Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 253 The game is like this

"In fact, I'm having this dream too."

Upon hearing Emlyn's explanation, the others didn't show any sudden understanding; instead, they became even more confused. What do you mean, "You were having this dream too?" Having a dream as a group, huh? Or does having a dream as a group last longer?

"Gundar, the Ashen One"

Klein resisted the urge to raise his hand, his eyes twitching slightly.

He had just felt a strange sense of déjà vu in Miss Justice's description, and the name Gundyr was the only confirmation that her dream was actually a story from Dark Souls 3!

And this story was created by Karula, a Sequence 2 angel who also possesses the King's Soul. It's not too surprising that she could achieve this level of accomplishment.

After all, even an amateur like Will Unsett could establish a connection with him in a dream despite the distance, so angels using the 'spectator' pathway are even more experts in this regard. For example, the organizer of the 'Twilight Hermit's Society' is suspected to be an angel using the 'spectator' pathway...

However, Klein didn't rush to express his opinion, which was inconsistent with the character of "The Fool".

Well, most importantly, he still couldn't be completely sure that the Dark Souls 3 that Miss Justice and Mr. Moon were playing was the same game he had played before. After all, he was only playing a pre-set game, while they were playing a dream created by an angel.

The difference between them cannot be explained in just a few words.

On the other hand, Audrey wasn't surprised by Emlyn's answer; instead, her eyes lit up. Karula had told her that other "players" had entered the dream besides her, but she had never encountered them before.

Audrey asked expectantly:

"Mr. 'Moon,' since you're also in the dream, do you know how to defeat Gundyr?"

"..."

Emlyn, who had been somewhat proud, froze, but still gave a reply:

"I have no idea."

Before he could finish speaking, Emlyn, as if hastily trying to cover up his mistake, retorted:

"It wasn't just me; no one in the entire vampire clan could defeat 'Ash Judge' Gundyr, and no one could leave the Ash Graveyard. At least I met Gundyr on my first encounter and died at his hands. Other vampires even died at the hands of crystal lizards and experts, and there was one who fell to his death without doing anything..."

He was trying to explain, but Emlyn sensed that the others' gazes were growing increasingly strange, and their voices were growing softer. His face, hidden beneath the gray fog, even flushed slightly, because he himself had experienced the kinds of deaths he had just described…

Initially, it was out of curiosity mixed with some disdain—curious why other vampires could die at the hands of some crystal lizard and expert. So, with the thought that "I will not lose," he gave it a try, and the result was self-evident.

He was killed once by a crystal lizard, and three times by experts, including once when he fell off a cliff to his death...

"This is nothing..."

Klein listened to Emlyn's description and thought to himself.

He died far more times than Emlyn, in all sorts of bizarre and outlandish ways.

However, based on their descriptions, it seems that each dream only grants one life; once one dies, they wake up from the dream and can only wait until the next night to enter the dream again and start anew.

If that's the case, then based on the average Dark Souls player dying hundreds of times, it would take at least one or two years to complete the game. Although there were speedrunners online in my previous life who could complete the game in one life, they were a minority, and before they completed the speedrun, they must have practiced hundreds or thousands of times, and their number of deaths might be even higher than the average.

Besides, this is reality after all. Although it's a dream, the difficulty is incomparable to a game. Gundyr is a demigod, so the Lords of Cinder in the game must be at least Sequence 2 angels, and possibly even Sequence 1…

Well, Rudolf and the Farron Undead Legion probably don't have Sequence 2.

After all, the former was dragged back with his leg broken, so he couldn't be considered an enemy and had no fighting ability.

The latter relies more on quantity than individual quality; only the Farron Undead Legion, sharing the blood of the wolf, is qualified to become Lords of Cinder. However, in terms of individual strength, they should each be above demigod level…

If that's the case, then the combat power in the Dark Souls world is actually quite terrifying.

After all, the combat power of Dark Souls is getting weaker with each generation. If even the highest combat power in Dark Souls 3 is a Sequence 1 Angel, then how strong must the combat power of Dark Souls 2 or even Dark Souls 1 be?

Is there a higher order above the true god?

A bold idea suddenly popped into Klein's mind.

Klein was startled by his own thought, but upon further reflection, he realized the possibility seemed quite high. After all, there were real-life examples in this world, such as the legendary ancient sun god!

The eight ancient gods of the Second Era were roughly equal in strength to the current seven true gods. However, the Ancient Sun God was an exception; he clearly possessed power that could overwhelm the eight ancient gods, suggesting that the Ancient Sun God was likely a higher order above the True Gods!

"If the True God is Sequence 0, then is Sequence -1 the level above the True God?"

Klein's thoughts began to wander, and he thought to himself, half-jokingly.

While Sequence-1 was merely a joke, the realm above True God undoubtedly exists. If we translate this to the Dark Souls world, even with a rough comparison, the Ancient Dragons would at least be True Gods corresponding to Sequence 0. And the three King Soul holders who slaughtered the Ancient Dragons are very likely at a level above their corresponding True Gods!

What about Yu Jin? What level is he at?

Klein felt a chill run down his spine and dared not think further, for he realized the truth might be far beyond his expectations. Even staying above the gray fog couldn't completely shield him from the trouble it brought!

Klein's thoughts returned to reality, where the Tarot Club members on either side of the bronze table were still discussing the events of his dream.

Well, although it's called a discussion, it's actually a joint effort between the Hanged Man and the Hermit to extract information from the Moon.

As for Miss Justice, although she likely possessed more information than Moon, she was, after all, an Extraordinary being of the spectator pathway, far less formidable than Moon. Therefore, both The Hanged Man and The Hermit wisely refrained from causing trouble for Miss Justice.

"Mr. 'Moon'."

Alger, the "Hanged Man," pondered for a moment, then asked in confusion:

"Miss 'Justice' entered the dream with the help of that... um... angel. How did you manage to do that?"

The Moon frowned, clearly puzzled as well, but still explained:

"It is Duke Olmer."

"The Duke?"

Fors, the "Magician," showed a slight change in expression. She had learned a great deal of the hidden knowledge of the Extraordinary World from the Abraham family. And according to the hierarchy within the vampire clan, a Duke corresponds to a Sequence 2 Extraordinary, meaning that this Duke Olmer was a genuine angel!

The Hermit, Cattleya, clearly knew more than the others. She slowly began to speak:

"It is said that there are three dukes in the vampire clan, and this Duke Olmer is the eldest of the three living dukes. He once followed Lilith, the progenitor of the vampire clan."

"That's right."

The moon suddenly became incredibly confident, proudly raising its chin.

The Hermit, Cattleya, remained silent, showing no surprise at the attitude displayed by the Moon.

Like most vampires that Gadriya encountered, "Moon" was incredibly proud of her vampire identity. Although she usually hid her vampire identity among humans, once others learned of it, they felt as if they had been freed from some kind of constraint.

Not only do they make no attempt to hide it, but they also excitedly recount the glorious history of the vampires. They don't conceal even the most secret information about the vampires.

Of course, it's also possible that this kind of secret information, which is considered confidential by outsiders, is nothing to the vampires.

For example, in human society, most people are unaware of the existence of extraordinary beings. Among extraordinary beings, most are unaware of the existence of demigods. Even among the extraordinary beings within the seven major churches, the vast majority do not know who the angels of their respective sects are.

However, among vampires, even underage vampires know that there are three dukes, and can even clearly pronounce their names.

And that's how Gadriya learned about the secrets of the vampires.

"Justice" Audrey was deep in thought at this moment, guessing:

"Could it be that Duke Olmer and Carula knew each other before?"

Not only her, but also the members of the Tarot Club, based on the information provided by Mr. "The Moon," naturally came to the following conclusion:

The vampires and Karula, or the organization behind Karula, have reached some kind of cooperation.

That's why the vampires entered the dream world created by Karula, and even sent an angel to protect them.

This is enough to prove the deep connection between Karula and the vampires, but it also makes others even more curious.

What is the purpose of creating this dream?

Currently, two angels are known to be involved in this dream, and the entire vampire clan may be implicated. After all, according to Emlyn, Duke Olmer is only in charge of the vampires in the Backlund region.

The other two dukes might be in charge of the capitals of the other two kingdoms. This means there might be even more vampires entering the dream realm. In that case, at least four angels would be protecting this dream. Perhaps even the true ruler of the vampires, the legendary Blood Moon Queen Olnia, is involved!

And this is just the vampire clan. Besides the vampire clan, are there any other secret organizations involved in this plan?

The members of the Tarot Club vaguely felt that they had touched a part of this huge scheme, and even if they only touched the tip of the iceberg, it was enough to shock them speechless.

Knock knock knock!

The sudden knocking startled the Tarot Club members, who were deep in thought, and they instinctively looked towards the head of the table.

The 'Fool', shrouded in gray mist, was rhythmically tapping the edge of the bronze table with his fingers!

"Mr. Fool has something to say!"

The same thought crossed everyone's mind, and their expressions turned serious as they sat up straight.

"About dreams."

Klein slowly began to speak:

"I can give you some advice that might solve your problem."

After a pause, Klein smiled and said:

"Of course, it's also possible that it will be completely useless."

Klein felt he needed to take precautions, since his knowledge of the game might be completely useless in the dream. But given that it concerned a "century-long plan" and was intricately connected to the Embers, Klein couldn't just stand by and watch.

"Justice" Audrey and "The Moon" Emlyn bowed their heads respectfully, neither of them realizing that Mr. "The Fool" was giving them a heads-up. After all, in their eyes, Mr. "The Fool" had always been so humble.

"First, I need to confirm one thing."

Have you ever tried rolling and bouncing in your dreams?

"Huh?"

"Justice" Audrey paused for a moment, while "Moon" Emlyn's eyes lit up, and he couldn't wait to say:

"Mr. Fool, the Duke of Olmer told us about the techniques of 'rolling' and 'parrying' that you mentioned."

"really!"

Klein, the "Fool," showed a slight change in expression, and immediately felt a sense of relief.

In Dark Souls, rolling and parrying are the game's most fundamental logic, and also the biggest trump card for undead players to reach the pinnacle of success. Even speedrunners must master rolling and parrying to achieve their goals!

If there are no rolls or parries in the dream, then the value of the information he gleaned from the game would be greatly reduced.

Alger, the "Hanged Man," asked in bewilderment:

"Mr. 'Moon,' what are 'rolling' and 'parrying'?"

"Justice," Audrey hesitated, because she too wanted to know the answer.

Although Karula gave her two spells, she never told her about "Roll" and "Parry." But even vampires knew this information; there was no reason why Karula, as the creator of the dream world, wouldn't know.

There is no doubt that Carula did it on purpose.

Emlyn arrogantly raised his chin:

"This is a technique that exists in dreams."

"Rolling refers to the action of rolling over at the moment the enemy attacks, which allows you to briefly dodge the enemy's attack."

"Parrying, on the other hand, deflects the opponent's attack at the moment of attack, causing them to freeze, thus enabling you to execute or follow up with a counterattack."

"I have tested both of these techniques in my dreams, and when combined with the extraordinary abilities of the vampires, they are quite effective in actual combat."

"If you make good use of rolling and parrying, even an ordinary person has the potential to kill Gundyr."

After a pause, Emlyn added:

"Of course, it's only a possibility."

While theoretically even an ordinary person could kill a powerful enemy using parries and rolls, this is only in theory. Keep in mind that vampires entering the dream world are at least Sequence 6 or Sequence 5, yet even they struggle to kill Gundyr; an ordinary person would be even less capable.

Even as extraordinary beings, they struggled to see Gundyr's attacks clearly. Ordinary people couldn't even get past the undead, so how could they possibly kill Gundyr? Ultimately, everything must be combined with one's own strength to be of maximum effect; otherwise, even the most useful techniques would be nothing more than decorations.

(End of this chapter)