Of course, talking about XP in a Souls-like game is a bit weird.
But he was actually quite happy.
Another difference compared to his previous life was that when igniting a Site of Grace, Melina's dialogue options would sometimes appear randomly, allowing the player to talk to her.
Instead of her only appearing to narrate the main story after reaching specific points.
After the player rested at a Site of Grace about six or seven times, Melina would appear once.
However, currently, Ben, besides paying attention to Melina's looks and figure, was more interested in the game content.
He used the Runes from defeating the Tree Sentinel and the regular enemies to level up at the upgrade screen.
At the same time, he didn't allocate points according to the requirements for the Golden Halberd he got from defeating the Tree Sentinel. After all, as an old player of Souls-like games, he knew what to prioritize.
Health and Stamina were always the top priorities, no question about it.
Besides allowing him to level up at a Site of Grace, Melina's arrival served another quite important purpose.
That was him obtaining a Spirit steed for travel.
This horse was incredibly useful, not only for fast running but also for a double jump ability.
"It feels like not many players will be sticking to the main roads from now on."
Mounting his horse, Ben circled around the area in front of Stormveil Castle, smacking his lips.
He had already imagined the subsequent gameplay in his mind, riding this horse and using its double jump to scale towering peaks.
"And if it can double jump, does that mean I won't die from falling?"
Suddenly recalling something, he looked at the Spirit steed beneath him, his eyes lighting up.
He urged the Spirit steed to a high cliff and, without a word, leaped off with it.
"Fly, Tarnished!"
Feeling the wind in his ears and hearing the neigh of the Spirit steed beneath him, just as he was about to hit the ground, Ben decisively controlled the Tarnished in the game to rein in the horse.
A crisp 'ding!' sound. A layer of blue ripples appeared beneath the Spirit steed's hooves in mid-air, and then the Spirit steed leaped a short distance upwards out of nowhere before landing safely.
A dull 'creak…' sound echoed in his ears. The Tarnished and the Spirit steed in the game both turned into white ash and vanished into the air.
"You have died!"
Large, blood-red letters appeared in the center of the screen.
"Damn it! This is unscientific!" Ben couldn't help but complain.
After all, the double jump height was only so much; why would he die from falling!
Wandering around Limgrave for a long time, he encountered packs of wolves falling from the sky, giants carrying greatswords on their backs, and the dragon at Dragon-burnt Ruins that Zack had mentioned before.
As a professional Souls-like player, he was basically accustomed to all sorts of game mechanics. Although there were many dangers, none had led to his dismal demise.
And as an open-world game, Ben was pleasantly surprised to find that even if he encountered a boss in the wild, he could still ride his horse and loop around.
Except for specific bosses, he could simply choose not to fight them if he couldn't win.
Apart from that, his only feeling was that the in-game map was simply too big.
Although the main progression in the game was definitely Stormveil Castle, he still wanted to explore the surrounding areas for now.
Looking at the imposing presence of the colossal dragon at the Lake of Rot Dragon-burnt Ruins, after experiencing two rounds of its breath attacks, Ben decided to leave it alone for now.
In Ben's understanding, as it was an open-world game, he could explore other areas first to improve his level and equipment.
Although many people joked that in Souls-like games, level and equipment don't matter, and the difference between armor and cloth was just stacking paper,
This was just a joke. After actually playing it, he understood very well.
The difference between dying in two hits from a boss and dying in three hits was still very significant.
"Huh! A secret room!" At Dragon-burnt Ruins, as Ben was about to leave, he suddenly spotted a secret room and his eyes lit up.
The ruins in front of Stormveil Castle taught him a lesson.
That was, under every ruin, there was either a boss or a treasure chest.
"As expected! This one is guarded by a dragon, but the one below has no boss, only a treasure chest!"
Entering the basement, after defeating a few rats, he opened a large door and, seeing the silver treasure chest placed there, Ben couldn't help but smile.
Of course, to be safe, before opening the chest, Ben controlled his character to stab the chest with his halberd, to prevent the possibility of a mimic chest trap.
This was the experience of a professional old Souls-like player!
What kind of storms had a professional Souls-like gamer not witnessed?
Always alert for enemies appearing from behind, constantly pressing the lock-on button, wary of enemies hiding in walls, the sky, and darkness, wary of mimic chests disguised as treasure chests.
With such a vigilant Tarnished, how could Boss Lucas trick me!?
Ben couldn't help but want to laugh out loud.
However, the next second, his expression froze.
Because after he opened the treasure chest, it didn't contain sparkling treasures, but a white smoke emanated from it.
"You triggered a teleport trap!"
Ben: ??????????
Ben's eyes widened, and he was completely stunned.
What the heck was this teleportation!
He had anticipated all sorts of traps, but this teleport trap was something he truly hadn't expected!
"And what the hell is this place?! This is a late-game map, right?! What are these mantis-like creatures?! And they projectiles track you?!"
Looking at the mine map called Sellia Crystal Tunnel before him, Ben felt a bit overwhelmed.
Two words: Despair!
Each swing of his weapon dealt less than 20 damage.
They would even deflect his attacks.
There were also mantis-like creatures positioned on high ground that could launch tracking spikes.
Running away was impossible; he could only dodge them by rolling at the right moments.
More critically, Ben discovered with despair that after respawning, he wasn't at the previous Site of Grace but in a small hut within the mine. And he couldn't teleport to other Sites of Grace. Clearly, he needed to find a way out of here.
"But I'm not alone!"
Amidst his despair, Ben showed a hint of a smile.
Why was it that he could fight the Tree Sentinel for so long back then?
Besides his own perseverance, the bloodstains on the ground were also his motivation to keep going.
And in this mine?
Inside the hut, outside the hut, all he could see were pools of red blood.
Every now and then, he saw white souls suddenly fall down as they walked.
As for the messages on the ground, they made him smile knowingly.
"Damn" "I want to leave" "Someone save me"
Clearly, these were fellow travelers!
Of course, he didn't leave any comments on these messages.
What if the person only managed to heal and leave the tunnel because of his comment? Then wouldn't he lose a fellow traveler exploring the unknown great path?
(End of Chapter)