Manager, give me a membership card too!

Rorschach: ? ? ?

"System, why is my body so weak?"

[This is a soul trial instance. The host's 'body' here is a manifestation of a soul. Because a physical body is needed, it consumes a lot of 'soul,' and the remaining soul cannot support more power. However, please rest assured, hunting the local creatures will strengthen the host's soul, which is also the host's purpose in coming here. The host's physical strength is increasing too quickly, while the soul strength is increasing slightly slower. A balance is needed, otherwise it will affect the host's health. As an excellent system, such a situation is absolutely unacceptable.]

"The soul?"

Looking at his body, which was spotless and without a single rag, Luo Xia was speechless.

If you're going to put me through a trial, at least give me a pair of pants. It's embarrassing to go out like this in broad daylight.

I glanced at the giant, twisted tree next to me. It had no bark and its leaves were only the size of a fingernail.

He wanted to use Odin's power to make himself a suit of armor, but after racking his brains for a long time, he couldn't come up with anything. Frustrated, the man searched around and finally found a pair of white pants in the 'bed' where he had just gotten up.

Wear it, it's better than nothing.

Avoiding the awkwardness of having it wrapped around his waist, Luo Xia looked around as he walked down the path in front of the bed (coffin).

Countless rectangular black stones were scattered around the road, and the earthen slopes on both sides were densely covered with tombstones inscribed with strange characters. Coupled with the sarcophagus that Rorschach had previously encountered, it was confirmed that this was a civilized world, or at least a world with beings who respected the dead; otherwise, there would be no cemetery.

After walking several dozen steps, you will see a small stream. The water is so clear that you can tell that the stream is low. There are three or five stone coffins and seven or eight abandoned graves scattered around.

Bare-chested, Rorschach observed the new world before him with great interest. Even though he couldn't use his divine power, his extensive combat skills hadn't become rusty. As long as the enemy wasn't too unruly, Rorschach was confident he could win.

As if on cue, Luo Xia was leisurely strolling along the stream when a figure draped in a black robe appeared around the corner ahead.

Hmm, native to this world?

Wearing black clothes and a black cloak in broad daylight, he doesn't look like a good person at all.

However, to avoid any accidental injury, let's first try to see if we can communicate.

Excuse me, where is this place?

Rorschach's questioning stopped halfway through, because what turned around upon hearing his voice was not a living being, but a withered skeleton!

Hypergryph is giving away the Judgement item for free! Claim it at ak.hypergryph.com/goal (change the suffix to "goal" in the official website). Redemption code: NSEOMKYTAMUCXEVQ. This FGO event doesn't seem too difficult.

Chapter 155 Roar from the Ruins

Chapter 155 Roar from the Ruins

“waaaaaaaaaaahg~”

'Giggle~'

With a crisp sound of bones breaking, the skeletal corpse that had been roaring and charging towards Rorschach suddenly went limp and slowly collapsed into the stream at the man's feet.

Although unarmed and unable to utilize his divine power, Rorschach's extensive combat skills were no joke. Even against a seemingly irrational enemy, a single neck snap could resolve many problems.

With a disgusted slap, Luo Xia brushed off his hands that had just touched the mummified corpse and bent down to pick up the short sword. However, just as his hand was about to touch the rusty-looking short sword—a single strike would surely cause tetanus—the sword, along with the mummified corpse, turned into a hazy white mist that seeped into Luo Xia's body.

A strange sense of fulfillment welled up within Luo Xia, a feeling that seemed to have been experienced many times just yesterday. Although it lacked the intensity and excitement of those moments, this slow and continuous sense of satisfaction was, how should I put it, somewhat addictive.

Luo Xia shook hands that were slightly stronger than before, and nodded as if he understood. So this was the soul enhancement the system was talking about? That's certainly interesting.

What could be more interesting than exploring a new world? Of course, it's the opportunity to enhance your strength and reap tangible benefits while exploring a new world.

The only regret is probably that there are no cute girls by his side.

Composing himself, Luo Xia continued his exploration. He felt a sense of déjà vu about everything before him, but lacked certain crucial details to confirm it. No matter, he had plenty of time; there would be ample opportunity to figure out exactly where he was.

We followed the stream for a while longer, taking care of a few enemies along the way who were similar to the mummies we'd encountered before. Unfortunately, they were all mindless monsters, and not being able to communicate with any intelligent life forms was indeed a bit of a problem.

However, Rorschach soon saw traces of civilization.

The old and messy stone pavement looks dilapidated now, but you can easily imagine that it must have been a very well-maintained road when someone was maintaining it.

This is a sign of an advanced civilization!

It's important to understand that in the medieval and even modern era of Rorschach's world, many countries couldn't afford to build such well-maintained stone-paved roads; only large cities or capitals had such roads.

The civilization of this world must have been incredibly brilliant to have such neat stone slabs, requiring multiple processing steps, laid out even near cemeteries.

After casually killing several monsters nearby, the man's expression suddenly changed as he looked towards the end of the stone path beneath his feet.

Beside what appeared to be some kind of fountain, a person clad in knight's armor lay quietly. The armor was completely covered in mud and dust, its original form unrecognizable.

Judging from the damage to the shield and longsword he gripped tightly until his death, this man fought valiantly to his death, ultimately collapsing due to severe injuries and exhaustion.

Silently rising to his feet, Rorschach found an empty stone coffin nearby, placed the knight, who had been dead for an unknown period of time, inside, and then turned and left in silence.

Heaven to the left, warriors to the right. Rorschach didn't recognize the knight before him, who was already dead, but he was a warrior, and any warrior who died in battle deserves respect. Therefore, even though Rorschach desperately needed clothing and weapons, he chose not to desecrate the man's corpse.

However, this chance encounter wasn't entirely fruitless. At least Rorschach learned that human civilization existed in this world, and judging from the patterns on the shields and the style of the armor, it was likely some kind of Western fantasy world with advanced productive forces. Even considering the monsters that had turned into mummies yet could still move freely, magic probably did exist as well.

Swords and magic? I'm getting curious.

As they continued forward, the ruins of numerous stone buildings appeared one after another on both sides of the road, with countless desiccated skeletons wandering aimlessly among them, looking as silent and eerie as wandering ghosts.

Before it fell into ruin, this place must have been a rather prosperous town. Judging from the size of the buildings, it must have had a considerable population at the time.

Instinctively turning his head to dodge a flaming crossbow bolt, Luo Xia looked at the several black-robed mummies who were subtly surrounding him, a smile of interest appearing on his lips.

Was it a remnant of consciousness? Or was it a cooperative hunt driven by instinct? Rorschach didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted to annihilate these monsters and then use them to strengthen his soul.

After quickly dealing with the mummies who insisted on coming out to court death instead of staying put in the corner, Luo Xia looked up at the building in front of him that resembled a town gate. Just as he was about to step inside to take a look, a deafening roar suddenly came from the other end of this town ruin.

The man pulled back halfway and turned to head towards the source of the sound.

For Rorschach, who was always courting death but never actually dying, nothing could stop him from satisfying his curiosity. At worst, he could just die back in the system space and come back tomorrow; he'd done that before.

After traversing the entire dilapidated town and casually dealing with a dozen or so mummified corpses that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, Rorschach finally arrived at the location from which the sound had come.

A valley with a narrow exit.

Jagged rocks were everywhere, and gnarled tree roots grew wildly and unruly. Even the valley was submerged by withered grass as tall as a person. But Luo Xia was quite certain that his target was in this valley, because there was a long drag mark on the ground that stretched into it, and he could even find some dark red bloodstains. It was clear that some kind of large predatory creature frequently entered and exited this valley cave.

"Judging from the marks, this is a big one."

A hint of excitement appeared on Rorschach's face. As someone who inherited the power of Hercules, he naturally had an exceptionally strong interest in hunting these ferocious beasts. Although he was currently unarmed, that didn't stop Rorschach from seeing what his prey actually looked like.

Silently lowering his body, Luo Xia quietly followed the path usually trodden by the creatures in the valley, and soon arrived at a slightly open area.

The ground wasn't as filthy and muddy as Rorschach had imagined, like a typical beast's den, and the air didn't have the strong fishy smell that large creatures usually have. Apart from a slightly damp area near the entrance, the environment actually had a subtle sense of tranquility.

However, this unusual behavior did not lower Rorschach's guard. He continued to move cautiously, trying not to attract the attention of his prey. Until, he saw that familiar silver-white monster...

"Damn, it's a Bugatti Veyron! Is this some kind of Dark Souls game?!"

Girls' Frontline has opened new battle zones! Time to go all in, comrades! All your bets on 50! This year's White Day event seems pretty easy, except I didn't get the Servant I wanted. (Regarding the "I've Probably Become a Night Watchman" synopsis: The full moon rises, the stars return to their places, and as night falls, the dream of the gods finally awakens. By oath of the Night Watchmen, through the long night, the lights will never be extinguished.)

Chapter 156 Mr. Gu, the Enthusiastic Teacher

Chapter 156 Mr. Gu, the Enthusiastic Teacher

Slightly panting, Rorschach pulled his hand out of the Bugatti Veyron's eye socket and glanced at his battered body with a wry smile.

Although his surprise startled the crystal lizard, Rorschach was fortunate to have extensive experience fighting such large monsters. During the fight, he seized the opportunity, delivering a powerful punch that pierced the monster's skull through its eye socket, ending its life before its rows of sharp teeth could bite through his body.

Despite a fierce battle, victory was ultimately achieved. It must be said that the skeletal corpses that contributed a great deal of souls to Luo Xia deserve immense credit; without their enhancements, this battle might have been even more troublesome.

Suddenly, a strange sense of comfort welled up in Luo Xia's heart. The feeling was indescribable, like something unspeakable, intoxicating.

His injuries vanished in an instant, and his depleted physical and mental strength was quickly replenished. Luo Xia felt that he was in much better condition than before the battle, as if he had taken a shot of adrenaline.

"As expected of a suffering soul? This feeling... and this is only the soul, I wonder what the 'First Flame' will feel?"

Rorschach clenched his hands, which had become stronger, and a smile of interest appeared on his face.

To be honest, he was quite surprised when he first realized that this world was Dark Souls. Although he had a strange sense of déjà vu along the way, it was after all a game that had become reality, and a model that had become a physical object. At first, he really didn't recognize it.

After all, the real Souls world doesn't need to consider gameplay, and the size of the scenes doesn't need to be artificially compressed. This resulted in Rorschach spending more than half an hour exploring the Ash Graveyard, which could be completed in the first few minutes of the game, and the ruins with only seven or eight dilapidated houses became a fairly large town.

However, those things were no longer Rorschach's focus. His gaze was fixed on the town gate beyond the valley.

Since this is the Soul World and a Bugatti Veyron has appeared here, wouldn't the first bonfire be right behind the city gate, and behind the bonfire be the 'Gundam Teacher' known as the Rookie Terminator?

Wow, I'm kind of looking forward to it.

However, I feel somewhat disadvantaged facing Gundyr's halberd with my bare hands.

Emerging from the valley and crossing the city gate studded with tombstones, a magnificent and breathtaking landscape unfolds before you.

The rolling mountains, adorned with white veils, create a striking contrast between black and white that evokes a strange sense of harmony.

"Speaking of which, I've never climbed a snow-capped mountain before. Next time, let's take the kids to the Himalayas; I've heard the scenery is quite beautiful."

Taking a deep breath of the slightly cool air, Luo Xia finalized the travel program for St. Freya this semester. Climbing Mount Everest together and seeing the magnificent landscape would surely strengthen the bonds between the children.

After admiring the scenery for a few more minutes, Luo Xia picked up a stone from beside his feet and solemnly carved the four characters "A stunning view ahead" into the ground, satisfying one of his little quirks.

As he continued along the winding, rugged road, when his vision came to a dilapidated clock tower, he indeed saw a spiral sword stuck diagonally in a pile of ashes not far in front of him.

This must be the campfire; it looks similar to the one in the game.

Slowly approaching the spiral sword stuck in a ditch, Rorschach tentatively reached out his hand. The next second, a warm sensation spread from his fingertips throughout Rorschach's body, giving him a feeling of complete rejuvenation.

Is this the power of fire? It's truly amazing. It feels like returning to the safest harbor in my heart; just sitting quietly by this campfire brings a strange sense of peace.

After carefully savoring the sensation of 'fire,' Luo Xia stood up and continued walking along the road. He still needed to meet the enthusiastic teacher, Mr. Gu, and couldn't afford to waste any more time here.

After eliminating several more slow-moving, straightforward, dried-up corpses along the way to replenish his soul, Rorschach finally arrived at his destination.

Before a towering gate.

Glancing at the torches on either side of the gate, which someone seemed to be maintaining, the man solemnly stepped inside.

After passing through a passageway several meters long, a downward staircase came into view. At the end of the staircase was a wide square, and just looking at its current dilapidated state, one could imagine its former glory. However, what attracted Luo Xia's attention the most was not the obviously labor-intensive architectural ruins, but a tall figure standing quietly in the center of the square.

Gundyr, the Ashen One

A nightmare for countless new players, Luo Xia was once lectured by this character for over an hour, to the point where he almost quit. He only managed to beat the kind and gentle Teacher Gu because he was reluctant to spend his hundreds of dollars.

Looking at the Ash Judge who had once driven him to despair, Rorschach's first reaction was not to draw his sword or to examine the writhing black substance behind him, but to curiously approach him, wanting to try something he had always wanted to do.

Take the opponent's halberd!

In the past, Rorschach was forced by the game's mechanics to challenge his opponent again and again, only to be driven to despair by that halberd. But now the situation is different; he is no longer a restricted game character, but a living, breathing human being.

Holding the halberd, which was as thick as a normal person's rice bowl and several meters long, Luo Xia gave a soft shout and slowly pulled it out of the ground.

Heavy, extremely heavy.

If Rorschach in the real world were to use such a weapon, it would be effortless, but now, relying solely on his soul to materialize a physical body, he can only barely lift it up; wielding it in battle is out of the question.

With great effort, Luo Xia carried the weapon, which was not much different from an I-beam, back to the door he had come from. After looking around, he casually placed it next to the door, simply hiding it.

Luo Xia jogged back to the square where Teacher Gu was, and nodded in satisfaction.

When it comes to fighting, the goal should naturally be fairness.

I'm fighting you bare-handed, but you're holding a hard, thick weapon. I'm at a huge disadvantage in this fight.

He had originally planned to strip off the armor, since he was only wearing a pair of pants. But then he thought better of it; it just felt strange for Luo Xia to take off a man's clothes in broad daylight.

With everything arranged, Rorschach wasn't going to dawdle any longer. He still wanted to go to the Firelink Shrine to see his Fire Keeper wife, and wondered what the materialized Fire Keeper would look like.

Stepping forward and standing before the giant, who was nearly three meters tall, Rorschach suddenly blurted out, as if possessed:

"Hello~zaima?"

Obviously, the giant in front of him wouldn't jump up and say 'Not here, xxM,' just like Black O Sword will never see issue 22. And Rorschach, who has already traveled to other worlds, will probably never see issue 22 in his lifetime.

After reminiscing about his lost happy times, Rorschach reached out and tightly grasped the spiral sword on the giant's chest. With a forceful pull, he yanked it out of the giant's body.

'Gurgle~ gurgle~'

As if some extremely viscous liquid was making a sound, a nauseating sound emanated from the giant's body, sending chills down one's spine and raising uncontrollable goosebumps. The next second, the exposed, pitch-black matter on the giant's back seemed to come alive and began to writhe, while in contrast, the head in front of Rorschach suddenly rose up.

It was a face covered by a metal mask. Even though Rorschach couldn't see what the eyes looked like beneath the pair of dark, hollow eyes on the mask, he could still feel that direct gaze fixed on the spiral sword in his hand.

Rorschach casually stuck the spiral sword in his hand into the ground beside him, then beckoned to the giant in front of him in a provocative gesture.

Come on, let's fight!

The giant, clad in iron armor, did not respond to Rorschach's provocation. Instead, he habitually reached to the side, intending to pull out his weapon, which he had kept with him for many years, and then use his thick and hard armor to teach this ungrateful intruder a lesson.

He waved his hand, but found nothing. He waved again, but still found nothing.

The armored giant looked at his empty hands with some confusion, then glanced at his empty side. Even from a distance, Rorschach could sense the bewilderment on the giant's face behind his mask.

Where is my halberd? My huge, thick, and hard halberd! Where did it go? It was right here a moment ago, why is it gone now?