Screeeech—
Screeeech—
Gulp—
Gulp—
The moment the coiled sword was pulled out, the mass of dark matter that had gathered behind Guda rapidly flowed into his body.
"ROOOAR!"
Freed from the restraint of the coiled sword, Guda staggered to his feet. He let out a roar, picked up the halberd stuck in the ground, and slowly turned his head.
"Whoa, what did I just summon?"
Sister Zhou leaned in curiously, muttering, "So big... but why are you roaring so loudly!"
"You shattered my headphones!"
Guda was too busy merging with the dark matter to pay attention to Sister Zhou.
She, however, was getting bolder, moving closer and showing off, "See, guys, this guy isn't—"
*Crunch!*
The sound of flesh being pierced by a halberd echoed. Sister Zhou’s controlled ash was lifted onto the tip of Guda's halberd.
It hung there, dangling.
In the light of the nearby bonfire, one might mistake Guda for a chef roasting chicken wings.
Then, Guda tossed Sister Zhou aside like trash.
[You have died]
'Keep shouting, keep shouting!'
'This is just the beginning, and Guda is already this brutal...'
'Sister Zhou is going to have a rough time later.'
'Forgive me for being presumptuous, but I don't think Sister Zhou will make it to later.'
...
The barrage of comments livened up as Sister Zhou died in various spectacular ways.
People had seen lively players before, but never someone as daring as Sister Zhou, provoking the "Old Thief" while under his gaze.
Everyone knew the Old Thief was the grim reaper of the streaming world.
Wherever he appeared, streamers were bound to suffer.
Those he watched would inevitably break down and quit.
"Damn it, I don't believe it!"
"Can't I, with infinite lives, take down just one Guda?"
Resurrected by the bonfire, Sister Zhou, gritting her teeth, advanced towards Guda again.
"Keep going, keep going!"
She pointed her sword at Guda, "Keep fighting me!"
"I don't believe you can skewer me with your halberd again!"
*BAM!*
Guda slammed down his halberd, shaking the very ground.
*Crackle crackle!*
Sister Zhou mashed buttons frantically.
The ash rolled desperately, narrowly dodging the fatal blow, but still lost a quarter of its health from the splash damage of sand and debris.
She dodged successfully, but not completely.
In reality, Sister Zhou was even more exaggerated. If her chair hadn't been stuck to the leg of her desk, she feared she would have contorted herself right off the screen.
Whether it was the intense immersion of the game or the overwhelming pressure from Guda, her body uncontrollably swayed with the game's actions. It felt like watching primary schoolers play a zombie survival mode in an internet cafe, dodging zombies.
But this didn't stop Sister Zhou from feeling triumphant.
Being able to withstand an attack was progress.
Who cared about image management?
'Look at how you're twisting, I didn't play games like this in second grade!'
'I pressed all the keys, yet you still one-shot me [doge]'
'As we all know, Dark Souls is a motion-controlled game.'
...
The viewers' eyes were sharp, and they immediately noticed Sister Zhou's unusual behavior.
This woman didn't play games like this before.
"Can't hit me, can't hit me."
Sister Zhou paid no mind to these details. She was deeply immersed now, pointing arrogantly at Guda's head.
She truly had no fear of death!
Or perhaps she was simply accustomed to dying.
Thanks to the trials from previous masochistic games, most players could now tolerate dying dozens of times in a game.
Resurrecting was as common as eating.
This was also in line with Lu Li's expectations.
As the "masochistic" genre gained popularity, it would gradually hone a group of highly skilled players with exceptional talent.
They would challenge all sorts of high-difficulty games, and then he could unleash his truly "perverted" games without any reservations.
*Thump thump thump!*
Guda, holding his halberd with one hand, charged towards Sister Zhou like a majestic general.
As he reached his attack range, he raised his hand and swept horizontally.
The 40-meter-long halberd was wielded with incredible power in his hands.
Sister Zhou had no time to react as the halberd, carrying a gust of wind, smashed into her waist.
*Crunch!*
[You have died]
Guda's opening sequence of one strike, one slam, one sweep, and one stab, his "welcome gifts," dealt nearly half the health with any touch.
He gave Sister Zhou no chance to react.
"Continue."
Sister Zhou's smile faded. After resurrecting, she immediately rolled, dodging the heavy halberd slam, and quickly circled behind Guda.
Being a step ahead would give her a moment to drink her fruit juice and recover her full health.
Unlike before, she wouldn't be so helpless, unable to fight back.
Memorization!
Memorization!
And—
"Is this really the guardian boss of the新手村 (newbie village)?"
"Then what were those monsters that appeared in the CG?"
"Can I still get a refund?"
"Aren't you afraid of a mass refund wave from players with such a 'refund brother' at the start, Old Thief?"
Despite the complaints, the battle had to continue.
"Charge, charge, charge!!"
Sister Zhou controlled her ash and launched a fearless charge at Guda.
Blue Star players, if nothing else, could be counted on for one thing.
As long as you dared to show your health bar, they would slay gods for you!
Besides, this was just a slightly more agile big guy.
No fear!
No fear!
I'm really not afraid!
I'm really— I'll fight you to the death!!!
Sister Zhou, who had been trying to mentally hypnotize herself, completely lost it after Guda split her in two with his halberd!
After resurrecting, she charged at Guda recklessly, circling behind him and hacking away in a frenzy.
But with no damage reduction or stun, and the boss having such thick HP, how could a fragile character like her succeed with such a trade-off?
After dying repeatedly more than ten times, she finally calmed down.
'Sister Zhou, have you forgotten the shield parry?'
Glancing at the comments, they were all reminding her to parry the boss with her shield.
She was so bad that even the audience couldn't stand it!
"That's right!"
"How could I forget everything in my excitement seeing Guda!"
Sister Zhou slapped her forehead, finally remembering the [Parry] that was emphasized in both the promotional CG and the opening tutorial.
For bosses with high HP and defense like this, you first needed to stagger them to deal significant damage.
Otherwise, a direct confrontation relied on perfect evasion through nimble movement and slowly wearing them down.
Sister Zhou had tried it, and she wasn't cut out for direct confrontations.
She could only pick up the forgotten shield parry.
*Clang!*
"Huh?!"
When the heavy halberd was blocked by the triangle shield, Sister Zhou's eyes lit up instantly.
There was hope!