First Exploration of Carthus

Endless layers of white bones surged toward the bridge, using the bodies of their companions as stepping stones, and extended their claws toward the living.

Even though these are just the lowest-level Skeleton Monster, their sheer number, combined with the well-rendered atmosphere, creates a sense of oppression comparable to seeing the final boss.

The last time I saw undead creatures piled up like a mountain was in World War.

We need to use a machine gun to wipe out these weird things!

However, Lu Lu Wo and her group did not have machine guns, and upon seeing this scene, they did not have the idea of fighting back; on the contrary...

"Look, look! What a spectacular scene!"

Lu Lu Wo held up the Image Stone and took a group photo of herself and the Skeleton Monster below, her words and actions full of excitement.

She wondered if it was just her imagination, but it seemed like there were more and more grand scenes in the Zane Dungeon, with more performance-oriented segments like the sea of skeletons appearing, making it almost irresistible.

It gives the impression of someone who made a fortune by making low-budget films and then started producing big-budget blockbusters.

"Captain, don't get too excited!" Bei Er Tuo and the others were getting ready to run away when they turned around and saw Lu Lu Wo still taking pictures. Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"It's okay, it's okay. I was just about to experience it, wasn't I? They've caught me."

One after another, skeletal hands grabbed Lu Lu Wo and tried to pull her down. These arms were only as strong as those of an ordinary Skeleton Monster, and she could easily break free if she wanted to.

But!

A qualified strategy guide creator must consider all situations!

What if—and she meant what if—being dragged down by these Skeleton Monster unlocked a hidden map or reward? Like the classic trope in novels where someone falls off a cliff and accidentally stumbles upon the hermitage of a wise old master.

With this thought in mind, at the critical moment, she tossed the Image Stone in her hand to Bei Er Tuo and gave him a rather confident smile.

To this, Bei Er Tuo could only shout:

"Captain, you've gone crazy over making strategy guides!"

He watched helplessly as Lu Lu Wo was dragged down. At that moment, the Skeleton Monster had already climbed onto the bridge, forcing Bei Er Tuo and the others to speed up their escape and run towards the tomb on the other side.

When the white skeletons completely submerged the bridge, a violent collapse occurred, and the Skeleton Monster chasing them fell into the Bottomless Abyss along with the broken bridge.

"We're safe for now."

Bei Er Tuo was panting heavily, still not recovered from the thrilling escape.

Looking at the bottomless abyss, he had a look of utter disbelief.

"Team leader."

I wonder how Lu Lu Wo is doing now that she fell in. Could she have been torn apart by the Skeleton Monster?

If she dies here, she'll probably be resurrected at the campfire in Farron Keep, so it shouldn't take long for her to get here again. The only question is how to get across now that the bridge is broken. Never mind, we'll think about other things once she gets here.

"Let's wait here for the captain," he suggested, and the people agreed.

But no matter how long they waited, Ultraman never returned. Or rather, Lu Lu Wo returned.

"No way," Bei Er Tuo had already prepared for the worst. Could it be that Lu Lu Wo hadn't died in the battle against the sea of skeletons?

Regardless of Lu Lu Wo's current situation, they couldn't wait any longer and had no choice but to continue deeper into the tomb without their captain.

Without their captain as their backbone, everyone suddenly lost confidence, and their steps became much lighter. Bei Er Tuo seemed the most reliable, temporarily took over the captain's position and was responsible for directing everyone.

When viewed from the bridge, the Catacombs of Carthus appear very large, but once you cross the bridge and actually enter the interior, you'll find its structure to be quite ingenious.

Just by standing at the entrance, you can tell that the building structure here is a winding and circuitous design, with plenty of classic elements such as forks, dead ends, and hidden paths.

The filthy scene, the dusty ground, the scattered skulls on the ground and the thick cobwebs on the ceiling, plus the cold-colored torches on the walls that occasionally flicker, adding to the psychological pressure, all create an atmosphere of a dead land, a place where the living should not enter.

Some interns were so nervous that they couldn't help but sigh, and cold sweat appeared on their foreheads.

"Don't be afraid. We've seen similar scenes countless times in the Great Tomb. They're just mere corpses."

Before Bei Er Tuo could finish speaking, the skeletal hand on the ground suddenly moved and grabbed the ankle of the intern next to him, causing the latter to let out a scream comparable to that of a mandrake.

This cry had a significant effect; the scattered bones on the ground began to assemble, including not only human bones but also all sorts of strange bones, all chaotically combining to form one hideous monster after another.

That's all.

Bei Er Tuo forcibly suppressed the urge to sigh, and with a shout of "Attack!" he led his men to charge towards the monster.

Fortunately, we brought Holy Water blessed by the Holy Light, which has a special effect against undead creatures.

Bottles of Holy Water were sprinkled on the weapons. Under his command, the Skyrim Strategy Team fought back and forth with the monsters. After a long period of training, even without Lu Lu Wo as their strong support, they performed as Silver Rank team should under normal circumstances.

Therefore, it can maintain its advantage when facing more than a dozen alien skeletons and steadily cut them down with its sword.

Just then, some ordinary skeletons got up from the ground and scratched their heads rather "cutely," seemingly not yet realizing what was happening. When they saw the adventurers charging towards them menacingly, they were startled and turned to run away.

"I'll go after him!" A scout intern immediately volunteered to chase after him. The skeleton was quite agile, and every time he was about to catch up, he was able to pull away.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Bei Er Tuo's eyelids twitched, thinking to himself, isn't this the simplest tactic to lure the enemy deep into our territory?

Where did the team leader find this intern? He's so stupid!

The intern chased the Skeleton Monster around the corner, and then there was no sound.

"Go and find him."

As people ran over, they turned around and saw a long corridor at the corner, with bones shattered into powder on the ground. Where did the interns go?

"Rumble—"

The sound of a huge object rolling came, and everyone retreated based on their senses. They saw a sphere made up of countless skulls rolling rapidly in the corridor. If they were hit by it, they would probably be smashed into mud and dust.

Could the intern have been run over and killed? But there's no red blood on the ground.

Just as Bei Er Tuo had this thought in his mind, the wall next to him suddenly moved.

No, that wasn't the wall moving. Someone had somehow blended into the wall's color to disguise themselves, like a chameleon. It was that runaway intern!

"Mi La- senpai, please help me!"

He suddenly pulled up a thick iron chain net, which blocked the skull ball in front of him. Mi La understood and grabbed the chain, her small size revealing great strength!

"Bang--"

The skeleton ball crashed into the iron chain net, continuing to move forward, sparks flying from the friction between its body and the chain. The intern quickly pulled out a bottle of highly concentrated Holy Light water and splashed it on the skeleton ball, then swiftly delivered several more blows.

After a scream, the Skull Ball vanished into thin air, leaving behind a glowing spot. Picking it up, one found the long-lost [Lure Skull] and the almost daily [Forging Stone].

Bei Er Tuo frowned, not understanding what the intern was up to.

"Senior Bei Er Tuo, how did I do?" The intern was a young man who looked quite young, with a rustic charm on his face.

Characters who yearn for an adventurous life and leave their hometowns usually carry the best sword and amulet in the village, as well as having an optimistic and positive personality.

Looking at the young man's expectant face, Bei Er Tuo thought for a moment before asking, "Are you pretending to be attracted by the Skeleton Monster, but actually trying to trigger the trap ahead of time?"

The intern nodded faster than a chick pecking at rice, so happy that his breathing became heavy; finally, someone understood him.

The traps and mechanisms in the Zane Dungeon have a unique characteristic—they only activate at the optimal moment.

What is the best time? For example, as just now, according to the original settings, the skull ball will only be triggered when the adventurer is attracted into the corridor by the Skeleton Monster, or when the adventurer goes deep into the corridor. If the conditions are not met, this trap will not be activated.

This was both to avoid alerting the enemy and to maximize the surprise brought by the trap, so as to collect the large amount of Spirit Power released by the adventurers at the climax.

It can be said that every design element in the Zane Dungeon is not useless.

The intern in front of him had obviously discovered this characteristic and put it into practice. The moment he chased the Skeleton Monster into the corridor, he immediately ran out and brushed past the skeleton ball!

He guessed right; the skeleton that followed him in the escape trip triggered the trap ahead of time!

Setting up the iron chain net to block the skeleton ball and preparing Holy Water to eliminate the undead were his immediate reactions upon seeing the trap.

This excellent reaction speed

"You're very clever." Bei Er Tuo's gaze softened considerably as he looked at him; such outstanding individuals were truly endearing.

The Skyrim Strategy Team absolutely must recruit this young man!

"What's your name?" Bei Er Tuo pushed up his glasses. To his shame, since he wasn't in charge of the interns' affairs in the group, he didn't know the names of any of the interns present.

"Ta Mi, my name is Ta Mi," the boy said with a bright, sunny smile. "I come from Ta Qi Village, and my dream is to make something of myself!"

Bei Er Tuo smiled, patted the boy on the shoulder, and praised him, "Keep up the good work. Keep using your cleverness, and you'll achieve your dream sooner or later if you follow us."

"Yes!"

Ta Mi shouted energetically, secretly pleased that he had figured out the operating rules of the Zane Dungeon.

It seems I've thoroughly mastered this dungeon. Now it's time to shine! Watch me clear the new area in a single day!

A moment later.

"Where am I?!"

Ta Mi sat alone in the dark, unfamiliar tomb, her gaze vacant.

"What's going on? I was clearly following the pattern."

He had just spotted the fleeing Skeleton Monster again and was about to use the same trick to follow it and trigger the trap in advance when suddenly he found himself here.

Now that I think about it, could it be that I stepped on Teleportation Trap or something? But that doesn't make sense either, my Unique Talent [Danger Perception] didn't react at all, if there was a trap, I should have known in advance.

He was completely baffled, but no matter how he thought about it, it was an undeniable fact that he had now separated from the Skyrim Strategy Team.

"Oh no, now my image in the eyes of my seniors is going to drop!" he yelled in frustration.

Anyone who tries to take advantage of the Sion rule will eventually be taken advantage of in return.

Ta Mi wandered aimlessly through the graveyard, taking each step cautiously, afraid that a terrifying monster might suddenly appear in his face.

Just then, he suddenly kicked something. When he picked it up, he saw that it was an empty bottle with a little bit of medicine still inside.

"It smells like Healing Potion, and it's obviously just been opened." He looked puzzled. "But none of the team members have purchased this type of potion."

This Healing Potion is very concentrated, and while it is effective, it often leaves some aftereffects that require time to heal.

This kind of potion is usually only used by ruthless characters who walk on the edge of life and death and fight for every second, such as mercenaries and assassins.

It can't be that there were strangers who followed us here, right?

A strange feeling arose in Ta Mi's heart. He couldn't help but clutch the Teleportation Crystal in his arms tightly. Feeling that it wasn't safe to keep it in his pocket, he simply swallowed it.

Encountering unknown strangers in the dungeon made him more wary than encountering monsters.

"We must find everyone quickly and tell them about this."

Ta Mi groped his way forward in the dark, relying on his senses, but as he walked, something suddenly blocked his path.

It was a pile of jars that looked like they would break at the slightest touch, which blocked the road. Next to the jars was a stone tablet.

He didn't recognize the characters on the stone tablet, but the illuminated magical runes thoughtfully translated them into understandable language, which he read aloud instinctively.

"A traditional Yugi of the Carthus Citizen: jars containing Carthus Warrior, offensive magic, and treasures, as well as empty jars. The jars within two rings of the jar containing Carthus Warrior will never contain Carthus Warrior, the jars within two rings of the jar containing an offensive magic will always contain treasures, and there are surprises near the treasures."

Ta Mi remained silent for a moment.

"What the hell is this?"