Fat Brother Street

All living things instinctively sought out "comfort," especially intelligent beings.

A living example was Si Telan.

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

Facing the pincer attack of two portly Fat Brothers, she felt no fear at all with her Greatshield in hand. All she had to do was poke, poke, poke her way to victory!

If she used a bow, she had to observe where the monsters' weaknesses lay, consider how to combine arrows of different elements for the best results, and maintain intense focus at all times. She could not let the monsters get close, since she was basically unable to defend while drawing a bow.

If she used the Wolf Tooth Club, she would have to fight the monsters of Plague Village at close range. These creatures were far more dangerous than those in the Swamp Area, and she would be dancing on a knife's edge. One careless mistake, and she would lose everything.

However, Shield Poke solved every problem.

A Greatshield and a spear—how could there be such a perfect combination in the world?

There was no need for too much thought. She only had to watch her stamina and the enemy's grab attacks, occasionally dodging magic that could pierce through shields. This Shield Poke style was perfect for adventurers too lazy to use their brains!

Even a player like Si Telan, who already had some understanding of combat, fell in love with Shield Poke after trying it once.

The sense of security brought by a Greatshield was irreplaceable!

She had found her comfort zone in Shield Poke and had absolutely no desire to step out of it. This dungeon expedition had truly been fruitful. Not only had she learned Shield Poke from Gong Qiying, but she had also figured out the map layout of the Swamp Area and Plague Village from this suspected dungeon-exploration expert.

It was like Qin Shi Huang touching an electric switch—she was winning so hard it was ridiculous.

Gong Qiying observed Si Telan from behind. As expected of someone with martial arts training, she had grasped the use of Shield Poke shortly after picking it up and applied it perfectly in actual combat.

He watched with great satisfaction, reflecting that in Soulslike games, you really had to learn how to find the easy mode.

He had only nurtured Si Telan because she looked pleasing enough, and because Gong Qiying desperately wanted someone to talk to. He could only choose a suitable candidate from the dungeon adventurers, so:

Option A: A lunatic dual-wielding battleaxes who only knew the thrill of fighting.

Option B: Vierde, constantly dying and coming back to life in the dungeon.

Option C: An adventurer with a fixed team who explored with extreme caution.

Option D: A lone elven beauty who looked very easy to fool.

Even a ghost knew to pick D!

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

The mutation in Zane Dungeon had not yet drawn widespread attention from the outside world. Those who came here could not clear it, while what expert capable of clearing it would make a special trip here? There had to be rewards worth the journey.

Gong Qiying believed he had already prepared a grand gift for whoever cleared the dungeon, a reward tempting enough to make people jealous. Once word got out, it would definitely attract experts.

But the key was that nobody could claim the reward. The news could not spread at all.

Only by attracting more people and gaining more Spirit Power could he create better, more outstanding dungeons. He needed to establish a virtuous cycle of Spirit Power.

"Um, Mr. Ma Lei Da."

Si Telan instinctively used an honorific. That meant she genuinely acknowledged and admired Gong Qiying.

"What is it?" Gong Qiying followed the direction she pointed, and the moment he looked, he laughed.

"Can Shield Poke handle a situation like that ahead?"

She pointed toward the only relatively wide road in Plague Village. Ramshackle houses stood on both sides, and crossing this street would lead them to the road straight into the middle level.

However, every house was full of Fat Brothers.

Giant Corpse

Spirit Power Required per Unit: 80

Health: D, Strength: D+, Intelligence: F, Endurance: D, Speed: D-, Overall Combat Power: D

Giant Corpses came from Plague Village in Dark Souls I. They were bloated, massive Living Dead, tougher than ordinary Living Dead, stronger, and less likely to be staggered.

They would surely give adventurers an authentic Plague Village experience.

"If you don't want to fight, you can try running straight through."

Gong Qiying suggested, "Look, they're so fat. There's no way they can catch you. Just sprint all the way through."

"I feel like something will go wrong."

Si Telan felt that method was extremely unreliable. What if these Living Dead only looked fat but were actually very nimble?

If they caught up to her, those nearly ten Giant Corpses would probably chop her into mince.

Besides—

She took out a pair of binoculars from her clothes and carefully examined the houses on both sides.

Sure enough, monsters were hiding on the rooftops!

They were small monsters, as short as Goblins, with rag hoods over their heads. They lay prone atop the houses, impossible to spot without looking carefully!

If she really ran through so openly, monsters jumping down from above would likely block her path, and then the Fat Brothers would catch up to her.

"Oh, you actually noticed that." Gong Qiying clapped his hands. "Not bad observation."

"Hmph, it's all experience."

Though she did not want to admit it, the reason she thought to inspect the rooftops was because she had been ambushed too many times in the Swamp Area. It had made her paranoid. As long as an obstacle looked like it could hide something, she had to cautiously test it.

It could be said that she was already an entry-level Soulslike player.

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

"What can I use?"

Si Telan thought for a moment, then took out a strangely shaped pair of Hook Claws and put them on.

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

She decided to use her bow to lure over a monster and test it. With that thought, she shot a lone Giant Corpse and drew it over.

The Giant Corpse raised its club and smashed it down. Si Telan activated Hound Step in time, and in the next instant, the club struck nothing but air.

She appeared several steps away in an instant, still looking bewildered.

This Weapon Skill seemed kind of strong!

Si Telan's eyes lit up. Right there and then, she played a game of hawk catches chicks with the Giant Corpse, only finishing off the Living Dead once she had thoroughly mastered Hound Step.

"With this Weapon Skill, I can sprint all the way through."

Confidence welled up within her. She turned back to Gong Qiying and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Gong Qiying took out an identical pair of Hook Claws and said, "I have them too."

"Don't tell me you've already collected every reward available in the dungeon?" Si Telan felt that even if Gong Qiying said he had cleared the dungeon long ago, it would not sound too outrageous.

"No, no. I'm still missing quite a lot."

Gong Qiying equipped the Hook Claws and said, "Once we cross this street, we'll encounter Elite Monsters. Prepare for battle."

"Of course."

Si Telan stroked her Greatshield as though caressing a friend she had not seen in a long time.