Zane's Pig-Raising Strategy

"Malu, can you stop jumping? It's making me dizzy."

Leon looked helplessly at the petite figure jumping around in front of him and covered his forehead in exasperation.

"Hey, jump! Chop! Jump! Chop!"

Malu laughed happily and jumped into the sky. The Mercenary Twinblades in her hand danced like a butterfly, and she killed the Crow People in front of her in an instant.

Before the Crow People died, a strange phenomenon occurred: the wound he was slashed suddenly gushed blood in large quantities, covering Malu's entire body.

Then, completely soaked in blood, she laughed and went on to slay other Crow People. Before dying, the Crow People would let out a mournful wail, giving the feeling of suddenly being transported to the set of Yharnam.

"I think Malu's mental state is worrying." Te Er shook Delu's shoulder with considerable concern. "Why don't you go and cast a Tranquilizing Spell on her?"

Delu looked at his two short legs, his lips twitched, and said:

"I can't catch up."

The moment Malu received the Mercenary Twinblades, two ways of using them came to mind.

One method involves rapidly slashing with dual swords, using one's agility to quickly create numerous wounds while dodging enemies.

One method is to jump up and then chop down. This chop is not a straight strike, but requires a certain level of skill.

The two combat techniques that suddenly appeared in her mind were like the scene of the giant wolf Sif wielding a sword appearing in the mind of the Farron Guard who inherited the Wolf's Blood. She could actively learn to release them herself, or she could choose to let her body be driven by the weapon, which was similar to the principle of using the Weapon Skill attached to the weapon.

But entrusting her body to weapons always felt unsafe, so she decided to learn how to use dual swords little by little through actual combat.

The question is, since the Mercenary's Dual Blades are clearly weapons from Dark Souls III, why does it have a jumping attack technique?

Because, while the undead may not have knees, adventurers do!

Malu had previously obtained the Corpse Peeling Curved Sword, but at the time, she didn't have any thoughts about jumping slash techniques, so this time she received it as well.

A dungeon that gets patched anytime, anywhere, isn't that amazing?

"Malu, calm down!"

Leon and the others quickly ran to catch up with Malu, who was having a great time. Before they knew it, they had run down into a dilapidated building. After passing through the building, another name appeared in front of them.

[The Impaled Corpse Forest]

"Boss, we have a new enemy!"

Following the direction of Malu's voice, everyone looked and saw a wide forest in front of them. Wandering in the forest were undead holding thick, sharp wooden Living Dead. No, they were just sharpened sticks, so crude that they couldn't even be called spears.

The Living Dead walked with a swaying gait, carrying heavy wooden sticks, appearing as if they might fall to the ground at any moment, looking extremely weak.

Looking around, the forest was teeming with these kinds of monsters, densely packed together, some even accompanied by hunting dogs.

However, given their harmless appearance, even their sheer number couldn't intimidate Leon and his group; instead, they gave off a feeling of:

You can mow down the grass and have a blast!

That's what Malu thinks, and that's what she's doing right now.

She charged toward a small group of Living Dead wooden sticks, taking down the most agile hound first, and then practiced jumping attacks on the Living Dead.

How should I put it? Although the normal attack is also very powerful and satisfying, the jump attack is even more satisfying, giving you the feeling of flying high into the air.

This weapon seems to have been made for an assassin like her who emphasizes physical agility!

Just as she was engrossed in her leaping attack, the Living Dead behind her raised a sharp wooden stick at her.

"Malu, behind you!"

"I see, boss, you don't need to worry about it, I can handle these things myself."

As the Living Dead charged at her with a wooden stick, Malu ducked to dodge it, then swiftly severed the Living Dead's kneecap. As it fell to the ground, she plunged her knife into its head and blew the blood off the blade.

That combo was really cool.

It was at this moment that Malu discovered that the nearby Living Dead had surrounded her and were charging at her like Train King, wielding wooden sticks.

Do you think I don't have knees?

She leaped high into the air, causing the Living Dead's attacks to miss. She spun around and hurled the pair of swords, smashing the heads of two Living Dead. Then, with a flick of her wrist, the swords returned to her hand. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the hilts were wrapped with magical threads, connecting perfectly to her fingers.

Just as Malu showing off her skills, Leon saw a Living Dead charging towards him with a wooden stick. After thinking for a moment, he raised his shield towards the zombie.

I thought it was just a simple test of the other party's strength, but...

"Uh-huh?"

Leon suddenly couldn't stop himself from backing away, a look of surprise on his face.

The strength of these Living Dead was unexpectedly strong; when they charged at us wielding wooden sticks, they were like tanks!

If it were a lower-quality shield, it would probably have been pierced by now.

"Te Er, give me a hand."

Te Er punched the Living Dead away, and only then did Leon lower his shield. If he hadn't raised his shield to defend himself, he would have suffered considerable damage. These unassuming Living Dead were able to unleash tremendous power in an instant.

Sion's monsters are all formidable.

After realizing the power of the wooden stick Living Dead, Malu's behavior naturally became dancing on the edge of a knife in his eyes. He quickly rushed over to deal with the Living Dead and gave Malu a good lecture, which finally calmed down her crazy heart that was obsessed with jumping and chopping.

"The water in the Impaled Corpse Forest is surprisingly not poisonous."

When they discovered that the water in the Impaled Corpse Forest was actually non-toxic, everyone felt as if they were in a dream.

Oh my god, the pool in Sain is no longer poisonous! Have we stumbled into an illusion?

Continuing onward, they encountered familiar enemies—weren's men tied to wooden stakes, who were the ones who had failed the Wolf Blood Trial. Compared to the wooden stick Living Dead, the berserk werewolves, with their fast and ruthless attacks, were indeed more threatening. After defeating these enemies, Leon and the others discovered that they seemed to only drop Poison Purple Moss Ball and Green Blossom.

Even with the [Overlord Finger Bone] boosting their "luck," the rare items they ultimately obtained were nothing more than larger and more powerful Green Blossom.

In the Impaled Corpse Forest, they also encountered a rather classic Sion-style design.

A werewolf tied to a wooden stake was howling wildly, with a bright spot of light in front of it, which looked like it was tempting people to kill this defenseless werewolf.

But if they actually did that, the three werewolves hiding behind the broken wooden stakes would be laughing.

When Leon saw this design, he immediately laughed and said:

"It feels like seeing myself when I first entered the Zane Dungeon."

They seemed to see their "childhood" beckoning to them. In order to recall the feeling of the past, Leon even took the initiative to walk over and trigger the trap, experiencing his youthful days once again.

Then there were familiar things again: a family of big and little crabs.

"Why are these things everywhere?"

Seeing the Crab Sunlight King again left people speechless, feeling a sense of aesthetic fatigue.

"I'll give it a try."

Unfortunately, a giant crab was blocking people's way, so they had to deal with it. Malu volunteered to go and challenge it, since the giant crab's continuous swinging and slamming of its pincers was quite threatening, and she was fast enough to dodge it.

"Ta-da!"

A burst of sparks and lightning flashed, Malu glanced at the Mercenary Twinblades, then at the crab's shell that had just been cleaved open, giving him an expression that seemed to say, "Are you kidding me?"

Her unstoppable leaping slash against the Mercenary Twinblades met its match!

"Damn it, is it still too much for an armored enemy?"

She used her high mobility to maneuver around the giant crab's edge, striking whenever she had the chance, and was able to take down the monster, but—

"Ghrū!"

The giant crab suddenly burrowed into the ground and disappeared.

"They escaped?"

Malu calmed herself down and sensed her surroundings, but didn't hear any movement coming from underground. She was about to walk towards Leon and the others.

Suddenly, a pair of large pincers emerged from beneath her feet and clamped down on her!

"I knew you were going to ambush me!"

Malu, who was already on guard, kicked the pincers and used the momentum to jump onto the rock wall next to her. She was about to make a face and spit at the other party when she suddenly felt a vibration coming from below.

Turning my head, I met the gaze of two big, round, dark eyes.

"Ah, hello."

Malu's eyelids twitched, because beneath her feet was a second large crab that had blended into its surroundings to disguise itself!

That's incredibly cunning of Sion!

"Boss, save me!"

As the giant crab beneath her began to struggle, and the giant crab opposite her summoned a swarm of smaller crabs that charged straight at her, Malu couldn't help but let out a mournful cry.

"Leon, do you need help?" Delu asked, feeling sorry for Malu who was being chased and jumping around.

"Let her be taught a lesson a little longer," Leon said firmly.

"Malu has been too arrogant lately; we need to teach her a lesson."

In the end, he still made his move, before Malu was shoved into the mud and killed by the giant crab.

"I'm going to eat a ton of crabs when I get back this time!"

Her shouts attracted the crabs again.

Further in, Te Er encountered a monster that he would never forget.

"Ah!"

Big Te Er let out a girlish shriek, darted behind Leon, and pointed ahead, saying, "There, there!"

Leon immediately tensed up upon seeing this, and Malu beside him couldn't help but shout:

"Mushroom Man!"

In the layered forest, the figures of a group of Mushroom Man could be seen appearing and disappearing.

The scene of Te Er being punched in the head by the Mushroom Man in the Great Hollow is still vivid in my mind. Even now, after the entire Strategy Team has leveled up, they still have awe for this seemingly adorable but actually boxing champion Mushroom Man.

Even though they vaguely saw purple lights among the Mushroom Man, they ultimately chose to take a detour, not daring to confront the Mushroom Man head-on.

However, in reality, they were just the corpses of a group of Mushroom Man.

This time, the Strategy Team scared themselves.

The number of werewolves gradually decreased, and wooden stick Living Dead were everywhere. Soon after Leon and his companions encountered a group of magicians wearing Big Hat. Magicians gathered together could be a troublesome force.

"Why do I feel like I've seen these magicians' moves before?"

The way the Big Hat mages launched the [Soul Arrow] spell was exactly the same as the [Glintstone Pebble] spell launched by the Raya Lucarian Magician; it was as if it were the same spell with different effects!

Reusing materials, isn't that amazing?

Of course, this statement was mostly a joke, since the two types of magic are fundamentally different.

After a hail of bullets from the magicians wearing Big Hat, they finally managed to take him down. The scene had changed from a forest to dilapidated ancient buildings, as if they had entered the depths of the forest.

Given that Gong Qiying has drastically modified the map, it is no longer possible to determine their current location based on the original Yugi map.

But after walking a little further, they found a secluded corner with several bookshelves filled with countless scrolls. There were also unfinished scrolls on the desk, as if someone had been there not long ago.

Looking at the densely packed scrolls, Leon suddenly felt an urge to roll around on them; it would surely be very stress-relieving.

"There are books here."

Malu picked up a shimmering item.

Notebook of Orbeck of Vinheim

[A notebook left behind by a magician from Vinheim, containing some of his magical knowledge. The handwriting is completely illegible, but if it is illuminated by Magical Radiance, it may allow the wearer to learn magic from him.]

This item can only be used in Lake Liurnia.

This seems to be the first time adventurers have discovered an item that links two different areas.

"Leon, don't you have this feeling?" Delu suddenly said, "This newly appeared area is like it was created to take care of newcomers."

Hearing him say this, Leon immediately agreed and said:

"The Road of Sacrifices yields decent weapons like the Mercenary Twinblades. Killing Crow People and people carrying cages gives you a chance to get Forging Stone to upgrade your weapons. Living Dead with wooden sticks drop small pieces of souls, which can help people upgrade themselves or their weapons. Werewolves have antidote Moss Ball and Green Blossom, which are perfect for countering the poison pools and slowing effects of Farron Keep. I don't understand what those giant crabs are for. Maybe they're for future rehearsals for entering Lake Liurnia?"

"The monsters here are quite challenging; a moment of carelessness can lead to death. However, if you are careful enough and have a bit of luck, you can get excellent training."

"The new area is a great place for newcomers to train, much better than the current Farron Keep."

This place seems to be a place where newcomers who are not strong enough to challenge the Farron Keep can quickly improve their strength!

That's right, this is the pig farming strategy of the Zane Dungeon.

Farron Keep is too difficult to get into as a beginner map, so you need the Road of Sacrifices. This is where you can quickly level up an ordinary person to level 10 or even 20. After level 20, the souls provided here are not enough, and you have to explore other areas of Sein.

So, what can an adventurer with only level 20 do in other areas? The answer is self-evident.

The "Road of Sacrifices" map, designed for beginners, can give adventurers the illusion that "I can clear the dungeon if I work hard enough." They can easily recoup the Spirit Power resources invested in them in the early stages of the dungeon by dying a few days in other areas, and then it's all about earning Spirit Power.

Even if some people run away after leveling up, it doesn't matter. I believe most people will never forget the exhilarating feeling of quickly increasing their strength at the campfire. This thing truly enhances one's own power, and it's even more addictive than ice.

Can someone who has experienced leveling up really settle down and slowly train themselves?

Given that most people can't even resist smoking and drinking, it's unlikely that many would refuse to stay in the Zane Dungeon.

While the new area is a boon for newbies, it's a bit boring for veteran adventurers like Leon, lacking enough exciting elements. Perhaps it would be more entertaining for true beginners to explore.

Old people like them, who can come up with eighteen different ways to ambush someone just by looking at a bush, should just stick to challenging the higher-level bosses and not make a fool of themselves.

The moment Leon had this thought, he saw a dark figure standing straight in the distance.

[Black Knight], Black Knight with a strength rating of C+.

Okay, I take back what I just said. There's still some excitement here!

The group chose to quietly bypass the Black Knight, not even picking up the purple light spot behind him.

But the Black Knight from before seemed like a joke by Sion, and the rest of the journey was filled with ordinary monsters, so people gradually relaxed.

Finally, in a dilapidated building, they encountered two humanoid enemies guarding the gate.

[Exile], [Cleric Exile]

Both of these enemies were Farron Guard.

The Exile wore cool-looking armor and exuded a murderous aura. The Exile Greatsword slung over his shoulder gleamed coldly, making it clear that he was no ordinary person.

The design of the Cleric Exile is even more avant-garde; compared to the original work, Gong Qiying made some modifications to it.

It's really just a change of weapon and heavy armor. The original Cleric Exile wielded a big club, but here, it's been changed to a giant chicken leg from Drangleic —the [Smelter Hammer].

After noticing the adventurer, the Cleric Exile rubbed some lightning grease on his Smelter Hammer, and the giant chicken leg turned into a golden giant chicken leg.

People were terrified just looking at that thick, huge thing.

"The enemies ahead aren't too strong, except for the Black Knight," Malu said. "They look intimidating, but they can't be that strong, right?"

"Better safe than sorry," Leon warned, and everyone drew their weapons.

As Delu was casting Buff Magic on everyone, two Exile rushed over. Leon single-handedly stopped the Exile, while Te Er and Malu went to stop the priests.

"A guy carrying heavy weapons must be a slow, clumsy fellow."

Malu took the lead, unleashing a leaping slash at the priest, shouting, "I'm not afraid of you!"

"Ta-da!"

Sparks flew, and her palm stung from the recoil. Looking again, she saw that the Mercenary Twinblades had only left a few marks on the opponent's heavy armor, probably not even causing any real damage!

Heavy armor enemies are the nemesis of agile weapons.

"Tsk, it's useless after all."

Malu watched as the golden chicken leg hurtled towards her, then showed off her skills, narrowly dodging the attack by just a few centimeters, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

"Thump!!!"

The unprecedented roar froze her smile on her face, the strong wind whipped her hair wildly, and a large section of the ground beside her instantly caved in!

"Huh?"

Malu's expression suddenly froze, and she looked shakily at the person beside her.

The Smelter Hammer was driven deep into the ground, and when it was pulled out, it brought up a series of broken stones, as if one could hear the lament of Earth Mother.

In that instant, a multitude of thoughts raced through her mind, from the Big Bang to what to have for dinner tonight—it was like a revolving lantern.

If she hadn't dodged and had been hit,

Maybe I'll become shorter than Delu the dwarf?

"That, that one."

Like a timid kitten, she backed away while saying, "Looks like you're in good health."

The Cleric Exile completely ignored her appearance and picked up the Smelter Hammer to smash her down again.

Malu took off running, shouting:

"If you have such power, why are you guarding the gate here?!"

Upon hearing this, the Cleric Exile, as if showing off, pulled out another Smelter Hammer from the nearby bushes.

Wielding two giant chicken drumsticks, he's the epitome of truth today!

"You're wearing heavy armor and wielding two giant hammers, are you really going to be able to run?!"