Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?
Chapter 203 - 176: The Abyss Wanderer

Chapter 203: Chapter 176: The Abyss Wanderer

"Huff, huff..."

Staring at the four painting fragments laid out before him, Dal’s breathing involuntarily became heavy with excitement.

It was too exciting; he almost forgot how much time he had spent farming these items.

Just from slaying Meat Pigeons and the souls obtained, he had already leveled up three times! That was indeed a sizable number.

After each level up, the soul amount needed for the next level would increase, and moreover, even after he strengthened himself through training, the required soul amount for leveling up would increase as well.

It showed just how many times he had grinded Meat Pigeons and how much time he had invested in it.

The Historical Battle Certificates Dal currently possessed were already enough for him to exchange for an insignificant, weak blessing!

Plus, he wasn’t the only one striving for the painting fragments.

"Wow!"

A big group of people suddenly flooded into Dal’s farmhouse, crowding around the table with the painting fragments and excitedly exclaiming in admiration.

Dal revealed a smile; these were the adventurers who, like him, aimed for the painting fragments and challenged the Endless Reincarnation daily.

They all shared one characteristic—they liked the legends of Fran Fort.

The stories of the Fran Undead Team, Wolf Blood, the Abyss, and other elements combined into a blood-pumping yet tragic heroic tale that squarely hit people’s sweet spot!

The people of this world seemed to have a particular fondness for hero epics with tragic elements, even most of the songs praised by Bards ended in tragedy, often moving the audience to tears, while stories with perfect happy endings existed but didn’t make as lasting an impression.

The adventurers discovered that the items produced from Sain Dungeon often came with a description, and the various unfamiliar terms in these descriptions frequently left people perplexed as if they were seriously introducing history, but nobody could understand, so naturally few people paid attention to this aspect, except for those who liked to research.

But the scene of no one inquiring about the item descriptions only lasted for a while.

When people realized that some item descriptions could be connected to each other, and even to regions of the Dungeon, many people’s enthusiasm was ignited.

Exploring the Dungeon while uncovering the story behind it, what a beautiful affair indeed.

Then, some discovered that the item descriptions might contain hints about certain scenes or ways to deal with Monsters; this made even those uninterested in the background stories join the ranks of those digging into the item descriptions.

For instance, the fact that the Soul-sucking Ghosts in Fran Fort were hostile to Gollums was mentioned in item descriptions, it has now become widely known, and by utilizing this trait, adventurers could save a lot of effort while exploring.

The adventurers gathered around Dal were all enthusiasts for background stories, collectively forming an organization called "Fran Exploration Team," existing for the sole purpose of unearthing the story of Fran Fort.

To this day, the rough story had already been mostly unearthed by people, and they could only add details to it.

Among these details, there was one existence that was particularly intriguing to everyone.

Wolf Knight Artorias.

In some of the item descriptions related to the Fran Undead Team, the figure of this Wolf Knight often appeared; the Undead Team regarded him as an idol, and it seemed that Wolf Blood was also related to him. Many such factors layered together, increasing people’s interest in his legend.

Unfortunately, up until now, no one had found a description directly about Artorias, and the information about him was very scant, diverting people’s attention to other matters, such as the allies of the Undead Team, what exactly the Abyss was.

Only when Leon and his companions obtained the painting fragment "Wolf Knight" did the enthusiasm for Artorias reignite.

"Dal, come on, piece it together?" someone urged impatiently.

"Mm."

Dal nodded, solemnly piecing together the fragments with precision; miraculously, the broken edges healed themselves, forming a complete painting.

The painting depicted a knight whose face could not be discerned, fighting in a blood-soaked battle.

His ashen silver Armor and blue cape stood out amidst the swarming Abyss Monsters, with sword and shield in hand—before him, even the mightiest Monster would be reduced to a mere soul.

A small wolf fought beside him against the Monsters; could this be the origin of the title "Wolf Knight"?

Everyone who viewed the painting was incredibly excited; they finally saw the full image of Artorias, living up to expectations.

Artorias, so cool!

[Painting "Wolf Knight"]

[This magical painting depicts the Wolf Knight Artorias, able to recreate this story within the Painting World]

Dal cautiously touched the painting, but nothing happened.

Strange, according to the description, it seemed that something magical should happen after completing the painting—so why wasn’t there a reaction?

"Could it be that it only works inside the Dungeon?" someone suggested. "Shall we try going into the Dungeon?"

The suggestion was met with unanimous approval, but a new problem arose—who should go? The Dungeon could accommodate at most ten people at once, meaning only ten out of the fifty-eight present could enter.

As Dal pondered, he realized everyone was looking at him.

"What’s up?" he blinked.

"Of course, you should go." The adventurer grinned and gave him a shove, "You found three painting fragments, contributed the most, and you’re also the strongest."

Painting fragments could be obtained repeatedly, and Dal managed to gain one of number one and two of number three, of which one number one fragment had already been obtained by Leon and his party.

Dal graciously accepted everyone’s kindness, even playfully pushing back the adventurer who had pushed him earlier, sparking playful commotion on the scene with an excellent atmosphere.

Unconsciously, he found himself getting more accustomed to socializing with others and no longer felt as unnatural as before.

The Wolf pack outside the farmhouse gazed eagerly their way, feeling like their importance had diminished ever since Dal mingled with the Fran Exploration Team.

Damn it, wolves can get jealous too!

In the end, ten people were chosen, arriving at the Teleportation Gate of Sain Dungeon with everyone’s hopes.

"Wait a second!" Just as they were about to enter, someone from the Exploration Team hurried over with a thick notebook.

"Dal, everyone, don’t forget this!"

He thrust the notebook into Dal’s hands, who flipped it open to find it filled with questions ending in question marks.

What are the true identities of Artorias? Is the wolf that followed him actually the Ancient Wolf of Fran? Why did he choose to oppose the Abyss?

Where did he go after battling the Abyss? Did he leave any descendants?

These were the questions everyone summed up, hoping that Dal and his team could find the answers.

"Leave it to me." He earnestly pocketed the notebook, then turned and entered the Teleportation Gate.

Within the Fire Transmission Ceremony, everyone stared at the painting, unsure of how to proceed.

"Maybe if we all place our hands on it simultaneously?" someone suggested.

"Good. I’ll count down, and we’ll all place our hands together."

"Three."

"Two."

"One!"

Ten hands pressed down at the same time.

The painting emitted a dizzying bright light, yet it only enveloped one person!

...

Dal seemed to have had a dream.

Everything he saw in the dream was hazy, his vision blurry, but the voices were crystal clear.

He saw a majestic city, the kind only witnessed in myths and legends.

He heard others calling him the "Abyss Wanderer," and saw soldiers in armor styles he had never before seen, each one showing him respect.

There were also three individuals who gave him a sense of "familiarity"—a golden lion, a giant eagle, and a blue bee.

These people... I seem to have seen them somewhere before.

He saw an old man with white hair who looked quite amiable.

The old man sat on a throne and bestowed upon him a silver necklace.

Huh, a silver necklace? I seem to recall seeing this thing before.

The scene shifted, and he set off on a journey with a sword and shield, and his most trusted partner. At the end of their journey, a nation eroded by the Abyss loomed before them.

The inhabitants here had all undergone horrific mutations, their heads swollen into bloated shapes, their bodies tainted by the Abyss.

He fought in this land filled with monsters, and no monster could withstand his sword. Though his partner was young, they bravely fought their way through, quickly carving a path of blood straight to the Abyss.

This feeling of invincibility made Dal revel in it; he bathed in the sensation of every move he made, and it seemed to awaken something within his heart.

In the pitch black of the Abyss, monsters resembling enlarged versions of humanity were everywhere, along with formidable foes wielding Abyss spells.

The intensity of battle was far beyond that on the surface, as if the previous fights were but child’s play, he needed to be wholly serious.

On the surface, he had given the silver necklace, capable of repelling the Abyss, to a survivor, and therefore was unable to repel Abyss magic.

The deeper he ventured into the Abyss, the more powerful the monsters became, accumulating injuries.

Until he faced the ultimate foe, he was covered in wounds, but even so, he still raised his Great Sword toward the cause of the catastrophe.

A crimson glow appeared amidst the endless darkness.

Accompanied by a terrifying force that made one’s soul tremble, the Master of the Abyss was about to emerge.

Dal held his breath, despite his numb soul, his eyes fixated on the darkness, but...

It was interrupted.

This dream-like experience suddenly stopped!

His vision blurred, and when he came to his senses, he found himself lying in a fresh forest.

The sunshine was bright, just like the real-world weather, and the primeval forest always brought a feeling of being close to nature.

But beneath this harmony with nature, Dal felt an undercurrent stirring, a sense of danger continuously flashing through his mind.

"Did I just... experience the memory of Artorias?"

Piecing together the events he had experienced in the Meat Pigeon, the silver necklace, wandering the Abyss, the Three Knights, Dal had an epiphany. The events he experienced in the Meat Pigeon were from the perspective of Artorias!

He had already formed a connection with this mysterious Knight!

In the wave of excitement, Dal couldn’t help but grumble:

"Why did the memory have to stop short?"

He was looking forward to seeing the Master of the Abyss in its full glory, yet he was ejected right before the meeting.

What does the Master of the Abyss look like, what was the outcome of the battle, where did Artorias go?

All these questions entangled in his mind, leaving him in a state of confusion, this abrupt interruption was really frustrating and vexing!

"Damn it, now I want to see it even more." Unable to see the outcome of the battle, he felt like ants were crawling all over him.

Artorias was so strong, he must have achieved the final victory!

He believed it without the slightest doubt.

He was alone, what about his companions, could it be that everyone was separated?

Dal looked forward, not far away stood a town, a place he recognized from Artorias’ memory, it seemed to be called...

He took a few steps forward, and a name suddenly emerged before his eyes.

[Ulashiro]

This was the nation erupted by the Abyss.

Dal took a deep breath, gripping the Fran Greatsword in his hand which was now trembling slightly, as if it too was excited.

Perhaps the Fran Undead Team had never truly met their idol?

Now, entering this Painting World with the Undead Team’s weapon, it felt as though he was bound by some sort of fate.

Let’s see what the Wolf Knight is really—

The moment he stepped into town, his excitement vanished completely, and the smile on his face stiffened.

Hearing his footsteps, the numerous monsters crowding the town raised their heads.

The two sides locked eyes, and all was silent.

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