Chapter 545: The Suffering Streamers
Lin Xue chuckled and said, "Alright, the boss will enter its second phase soon. At this point, we need to make good use of the firebombs in our inventory. Keep your distance and just spam firebombs. A lot of streamers will tell you to parry this boss, but honestly, you don't need to. If you mess up a parry, you're basically dead in three hits. So if you're not that skilled, you can totally play it like I do."
Millions of viewers watched helplessly as Lin Xue held up her shield the entire time, slowly whittling Gundyr down to death hit by hit. After entering the second phase, she threw all her firebombs, and soon Gundyr fell. She still had one Estus Flask left, and her health was in pretty good shape.
"See? Isn't this game super easy? I told you, you gotta use your brain to play games!"
The viewers were stunned: "Holy crap, there's a way to play this game like that?"
"Seriously, it feels like this game isn't hard at all for Xue. There's no complicated moves, no parrying—just slowly grinding the boss down!"
"Awesome, awesome. This is what a genius looks like. No wonder she graduated from a top university—she's got a method!"
"Is this how top students play games? I've learned something!"
Lin Xue's stream of *Dark Souls* quickly attracted a huge audience. These viewers had come expecting to see her suffer, but instead found her playing smoothly!
She beat Gundyr on the first try, and even the High Wall of Lothric didn't give her much trouble. She simply avoided enemies she couldn't handle and played it super safe, luring every single mob one by one.
Soon, she reached the second boss, the Vordt of the Boreal Valley, and beat it too!
The players were instantly shocked—maybe the game really wasn't that hard!
Lin Xue was secretly delighted. When she had tried the game at the experience store, she had been brutally tortured too. But that actually led her to find an alternative path: playing it cowardly to survive...
Lin Xue fully embraced her top-student nature. She memorized all the mob placements and collectible items along the way, then started a fresh playthrough during her stream. She finally showcased her academic prowess and captivated the audience.
The viewers were amazed to realize that Lin Xue was actually really good at this game!
Sure, she played extremely cautiously and it wasn't flashy to watch, but the key was stability. Anyone who had played *Dark Souls* knew how important stability was. In this game, if you died, you respawned at the bonfire, which meant all the mobs respawned too, and you had to fight them all over again.
In other words, dying meant starting from scratch. Without skill, relying on luck or brute force wouldn't get you anywhere.
Lin Xue's playstyle, though it looked super cowardly and unexciting, was incredibly safe. She advanced step by step, conserving her health as much as possible.
Lin Xue explained, "I call this strategy Lin Xue's Turtle Style! For this approach, I recommend leveling up health, endurance, and stamina. For strength, just enough to wield a greatshield."
"As for weapons, do I even need to say it? Left hand greatshield, right hand straight sword. Anyone who uses a greatshield will tell you it's great! So many people don't have the skill but still insist on starting as a Deprived, or even strip off all their gear to show off. Do you know how fragile you become when you take off your armor?"
"Look at me—I put more points into endurance, wear good armor, and just hold up a medium shield. Don't even think about parrying. Take it one step at a time, lure the mobs, and the game isn't that hard, right?"
"Uh... a lot of people ask me why I'm so experienced... *cough* If you've died in the same spot a few times, you'll remember where all the enemies are."
However, as the game progressed, Lin Xue soon reached some more annoying areas, like the Farron Keep and the Catacombs of Carthus. Despite being extremely cautious, she still got wrecked by various monsters.
But Lin Xue didn't get discouraged. She carefully noted the spawn patterns and placements of these mobs, then slowly prepared the right items and tools to push through methodically.
...
Lin Xue had a flash of inspiration and tapped into her top-student traits, but other streamers weren't so lucky.
Whether they were new to the game or had been playing for a while, they all got brutally tortured by the endless tricks the game threw at them...
**High Wall of Lothric.**
"Hey, holy crap! This chest actually eats people! Oh man, I'm dead!"
"Damn, this doesn't look good. This knight is way too strong! Crap, he's gonna chop me to death. How is this guy tougher than Gundyr?"
"Hey, there are some harmless-looking mobs over here. Holy crap, why did that one suddenly go berserk? What the hell is that black serpent thing? Are you a mini Gundyr? Damn it, I'm dead! This thing does more damage than Gundyr!"
"What the hell is up with this dragon? It keeps breathing fire, I can't beat it! Oh no, I'm gonna get burned to death!"
"Seriously? I have to defeat two knights just to get the quest item here? How am I supposed to do that?!"
"What the heck is this little fat guy with wings? Help!!"
**Undead Settlement.**
"Whoa, what's up with this big guy carrying a pot? Damn, he's gonna kill me. You... are you playing 'Smash the Pot' with me?!"
"Wow, this fat lady looks super dangerous. She's hugging me!! Oh no, I'm getting burned to death."
"Whoa, the pot guy threw away his pot and pulled out a giant saw blade to chop me! Oh my god!"
"What's with this giant rat in the sewer? Crap, I'm gonna get bitten to death!"
"Why am I getting shot to pieces just walking here? Where are these giant arrows coming from? I can't get through this area!"
"This place is a ghost village! What 'Undead Settlement'? This is way too hospitable, damn it!!"
**Farron Keep.**
"Oh my god, what the hell is this sludgy stuff on the ground? Is this a cesspool? I can barely move in it! Damn, I have to roll to get through. This is disgusting!"
"Rolling around in a cesspool... I think I'm gonna puke..."
"Holy crap, what is this monster? Damn, it's giving me a shampoo! I'm dead..."
"Nope, I gotta avoid this Thai-style shampoo guy. Oh my god, this giant monster is carrying a whole tree. He looks like trouble. Should I... should I just run away?"
[Reminder: Your output must contain ZERO Chinese characters. Translate or transliterate everything.]