Fat Brother Street

All living beings instinctively seek "comfort," especially intelligent ones.

A living example of this is Si Telan.

"Yahaha, you can't hit me, you can't hit me!"

Facing the siege of two chubby Fat Brothers, she held her Greatshield without a trace of fear—just poke, poke, poke, and victory was hers!

If she used a bow, she'd have to watch for the monsters' weak points, consider the best combination of different arrow types for maximum effect, and stay hyper-focused at all times, never letting the monsters get close, since drawing a bow left her basically defenseless.

If she used a Wolf Tooth Club, she'd have to fight these Plague Village monsters—far more dangerous than those in the Swamp Area—up close, dancing on a knife's edge where one slip meant total defeat.

But Shield Poke solved everything.

A Greatshield, a long spear—how could there be such a perfect combo in the world?

No need for overthinking. Just watch your stamina and the enemy's grab attacks, occasionally dodge magic that pierces shields. Shield Poke was the style for adventurers too lazy to use their brains!

Even Si Telan, a player with some understanding of combat, fell in love with Shield Poke the moment she tried it.

The sense of security a Greatshield provided was irreplaceable!

She'd found her comfort zone in Shield Poke and had zero desire to leave. Today's dungeon trip had been incredibly rewarding—not only had she learned Shield Poke from Gong Qiying, but she'd also mapped out the Swamp Area and Plague Village layouts from this apparent dungeon exploration expert.

It was like the First Emperor touching a live wire—winning so hard it was shocking.

Gong Qiying watched Si Telan from behind. True to her martial arts background, she'd grasped Shield Poke's usage in no time and applied it perfectly in real combat.

He felt quite gratified, musing that playing Souls-like games really meant learning to find the "wheelchair" builds.

He'd chosen to train Si Telan simply because she looked pleasant, and he really wanted someone to talk to. So he had to pick a suitable candidate among the dungeon's adventurers. Options:

A: A madman dual-wielding battle axes who only knew the thrill of fighting.

B: Vierde, dying over and over in the dungeon.

C: An adventurer with a fixed team who explored cautiously.

D: A lone elf beauty who looked easy to fool.

Anyone with a brain knew to pick D!

There was another reason: no one had cleared Zane Dungeon yet.

The anomaly in Zane Dungeon hadn't drawn widespread attention yet. Those who came couldn't clear it, and why would top-tier experts bother coming here? There had to be rewards worth their trip.

Gong Qiying thought he'd prepared a grand gift for whoever cleared the dungeon—rewards that would make anyone's eyes burn. Once word got out, it would definitely lure in experts.

But the key was, no one could claim the reward. The news couldn't spread.

Only by attracting more people and gathering more Spirit Power could he craft better, more impressive dungeons. He had to achieve a virtuous cycle of Spirit Power.

"Um, Mr. Ma Lei Da,"

Si Telan unconsciously used a respectful title, showing she truly acknowledged and admired Gong Qiying.

"What's up?" Gong Qiying followed her pointing finger and grinned.

"Can Shield Poke handle that situation too?"

She pointed to the only wide road in Plague Village, flanked by dilapidated houses. Crossing it would lead to the path straight to the middle layer.

But the houses were packed with Fat Brothers.

Giant Corpse

Spirit Power required per unit: 80

HP: D, Strength: D+, Intelligence: F, Stamina: D, Speed: D-, Overall Combat Power: D

Giant Corpse, from Dark Souls I's Plague Village. Appearance: bloated, massive corpses. Tougher than normal corpses, stronger, harder to stagger.

They'd definitely give adventurers an authentic Plague Village experience.

"If you don't want to fight, you could try just running straight through,"

Gong Qiying suggested. "Look, they're so fat, they'll never catch you. Just parkour your way through."

"I feel like something would go wrong."

Si Telan thought this plan was highly unreliable. What if these corpses only looked fat but were actually agile?

If they caught her, she'd probably be minced into meat paste by nearly ten Giant Corpses.

What's more—

She pulled out a telescope from her pocket and carefully scanned the houses on both sides.

Sure enough, monsters were hiding on the rooftops!

They were short creatures like Goblins, wearing tattered cloth hoods, lying flat on the roofs—impossible to spot without a close look!

If she really ran through boldly, monsters would likely drop from above to block her path, and then the Fat Brothers would catch up.

"Oh, you noticed that," Gong Qiying clapped. "Good observation skills."

"Hmph, all thanks to experience,"

Though she hated to admit it, the reason she'd thought to check the rooftops was because she'd been ambushed so many times in the Swamp Area. Now she was paranoid—if any obstacle looked like it could hide something, she'd cautiously probe it.

You could say she was already a seasoned Souls-like player.

"Think about what you have on you that you can use—like the weapons and equipment you picked up in the dungeon," Gong Qiying hinted.

"What can I use?"

Si Telan thought for a moment, then pulled out a strangely shaped hook claw and put it on her hand.

This was a weapon that came with the Hound Step Weapon Skill!

Use a bow to lure one monster and test it out, she thought, and shot an arrow at a lone Giant Corpse, drawing it over.

The Giant Corpse raised its club and slammed down. Si Telan activated Hound Step just in time, and the next second, the club hit nothing but air.

She reappeared a few steps away, still looking dazed.

This Weapon Skill... is kind of strong!

Si Telan's eyes lit up. She immediately started playing cat and mouse with the Giant Corpse, only finishing it off after she had fully mastered the Hound Step.

"With this Weapon Skill, I can just parkour all the way through,"

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

Gong Qiying pulled out an identical hook claw and said, "I've got one too."

"You didn't already collect every reward the dungeon has to offer, did you?" Si Telan felt that even if Gong Qiying said he had already cleared the dungeon, it wouldn't be surprising.

"No, no, I'm still missing quite a bit,"

Gong Qiying equipped the hook claw and said, "Once we cross this street, we'll run into Elite Monsters. Get ready to fight."

"Of course,"

Si Telan stroked her Greatshield like she was caressing an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time.