, was so magnificent that it was impossible to look away, and in that instant, Gallagher completely forgot all his previous grievances and torment.

Hahaha! Hahahaha!

Gallagher stood on the platform, gazing at the incredible and breathtaking panorama before him, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"I knew it! I knew this was the right thing to do!"

He opened his arms wide, greedily inhaling the air that was free of any stench, and confidence rekindled in his eyes.

"Those places like the Undead Burg, the Blighttown, and the Dilapidated Mechanical City were all deliberately staged to highlight this Anor Londo —a classic case of building suspense before revealing its true power!"

Gallagher confidently declared, "This is what a dungeon should be like! A fair and square duel of knights! A sacred and grand exploration! The agonizing phase is finally over!"

Filled with excitement, emotion, and a profound sense of happiness after all the hardships, Gallagher's steps even became lighter as he strode towards the Anor Londo.

Then.

He then saw two giant soldiers, each five or six meters tall, standing there like door gods.

After tiring out the beating, there were still two more to go.

His smile froze.

A dozen minutes later.

The smile on his face vanished completely.

A few hours later.

After being repeatedly ganged up on by various elite monsters with high attributes inside the Anor Londo.

After finally passing through the outer perimeter of the Anor Londo, entering the magnificent fog gate, and stepping into the resplendent golden Anor Londo hall...

Gallagher felt as if he had lost a loved one.

And he finally encountered the most renowned and heart-wrenching duo in the Anor Londo: the Ornstein and Smough — Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough.

Boom!

With a deafening roar, the Executioner Smough, whose height was as large as a mountain of flesh, swung his terrifying hammer, which was twice the size of a man, and smashed the stone pillar in front of Gallagher to pieces.

Immediately afterwards.

Clad in dragon-slaying armor, Ornstein glided across half the hall like a ghost, his Dragonslayer Spear crackling with blinding lightning, aiming precisely at the spot where Gallagher was about to tumble.

With a sweeping, powerful swing, its size like a mountain, each hammer blow carries an oppressive force capable of crushing everything.

A lightning-fast, incredibly sharp strike, with overwhelming force, blocked all his escape routes and blind spots.

Gallagher immediately closed his eyes.

In a daze, a gentle, kind, and encouraging murmur seemed to echo in Gallagher's mind.

"Go, Gallagher —don't be afraid—"

"Stand up, you will be the bravest warrior of Prison Rock!"

But the next second...

Pfft

Ornstein's spear pierced his chest.

As Gallagher was strung up, a tear slid down his cheek. "Mom, it wasn't me, I really couldn't win—"

At the same time.

Lu Xiu's second breakthrough has also progressed to the middle and late stages.

--

This will happen.

She had arrived at the Broken Sunlight Altar, abandoned and devout, and once again saw the warrior who had always been a symbol of the Dark Souls, a warrior who had risked everything in his pursuit of the sun.

Solaire