Can Dark Souls V Bring Ideological Liberation?
Da Er felt as if a huge, black pot had been dumped on his back.
Even though none of the members of the Strategy Team were the kind of people who were mean, Da Er's sense of responsibility was condemning him, and he bent over.
They look like pilgrims.
The two gray wolves sensed that he was in a bad mood and came over to rub against him.
Leon patted him on the shoulder without saying a word; sometimes, the comfort between men can be this simple.
"I have a guess," he said, looking at everyone. "The strength of the monsters here changes with our strength. I've sensed something was wrong since yesterday."
Yesterday, he tried to separate from Delu during the later stages of the game. As a result, the strength of the monsters on Leon's side remained the same, while the difficulty on Delu's side actually decreased.
Two people alone aren't enough to be convincing, but combined with today's experience, it's enough to prove that the strength of the monsters here varies depending on the adventurer's strength, and it will definitely change based on the strongest.
What if you threw a child or an elderly person in here? Would the monster become crippled?
He had thought about this question, but he always felt that the Zane Dungeon wouldn't be so merciful.
After Leon's explanation, everyone realized why it was so difficult to fight earlier—it was all the Sword Saint's fault.
"Then let's just be together," Malu said. "Even if monsters get stronger, they'll probably be based on the strength of the boss or Da Er."
"Eh, me?" Da Er pointed to himself, wondering how he could possibly be compared to "Lion" Leon.
"Be confident, kid, you're very strong," Leon gave him a thumbs up, making him a little embarrassed.
After some discussion, the group set off again.
Time ticked by, and a dozen minutes later, everyone returned.
Leon said with a gloomy face, "You guessed wrong. The strength of the monsters is enhanced based on the combined strength of all members."
Even with all five of them attacking together, the monster's strength remained very high.
"Is this forcing us to explore alone?" Delu considered this possibility.
Yesterday, when he entered the dungeon alone, he found that the skeletons in the trial level behind the Great Tombstone were not only weaker, but also far fewer in number, with only a dozen or so left. After thinking about the tactics, he was able to deal with them.
"Two or three people working together might be able to win," Leon said, looking at Da Er. "How about the two of us team up?"
"You two? Boss, are you crazy? Are you sure the monsters won't suddenly get stronger?" Malu asked in surprise.
"A suitable challenge is a good thing," Leon shrugged, but a challenge that's too strong is no fun.
"Alright. It's been a while since I've had any exercise," after some thought, Da Er accepted Leon's invitation.
The two clapped their hands, smiled at each other, and looked at each other with anticipation in their eyes.
Damn it, you two aren't going to put on some gay act in front of me, are you?
Malu's gaze at the two of them was strange.
The final decision was to pair Leon and Da Er together, and the rest of the group together. If the three of them still couldn't win, they would split up again.
Once again, they entered the Roguelike level. This time, they had no humanity left and could not obtain blessings from the tombstones, so they had no choice but to move on to the next level.
Looking at it this way, the Soul Eater that you have to fight every time seems more like it's there specifically to deliver humanity—it's actually a test to screen out the strength of those who enter the Roguelike.
I miss you, you soul-stealing ghost.
Facing the "click-clack" skeletons, without the hindrance of [Bone Revival] and Jia Paer's enhancement, Leon and Da Er found it much easier and quickly passed the level.
It's time for the tense and exciting selection of blessings. I don't know what Leon chose, but he seems quite satisfied.
When it was Da Er's turn, he was a little nervous, fearing that a few more mischievous blessings would come.
However, what appeared before him was somewhat different.
[The successor to the Undead Legion, accept this blessing from the Wolf's Blood]
[Blessed: Abyss Watchers]
When battling Abyss Creature, you will be as valiant as your ancestors; the deeper you are corrupted by the abyss, the greater your potential will be.
Da Er automatically received this blessing; no other options appeared.
He snapped out of his surprise and wondered if the Wolf's Blood in his body had triggered something that had given him the blessing of the Wolf's Blood.
The cemetery area and Farron Keep are connected by the Firelink Shrine, and the distance is not far. Moreover, the Abyss erupts here, so it is not impossible that the Farron Undead Legion has fought here.
Therefore, it makes perfect sense that he, as the Farron Guard, would receive the blessing of Wolf's Blood!
When Da Er told Leon about it, the latter looked on with extreme envy.
To receive the blessings of one's ancestors in this chaotic land of time and space corrupted by the abyss—it feels so destiny-like!
If someone who has sworn an oath to become Sun Warrior comes here, will they receive a blessing from Gwyn?
The thought of this made Leon eager to return here after becoming Sun Warrior.
At first, Da Er didn't feel much, but after hearing Leon say things like "destiny" and "blessing," he became motivated, as if he had come to settle the score between the Undead Legion and the Abyss.
Driven by high spirits, the two fought with increasing ferocity until they encountered their first elite enemy.
Aaron Knight Captain, corrupted by the abyss
This is a humanoid enemy. Although it is much larger than Leon and his companions, it is still humanoid, so the fighting style must be different from that of beast-type enemies.
Aaron Knight Captain gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist but did not draw it. Instead, he slowly walked toward the two in this somewhat strange posture.
Aaron Knight Captain, from Dark Souls II, belongs to the Aaron Knight Order of Iron King.
This knightly order is named after "Knight Aaron," a close friend of the Iron King, and the swordsmanship its members learn is also related to Knight Aaron.
In the story's background, the Knight Aaron comes from a mysterious Eastern country and uses Eastern swordsmanship and weapons similar to katanas, which explains why Leon have never seen them before.
"This guy's strong," Da Er instinctively struck a breakdancing pose. "You left, I right, everyone together. What are you doing!?"
He was about to discuss tactics with Leon when he turned around and found that the other party had run away in a flash!
Da Er quickly caught up and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Fight," Leon said, glancing at Da Er strangely before casually pulling a gun from his backpack.
A crossbow with a scattering effect!?
"Why are you carrying this with you?" Da Er was surprised. He thought Leon's backpack contained some potions or something, but he didn't expect it to contain such a large crossbow.
Wait a minute, isn't he a swordsman? Why is he taking out a crossbow?
"You'll see," Leon said with a reassuring smile. "This thing is really effective against humanoid enemies."
He skillfully loaded the hypnotic crossbow bolt, as if he had practiced it countless times at home, and then turned and aimed with a flourish.
Just then, Aaron Knight Captain also abandoned his Drawing Blade Slash stance and, sensing something was wrong, chased after him with his sword in hand.
But he made a terrible mistake. The one thing he absolutely couldn't have done was get close to Leon before the crossbow fired!
"Call"
Leon exhaled a breath of stale air, pulled the trigger, and fired the hypnotic bolt along with the last remaining bit of swordsman's honor.
Yesterday, after he was stuffed with the Abyss by Midir during the incident and suffered a brief period of mental instability, he seemed to have realized something.
Victory is everything; swordsman's honor should have been forgotten long ago!
Adventurers should stop at nothing to achieve victory, a principle also recorded in the sayings of the Sword Saint Gapar.
"Pfft—"
Along with the sound of an arrow piercing flesh, his laughter rang out.
Nearly ten powerful hypnotic crossbow bolts struck Aaron Knight Captain simultaneously, causing him to freeze in place. However, this dose was insufficient to put him to sleep, so Leon grabbed Da Er and continued running. It seemed they needed to create distance from the enemy and ensure he was asleep before engaging in combat.
This is undoubtedly a very safe fighting method, minimizing the risk, but...
Da Er watched as Leon shot Aaron Knight Captain once again, successfully putting the enemy to sleep. While the enemy was asleep, Dahl Swift Slash slashed past and dealt some damage. Then, when the enemy woke up, he continued the marathon.
Where is the spirit of the swordsman? Where is the clash of iron against iron, the fusion of blood against blood?
Upon witnessing this style of combat for the first time, Da Er's worldview was severely shaken.
Then, with a somewhat complicated expression, he stopped and turned to walk towards Aaron Knight Captain.
"Where are you going?" Leon also stopped in his tracks.
"I'm sorry, but I still want to fight in my own way."
Da Er held the Farron Greatsword in one hand and pulled out a dagger he had bought from the blacksmith's shop in the other, mimicking the fighting stance of the Farron Undead Legion.
Leon's fighting style is too strange; he can't accept it for now!
The people in this world are still somewhat rigid in their thinking. Every profession has its own set of "xx spirit" and "xx honor" that everyone is required to abide by. Da Er is no exception, adhering to the swordsman's spirit like a good boy.
But now, a "bad student" has come up to show a wave of benefits that undermine professional ethics.
Da Er said his worldview had been shaken and he was temporarily unable to think.
Watching Da Er fiercely battle Aaron Knight Captain with street dance moves, Leon glanced at the crossbow in his hand and curled his lip.
What's with all this talk about him? It's like he's committed some terrible crime. He was just following Jia Paer's instructions.
He also drew his straight sword and joined the battle.
Leon's thought process was similar to showing off a fun toy to a new friend; if the friend didn't like it, then so be it.
I misspoke; it means you shouldn't use it in front of the other person.
Even without resorting to underhanded tactics, the two still managed to defeat Aaron Knight Captain through sheer skill. His unprecedented swordsmanship initially put them at a disadvantage, but they quickly gained the upper hand after becoming more familiar with it.
Da Er was filled with anticipation for the upcoming reward, because Leon said that the fragments of the Wolf Knight's Painting Fragment were obtained after defeating Elite Monsters.
Unfortunately, nothing happened in the end; only a more advanced blessing appeared.
It seems there's only one blessing of Wolf's Blood. In subsequent levels, Da Er only obtained the Tomb King series, which disappointed him somewhat.
It is said that you will encounter fragments of a certain time, or events, in this place, but he has not encountered them yet; all the previous levels were battles.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Da Er was actually quite interested in the story of the Zane Dungeon.
After resting for a while, the two opened the teleportation chest and entered the next level.
Then, the event that Da Er had been longing for finally arrived.
[You travel through chaotic time and space, and inadvertently catch a glimpse of a fragment of a past era:]
You are a valiant knight who can roam the abyss, and you have come with trusted companions to suppress the abyss, where all the inhabitants have been transformed by it.
Fortunately, you found several survivors amidst the monsters, but they are facing the predicament of being corrupted by the abyss.
Looking at the trembling survivors, you make a decision.