this infinite world

"...Finally, we can ring the first bell."

Ashes and dust drifted silently atop the bell tower of the Undead Parish.

The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning flames, mixed with the scorching odor of molten stone. The roof of the church in the Undead Parish was now a scene of utter devastation. Had it not been for some ancient magical force stubbornly holding its structure together, the entire building would likely have collapsed completely in the recent violent bombardment.

Chu Hao, the captain of the Arctic team who caused all this, waved his hand, dispelling the blazing white fireball in his hand. Behind him, the two gargoyles that were originally stationed here as guards, whose mission was to kill the undead who came to ring the bell, had been completely blasted and melted.

“I thought you would look more disheveled,” Nian Xikong, who was standing guard for Chu Hao, said calmly.

At this moment, Nian Xikong was completely different from the girl who usually focused 90% of her attention on food, resembling a complete foodie. The girl lightly raised her hand, and a black light returned from mid-air, quietly landing in her palm. It was the Jidu Sword, which was surrounded by a murderous aura: "After all, in the previous battle, your spells had little effect on that demon."

She was referring to the Undead Asylum Demon that the group encountered in the Northern Undead Asylum when they first entered this world—the first boss players faced in the game, which became the first cruel trial this world gave to the reincarnators. Even with the enhanced strength of the Arctic team, they still felt a long-lost sense of difficulty when facing this behemoth.

"Demons are such troublesome creatures."

Chu Hao sighed, recalling the battle a few days ago, and couldn't help but feel a little helpless. "Although we lack agility, our frontal destructive power is enough to make up for everything."

Moreover, the most crucial issue for Chu Hao was that these twisted beings, born from the failed experiments of the old witch Izaris, possessed an extremely high natural resistance to fire from the moment they emerged from the cradle of chaos. This caused Chu Hao's usually invincible "Five Fireball Cult" tactic to fail for the first time. Those fireballs, with power comparable to miniature nuclear bombs, only managed to slightly penetrate the demon's thick carapace... a truly devastating setback.

Its colossal body, nearly twenty meters tall, stood majestically, its rough skin comparable to millennia-old rock armor. Each time its giant hammer struck, the earth trembled, its sheer destructive power enough to terrify anyone. Even more terrifying was its tenacious vitality, like that of a cockroach; ordinary attacks were practically ineffective against it.

In the end, everyone had no choice but to use all their means. Relying on the indestructible sharpness of Nianxi Kongjidu Sword as the main attack, and supplemented by Zhang Heng's incredibly accurate arrows that pierced vital points, they finally managed to completely end this demon blocking their path.

The real world is not a game. Without unique killing mechanics like "leaping from a great height to strike a vital point and reduce the opponent's health by half," it's hard to imagine what price those ordinary undead, wielding broken swords and staggering along, would have to pay, how many cycles of life and death they would have to go through, to cross this insurmountable barrier with their mortal bodies and truly step out of the Northern Undead Asylum with dignity.

After successfully defeating the Undead Asylum demon and arriving at Firelink Shrine by taking the "Didi Bird" as in the game, an invisible pressure quietly enveloped the Northland team.

After all, the danger of this world is completely different from their past experiences, and its danger level far exceeds that of the Lord of the Rings world.

This solemnity was particularly evident in Ares, who had just been resurrected. He had originally intended to use his status as a necromancer to enter the Undead Graveyard and try to control the wandering skeletons with necromancy—but he was horrified to discover that even the undead by the roadside, wielding broken swords and staggering along, possessed strength at the first tier!

Under pressure, the Arctic team had to readjust its strategic plan and take a long-term approach. After discussion, it was decided that Chu Hao and Nian Xikong would form an elite team to take the lead in completing the core task of ringing the two sacrificial bells; while Ares and Zhang Heng would lead the remaining team members to steadily explore and consolidate the surrounding area, using the Fire-Borrowing Sacrifice Site as their base.

This option is undoubtedly the safest. Although the world of Dark Souls is fraught with danger, Firelink Shrine is still a rare place of peace in this land of despair, and its safety is far superior to other areas.

For reincarnators who haven't yet obtained a King's Artifact and aren't considered immortals, and who are destined to be unable to use the campfire teleportation function, securing a stable rear base is crucial... Of course, if it weren't for the resurrected Ares already in the team, Chu Hao would never have dared to entrust the garrison duty to Zhang Heng. Who knows what kind of mess this guy will leave the others with when he and Nian Xikong return from their mission? After bidding farewell to everyone, Chu Hao and Nian Xikong embarked on the journey of rekindling the fire for the immortals.

From Firelink Shrine to Undead Town outside the city, after successfully defeating the wandering Black Knight who inexplicably appeared in this town; the Minotaur who also had extremely high resistance to fire, but whose overall strength was far inferior to the Undead Asylum demons; and the Steel-Armored Boar at the city gate covered in incredibly sturdy steel armor and whose running speed was no less than that of a train engine, Chu Hao had a general grasp of the overall strength of this world.

It's difficult, but not insurmountable.

In reality, there are no numerical health bars or anything like that; strong is strong, and weak is weak. As the gatekeepers of the Undead Asylum in the North, the demons of the Undead Asylum are clearly among the elite of the demons; otherwise, they wouldn't have been sent to guard this building specifically for imprisoning the undead.

To Chu Hao's regret, he did not encounter the Sun Warrior Solal near the Flying Dragon Bridge; nor did he meet the Onion Knight, whose distinctive attire was not far from the city gates of the ancient city of Sein in the game but quite a distance from Undead Town in reality. He did not know whether it was because he came at the wrong time or for some other reason.

"Where to go next?"

While Chu Hao was still pondering the strength of the two gargoyles, Nian Xikong had already grown impatient. Chu Hao frowned upon hearing this and said, "Didn't you study the game carefully before?"

“I did it, but only once,” Nian Xikong said casually as she took out a piece of roasted meat from her storage bag and ate it. “It was too easy.”

In fact, for the members of the Reincarnation Squad, whose physical abilities far surpass those of ordinary people, even the most difficult games are no problem for them... Compared to Chu Hao, who, as the captain, would carefully familiarize himself with the game process, study the relevant plot, and even piece together the truth of this world from the descriptions of every item, Nian Xikong is the typical "I don't know where I am, but I know I'm going to go on a killing spree" type of player who skips the game.

"never mind……"

Seeing that Nian Xikong had seamlessly switched to her gluttonous form shortly after the battle ended, Chu Hao didn't bother to say anything more. After all, she was never one to use her brain in the team, and she was really good at fighting: "Where to next?"

“There are two paths. One leads to the Black Forest, then to the Undead Street outside the city and finally to the sewers at the bottom; the other is to force your way into the Blighted Village…” Chu Hao replied.

"...None of these sound like good options."

People often don't want to talk about certain things while eating, so when Nian Xikong heard the word "sewer," she suddenly felt that the barbecue in her hand was no longer delicious... After all, she was just a foodie and couldn't do something like eating instant noodles expressionlessly in the toilet.

"yes……"

Thinking about the terrain in the game, Chu Hao sighed, "So, be prepared..."

"Our path ahead is destined to be anything but 'smooth sailing' like before." (End of Chapter)