Chapter 63 - Is Elden Soul Difficult? (3)

Given the popularity of the Elden series, numerous players and streamers had already seen the ending upon its release.

However, such an unusual beginning from the start was unprecedented. The chat window was abuzz with excitement.

- Really, GodPlay's broadcast is legendary.

- 5252! After the Baton King, is the Elden King ascending? Good!

- It's not like you're a hidden route collector or anything, lol.

- What's amazing is that it's all skill, not luck, lol.

- There were many streamers here, but none of them discovered this.

GodPlay also felt the thrill but needed to maintain focus on the broadcast.

"Let's keep watching; the cutscene isn't over yet."

Only then did the viewers regain their composure. As he said, the cutscene was still ongoing.

The protagonist stood still, gazing at the place where the knight had been.

"What is this...?"

He alternated his gaze between his hands, muttering to himself.

- Really surprised, lol.

- We're shocked; how shocked must he be?

- GodPlay's voice of surprise is unique, lol.

- The protagonist's voice fits perfectly, no sense of dissonance, lol.

- Make a GodPlay voice pack, please!

The viewers' playful comments brought a smile to GodPlay's face. Meanwhile, the protagonist in the cutscene took a tense step forward.

He then moved in the direction the vanished knight had been looking.

"What is this?"

The gradually widening passage led to a small chamber. Inside, there was a spiral staircase and a stone slab with strange patterns carved into it.

- Oh! This doesn't look good.

- The atmosphere is great!

- Wow, there's such a place in the graveyard?

- Something big is coming!

The viewers didn't hide their anticipation. In response, the protagonist quickly approached the stone slab.

"Runic script? But... I don't know. My memory is unclear."

As he scanned the slab, he shook his head. However, it wasn't entirely fruitless.

When the protagonist casually placed his hand on the slab, some of the runes glowed with a golden light.

- Oh!

- Something big is coming!

- Big thing! Big thing! Big thing! Big thing!

The viewers' anticipation grew. But the flash was brief and soon faded.

Just as the chat window was about to fill with disappointment,

"Soul...! Is it reacting to the soul?"

The protagonist spoke with a voice of excitement.

"Indeed! If I can recover my lost memories and soul, I might be able to decipher this slab."

- Ah! Do we need to collect souls and come back?

- Isn't it rare to return to the graveyard?

- Wow, this is really different.

- It seems to be a hidden story.

- Even amidst this, the dialogue fits the background of a researcher, lol.

- ㄹㅇㅋㅋ It feels like an explorer of the origin.

- Even without memories, the curiosity remains, that's the romance of it, right?

The protagonist stared at the slab for a moment before turning around, as if making a decision. Then he began to climb the spiral staircase, and the view gradually faded to black.

"Wow, this is really immersive."

Taking advantage of the pause, GodPlay added a comment. The viewers immediately responded.

- I like it when GodPlay is good!

- Ah, lol, the Elden series is all about the atmosphere!

- This is dark fantasy, I tell you.

- ㄹㅇㅋㅋ The atmosphere has been top-notch since the Dark Ring series on PC and console.

- Plus, the challenge and sense of achievement are amazing, lol.

- But Purple is too good, so he might not feel the thrill, lol.

- Agreed, lol.

The scene changed.

"Ah, it's starting again. I'll focus."

However, control still hadn't returned. The cutscene hadn't ended yet.

"Is this a warehouse?"

The protagonist reached the top of the stairs, pushed aside a stone, and climbed up. The room was built of smooth stone, with shovels and lanterns hanging on the walls, and old equipment, presumably belonging to the dead, scattered in the corners.

- Huh?

- Isn't this somewhere we've seen before?

- Huh, lol, it's a shortcut.

- We're back out already?

- Isn't this too quick? ㅎㄷㄷ

It seemed that many viewers recognized this place. However, they didn't mention it further, perhaps to avoid spoilers.

The protagonist looked around for a moment before heading towards the exit where light was coming in.

As he took a step outside, the bright sunlight and gentle breeze enveloped him.

However, GodPlay didn't have time to enjoy the sensation.

'A sense of danger...!'

A cold blade-like feeling ran through his body.

Someone was watching him. But the protagonist seemed unaware, looking around and heading towards the entrance of the graveyard.

"The dead... are not among them."

At the low voice from behind, the protagonist's gaze turned sharply. At the end of his gaze, a large man sat on a stone coffin, his shovel planted in the ground.

His face was hidden.

He wore a robe that covered his entire body, making it questionable whether he was even human.

"Who are you?"

"Surprising that you can even ask. A 'Shattered One' with a clear mind... how long has it been?"

His words immediately sparked a reaction in the chat window.

- That title always feels so cool.

- It sounds even better in English, lol.

- ㄹㅇㅋㅋ 'Broken One' sounds cooler.

- Is this a tradition in the Elden series?

- The first one was 'Exile From Death,' the second was 'Savior of Humanity,' lol.

- It's a bit middle-schoolish, but it's cool in-game, lol.

- So the streamer is actually 'Exile From Death' and 'Savior of Humanity'!?

- Ah, lol, don't bring reality into it!

The title given to the protagonist in the game was a characteristic of the Elden series. To GodPlay, it was a slightly embarrassing name, but the title in Elden Soul was better.

"I hoped that no more graves would be added today..."

Meanwhile, the large man stood up. He was already tall while sitting, but standing made him look even larger.

- But is the boss battle still going to happen?

- It doesn't seem to have changed yet?

- One, two, three! GodPlay, fight!

- Should we be cheering for the gravekeeper instead? lol.

- Ah, lol, cheer for the gravekeeper!

- Please invite Yuda Hee!

GodPlay already had a good idea of the large man's identity. He was the boss of the tutorial area, the 'Gravekeeper.'

The Gravekeeper, holding a shovel as large as the protagonist, muttered quietly.

"However, I can no longer let those like you out."

With that, control returned.

The cutscene ended, and the boss battle began immediately.

"From the looks of it, one hit and I'm done for, right?"

GodPlay kept his distance and cast a spell internally. The broken longsword, glowing red, looked pitiful compared to the Gravekeeper's shovel.

- At GodPlay's level, even a graze is a one-hit kill, lol.

- Wow;; Do we have to fight this with just a broken longsword?

- The pressure is insane, ㅎㄷㄷ.

- How do you even get in there?

- That's why beginners often use the mage background, lol.

- ㄹㅇㅋㅋ Using magic for long-range attacks can make it easier.

- But what about GodPlay? ㅠㅠ

Some viewers had never played Elden Soul before and were visibly shocked by the tutorial boss.

But GodPlay was different.

"It doesn't seem that difficult."

As question marks filled the chat window, the Gravekeeper swung his shovel.

However, GodPlay didn't retreat but instead charged forward. The sharp whistling sound of the shovel cut through the air.

"Pointless."

GodPlay pushed off the ground and sidestepped. Without stopping, he used the passing shovel as a support.

"Large movements."

Using the momentum, he regained his balance and immediately struck at the exposed back.

- Amazing, lol.

- Who's worried about who, lol?

- Gravekeeper! Here comes the perfect GodPlay!

- Ah, lol, cheering for the Gravekeeper!

- Play! Play! Gravekeeper!

The viewers' worries were dispelled in one blow. The chat window soon filled with messages cheering for the Gravekeeper.

"Ah, you're all too much."

GodPlay laughed and turned his body. The Gravekeeper's shovel, now falling vertically, passed by his side.

A loud crash and a cloud of dust. In the midst of it, GodPlay quickly grabbed the handle of the shovel.

As the Gravekeeper raised his shovel again, GodPlay used the Gravekeeper's strength to leap.

Emerging from the dust cloud, GodPlay's figure plummeted straight towards the Gravekeeper's head.

"Ugh!"

A scream and the Gravekeeper staggered. The chat window was once again filled with shock.

- What;; What kind of action is this?

- This isn't what the Elden series is about, right?

- Ah, lol, he's playing a different game again.

- Rolling around and hitting the thighs and ankles, what is this?

- Where did the grim atmosphere go?

- Can you get a critical hit with a broken longsword?

- This isn't Elden Soul!

- Elden players are spitting out their admiration, lol.

- Completely different class, ㅅㅂ.

Of course, existing players had never seen such movements from GodPlay.

But GodPlay himself was focused on something else.

'Something feels off.'

He didn't feel any tension fighting the Gravekeeper.

Was it because he was a tutorial boss? The large preparatory movements before attacks made it easy to predict timing, even without divine senses or intuition.

He could easily land attacks on the Gravekeeper.

'The aura is clear, but there's a sense of something lacking.'

The dead in the graveyard exuded a unique unpleasantness along with their aura. But the Gravekeeper lacked that feeling.

GodPlay calmly observed the Gravekeeper while continuing his counterattacks.

- Is this the reason for the decline in Elden Soul's sales?

- What's the real reason for the decline in sales?

- Ah, lol, newbies can't beat the Gravekeeper and ask for refunds.

- This is true, lol. I tried 10 times and immediately refunded.

- But that's actually a consideration from the developers.

- ㄹㅇㅋㅋ If you can't even beat the Gravekeeper, Elden Soul isn't for you.

- The filter is working well, lol.

- But [P][E][R][F][E][C][T] GodPlay is different, I tell you.

- Gravekeeper, I'm sorry!

With one-sided dominance, the viewers sensed victory. The result was as expected.

The only difference was that it happened sooner than expected.

"Ugh...!"

The Gravekeeper staggered and knelt, blood gushing from beneath him.

- ????

- Huh, lol, what is this?

- Was there a scene where the Gravekeeper spits blood?

- I think you need to land a certain number of critical hits for this.

- Yeah, there's an experiment video.

- I think it's at least 20 times, ㅎㄷㄷ.

- With a broken longsword, 20 times?

- Haha, maybe it's more because it's a broken longsword?

- How does he know the weak points without the HUD?

- GodPlay is just GodPlay...

The chat window was filled with shock and admiration. GodPlay, seeing the rapid chat messages, tilted his head.

"Even though he's big, he's still human. Targeting weak points isn't that hard."

While divine senses helped, it wasn't entirely wrong.

It wasn't time for a different race boss yet. If the tutorial had such a difficult enemy, who would want to play the game?

Of course, some people gave up because it was too difficult, but still.

- What;; Even for humans, it's hard!

- I've only seen the Gravekeeper spit blood in videos!

- Did you use a final breath on the Gravekeeper just now? Right?

- It felt like he used it on us, lol.

- The critical hits were from the streamers, lol.

GodPlay laughed and looked at the Gravekeeper. Due to his low health, the Gravekeeper was only gasping for breath.

- Gravekeeper, bye!

- Ah, lol, the shortest defeat ever!

- Especially since it was against GodPlay...

- ㄹㅇㅋㅋ The Gravekeeper shouldn't be this easy.

- Wait, can you get the Gravekeeper's soul?

- Right! The soul function is already unlocked!

- Oh, lol, it seems to be different from here on.

- How do you usually get it?

- <Message deleted by the management bot. (Warning 1)>

- Haha, it's treated as a spoiler, lol.

- You usually get it after leaving the graveyard.

The chat window became active again. Everyone was expecting the Gravekeeper's execution. GodPlay looked at him.

Kneeling, their eye levels were the same. Still, the inside of the robe remained hidden.

'Should I deal with this now?'

Killing and progressing is the natural course. But what made GodPlay hesitate was the sense of dissonance.

There was something that kept bothering him while fighting the Gravekeeper.

'Let's try it.'

He made his decision.

Passing the Gravekeeper, he headed back to the warehouse.

- ?????

- Where are you going?

- What? What are you hinting at?

- Something, something, I guess!

- With GodPlay, we can expect something, lol.

While the chat window was filled with question marks, GodPlay inspected the warehouse.

He found the equipment he had noticed earlier and turned around