Like clearing the clouds and seeing the blue sky.
"Is there something wrong with how we're playing this game?" Wang Han asked, her face black, turning to Zhang Yi beside her.
"This game... isn't right!"
Zhang Yi shrugged helplessly. "I don't know either!"
After a long pause, Zhang Yi finally managed a response. How would he know?
Watching Wang Han get brutally defeated by Ash Guda was somewhat satisfying. However, Zhang Yi couldn't ignore the unsettling feeling that he wouldn't fare much better. The earlier encounter with the crystal lizard made it clear—this Ashes Guda felt like it was on the same difficulty level, if not worse!
"And what's the deal with this burial item? It turns into a stone pier and then disappears?!" Wang Han exclaimed, exasperated.
Having relinquished control to Zhang Yi after her demise, she could only watch as he used the branch she had carefully chosen at the start. Yet the result was far from her expectations.
In her imagination, the branch was supposed to be linked to shapeshifting. And based on Dark Souls being labeled as a dark fantasy story, she expected the game to include creatures like elves, dwarves, dragons, or goblins. Naturally, the branch should have transformed her into an ancient elf, maxing out all attributes and skills.
The reality, however, was cruel. Instead of a majestic transformation, it simply turned into a stone mound—and reverted back with the first attack.
The gap between her ideal and reality was simply too vast!
After being resurrected at the bonfire, it was Zhang Yi's turn to control the character 123. However, as soon as he began, a glaring issue became apparent.
"Why are all the little monsters on this road alive again?" Zhang Yi blurted out in shock, staring at the resurrected enemies ahead.
Initially, he thought the bonfire was merely a save point—a place to reload after death. But clearly, that wasn't the case. Resting at the bonfire revived all the mobs along the way.
Although he hadn't played the game extensively, Zhang Yi could feel the challenge escalating.
From the first bonfire to the boss room of Ash Judge Guda, the path wasn't particularly long or complicated. However, this was just the beginning of the game! If this mechanic persisted later in the game, and he died somewhere along the way without lighting the next bonfire, he'd have to retrace his steps every single time.
Unintentionally, Zhang Yi stumbled upon a harsh truth about the game. Even though he was surprised, he didn't dwell on it for long, assuming it was merely part of the difficult design.
At present, Zhang Yi's primary challenge was the boss, Guda, Judge of Ashes.
When it was his turn to take control, he didn't immediately rush into the boss fight.
After walking around the Ash Graveyard and confirming there was no alternate route, one conclusion became clear.
This Ash Judge Gouda was the BOSS of Novice Village!
"Isn't the earlier advice about using the shield? I remember the real demo shown by Chen Xu at the online press conference—it said the shield could block the boss, letting you counterattack for heavy damage!" Wang Han, standing nearby, offered some advice.
"But... my shield doesn't seem to work like that!" With a glance at the broken wooden shield in hand, Zhang Yi unfastened a button on the shirt he wore in the game. Before him, the shirtless 123 charged forward wielding a small wooden shield.
As for performing a counterattack with bare hands, there was no hint about it in the system's guidance. Zhang Yi clearly didn't understand this at the moment.
Then again, perhaps understanding wouldn't have made much difference.
"I'm going to give it another shot. It seems dual wielding boosts attack power." Zhang Yi inspected the chicken leg and broken wooden shield in hand, deciding to take on the challenge again.
Carefully eliminating the corpses that blocked the way, the path eventually led back to the BOSS. By now, the stone gate ahead was shrouded in a dense, white fog.
Upon approaching, the game character stepped into the fog, and on the other side, Ash Judge Gouda was no longer a stone statue. Gouda now paced left and right, gripping a menacing halberd.
On the ground nearby, red bloodstains hinted at the fate of other players. Beside those stains, green traces shimmered—the souls of those fallen in battle.
"Come on, let's have an upright duel!" Zhang Yi switched to dual wield mode, releasing a battle cry. An extra weapon appeared beneath the status bar in the top-left corner of the screen, accompanied by a glowing plus sign—proof of increased attack power.
After disengaging from dual wielding, Zhang Yi charged forward with resolve.
"This general is skilled with the halberd!"
"I'll drink a Health flask! Sneak attack? Guess I'm not playing fair!"
"With This broken wooden shield! One strike and my energy bar is completely drained! What's so special about having superior weapons? Coward! Drop your weapons, and let's fight with bare hands!"
The room filled with Zhang Yi's frustrated yet determined shouts.
A minute later, the screen once again displayed the all-too-familiar scene: three glaring words confirming yet another defeat.
Zhang Yi's face grew solemn as determination set in.
"This game... it's so difficult!" Wang Han exclaimed, looking at Ash Judge Guda, who had only lost about a quarter of his health. He sighed heavily.
Hearing this, Zhang Yi nodded in agreement, almost instinctively.
"How can Ash Judge Guda be so strong? It's like Lu Bu reincarnation—who could possibly beat this? Is Neon Games messing with us? Did they mess up the numerical design?" Zhang Yi muttered, his voice tinged with lingering fear.
This Dark Souls game was a real slap in the face—a massive one.
"I've never played a game like this before," he admitted. "It's just too difficult!"
Wang Han pondered for a moment before offering her thoughts. "It shouldn't be a mistake. A large-scale game like this has to go through testing before going live. Something like this wouldn't happen randomly. And didn't they showcase a demo at the press conference? I think shield reaction might be a critical skill in this game. If executed successfully, it could deal significant damage in one go."
Zhang Yi, who had just gotten up from his stool to stretch, froze in place when he heard Wang Han's words. Suddenly, a spark of realization lit up his mind, as if a flash of lightning had dispelled the darkness shrouding his understanding.
"I get it! I get it now!" Zhang Yi exclaimed, his voice brimming with excitement, like a student solving a tricky math problem for the first time.
"Remember the character they showcased at the press conference? A knight! A knight with a shield, sword, and armor! This isn't just about the profession—it's a deliberate design in Dark Souls! The difficulty is integrated with the profession."
Zhang Yi's voice grew even more animated. "Think about it—why can't the useless person's wooden shield block properly? It's to crank up the difficulty for the player, forcing them to rely on dodging and rolling to defeat Ash Judge Guda. Meanwhile, the knight's gear makes things noticeably easier!"
Wang Han fell silent, thinking over Zhang Yi's theory. The more he considered it, the more it made sense.
"Let's create a new save file, then?" Wang Han asked.
"Of course!" Zhang Yi's excitement was palpable, his eyes gleaming with pride, as though he had just unlocked the mysteries of the universe.
As an experienced gamer, Zhang Yi's instincts were sharp.
That being said...
While the thought process was spot-on, the conclusion might not be entirely accurate.