Nidhogg floated, soaked in seawater, surrounded by darkness. There was no Sea God, no Melina. Only himself.
He tried to call out to Melina, Ranni, Guts, and even Torrent. But he received no answer.
After a long time, he saw a faint golden light appear before him. This golden light gradually took shape, presenting the beautiful combination of rings and lines imprinted by the golden brand.
More detailed information appeared beneath the golden brand.
Level Up: LV 104 (Mid-Rank Apostle) → LV 108 (High-Rank Apostle)
Quest: Roundtable Hold & Great Blessing (Condition: Reach at least LV 108 — Completed)
As soon as Nidhogg finished reading these two lines, he again felt the pull of gravity. His entire body rapidly fell downward, until he landed in a bright and spacious hall.
He stood still and saw before him a huge round table. Upon it stood a glowing pillar of light—the light of blessing.
Nidhogg stood before the round table and involuntarily reached out his hand. In his palm appeared the Minor Erdtree, reflecting the pillar of blessing light on the round table.
He understood that the Minor Erdtree in his hand was the "key" to entering this place.
Nidhogg put away the Minor Erdtree and looked around. The more familiar it became, the more he couldn't help but walk around its perimeter, through the narrow corridors. He saw familiar yet unfamiliar rooms. His heart grew even more resolute.
This was the "Roundtable Hold" —the place of great blessing and the meeting place for the Tarnished in another space, founded on the ruins of the Roundtable Hold in the royal capital of Leyndell.
It's just that this place was empty. Nidhogg was the only one here.
Today, this "Roundtable Hold" was in Nidhogg's hands.
Nidhogg returned to the huge round table, stood before the light of blessing, and reached out to touch it.
WHOOSH—!
The light of blessing suddenly filled the space and burst forth. Then, before Nidhogg, all the weapons he possessed floated before his eyes.
Bloodhound's Fang, Grafted Blade Greatsword, Golden Halberd, Brass Shield, Grafted Wyvern, Godrick's Royal Axe, and the Greatsword.
The surging light of blessing rushed towards Nidhogg again, merging with his body. It brought waves of warmth and made him understand what to do.
He took out his Whetstone Knife and threw it into the light of blessing.
The Whetstone Knife instantly turned to powder, but was also integrated into the light of blessing. This allowed the light of blessing to perform the function of merging weapon skills.
Nidhogg could choose a weapon. The rest would be destroyed, and their combat skills would be integrated into the weapon he chose.
This meant that from this moment on, Nidhogg only needed one weapon to use the combat skills of all those weapons, regardless of which one was available.
Of course, this was not a one-time event. Afterwards, he could obtain new weapons, integrate all combat skills into the new one, or integrate the combat skills of the new weapon into the old one.
Simply put, in effect, all combat skills had become a kind of technique that could be used through a weapon.
In this case, Nidhogg did not hesitate. He chose the weapon he thought was the most badass—the Grafted Blade Greatsword!
Weapon Enhancement: Grafted Blade Greatsword
Possessed Combat Skills: Bloodhound's Finesse / Oath of Vengeance / Golden Vow / Iron Wall / Bear Witness / Kneel! / Lion's Claw
Nidhogg held the Grafted Blade Greatsword. It felt like holding a pulsating dragon python. But as soon as he exerted a little force, the greatsword calmed down and was wielded by him.
Similarly, Nidhogg threw all the talismans he held, including the Crimson Amber, Blue Amber, Green Amber Medallions, etc., into the light of blessing. The light grew brighter and brighter.
After this, he no longer needed to carry talismans with him. As long as he had placed the talismans in the light of blessing, they could grant him their effects at any time.
Putting away the Grafted Blade Greatsword, Nidhogg saw the new enhancements and changes in himself brought by the light of blessing.
Items:
Flask of Crimson & Cerulean Tears +5 → Flask of Crimson & Cerulean Tears +7 (Restores HP/FP, Recovery +7, now usable 12 times)
Acquired: Guidance of Blessing (Grants a target the Guidance of Blessing, allowing them to travel between the Roundtable Hold, the Real World, and the Blessed Lands. The target returns Runes to the Lord of the Roundtable Hold.)
Spirit Ashes:
Oleg the Lost Knight +8 → Oleg the Lost Knight +10
Lhutel the Headless Knight +6 → Lhutel the Headless Knight +10
Lone Wolves +5 → Lone Wolves +7
Twin Sage Sorcerers +4 → Twin Sage Sorcerers +7
Spirit Jellyfish +1 → Spirit Jellyfish +3
Finally, a new "Quest" appeared.
Quest: Dragon Communion of the Black Dragon (Condition: Reach at least "False God" LV 162)
All the enhancements were expected by Nidhogg. Only the "Guidance of Blessing" and the "Dragon Communion of the Black Dragon" surprised him.
"Guidance of Blessing" seemed to allow Nidhogg, the master of the Roundtable Hold, to distribute "keys" in and out of this place to others. They could travel back and forth between the Roundtable Hold, the real world, and the Blessed Lands.
The Roundtable Hold was right here. This world referred to the world inhabited by humanity. The Blessed Lands now referred to the core of the three Junction zones Nidhogg had acquired.
Blessed Lands:
Liurnia of the Lakes — Raya Lucaria Academy
Limgrave — Stormveil City
Weeping Peninsula — Castle Morne
Moreover, those who received the blessings and guidance needed to return Runes to the Lord of the Roundtable Hold, that is, Nidhogg. And the experience points needed for Nidhogg's level-ups were essentially Runes.
Did this mean that everyone who received the blessings and guidance would become one of the bonuses for Nidhogg's next upgrade?
As for the "Dragon Communion of the Black Dragon"...
The so-called "Dragon Communion" actually meant that in the Junction, through certain rituals at the Dragon Communion Church, one could obtain the ability to use dragon incantations. "Agheel's Flame," which Nidhogg possessed, was one such incantation.
The so-called "Dragon Communion of the Black Dragon," which did not exist in Elden Ring, had now truly appeared before Nidhogg's eyes.
Nidhogg noticed another key word in this new quest— "False God." It was hard not to let his mind wander.
The first thing that came to his mind was the Emperor of the Kushan Empire, who had been forcibly reincarnated a second time in the demonic womb and was called the "Demon God" and the "Final God."
If they needed to define a "False God," then Nidhogg believed the Terrifying Emperor in that state was a "False God."
It seemed that when he reached this stage, he feared some changes would occur.
The "Guidance of Blessing" and the "Dragon Communion of the Black Dragon" were worth investigating.
The conditions for the "Dragon Communion of the Black Dragon" were still far off. So Nidhogg decided to leave the Roundtable Hold and return to the real world to test the actual effect of the "Guidance of Blessing" on the members of the Spirit Tree Company.
He reached out his hand. The light of blessing above the round table responded, enveloping him and quickly returning him to the real world.