Chapter 118: Is This Even Meant for Humans!?

【YOU DIED】

Again, that familiar death screen with the three big words.

At the same time, Wang Han’s voice rang out beside him—two words filled with delight.

"That’s it?"

Watching Ashen Gundyr, who had only lost about a third of his health, Wang Han couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Zhang Yi, seated before the computer, remained expressionless.

Because he realized reality was vastly different from imagination.

In his mind, dodging attacks with rolling, performing Perfect Guards, and executing finishers should flow seamlessly, just like in the Actual Gameplay Demonstration video from the online press conference.

Yet after trying it himself, he found it was almost the same as playing with the Deprived.

Facing the towering Ashen Gundyr, a strange Sense of Oppression instantly overwhelmed him.

Although he remembered to fight cautiously while retreating and preserving his stamina bar, once the battle truly began, panic took over.

Confronted with Gundyr’s overhead attacks, all he could do was frantically mash the rolling button.

Worse still, sometimes he rolled too early—wasting stamina without even avoiding damage.

As for Perfect Guard attempts? They cost two Estus Flasks and still failed.

Glancing at Wang Han’s grinning face, Zhang Yi silently rose from his chair, a smile now forming on his own face.

"Your turn!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Wang Han’s smile froze.

One life each, the two began challenging Ashen Gundyr in earnest.

At one point, Wang Han boldly proposed an idea.

"Since melee feels so oppressive against Ashen Gundyr, what if we try ranged attacks instead?"

Thus, a Class known as the Mage entered their sights.

After creating a character and checking the Skills—Soul Arrow and Great Soul Arrow.

The names alone sounded powerful.

The damage was indeed high—one hit chipped away a noticeable chunk of Gundyr’s health.

But… well, accuracy aside, at least there was a locked on target, but the casting time was painfully slow!

And although Ash Judgment Gundyr appeared massive and somewhat sluggish in his attacks,

once you Create Distance/Kite, his efficiency in closing the gap was unreal.

A jumping overhead slam like Mount Hua Split, or a lunging Sweeping Slash—each taught casting mages what it meant to be rushed by a warrior.

It was then Wang Han realized why, despite being a Mage, she was still given a short sword and Stout Shield.

There was also the Pyromancer class—throwing fireballs looked incredibly cool, but suffered the same flaw as the Mage: casting animations were just too slow.

And they were extremely fragile—more than once, while mid-fireball, a single jump-slam from Gundyr sent her straight to the afterlife.

One by one, Wang Han and Zhang Yi tried every Class, eventually concluding the Knight was the most effective.

At least in terms of margin for error, the Knight offered far more leniency.

And their damage output wasn’t low either.

As for burial gifts, the two agreed the most useful were the ring that increased maximum health, the Goddess's Blessing that restored full health, and the Black Firebomb.

Other items might prove useful later, but currently, they offered zero help in defeating Ash Judgment Gundyr.

After accumulating a double-digit number of deaths between them, the two finally summarized a crucial characteristic of Dark Souls—four simple words: Do Not Get Greedy (gaming)!

One vital element in the game was the stamina bar.

Without stamina, you were essentially helpless—ripe for slaughter.

Nearly every action in the game consumed stamina.

Regular attacks consumed it. Perfect Guards consumed it. Running. Rolling. Blocking—all required stamina.

And if you drained your stamina bar completely, the recovery speed would slow down significantly.

Thus, maintaining rhythm during attacks was critical. Once you got greedy (gaming),

and emptied your stamina, facing the boss’s counterattack meant you could only accept your fate.

Regarding burial gifts, both reached a consensus: choose the Black Firebomb.

Though difficult to land on Ashen Gundyr, a direct hit dealt 120 damage.

With five Black Firebombs at the start, hitting all of them while landing one or two Regular attacks equaled half of Ashen Gundyr’s health gone.

After being taught a harsh lesson multiple times by Teacher Gundyr, Wang Han and Zhang Yi finally felt they’d discovered the correct method to Clear the Game.

Fight cautiously while retreating, make full use of items, and preserve stamina.

For moves too hard to dodge with rolling, simply block with the Greatshield.

Finally, this time, having wasted only one Black Firebomb, Ash Judgment Gundyr’s health was halved.

And Zhang Yi still had three Fruit Pulp Orange Juice left.

"Victory is within reach! Keep it steady! Stay calm!" Wang Han, watching from the side, grew slightly excited.

"I know!" Zhang Yi replied, eyes locked on Ashen Gundyr’s movements on screen.

But the next moment, the in-game Ashen Gundyr suddenly crouched down, motionless.

Under Zhang Yi’s horrified gaze, a massive burst of black, unidentifiable substance erupted from Gundyr’s body.

This black material flowed like asphalt, intertwining as it formed vine-like tendrils.

Eventually, these tendrils spread and twisted behind Gundyr, morphing into a monster resembling a dragon or serpent—horned, clawed, and grotesque.

Its crimson eyes stared directly at the player character. The transformed Ash Judgment Gundyr now stood even taller than before.

Second Phase!

What the hell—this is the first boss and it already has a second phase!?

Before Zhang Yi could react, the Pus of Man swung a claw—his health plummeted by a third.

Before he could Create Distance/Kite and drink an Estus Flask, another shockwave obliterated his remaining health.

Clearly, in his transformed state, Gundyr not only gained new moves but also became far more aggressive.

"Old Geezer Chen Xu… Is this even meant for humans!?"

"No wonder the Actual Gameplay Demonstration during the online press conference only showed half the fight—this newbie village boss has a second phase!"

A despairing cry echoed through the room—Zhang Yi was thoroughly broken.

In truth, Ash Judgment Gundyr ranked among the weakest bosses in Dark Souls.

In terms of difficulty, Gundyr was nowhere near the top tier in Dark Souls (informal). Some stronger mobs were even tougher than him.

His attacks were all very telegraphed, with no Flashy and Gaudy routines.

This made his moves easy to dodge and especially easy to Perfect Guard—earning him the nickname Teacher Gundyr, the Shield Counter Master.

Yet for many new players just entering the world of Souls-like games, he remained a deeply impressed figure.

Because damn—it was just too hard!

Full of passion, eager to contribute to the Firelinking path, only to be beaten senseless all night by Teacher Gundyr, the gatekeeper of the journey—how could anyone endure that!?

The only small comfort for players was that, online, every time they visited the Crystal Lizard or Ashen Gundyr, they could see bloodstains on the ground—proof that countless other players had died and struggled just like them.

(My little bowl broke today—only a tattered newspaper remains, wuwuwu… Please give us recommendation votes and Monthly Pass)

(End of Chapter) <>