Linde led his soldiers in completing the mission to wipe out the Ghouls. The few players who died respawned quickly and volunteered to act as scouts, heading into the Ghoul nest to scavenge.
Corpses, bones, tattered clothing.
No food. Ghouls eat any kind of meat, but they don't have the concept of stockpiling.
"Shouldn't spawn a Calamity Shadow," Linde said after checking around, breathing a sigh of relief.
Ghouls are monsters that appeared after the shattering of the Magic Circle, but ordinary corpses can also change, becoming Shadow monsters if "brought back to life" by Calamity energy.
Not to mention that Calamities are constantly reborn after being killed, practically endless.
However, it wasn't a complete loss, because there were a lot of equipment and weapons inside.
These all belonged to Star Dragon Outpost. The players originally had some ideas, but upon receiving a quest from Lord Linde, they immediately transformed into sworn knights. They wouldn't take a single needle or thread. They had to transport all the weapons and equipment back.
It wasn't that the players were succumbing to the power of physics - getting your butt kicked and surrendering are two different things. They could just delete their characters and quit.
It was that they were drooling over the skills and power Linde was using.
Linde cut open the Ghoul Queen's stomach. Inside was a mostly digested human arm, devoid of skin and with most of the muscle dissolved.
He cut open her chest. Still nothing.
He cut open her head. Still empty.
"Could it be that Miss Miko was lying to me?" Linde thought of the rabbit-eared witch. Although she was greedy, there was no reason for her to deceive him.
His gaze landed on the arm that had held the broken sword. He used the Ghoul Queen's broken sword to chop off the arm.
A small Calamity Core emitted a glow.
"Whoa, what's that?"
"Probably an enhancement material."
"I think it's an important item we'll need later."
The five players gathered together, chattering excitedly.
"Has anyone else thought this game feels a little...stitched together?"
"What feels stitched together?"
"I thought it was a Soulslike, super punishing. But when Lord Linde started fighting, it was straight-up Devil May Cry! Come to think of it, his fighting style against these big bosses has a Monster Hunter vibe. Deflecting, staggering, carving up materials...wait, did he just wake up the boss with a Greatsword attack?" (referencing Monster Hunter mechanic)
"If you ask me, it's not stitched together enough. They should add Pokémon."
"Hey, you guys think we can learn skills from the Lord?"
...
"Skills?"
On the return journey, the players played the part of pack mules, but they still had the mind to ask Linde questions.
"I can teach you, but you probably won't be able to learn them," Linde said, shaking his head. "To master this power, you must become a Great Knight."
"What's a Great Knight?" Understanding for the Win (literal translation of the player's name) asked, excitedly.
"A first job advancement, what else would it be?" The Trio (referring to three players) clicked their tongues. Suddenly everyone went silent.
The players didn't have the problem of survival, only the problem of how to show off and be more dazzling.
So, even though they had nothing yet, they were already agonizing over job advancements, wondering how many advancement options there were and what they could become.
If they really could advance, Great Knight sounded like a melee class.
Sitting in front of a computer playing a melee class is fine, but in an immersive game like this, being a mage is the real romance.
"How do we get to advance?"
"I think we have to level up first, and Linde definitely knows, right?"
"Should we grind the Lord's favor? Mooncleaver Sword, I'm counting on you!"
...
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The battle at the Ghoul nest went smoothly, and the players who watched a series of dazzling battles began discussing them online.
The main conversation topics fell into three categories:
First, envy regarding the story and spectacle.
[Why was the opening cutscene in my starting area a peasant war? I was wearing cloth armor, carrying a rusty sword, leading three old farmers with scythes as we negotiated with wandering hillbillies. The fight devolved into throwing rocks at each other, and one of the farmers even got killed by a rock! I'm beyond frustrated.]
[I didn't see any Ghouls, but I saw a crazy guy, just crying and screaming and throwing himself at people. Can someone explain why, after I choked him to death, I only walked a few steps before I also died? All alone, so bored, wanna chat with my sister late at night. Available for outcalls nationwide. Add me on Discord: 176XXXX]
[Reported the guy above. Also, is this the same story for every player, or does everyone experience something different? If it's different for everyone, how massive is this game?!]
Second, arguments about skills and combat, which was the most popular topic.
[So, this game actually has job advancement and skills, and it's not just Soldier, Hunter, Priest, etc., right? DAMN IT! I was practically a son and grandson to some old hunter, cleaning up his poop and pee, all so I could advance to Hunter. And you're telling me he doesn't teach any skills? You're telling me the only difference between a Hunter and everyone else is who has a bow?]
[Anyone with a big brain wanna explain what skills the NPCs are using, and if we can learn them?]
[@Above, why are you always bothering the 'big brain' people? Those with smaller brains need to be cute and put in some effort too. Just look at the skills. Do you guys know that NPCs and players are different species? Also, NPCs have no hitstun or wind-up animation. I bet if you learn the skill, at best you can just breathe fire to light a cigarette.]
[What's up with that sword? It looked like he used a skill after getting it.]
[I'm guessing it's a story weapon. I wonder if it's unique. Anyone wanna raid Star Dragon Outpost with me and steal the Lord's weapon?]
[I rewatched that fight frame by frame and realized Lord Linde's micro-management is amazing. His flame control is insane, you'd think he was a firebender! I wrote a breakdown of possible control techniques, and I'll be doing a frame-by-frame analysis with the video. Check out my profile if you're interested~]
[One glance tells me you're just a detail freak.]
[Is this just Elden Ring all over again?!] (Referencing the phenomenon of dissecting every detail of Elden Ring)
[Anyone at Star Dragon Outpost wanna tell us how to learn skills? Also, what's the location of Star Dragon Outpost? If I'm nearby, I'll go and join up. @WhiteSocksLover @BlackTortoiseShield @MooncleaverSword @DragonScaleSword @UnderstandingForTheWin]
Third, casual chatting and rambling.
[Dude, the Ghouls are so ugly. I think I might just be a casual player from now on. Can I just stay in the starting area?]
[Found some godly gear! Stole the widow's dingzhi pants in the newbie village. Finally, I can change out of these plain white briefs! Attached: picture.jpg] (Note: "Dingzhi" pants are specific style, but here implied as something special the widow had made)
[Who is this "Lord Linde" guy?]
[I think he's just okay. This Ghoul Queen is definitely going to be a common mob later on, not worth mentioning at all. Unlike me, I'm about to learn magic. Isn't that cooler than this brute-force barbarian style?]
[The guy above doesn't know anything! Greatsword dragon-slaying, do you even know?! (referencing a specific Greatsword move from Monster Hunter) Being cool is the most important thing! I need to create a Guts character ASAP! So, official, can you please release more closed beta slots? I'm begging you, daddy, daddy, daddy! Orz