Now that the nuns have gained the ability to strengthen others' souls, they and the latecomers face a challenging dilemma. Without reliable guides, even the elite members of the Freya Familia struggle to find powerful monsters.
These conditions make it hard to acquire significant souls, so many adventurers have taken to storing what souls they can, knowing that as their abilities grow, progress becomes increasingly difficult.
Many have found themselves stuck at a certain level, unable to advance without significant battles.
For these adventurers, killing monsters has become an essential way to hone their combat skills and raise their stats. Although the gods must formally update status abilities, the adventurers can accumulate experience points over time.
Fighting monsters helps develop raw combat ability, and in the midst of life-and-death struggles, latent potential is often unlocked, pushing them further.
However, it's no substitute for proper god-given updates, as battles alone cannot grant all necessary increases in strength.
This has led to the rise of new strategies. Adventurers have started saving up souls, planning to use them in a burst of advancement once they can finally get a formal update.
Although the Loki Familia has gained the bulk of the advantages, even they face limits. To return to Orario, they need the collective strength of powerful Familias to protect the way back, which is overrun with monster hordes.
Only powerful mages can clear a path through these dangerous regions.
Currently, the dungeon functions much like a balanced playing field, with beasts guarding its depths. Yet, even the dungeon itself dares not bring forth the most terrifying monsters, knowing that the gods would intervene if it pushed too far.
If it were to release a monstrosity akin to a black dragon from the deep, it would obliterate most of the adventurers without need for the smaller beasts.
This situation resembles the Saint Seiya universe, where battles between saints often lead to heavy casualties, driven by the machinations of gods who themselves are beyond death.
In much the same way, the gods in Orario hold immense sway over the lives of their followers, though their bonds with their Familia often curb the worst outcomes.
To ensure safer travel between realms, return trips have been scheduled to occur once every three months. Those who are confident in their strength, like Finn and other high-level adventurers from the Loki Familia, can leave at will, as their power made it easy to break through the monster hordes.
Given the difficulty of the journey, some of the powerful Familias have started to charge a protection fee for others who wish to travel with them. The fee is kept reasonable, otherwise, people would simply wait for the next scheduled opening.
After weighing recent encounters, especially with the formidable Nameless King, Finn spoke with conviction: "We've faced a lot here. Since the Nameless King was so difficult, our next focus should be the Lothric Princes!"
From what they learned from Ludleth, that the Lothric Princes are a formidable pair, Finn advises against rashly challenging them. Instead, he suggests only adventurers at level 8 or even level 9 take on such a daunting task.
Knowing they're up against a powerful duo, the adventurers agree it's wise to hold back for now, biding their time and gathering strength before attempting to face such a challenging foe.
"Actually, you could head to the Dilapidated Firelink Shrine," Ludleth suggested. "The Demon King lies there, especially in the depths of the broken shrine. That's where you'll find the true Hero Gundyr. What you encountered before was merely a fraction of his strength, a mere prelude."
"Find the real Gundyr, you will get Gundyr's approval, liberate Gundyr, and you will get Gundyr's inheritance!"
Ludleth explained that if they found the true Gundyr, earning his recognition would unlock his legacy. This legacy would not only strengthen them but also grant them new abilities.
He hinted that Gundyr, like many others, was once deceived, led astray by those he trusted.
Fire Keepers, it turns out, don't always have altruistic intentions, they have minds of their own, and Ludleth had grown wary of them after seeing how some had manipulated others.
There's no telling if a Fire Keeper might deceive them. After all, even in the original work, different outcomes could unfold based on whether the Fire Keeper claimed the flame or not.
In one ending, the protagonist sacrifices himself to prolong the life of the flame, which is only a temporary solution, while another possible outcome involves the Fire Keeper taking the flame, casting the world into darkness. It's a painful transition, but one that could potentially free the world from dependence on fire.
The place where Ludleth asked them to go now is the Dilapidated Firelink Shrine.
"Hero Gundyr? We understand, so our next goal is to go to the Lothric's underground!"
Entering the interior of Lothric from the High Wall, it's possible to go directly down to the lower level, where one will encounter the Demon King. In the original work, defeating the Demon King grants special access to the Archdragon Peak.
Heading to the Irithyll Dungeon is notoriously complex. Additionally, the path to the Untended Graves is also accessible through this route. The map layout is almost the same, but the area is quite dark, and while the number and types of monsters generally remain consistent, visibility is low.
However, Gundyr fights differently from the previous Gundyr. His nearly unbroken chain of attacks makes the battle particularly strenuous. Yet, since Gundyr is alone, for the Loki Familia, dealing with him would be much easier compared to the Nameless King.
With Gundyr's legacy, their strength could improve further. After a brief discussion, the group moved into Lothric, heading straight to the lower levels to take on the Demon King.