Chapter 119 This Is Just a Minor Incident on the Firelinking Path

Chapter 119 This Is Just a Minor Incident on the Firelinking Path

Zhang Yi sat in front of the computer, controlling the knight character 'aaa' in the game.

After nearly half an hour of gameplay.

The ownership of the computer had now firmly settled with Zhang Yi.

After all, switching players every two or three minutes due to constant deaths didn't even allow the chair to warm up.

Of course, there was another more important reason—Wang Han had realized something.

Watching someone else suffer and suffering yourself were two completely different experiences.

Sitting cross-legged on a large chair, she had a small basin on her lap filled with plastic bags and washed grapes.

"Ah, just a little more! What a pity!" Wang Han exclaimed as she watched the grayed-out screen showing Zhang Yi's character death, though her face clearly showed no sign of regret—only amusement.

Zhang Yi, having respawned at the bonfire, said nothing. He rolled twice in place, then continued onward toward challenging Gundyr the Ash.

He couldn't help but feel that there was something strangely captivating about this game.

At first, when Gundyr was beating him senselessly, he felt a bit discouraged.

Especially after seeing that Gundyr had a second form—his Mindset was on the verge of collapse.

But as he continued challenging the boss, growing more and more skilled, watching Gundyr's health gradually dwindle,

a strange sense of satisfaction began to emerge. Meanwhile, the thought of being killed by Gundyr no longer felt as unbearable as it once did.

It was just dying in a game—what's the big deal?

Stepping once again into the Firelink Shrine, compared to his initial blind rolling and reckless Perfect Guard attempts,

Zhang Yi now played much more steadily. He used his shield to block Gundyr's attacks without taking damage, carefully managing his green stamina bar to avoid depletion.

Then, he would seize the opening after Gundyr's attacks to land a couple of hits.

After nearly ten deaths, he had mostly memorized the attack patterns and timing of both Gundyr's first and transformed second forms.

Facing the second form of Gundyr the Ash, Zhang Yi moved forward to land two quick hits, then retreated cautiously.

Carefully testing, rolling, attacking.

The boss's health steadily dropped, and with one final strike, the health bar of Ash Judgment Gundyr was emptied.

'Roar...'

With a mournful bellow from the Pus of Man, the massive boss twisted and collapsed into dust.

At the same moment, a flame burst forth on the screen, as if ignited.

The knight in the game, seen through the armor, appeared to have faint embers glowing beneath his skin.

Not only was his lost health fully restored, but it actually increased beyond its previous maximum.

Having defeated the boss, he had entered the Embered State.

"Nice! I did it!"

Zhang Yi in front of the computer beamed with excitement, clenching his fist.

Honestly, in that instant of defeating Gundyr the Ash, Zhang Yi felt an indescribable rush of triumph.

"He's already beaten?" Wang Han beside him was also surprised, though her tone carried a hint of regret.

"This Gundyr isn't that tough! I wasn't familiar with the game earlier, but now if I fight him again, I'd dominate him easily!" After lighting the bonfire that appeared in the center post-victory, Zhang Yi felt like a crab—walking sideways with confidence!

Gundyr the Ash, a powerful boss, had fallen beneath his blade. Who could possibly stand in the way of his Firelinking path now?

The only slight regret was that he still hadn't mastered the Perfect Guard skill.

During the fight against Gundyr, he'd only successfully executed it two or three times.

Although the reward was great—successful Perfect Guard triggered an execution state, dealing a large chunk of damage in one hit.

But failure meant he'd be sent flying immediately.

So he opted for the safer method—raising his shield to block.

"Stop showing off! Quickly check out what's next!" Wang Han said, deliberately picking two large grapes and placing them into Zhang Yi's mouth as a reward.

"What's the rush? Why the panic? Right now, I have a more important matter to attend to." After resting at the bonfire and refilling his Estus Flask, Zhang Yi didn't push open the large closed door ahead. Instead, he turned back the way he came.

"Where are you going?" Wang Han asked, puzzled.

"Revenge! I'm going to personally slay that giant lizard who took my first death!" Zhang Yi, now brimming with confidence, marched back.

He was no longer the inexperienced player he once was!

If he could defeat a boss like Gundyr the Ash, what did he have to fear from an elite mob?

Could a mere mob possibly be tougher than a boss?

With this thought in mind, Zhang Yi returned to the Cemetery of Ash.

Following the narrow path, he quickly reached his destination.

Aggro the monster, rolling, raise the shield—

And then, he became just another bloodstain left on the ground for future players to discover.

Respawning in front of the bonfire, staring at his character—his thousands of souls now reduced to zero, and his Embered State reverted to normal—

Zhang Yi fell silent.

"What just happened?"

Looking at his respawned character, Zhang Yi felt a slight sense of confusion.

He had charged in with full confidence to face the Crystal Lizard that had claimed his first death.

But he quickly realized that the experience gained from fighting Gundyr was completely useless against this foe.

Its attacks were faster, and a single combo emptied his stamina bar entirely.

Moreover, its attack power was no lower than Gundyr's.

After consuming three Estus Flasks, he hadn't even taken down half its health before dying himself.

Why did this feel even harder than Gundyr?

Was it just an illusion?

After respawning, Zhang Yi prepared to challenge it again, first heading to retrieve the souls he had dropped, then re-engaging.

He created distance, but the lizard launched its rolling attack—'Lizard Roll'—completely draining his stamina, causing flinch, followed by a three-hit combo that left him utterly helpless.

"I think this isn't a monster you should be challenging right now," Wang Han remarked from the side.

"Seems like you're right. Can't win? Then I'll just run away for now." Zhang Yi respawned, re-entered the Crystal Lizard's territory, picked up his dropped souls, and immediately fled.

Fortunately, unlike bosses, once he escaped the Crystal Lizard's Aggro range, it wouldn't pursue him endlessly.

"Let's go check out what's ahead. After all, our main quest is to link the fire!"

Zhang Yi adjusted his Mindset. The Crystal Lizard was just a minor setback—the main story was what truly mattered.

Soon, he would officially embark on the Firelinking journey.

But how exactly did one link the fire?

And what was this 'Lord of Cinder' mentioned in the promotional trailer?

Was Gundyr the Ash a Lord of Cinder?

After defeating him, he even entered the Embered State!

Returning to the courtyard, Zhang Yi pushed open the large door ahead.

Climbing upward, the path was lined with Regular Hollows.

Zhang Yi defeated them effortlessly, and his confidence quickly returned.

This was the real player experience. Having defeated Gundyr the Ash, he had earned the right to walk the Firelinking path.

He was ready to begin his journey. The Crystal Lizard was merely a small incident!

Ascending further, he soon spotted a striking circular Structure.

Grand and Majestic, like a cathedral.

He walked through the open doorway into a circular space resembling a ritual arena—like an opera house.

On the elevated ring platform above, there were five thrones.

Four of them were empty. Only one held a frail, elderly man.

At the very center of the shrine stood a young girl with long silver hair, clad in a black robe, wearing a mysterious metallic blindfold.

She was the same girl who had appeared in the promotional trailer.

<>