Abyss? Demons?

The Hunting Handbook, a new creation by Gong Qiying.

Its effect is similar to an encyclopedia, which unlocks information such as the monsters the holder has defeated, the items they have obtained, and the special scenes they have encountered, including some vague background information.

It's basically just a matter of visualizing and integrating the item information that appears in the adventurer's mind when they first obtain an item.

Tinkering with this thing doesn't take much Spirit Power, and it can also increase the adventurer's sense of immersion and accomplishment, and help with the dungeon narrative.

Moreover, there will always be completionists who will grind to unlock the entire collection; there will always be such people in any world.

There are some hurdles to obtaining the Hunting Handbook. It can only be obtained by extinguishing the beacon towers of the two Farron Keep and fighting the invading hunters for a certain period of time or by defeating them.

Patch is an Easter egg character; his summoning mark will appear near the hunter.

If you summon him, the hunter's combat power will decrease and he will engage in combat with Patch. The adventurer will almost certainly obtain the Hunting Handbook.

So, what is the cost?

You will then be hunted down by monsters from most of Farron Keep and there is a chance you will be tricked by Patch!

The Hunter and Patch were created by Gong Qiying, and their nature is exactly the same as the Avatar of Soul Five.

The only difference is that Patch has some built-in intelligence. In addition to being able to answer some less complicated questions, it also tries to restore its original cheeky personality as much as possible. Everything revolves around how to trick people.

Patch's answers to many questions are actually pre-designed. He doesn't speak when he's summoned as an assistant. When adventurers are separated by monster hordes and become alone, they will encounter Patch once they reach certain fixed areas. Multiple Patch can appear at the same time.

These areas are mostly cliffs or similar structures, making it easy to kick people.

However, aside from Malu where you'll fall to your death, the other cliffs will send adventurers to new places to explore.

I don't know whether to say Malu is lucky or unlucky.

These designs aren't deadly, but they're fun enough to genuinely uplift your spirits.

At least that's how Gong Qiying sees it.

However, the adventurers who were cheated didn't think so.

"Damn it"

Da Er leaned against the rock wall, his left hand bleeding profusely from a sharp rock cut when he fell, and he was now urgently bandaging it with the bandages he carried with him.

His financial situation was really tight, and he didn't have many Healing Potion on him. Unlike Malu, he could drink Healing Potion like water, so he tried to save them as much as possible. He didn't need to drink medicine for bleeding wounds.

Da Er is already at the Silver Rank, so he should be more financially well-off than the average adventurer. It's strange that he has to be so frugal with potions.

"I shouldn't have trusted others so easily," he said, looking up at the seemingly unreachable cliff after the bandage was finished, his expression a mixture of regret and anger.

Without a doubt, he was also a lucky one who was tricked by Patch.

Fortunately, he didn't die from the fall, but unfortunately, his sword was gone. The thought that the sword was a top-quality item that he had saved up for half a year to buy made Da Er feel extremely distressed.

When I run into Patch next time, I'll make sure he knows what cruelty really means!

After resting for a while and feeling that he had regained some strength, he began to limp and explore this unknown area.

Patch kicked him off the cliff, but there was a small clearing below, and he was lucky enough to land there and not die.

The open space connected to a dark tunnel, which seemed to exude an ominous aura, but it was absolutely impossible for him to back down.

If he dies here, several thousand points of his soul will be wasted, which is enough to advance him to the next level. He can't bear to do that!

The number of souls is reset to zero when you leave the dungeon; there is no way to accumulate them.

He groped his way forward, clinging to the rock face, with only a dagger left for self-defense.

"Sniff."

Da Er's nose twitched a few times, and he muttered to himself:

"There's a monster smell, but not much, and also the pungent odor of wild beasts. The wind ahead means there's an exit."

He had great faith in his nose, a skill he had developed since childhood—by being with wolves.

Da Er was raised by wolves.

He can no longer remember what his biological parents look like. Whenever he thinks about family, all that comes to mind is the mother wolf who raised him.

If he tries to force himself to recall his parents, a nightmarish scene will appear in his mind.

It's strange, really, why didn't the wolf pack eat him back then?

Perhaps due to living with wild animals, he possessed night vision far exceeding that of others, making the pitch-black caves no problem for him.

There seem to be paintings on the wall.

While remaining wary of any potential monsters, he examined the paintings on the rock wall.

The murals are very abstract, mostly stick figures.

A group of stick figures danced and sang around a flame, creating a harmonious scene.

Another group of strangely shaped stick figures arrived. They killed the normal stick figures and destroyed everything.

The feet of these bizarre stick figures were covered in large patches of black paint, and wherever they went, the blackness spread.

Da Er frowned, sensing unease in the darkness.

They relentlessly slaughtered lives, leaving nothing but desolation in their wake. Even normal people would become grotesque upon contact with darkness.

Until one day, a man with a sword and shield came. He walked unharmed through the darkness, single-handedly repelling the evil minions. The survivors worshipped him, and after leaving something behind, he resolutely stepped into the deeper darkness.

The murals in the middle were largely damaged and could not be seen at all.

A thoughtful look appeared in Da Er's eyes. Since it was a mural from the Farron Keep, the story it told must be related to this place.

But he wasn't good at imagining things, and others described him as a boring person, so he couldn't guess what the murals were actually telling.

Could the person wielding the sword and shield be Farron Undead Legion? Then he must be fighting against the Abyss. That's the most Da Er could guess.

A complete mural appeared ahead, depicting a group of people kneeling before a wild beast, seemingly doing nothing.

Although the drawing was very abstract, Da Er recognized that the beast was probably a giant wolf.

Why do these people worship giant wolves?

"Aww!"

A wolf's howl suddenly interrupted his thoughts; it wasn't just a wolf's howl, but also the cry of a demon.

It wasn't Ghrū, nor Curse Frog, nor a slug, but a sound that was much closer to a human's.

The wolf's howl was filled with anger, as if it were confronting a monster, but the cry still sounded immature, indicating that it was still a young wolf!

Da Er immediately lay down and slowly crawled toward the source of the sound. After rounding a corner, he finally saw it clearly.

A young wolf stared intently at the monster before it. Its legs were injured and it could not walk, so it could only do its best to show its ferocity.

And that monster.

Da Er's pupils twitched.

The monster had a human-like body, but its body was deformed in many places, with snake scales, tentacles, bone claws, and features of various creatures.

Demons! Without a doubt, they are demons!

But his intuition told Da Er that something was wrong, and his gaze shifted downwards.

Thick, black substance was slowly flowing out from the monster's feet!

The scene from the mural flashed through his mind, and Da Er's breathing quickened. This was actually the monster from the mural, meaning—

Abyss!

Why do the characteristics of the Abyss and the Demon Race resemble each other so much? Could it be that...?

Fear of the unknown made him hesitate. He had originally intended to approach and eliminate the monster quietly, but now he hesitated.

The opponent doesn't seem strong. If it really is from the Abyss, it's probably just some low-level enemy.

We can wait until it and the wolf cub fight to the point of mutual destruction.

Damn it, why did it have to be a wolf? If it were any other wild animal, I wouldn't have hesitated at all.

Just then, the wolf cub suddenly turned its head and met Da Er's gaze, its mouth opening as if it was about to bark at him.

Oh no, our location is about to be exposed!

However, the wolf cub did not howl. Instead, it turned its head and howled in another direction, causing the monster to look in a completely different direction from Da Er.

At that very moment, Da Er burst forth like a thunderbolt.

"Huh?"

The monster, seemingly from the abyss, sensed the danger and was about to turn around to defend itself when the young wolf suddenly used all its strength to bite its ankle!

"Pfft—"

With a flash of light, the monster's head fell to the ground.

"Awooo!" The wolf cub howled excitedly, looking in Da Er's direction, as if to thank its savior.

But Da Er looked at him expressionlessly and said coldly, "Don't come any closer."

Although he had a fondness for wolves, he could also distinguish right from wrong. The creatures of the dungeon were not comparable to those of the surface. Surface creatures could be tamed, but the monsters of the dungeon could not be tamed.

Someone once tried to influence the monsters in the dungeon, and it worked quite well at first. However, when they entered the dungeon the next day, the monsters' status had changed, and all the goodwill they had cultivated the previous day was gone.

"Aww!"

The wolf cub lowered its head, but still secretly glanced at Da Er, looking rather cute.

"Hiss," Da Er gasped, this thing can actually act cute.

But a man of his word is a man of his word; if he says he won't care, he won't care. Don't expect any comfort from Da Er!

A moment later.

"I'm telling you, if you dare to make a move, I'll snap your neck."

Da Er held the wolf cub by the neck with one hand and wrapped bandages around its injured leg with the other.

It's impossible to give it any Healing Potion; it wouldn't even part with that stuff itself.

The wolf cub was indeed quiet and well-behaved, completely different from the other ferocious monsters in the dungeon. Perhaps it was a special breed?

If it's truly a special variety, then it makes sense to take a little care of it.

Da Er, how could you go back on your word? Da Er said you wouldn't interfere, so you shouldn't have.

He sighed, feeling like he was destined to be plagued by wolves for the rest of his life.

The wolf cub had many wounds, all of which were constantly bleeding Wolf's Blood.

Da Er held down its arm, which had also been scratched by something during the fight.

A drop of Wolf's Blood flowed down the fur, and gradually, it came into contact with Da Er's wound.

"Um?"

Da Er suddenly looked around, and before he knew it, he heard indistinct murmurs in his ears.

The sound came and went, and the scene in his eyes suddenly became blurry.

"Aww!"

A mournful wolf howl pierced the sky.

Da Er shuddered, realizing with a start that he was standing at the very first entrance to the Farron Keep.

No, this isn't his body!

A voice came from beside my ear:

"Go, extinguish the three flames of war, and the Wolf's Blood you've been longing for awaits you."