Blood Moon and lessons (two-in-one)

"Lu Xiu!!!!"

Gong Yu's desperate cries echoed through the empty, cold sewer.

Ulysses was startled by his shout and immediately looked over, "What's wrong? Why are you yelling so loudly while picking something up?"

Zhao Heng also looked around warily while glancing at Gong Yu.

Gong Yu didn't speak. The son of the Prime Minister of Canaan, who had just been mocking Ulysses for returning home in glory, stared blankly at the thing he had just received in his hand. His whole body began to tremble uncontrollably, and his eyes turned red.

Zhao Heng followed his hand and looked down.

He was holding a tattered ribbon stained with fresh blood and flesh in his hands.

"What's this?"

Zhao Heng gently pressed his shoulder, shook him, and asked a question at the same time.

Gong Yu finally realized what was happening, stared blankly at Zhao Heng, and then silently shared the item description of the ribbon.

[Red Jeweled Brooch]

The red ribbons that the messengers inexplicably loved.

The intense, pungent red color comes from the organs of a tragic victim.

She met with misfortune on her way to the shelter.

This is indeed an odd choice, but perhaps for the messenger, wearing this ornament was itself a form of mourning.

66

The moment you see the item's description clearly.

Zhao Heng's breath hitched.

Ulysses looked at the still-unrefreshed carcass of the man-eating boar on the ground, and his breathing became heavier.

The other players were equally astonished.

They are all intelligent people.

Seeing such a clear description of the item, I instantly understood everything.

For example, who was the owner of this ribbon, why did they die, why did they die here, and how did they die?

"I killed her, how could I not have thought of that?!"

Gong Yu stared at the red ribbon and muttered, "How could she possibly have made it through that journey! How could she possibly have survived! I shouldn't have let her go to the Oedon Chapel, I shouldn't have let her go to the Oedon Chapel, I deserve to die----"

The side quests were already pretty hopeless.

The little girl's mother went out to look for her father, but was killed by him in the Tomb of Oedon, where he had fallen into a beast-like madness. The player only found...

Her body and the Ruby Brooch on her chest.

As for the little girl's father (Father Gascoigne), who had lost his mind, he was also killed by these players.

The little girl had nothing left.

And that is precisely why.

Returning to the window of the room where the little girl was, Gong Yu, out of compassion, thought he had done a good deed on a whim.

He concealed the truth about the little girl's parents' death and even personally pointed her to a so-called path to survival— the Oedon Chapel.

He thought this would be a happy ending for everyone, but he forgot one thing: these players, these so-called adults, were struggling to even reach the Oedon Chapel, let alone a little girl.

He assumed that the game was not reality and would automatically give them a happy ending, ignoring all obstacles and monsters along the way, and automatically delivering the little girl to the Oedon Chapel.

But unfortunately, he was wrong.

The instance will not ignore those obstacles.

So, upon hearing Gong Yu's words, the little girl, filled with anticipation for the future, wearing the beautiful ribbon, stepped out of the door that could have protected her for a while.

The first thing she saw was monsters everywhere—and she was just a little girl, so she could only sneak forward, stealthily moving along Yharnam's sewers.

Things went relatively smoothly at first.

But soon, he encountered a man-eating pig in the sewers. It completely blocked his path, and upon seeing her, it immediately opened its massive, tusk-filled mouth—

"I showed her the way, I personally sent her into this pig's mouth—"

Gong Yu recalled the little girl's last pleading voice, and the words she said she loved him. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he wasn't human, and his originally handsome face became somewhat ferocious.

If he gives the brooch to the little girl.

If he wasn't lying.

If he hadn't presumptuously given her directions—

If the last place he pointed to was the clinic.

"I----"

Gong Yu suddenly spoke up, "I should have sent her to the clinic! That clinic is closer to the Fountain Plaza! The sewers aren't a necessary route, so she might have gotten there safely! I'm so damn stupid!"

Upon hearing Gong Yu's words, Ulysses suddenly said, "Going to the clinic probably won't end well either—"

"Why?" Gong Yu suddenly turned to look at Ulysses.

Do you remember what we just saw in the clinic?

Ulysses explained, "Those aimless, humanoid Big Head that don't attack unprovoked."

"Didn't we see those Big Head on the hospital bed later? And next to the bed, there were obviously civilian clothes and everyday items scattered around."

"This suggests that those Big Head were, before they became like that, ordinary people seeking refuge at clinics."

"You mean to say—" Gong Yu's eyes widened.

"If you take the little girl to the clinic, she will most likely get there safely because it's close by."

Ulysses continued, "But her ultimate fate upon arrival will likely be to be taken to the operating table and forcibly transformed into one of those Big Head monsters by that so-called doctor."

Gong Yu: "!!!"

His breath hitched.

To be eaten, or to be transformed into a monster alive—what the hell?!

What if I choose to say nothing?

Gong Yu suddenly said, "If I don't hand in the mission, and I don't give her directions, I'll just let her stay at home—"

"Then she might starve to death."

A player from Nine Provinces sighed and spoke up, "Outside are all delirious Yharnam people and man-eating beasts. Even if her home is safe for now, when the food runs out, do you think a lonely little girl can survive in this monster-infested Yharnam?"

Will Nan survive? All that awaits her is to starve to death in prolonged fear, or die from some other cause; survival is impossible.

This Nine Provinces player is very experienced; he knows that no matter which option he chooses, it's a dead end.

Whether you choose A, B, or C.

Or even not selecting anything.

The little girl's fate was sealed the moment her mother went out to look for her father.

"This is a world of despair. Although many questions remain unanswered, one thing is already clear: this world, no, the entire Yharnam, is already in a state of irreversible collapse."

The Great Ones of Yharnam, the Blood Ministration of the Healing Church, the curse of bestiality—whether ordinary people, high-ranking members of the church, or Hunter who hunt monsters, everyone is struggling in despair, but the result of their struggles seems to be only falling into a deeper Abyss.

Just like this little girl, if you help her, she will die; if you don't help her, she will still die. Whether you tell the truth or a lie, whether you choose the clinic or the church, the outcome makes no difference to her, just like the world itself.

"Then what's the point of doing these side quests?" Gong Yu asked blankly.

"The characteristics of the Dark Realm in Lu Xiu tell you what state this world is currently in, while forcing you to abandon the illusion that hard work will always pay off. Players' actions will have consequences, but the consequences are not always positive. Every good deed you do out of compassion may push someone to their doom. This was the case with the Knight of the Sun in Dark Souls, and it is the same with the little girl now."

Tell me what state the world is in----

Gong Yu muttered something, then roared to the sky, "Lu Xiu! You have no heart! You have no heart at all!!!"

This day.

The first player from another region who had never completed Dark Souls raid experienced what despair truly meant.

At the same time.

The other team.

Wei Yidong and Cheng Xiu's team is making progress faster than Ulysses's team.

By this time, they had fought their way through the Forbidden Woods and arrived at Byrgenwerth College, where they met Master Willem, who was sitting in a reclining chair.

Following the direction indicated by Master Willem, they jumped into Moonside Lake.

A flash of Bai Guang.

They didn't sink to the bottom of the water, but rather seemed to leap into another dimension, stepping onto the boundless lake surface.

And in the distance.

A colossal creature was coiled up.

As they drew closer, the entirety of the colossal creature was revealed before them.

It was a creature resembling a woodlice, with a grayish-white head. Its texture looked like a porous rock eroded by seawater for many years, densely covered with eyes, though most of them were dull and cloudy, seemingly without any visual function.

Its body is fat and round, huge and bloated, like a maggot, covered with stony scales and covered with shiny, plant-like appendages.

But that's just how it is.

His name is...[Rom, the Vacuous Spider].

"Wait, how does this boss resemble a spider?"

As soon as Wei Yidong saw the BOSS, he immediately exclaimed, "And this thing is so disgusting!"

"Aren't you used to Lu Xiu's style yet?"

Cheng Xiu also felt a little disgusted, but he still rushed forward. "Stop talking, do it."

As soon as the words were spoken, the other players in the team tacitly spread out, forming a pincer movement as they charged towards the bloated monster in the center of the lake.

Cheng Xiu took the lead, flicking his Cane, which transformed into a whip, and lashed it hard across Rom's side.

Pfft!

Blood splattered.

And just as their first attack was launched...

Bang bang bang!

Suddenly, without warning, countless dark figures fell from the sky, splashing up large sprays of water.

Those were dozens of small spiders with countless compound eyes on their heads, which immediately surrounded them as soon as they landed.

"Now there are spiders! You jinx!"

As Cheng Xiu retreated to dodge the leaping attack of a small spider, he shouted at Wei Yidong, "You're not allowed to speak next time!"

Of all the Strategy Group, you're the most unlucky one!

"What's it to me!"

Wei Yidong retorted loudly, and at the same time, with a flick of his wrist, he pulled the Saw Cleaver in his hand open with a click, turning it into a long-handled weapon with a wider attack range.

Immediately afterwards, he pulled out a piece of Bolt Paper from his waist and smeared it on the blade.

Sizzle!

Blue lightning was enchanted onto the Saw Cleaver.

Wei Yidong shouted and swung his electrified long -Saw Cleaver, hacking wildly at the swarm of small spiders that had surrounded him.

But the difficulty these little spiders presented far exceeded their expectations.

Not only is its damage ridiculously high, but its attack methods are also ferocious, including high-flying leaping attacks, incredibly fast claw attacks, and even spitting out foul liquid from its mouth for ranged interference.

If you're not careful and get touched even slightly, your health bar will instantly drop by more than half.

Most importantly.

There are just too many of them----

Meanwhile, the nearby BOSS continued to harass them and summon more monsters.

However, faced with this desperate situation that could be described as being ganged up on, everyone in Cheng Xiu's team displayed extremely high combat skills.

Twenty people.

They can all Blood Control independently.

This meant they didn't need to create distance or disengage from combat to suppress their vital energy.

It's simply a matter of some people being skilled while others are less experienced, and occasionally their movements might falter.

Moreover, they cooperated well.

Faced with the spider's sharp leaps and claw attacks, as well as the boss's harassment, everyone was like an eel, constantly rolling and sliding sideways, managing to dodge the attacks by the slightest margin, and even if they couldn't dodge, they wouldn't be completely caught in the crossfire.

At the same time, they also have the time and inclination to help their teammates.

As for why he's so skilled—

The main reason is that this team is entirely composed of Nine Provinces players—and most of them are members of the Strategy Group of the Coordination Bureau.

They were already strong, and they were all old hands who had cleared Dark Souls and had been brutally beaten down by Lu Xiu's dungeons.

Although they found this dungeon challenging at first, after countless hardships and periods of adaptation, they have completely adapted.

"Don't just focus on clearing out the spiders! You can't clear them all out. Find an opening to attack Rom's main body, attack its sides, not its head! Especially Wei Yidong! Are you fucking crazy?! Your blade is already bent and you're still trying to hit its head!"

Cheng Xiu roared as he gave the order.

but.

Although they had already adapted to the high-pressure pace of this instance.

But this does not mean they can easily defeat the BOSS.

When the Rom, the Vacuous Spider's health dropped to two-thirds, in addition to the constant falling of small spiders, Rom himself began to use arcane attacks; the real torment had only just begun.

"It's holding its tail up! Back off!"

Wei Yidong, who had been watching Rom's movements closely, suddenly roared.

Rom's bulky tail rose high, and the surrounding air suddenly cooled down.

The next second.

Boom!

A large-scale explosion of icy energy erupted, spreading outwards from Rom's center!

The moment all the Nine Provinces players saw it raise its tail, they frantically Dodge Step in quick succession, but two unlucky ones still managed to fly up.

"Oh shit!"

Wei Yidong dodged the area-of-effect attack, panting, "There are twenty of us! It summoned nearly forty spiders and used magic attacks! Who's ganging up on whom here?!"

He grumbled as he lowered his center of gravity slightly, preparing to charge back.

But Rom's attack did not stop; it rolled violently on the surface of the water and then curled its bulky body into a ball.

As Wei Yidong accelerated and approached, a blue light shone from beneath the water's surface, and thick, sharp ice spikes suddenly shot out from the water beneath his feet without warning!

"----There's also a dodgeball game!"

As Wei Yidong tumbled and rolled awkwardly to avoid the icicles shooting out from under his feet, he said, "Lu Xiu has ruined my impression of beautiful girls!"

"Then your impression of her will be rebuilt the next time you see her!"

Cheng Xiu dodged the ice spikes while continuing to attack the BOSS: "Or you can look at her picture now, if that shuts you up and makes you hit her a few more times."

"Are you guys performing a comedy routine?"

Another Nine Provinces player shouted, "No comedy on the battlefield!"

And then they reorganized their offensive.

Rom suddenly raised its forebody high again, and a ghostly blue light shone in its dim eyes.

"----Again?"

Wei Yidong subconsciously raised his head.

Suddenly, a large number of huge blue crystalline ice cones condensed in the previously empty sky, like a dense meteor shower, locking onto their location and crashing down from above!

The player who had just been trying to find an opportunity to attack immediately abandoned the idea.

Boom!

Huge ice spikes crashed onto the lake, obstructing not only the view but also blocking the way.

Even though they are all quite skilled, and even though rolling has almost become muscle memory for them.

But even with relentless bombardment from above by tracking meteorites, attacks from below by ground spikes, and a frenzied swarm of ridiculously powerful spiders surrounding them—they still fled in disarray, utterly pathetic.

Bang!

Wei Yidong was knocked to the ground by the aftershock of the blue crystal falling from the sky, rolling a long way on the water, soaked to the bone, and only managed to bring his health back up after using two Blood Vial.

"Next time Lu Xiu stands in front of me, I'll say it!"

While scrambling and dodging the little spider's crushing attacks in the water, Wei Yidong brandished his Saw Cleaver: "She's a sadist! Even if she's a beautiful girl! She's still a sadist! Outside the dungeon, she might be someone who likes to trample on others—after all, her legs are longer than my life, I even suspect! She's watching us roll around here right now! And laughing at us!"

"Dong-ge? Really?"

Upon hearing this, one of the Nine Provinces players paused, his face lighting up with surprise, and asked, "Are you serious? Are you sure? Can I do it?"

"Damn it! There's a pervert here!"

Wei Yidong turned his head in horror. "I'm only eighteen! Don't you filthy adults corrupt me!"

"----You bunch of idiots! Get out of the way! If you say another word, I'll make you let the BOSS step on you! 'Pretty girl' indeed! Didn't you see the BOSS thrashing around like it's having a spasm?"

Cheng Xiu roared, bracing himself against the two small spiders' pounce, his Cane whip blade almost leaving Afterimage as he swung it.

On the lake not far away.

Just as Cheng Xiu said.

The Rom, the Vacuous Spider had gone berserk; its bloated, obese body thrashed violently across the water's surface as it thrashed about wildly.

This is not as simple as being kicked by a pretty girl.

Its enormous body rose and fell, rolling left and right, crushing down on players who tried to get close, and the players who were crushed would instantly die.

but.

Despite the mutual teasing among these Nine Provinces players.

But no one stopped.

Jokes aside.

Their focus and execution in gameplay are indeed much stronger than those of players from other regions.

Of course, experience also plays a role.

"From the side! There's a brief blind spot when it flaps its wings!"

Although Wei Yidong was cursing the filthy adults, he kept moving closer and closer.

He quickly closed in on the boss, and with a swift movement amidst the falling ice spikes, he plunged his Saw Cleaver, crackling with blue lightning, into Rom's exposed side abdomen as he struggled.

Pfft!

Blood splattered again.

The other dozen or so Nine Provinces players did the same, skillfully dodging the little spiders and falling ice spikes with rolls, while seizing the gaps in Rom's movements to unleash a barrage of weapons on him.

"It only has 10% health left! Forget about the little spiders! Just kill it!"

Cheng Xiu stared at Rom's dwindling health bar and roared.

This is precisely the tactic most commonly used by Souls-like players—brute force!

Let's set aside all the red tape.

The main selling point is "I bet you'll die first."

A full-fledged duo performance.

Half-health turn-based combat.

He's become a reckless, bloodthirsty man.

They are clearly in the third phase, and haven't fully emerged from the previous instances.

But the results were actually quite good.

The giant ice spike fell, instantly turning two players who couldn't dodge in time into Bai Guang.

The other two players who charged too aggressively were also crushed into paper dolls by Rom.

But their sacrifice also created opportunities for the remaining members to contribute.

"Die!!!"

Wei Yidong and Cheng Xiu, one on each side, thrust their weapons, crackling with electricity, into Rom's side.

More than ten other weapons of various kinds were also unleashed upon this behemoth at the same time.

"Hiss!!"

Accompanied by the muffled thuds of blades piercing flesh.

The last health bar on the head of the enormous monster named Rom, the Vacuous Spider disappeared, its bloated body twitched a few times on the water's surface, and then suddenly exploded, turning into countless white specks of light.

The little spiders that were frantically tearing at the player just a second ago also lost their life force instantly with the death of their mother, turning into Bai Guang and dissipating.

"Call----"

The moment the battle ended, Wei Yidong immediately sat down, panting heavily. Sweat mixed with lake water, dripping down his chin.

Cheng Xiu also braced himself on his knees, panting.

The remaining surviving players were all lying in disarray.

"It's really not easy."

Wei Yidong looked around and said, "This boss doesn't seem that strong; it's already so difficult to defeat."

"You shouldn't talk so much."

Cheng Xiu caught his breath and looked up at the mirror-like lake around him. "We could have finished faster, but never mind—we feel like we've fully adapted to the dungeon by now, and the rest of the journey should be easier—"

However.

Cheng Xiu hadn't finished speaking.

Just as the light of [Rom, the Vacuous Spider]'s death completely dissipated.

A sudden change occurred.

At the spot where the Rom, the Vacuous Spider had just died, the moment the light completely dissipated, a figure began to slowly coalesce.

"----There's a second phase?!"

Wei Yidong was still catching his breath, suddenly sprang up from the lake and Saw Cleaver tightly in his hand.

The remaining dozen or so Nine Provinces players immediately got up and instantly entered battle mode, staring at the suddenly appearing figure.

soon.

The figure solidified into a physical form.

But surprisingly, it wasn't some monstrous monster.

Instead, it was a female spirit radiating a pale, faint glow.

She was tall and wore a long white Victorian-style wedding dress with a high collar, elaborate ruffles, and a multi-layered skirt.

The hem of her skirt trailed all the way to the surface of the lake.

The overall effect was that she looked incredibly sacred, but the fact that her pure white wedding dress was stained with a large patch of blood on the abdomen and even most of the chest added a touch of eeriness to it.

In addition, her abdomen was noticeably protruding, suggesting she might be pregnant.

This looks even weirder.

"What is this...? An NPC?"

Wei Yidong and the others stared at the distant spirit in astonishment.

However, the white-clad female spirit seemed completely unaware of Wei Yidong and the other players who were on high alert.

She didn't speak, but instead clasped her hands together in front of her chest, making a gesture that seemed like she was praying for something.

Then, she slowly raised her head and looked up at the sky.

Just as she looked up, Wei Yidong and the other players were puzzled.

A burst of crimson light suddenly poured down from behind the players, turning the lake water beneath them and the profiles of each of them red.

"----later!"

Cheng Xiu instinctively felt a sense of unease.

He suddenly turned his head.

Wei Yidong and all the surviving Nine Provinces players also turned around abruptly in the direction from which the red light was coming.

Then.

When you can see the scene behind you clearly.

Everyone froze on the spot, their eyes widening in shock, their breath catching in their throats.

Because behind them, a Blood Moon that almost filled their entire field of vision had risen at some point and was now hanging in front of them.

The Blood Moon was ridiculously large and blindingly red, as if they could touch its surface if they simply reached out their hands.

Standing beneath the Blood Moon, they were like ants, insignificant.

It was incredibly oppressive.

The Blood Moon has descended.

And at the same time they were looking directly at this Blood Moon.

At the edge of everyone's vision, the Insight value that had been gradually accumulating with the exploration suddenly went crazy, jumping uncontrollably!

[Insight: 30]

[Insight: 40]

[Insight: 50]

"Ah!!!"

As his Insight broke through the fifty-point threshold, Wei Yidong, who had just been standing on the lake, suddenly clutched his head with both hands, let out a scream, and collapsed to his knees in agony.

Not just him.

Cheng Xiu and all the players present curled up in pain at that moment.

Then.

Everything went black.

I don't know how much time passed.

A gust of cold wind blew by.

Cheng Xiu suddenly opened his eyes, enduring the lingering hallucinatory pain in his mind, and propped himself up.

They are no longer at Moonside Lake.

Instead, they returned to the Cathedral Ward.

"We've been teleported back?"

Cheng Xiu got up from the ground.

Wei Yidong and the other players also opened their eyes one after another.

Wei Yidong shook his head, then subconsciously looked up and asked, "What's going on? What is that red moon—?"

However.

The next second.

His words came to an abrupt halt, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Because on the originally empty church wall, a huge, deformed monster was clinging to it. The monster had countless compound eyes and thick, octopus-like tentacles, and six slender arms were gripping the church wall.

But it's different from the one in the DLC.

The monster remained motionless, like a parasite.

And this is just what's in front of us; further away, there seem to be many more—many buildings appear to be clinging to this strange thing.

"Holy crap----"

Wei Yidong's hair stood on end instantly.

When did this come about?

And there was more than one???

Cheng Xiu saw it too, and shuddered as well.

But that's not the most despairing thing.

"Dong Ge----Xiu Ge----"

A player from Nine Provinces standing on the outskirts suddenly cried out, trembling, "Look around you—"

Cheng Xiu and Wei Yidong struggled to look away from Amygdala and gazed around.

And upon closer inspection...

They almost fainted from staring at it.

Not only were there things added to the exterior walls of the building, but their surroundings were also densely packed with ghostly figures.

They were all enormous, wolf-like beasts covered in black fur.

Some of them were howling in agony, some were tearing their own flesh in despair, and others were just standing quietly, watching Cheng Xiu and the others.

"These are—" Wei Yidong clutched his chest, and after a while, he finally calmed down and asked.

"Player----"

Cheng Xiu's lips trembled slightly. "It seems that all of them were players who, during the previous explorations, failed to control their qi and blood, ultimately turning into beasts. Their appearances are exactly the same—"

"Are you kidding me?"

Wei Yidong looked around.

Densely packed.

Hundreds and thousands.

They were surrounded by wolf-like beasts.

If we were to fight—fight for hell!

"No----"

The remaining Nine Provinces players also stared wide-eyed, some breaking down in their guard, exclaiming, "Do they think we're Superman?!"

This is a gap that can't be bridged by skill alone!

But just when they were in despair...

Sudden.

"Etc!"

A player from Nine Provinces shouted, "Over there! There are other phantoms over there!"

"Looks like he's Hunter!"

"He looks like he's hunting wild beasts—and he looks so cool! He even makes Cross Slash when he swings his sword! And those Cross Slash seem to be formed from blood!"