Chapter 603: Soul of Africa
Old Qin was shocked—just being grazed by the flames had cost him a quarter of his health! And that was with his fire-resistant gear equipped!
The group quickly pulled back from the boss, ready to drink from their Elemental Flasks. But just as they pulled out the flasks, the boss leaped high into the air and slammed its greatsword into the ground!
*Bam!* Another player was flattened, their health bar instantly emptied!
At that moment, a player on the boss's flank saw the opening from the sword slam and thought it was a perfect chance for a backstab. But the boss nimbly rolled away, dodging not only the backstab attempt but also several thrown pyromancies.
Wang Laji’s two-handed greatsword swing also missed, forcing him to roll back and create distance.
“Holy crap, this boss is possessed!”
Earlier, with the help of the two red-eyed NPCs, no one had found the boss particularly troublesome. But once it entered its second phase, the Pan Gu system’s AI showed its full brilliance…
The boss would roll after attacks to dodge skills, consciously prevent backstabs, and charge wildly through the crowd with flashy spins and breakdance moves, making everyone’s life a living hell…
Though these were all top-tier players, they frustratingly realized that the experience they relied on was completely useless now.
Normally, after a flashy breakdance combo, the boss would slam the ground—a perfect backstab opportunity that veterans could exploit. But just as Wang Laji and Old Qin waited for that final slam, the boss sheathed its sword…
Not only did this dash their hopes for a backstab, but the boss immediately lunged at a distant player, its greatsword carving a sea of fire across the ground. Two players were instantly incinerated, and three more were critically burned!
“Unbelievable—the boss can change its moves?!”
Many had been waiting on the flanks for a backstab, but who could have predicted the boss would suddenly sheathe its sword and charge? And it chose the optimal path, catching five people in the flames!
“Old Qin, watch out!”
Before Old Qin could react, the boss’s greatsword was already swinging at him. He hastily raised his shield, but the boss’s full breakdance combo hammered into it, draining all his stamina and finishing him off with two extra slashes!
After killing Old Qin, the boss entered a frenzy again!
This time, luck wasn’t on their side. Without the red-eyed NPCs to draw aggro, the boss was like a tiger among sheep. With each player it killed, its frenzy buff stacked higher. Soon, it was one-shotting everyone—there was no room for strategy…
One minute later, total party wipe.
The mood was somber. When had these top players ever suffered like this? Oh, they had—back when *Dark Souls* first came out, when they were still noobs, not masters. But after clearing the game dozens of times, they hadn’t endured this kind of pain in a long while.
Old Qin tried to console them: “Ah, it’s fine. We haven’t had a good challenge in ages. Cheer up—let’s aim to clear this today!”
…
Four hours later.
Gu Sanguang was the last player alive, but the boss still one-shot him. Looking at the boss’s health bar, it was still over half…
Everyone had the illusion that one more try would do it—but that illusion had appeared over a dozen times already…
These veterans had rediscovered the feeling of playing *Dark Souls* for the first time: hard, thrilling, punishing, where one mistake meant death. Yet there was always a glimmer of hope, each failure bringing them a little closer to that light.
But it was just an illusion…
Old Qin cleared his throat: “Let’s call it here for today. Playing VR games too long is bad for the brain. We’ll continue tomorrow…”
The game time was almost up, and everyone was getting fatigued. Once focus slipped, the boss would instantly kill them. Continuing wasn’t worth it.
Better to rest up and resume the raid tomorrow.
Wang Laji crawled out of the game pod and washed his face.
Though it was late, he wasn’t sleepy. After a short rest, he hopped into the VR pod’s relaxation mode to tend to his farm, then felt ready to play again.
“Hmm, what to play?”
Out of habit, Wang Laji opened *Dark Souls* and saw Gu Sanguang was also online—clearly a night owl too.
Wang Laji sent a message: “Want to keep raiding the Death Mode together?”
Gu Sanguang replied quickly: “Nah, too tired. I’ll play Random Mode, then log off.”
“Random Mode? Sure, I’ll give it a try.”
Both started new save files and entered Random Mode.
After a whole night of being tortured in Death Mode, even these old veterans couldn’t take it anymore. Playing Random Mode on normal difficulty was their way of relaxing…
Using his “least similar” method to create another eldritch face, Wang Laji entered the game.
They were still playing *Dark Souls*. Though they’d cleared the prequel, that game was even harder. Tonight was for unwinding, so they set it aside.
Easily clearing the Cemetery of Ash’s minor enemies, Wang Laji picked up the item in front of him: an Ashen Estus Flask.
“Huh? This didn’t get randomized,” Wang Laji said curiously.
Gu Sanguang replied: “Yeah, key items aren’t randomized, or the game would break. If you couldn’t find an Ashen Estus Flask at the start, how would mages even play…”
They chatted while fighting, relaxing a bit.
Soon, Wang Laji reached the first item. He spun around a few times, silently praying for a good drop.
“Please let me escape the curse of bad luck! Give me a greatsword! Or an Exile Greatsword!”
Wang Laji picked up the item.
Dung Pie!
Wang Laji: “… Screw you! What’s with giving me a dung pie?!”
He was speechless. The very first item was a dung pie—could this game even be played?
It seemed Random Mode really depended on luck. This mode was way too unfriendly to unlucky players!
Wang Laji asked: “Hey, Sanguang, what did you get?”
Gu Sanguang: “Oh, a Covetous Gold Serpent Ring.”
Wang Laji: “…???”
Was this the difference between a lucky player and an unlucky one?!
Wang Laji refused to accept it. After reaching the first bonfire, another pickup appeared ahead.
He leaped onto a coffin and spun around.
“I have a feeling—this time it’ll be good! A greatsword!”
Wang Laji picked it up.
Fading Soul!
Wang Laji: “… Fine, better than a dung pie. Hey, Sanguang, what did you get this time?”
Gu Sanguang: “Oh, the Soul of Pontiff Sulyvahn.”
Wang Laji: “… You keep playing. I’m logging off.”
Genius remembers this site address in one second: