Great news!
We hit the 200 Power Stone goal last week.
So this week, you'll get 3 daily chapters. And remember, for every 200 Power Stones we get this week, we'll add another extra chapter to the daily total for next week.
If you want to read ahead and help us reach these goals even faster, you can find over 150 advanced chapters on my Patreon right now.
patreon.com/iLikeeMikee
Thanks for your support!
- - - - -
Chapter 119: This Was Just a Minor Incident on the Fire Transmission Path
Mike was sitting in front of his computer, controlling the game's knight 'aaa'. After almost half an hour of experience, the computer was now in his hands. After all, dying every two or three minutes and having another person take over was like warming up the chair.
Of course, there was a more important factor: Sarah had discovered something. Watching another person suffer and suffering yourself are two completely different sensations.
Sitting cross-legged in a large chair, a small container filled with a plastic bag and washed grapes rested on her lap.
"Oh, a little short! What a shame!" Sarah exclaimed, watching the grayscale image on Mike's screen. Not even her smile betrayed regret.
Resurrected at the bonfire, Mike said nothing, but rolled twice before continuing his mission to challenge Gundyr. He had to admit that he suddenly felt a certain fascination with this game.
At first, when Gundyr was beating him up, he felt a little depressed. Especially after seeing Gundyr's second form, he almost broke down. But as he continued to challenge him, especially as he became more skilled, watching Gundyr's health dwindle, he experienced a strange sensation.
Being killed by Gundyr did not seem as difficult to accept as it was at first. It was just a game death, right? It was no big deal.
Upon entering the Firelink Shrine again, Mike's style was much more stable than his initial, meaningless rolls and counterattacks. He used his shield to block Gundyr's attacks without taking damage, making good use of his green stamina bar to avoid completely depleting it.
Then, taking advantage of Gundyr's openings after an attack, he moved in with a few blows. After almost ten deaths, he had practically mastered the movements and timing of Gundyr's second form.
Seeing Gundyr transform into his second form, Mike stepped forward, delivered two slashes, and then firmly backed away. After cautiously probing, he rolled to attack. The boss's health gradually dwindled, and with a final blow, Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, was annihilated.
"Roar!"
With a piercing roar from the Man-Serpent, the huge boss writhed his body and collapsed into dust. Simultaneously, a flame burst onto the screen, as if it had been lit. Through the knight's armor, you could vaguely see the skin beneath, glowing with sparks of fire.
His previously lost health not only recovered, but even increased. After defeating the boss, he entered the Embers state.
"Great! I passed!"
Mike, sitting in front of the computer, clenched his fists with excitement. It must be said that upon defeating Gundyr, Mike felt incredibly euphoric.
"I passed so easily!" Sarah, standing beside him, was also surprised, though with a hint of regret in her voice.
"Gundyr is no match for me! I didn't know the game before, but now I'm going to beat him with firmness!" After lighting the bonfire that had appeared in the center after defeating Gundyr, Mike felt as if he had turned into a crab, going sideways! Gundyr, this powerful boss, has fallen into his hands, who can stop his journey through the fire?
But the only shame is that he is not very familiar with the shield counter-attack skill. When fighting Gundyr, he managed it two or three times.
Although the benefits are very high, if he succeeds, he can enter the execution state and kill a lot of people in one fell swoop. But if he fails, he will be knocked down directly. So he chose the safer shield block.
"Don't show off, hurry up and read the content!" Sarah said beside him, and she specially picked two large grapes to give to Mike as a reward.
"What's the rush? What's the panic? I have something more important now." After taking a break at the bonfire and replenishing the healing talisman, Mike did not open the locked door behind him, but returned the same way he came.
"What are you doing?" Sarah asked, bewildered.
"Revenge! Let's take down that giant lizard that took my life!" Mike, returning the way he had come, was brimming with confidence. He was no longer the useless person of the past! He had already defeated the boss Gundyr, so why was he afraid of an elite minion? Was a minion more formidable than the boss?
With this thought in mind, Mike returned to the Cemetery of Ashes. Following the narrow path, he quickly reached his destination. He attacked the monster, rolled, and raised his shield.
Then, it transformed into a puddle of blood, a warning to those who followed him.
Resurrecting in front of the bonfire, he watched as his thousands of souls, after defeating Gundyr, were reduced to zero, and how he returned from his embers to normal.
Mike fell silent.
"What's wrong?"
Observing his newly revived character, Mike felt a pang of bewilderment. He had confidently rushed into battle against the Crystal Lizard that had given him his first blood.
However, he discovered that his experience against Gundyr was completely ineffective against it. Its attacks were even faster, and a single combo instantly emptied his stamina bar. And its attack power was no less than Gundyr's. After three healing talismans, he had barely drained half of its health before he died.
'Why did it feel even harder than Gundyr? Was it an illusion?'
Mike, resurrected, prepared to challenge it again, recovering his lost soul before resuming the fight. At a distance, a Rolling Lizard emptied his stamina bar, stunning him and unleashing a three-hit combo that completely shattered him.
"I don't think this is a monster you can challenge right now," Sarah said, who was nearby.
"That seems to be the case. I can't afford to mess with him, so I'll run away." The resurrected Mike re-entered the Crystal Lizard's territory, picked up his lost soul, and fled.
Luckily, unlike the boss fight, as long as he got away from the Crystal Lizard's aggression range, it wouldn't relentlessly pursue him.
"First, let's see the rest of the story! After all, our mission is to pass on the Flame!" Mike exclaimed. The Crystal Lizard was just a minor detail; the main story was the key.
Now, the journey to pass on the Flame would begin in earnest.
How exactly would the Flame be passed on? And what was the Lord of Cinder mentioned in the previous trailer? Was Gundyr the Lord of Cinder? Even after defeating him, he still retained an ember!
Upon returning to the courtyard, Mike opened the back door. As he went up, the path was filled with common zombie monsters. Mike easily dispatched them and regained his confidence.
This was the true gaming experience. After defeating Gundyr, he had earned the right to pass on the Flame. Now he could embark on the path of fire transmission; the Crystal Lizard was just a minor incident!
Upon climbing up, he soon came across an imposing circular building. It was as majestic as a church. Upon entering the open door, he discovered a circular space resembling a sacrificial shrine, reminiscent of an opera house.
On the circular platform stood five thrones. However, four of them were empty, and only one was occupied by a frail old man. In the center of the sacrificial field, there was a girl with a mysterious metal mask, silver hair that reached her waist, and a black robe.
She was the same girl who had appeared in the previous promotional trailer.