"He's getting desperate! He's desperate!"
"Hahaha, the streamer is triggered!"
"Mechanics Monster!"
"But this Monk seems to know a lot, and is quite adept at psychology."
"A little bit. It feels like every time he accurately predicts the streamer's next move, counters it with a new technique, and easily defeats him."
"Pure Black: The color of my underwear is..."
"Hahaha, I can't stop laughing."
...
Slightly mocked by his viewers, Chun Hei could only chuckle awkwardly, unable to retort.
After all, up to this point, all his strategies had been seen through by the Phantom Monk, who had superior skills and easily crushed him.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say his underwear had been seen through, but admitting it so directly was just too embarrassing.
"This time, I'm going to pick up the underwear I was tricked out of!"
This was a battle that would determine his underwear's fate, and Chun Hei brought his absolute best.
It was not his style to call the Monk a pure mechanics monster, only to be perfectly controlled and strategically cornered by that very monster.
In fact,
Chun Hei didn't think he was wrong. The Phantom Monk was indeed a mechanics monster. Whether it was the Lightning Five Consecutive Strikes, the Whirlwind Slash followed by a shove and a silky smooth combo, or parrying with a vertical sword when attacking, there were perfect parry opportunities.
It was just that in actual practice, one had to discern each skill in a high-frequency exchange of blows and make corresponding judgments.
This was because the Phantom Monk's every move had a deceptive element, including the Whirlwind Slash, which served as a prelude to the next, true killing blow.
Furthermore, the sweeping attacks and thrusts looked very similar in their execution, but the parrying methods were vastly different. For a thrust, a vertical sword was easier to parry than a horizontal sword, while a horizontal sword was very useful for parrying the Whirlwind Slash and sweeping attacks.
Therefore, once a judgment was made incorrectly, there was almost no chance to recover and compensation was impossible; one could only tank the damage.
The most difficult part was the Phantom Monk's strong offensive intent and rapid attack frequency, which meant the player could only defend passively. To counterattack, one had to lay ambushes for killing blows within the defense, stealing a few hits in the interval between each of the Monk's attacks and the next.
Moreover, these attacks could not be interrupted, otherwise, the Phantom Monk's posture gauge would quickly deplete.
In a sense, this was a true mechanics monster.
The characteristic of a mechanics monster was its strong initial offensive patterns. Once these patterns were figured out, overcoming them was only a matter of time.
And indeed, as Chun Hei had thought.
After several rounds of refinement, Chun Hei, at the cost of over a dozen lives, managed to decipher all of the Phantom Monk's attack methods and formulated detailed defensive and counter-offensive strategies.
Through repeated practice, he successfully defeated the Phantom Monk, who was left with only one bar of health.
[SLAYED]
[Obtained: Combat Memory - Monk
A memory of battling a rare powerhouse, stored within the heart.
The Monk, wearing a Yaksha mask, appears like a phantom shrouded in mist.
Monk - Guardian of the Stone Gate in Mibu Village.]
[Obtained Skill: Mibu Breathing Technique
The secret art of breathing underwater, 'Mibu's Breath,' transformed into a permanent ability to dive underwater.
The first head of the Mibu clan.
This secret art is passed down in secret only to those who intend to enter the palanquin.
Those who wish to enter the divine palanquin must learn Mibu's Breath.
Without Mibu's Breath, one cannot see the Divine Dragon.]
"Whoa!"
Seeing the string of notifications, Chun Hei's pupils widened. "This Mibu's Breath is quite something. Without mastering this skill, one can't even see the Divine Dragon. The Divine Dragon!"
"I boldly predict that this Divine Dragon might be the source of the Dragon Heritage power, the origin of immortality and all tragic events in Ashina, and that eventually Wolf might even have to fight this Divine Dragon."
The audience was not just familiar with Chun Hei's analysis; they knew it by heart.
'Although this trope has been played out by major game developers for a long time, it feels quite good in a torture-style game.'
'Old wine in new bottles, as long as it's fun!'
'/
'You are not alone.'
'Ripple Breathing Technique!!!'
...
"The Monk's guarding Mibu Village must have a reason. I suspect it's for immortality. After all, rare powerhouses generally have limited ambitions. So, we should encounter the immortal Monk himself somewhere later. I hope he's stronger than today."
The confidence of someone who had achieved victory was palpable. Chun Hei was already looking forward to facing the actual Monk.
"Before that, we need to find the stone."
With that, Chun Hei followed the stone steps of the Stone Gate forward, eventually finding the glowing stone before the altar at the end of the stairs.
[Obtained: Shelter Stone
A stone enshrined at the altar deep within Mibu Village, a stone that may reside within.
Residing is a good omen; if it emits a fragrant scent, it will be welcomed into the palanquin.
This stone is one of the materials for incense that can produce the Aroma of Source, something the Prince needs to sever immortality.]
Picking up the glowing stone, which looked like a sea urchin, Chun Hei stared blankly.
After a moment,
He finally came to his senses. "Isn't this thing just a gallstone? The villagers of Mibu Village are quite superstitious. A stone that emits a scent is considered an auspicious item."
Suddenly, Chun Hei realized his comment might be inappropriate and apologized, "I'm sorry, one should respect other people's customs. I shouldn't have commented casually. Alright, the quest is complete, let's go back and turn it in."
For some reason,
From the moment he obtained the Shelter Stone, he felt as though the entire Sekiro world was shrouded in a layer of gloom.
The atmosphere had also become somber, with the BGM having inexplicably changed, and a strange sense of tension crawled up Chun Hei's spine.
"Hiss~~"
He shivered involuntarily, looked around, and his gaze fixed on the small stream beside him.
He decided to test the effectiveness of the Water Breathing... no, Mibu's Breath.
Plop!!
Chun Hei jumped into the stream and unhesitatingly explored the depths of the water. He had always suspected that many treasures might exist at the bottom.
Gurgle!!
The water flowed past him. Chun Hei could now move freely underwater and dive for as long as he wanted.
He continued to dive to the deepest point. First, he saw many glowing money bags. He picked up the money bags and other valuable items like rare bait.
Chun Hei then set his sights on the swimming carp nearby. These carp, some even larger than humans, might drop something good.
[Obtained: Carp Scale]
"I remember the Corpulent Lord in the three-year map once said there was a Fish King among the carp. It's an immortal being. The Corpulent Lord is also collecting Carp Scales to become the Fish King, but there's only one Fish King. Having Carp Scales alone isn't enough. However, this also indicates that in the entire Sekiro world, both humans and ghosts are pursuing immortality, as if it's a tradition in Sekiro."
Swimming all the way, Chun Hei obtained more treasures, such as the carp's crimson eyeballs and scattered prayer beads, items needed for upgrading equipment.
With his pockets full, he prepared to head back.
In the dilapidated temple,
The Sculptor continued to carve Buddha statues as always. Unlike before, there was another person in the room – Emma.
"Wolf, you've arrived."
Emma seemed to be explaining her presence here. "I enjoy listening to the sound of carving Buddha statues, so I sometimes come here."
"Hmph, you've arrived too."
The Sculptor's attitude remained as indifferent as ever; only alcohol seemed to occasionally bring out a different side of him.
Chun Hei decisively took out the Dragonspring Sake to treat the Sculptor. "Here, have some of this potent stuff!"
"Oh, Dragonspring? That's top-quality."
The Sculptor's voice even began to gain some vitality. "Then I'll accept it."
Gulp gulp gulp!!!
He drained it in one go without even needing a peanut. "Ahhh, that's the stuff. Just the taste I like."
Once a bit of alcohol was involved, the old master started talking more. "I often drink this with Dojun... Emma will pour the drinks for us."
"It seems you, Emma, and Sword Saint Isshin Ashina have known each other for a long time."
"Yes, a long time ago... I found her on the battlefield."
"On the battlefield, found her?" This was the first time he had heard this. Chun Hei had always assumed Wolf was found, and Emma and Genichiro were the biological children of Dojun and Isshin, respectively.
As it turned out, after drinking a bit, the Sculptor revealed the backgrounds of these individuals.
Emma was found by the Sculptor and adopted by Dojun.
Genichiro was found by Isshin and raised as his grandson.
After the casual chat, Chun Hei pretended to leave but hid nearby to eavesdrop.
As expected,
Chun Hei overheard a shocking secret!!!
...
(Forgot one thing, thanks to Xiao Mo Bu Bei Shang for the [Character Summon] *2, muah muah muah!!!)