Abyss Walker

"Huff, huff"

Looking at the four Painting Fragment laid out in front of him, Da Er's breathing became heavy.

He was so excited, he almost forgot how much time he had spent farming these items.

The souls he gained from hunting Roguelike alone raised him three levels! That's a truly enormous number.

The amount of souls required to level up increases with each level up. Not only that, even if he becomes stronger through training, the amount of souls required to level up will also increase.

This clearly shows how many times he farmed the Roguelike and how much time he spent on it.

Da Er currently possesses enough Proof of Past Battles to exchange for a mere, insignificant blessing!

Moreover, he wasn't the only one working hard to Painting Fragment.

"Wow!"

A large group of people rushed into Da Er's farmhouse, excitedly shouting as they gathered around the Painting Fragment on the table.

Da Er smiled. These were the adventurers who, along with him, challenged the endless cycle of reincarnation every day with the goal of Painting Fragment.

They all shared one thing in common—a fondness for the legends of Farron Keep.

The epic tale of heroes, a blend of elements like the Farron Undead Legion, Wolf's Blood, and the abyss, is both thrilling and tragic, striking a chord deep within the audience!

People in this world seem to have a particular fondness for heroic epics with a touch of tragedy. Even most of the songs sung by bards end in tragedy, often moving listeners to tears. While there are stories of happy endings and family reunions, they don't leave a very deep impression.

Adventurers have discovered that items from the Zane Dungeon often come with a description, filled with unfamiliar terms that are often baffling. It's like a serious history lecture, but people can't understand it at all, so apart from a few people who like to study, few people pay attention to it.

However, the scene of no one paying attention to the product descriptions only lasted for a short time.

When people discovered that the descriptions of some items were interconnected, and even linked to areas of the dungeon, many people's enthusiasm was ignited.

Exploring the dungeon while uncovering its backstory—what a wonderful thing that would be!

Then, some people discovered that the item descriptions might contain clues about scenarios and how to deal with monsters, which led even those who were indifferent to the background story to join the search for information in the item descriptions.

For example, the fact that the Soul Eaters in Farron Keep are hostile to Ghrū is mentioned in the item description and is now common knowledge. By using this feature, adventurers can save a lot of effort when exploring.

The adventurers gathered around Da Er were all fans of the backstory and formed an organization called the "Farron Exploration Team," whose purpose was to uncover the story of the Farron Keep.

By now, the general story has been largely uncovered, and people can only fill in the gaps with details.

Among these seemingly minor details, one stands out as particularly noteworthy.

Wolf Knight Artorias.

The Wolf Knight often appears in descriptions of items related to the Farron Undead Legion. The Undead Legion idolizes him, and Wolf's Blood seems to be associated with him. These factors combined make people increasingly interested in his legend.

Unfortunately, to this day no one has found a direct description of Artorias, and information about him is scarce. People have turned their attention to other things, such as the Undead Legion's allies and what the Abyss really is.

It wasn't until Leon and his companions obtained the Painting Fragment "Wolf Knight" that their enthusiasm for Artorias was rekindled.

"Da Er, hurry up and start piecing it together!" someone urged.

"Um."

Da Er nodded, and he carefully pieced together the fragments. Every crack fit perfectly, and miraculously, the broken edges healed themselves, forming a complete picture.

The image shows a knight, whose face is obscured, fighting a bloody battle.

His silver armor and blue cloak stood out among the dark mass of abyssal monsters. He held a sword and shield, and even the most powerful monsters would become nothing more than dead souls before him.

A little wolf accompanies him as he fights against monsters. Could it be that this wolf is the origin of the title "Wolf Knight"?

Everyone who saw the painting was thrilled; they had finally seen Artorias in full, and it certainly lived up to expectations.

Artorias is so cool!

[Painting "Wolf Knight"]

[A magical painting depicting the Wolf Knight Artorias can bring this story to life in the Painting World.]

Da Er carefully touched the painting, but nothing happened.

That's strange. According to the description, something magical would happen after collecting all the paintings, but why is there no reaction?

"Does it only work in dungeons?" someone suggested. "Should we try it out in a dungeon?"

The proposal was unanimously approved, but a new problem arose: who should go? The dungeon can only accommodate a maximum of ten people at a time, which means that only ten of the fifty-eight people present can go in.

As Da Er was pondering this, he realized that everyone was watching him.

"What's wrong?" He blinked.

"Of course you should go." The adventurer chuckled and gave him a push. "You found three fragments, you made the biggest contribution, and you're the strongest too."

Painting Fragment can be obtained repeatedly. Da Er obtained fragment number one and Zhang San. Leon and his group had already obtained fragment number one once.

Da Er readily accepted everyone's kindness and even playfully pushed the adventurer from before, creating a lively and fun atmosphere.

Without realizing it, he found himself becoming more and more comfortable interacting with others, and no longer feeling as awkward as before.

The wolves outside the farmhouse stared longingly in their direction, feeling that they had become less concerned about them ever since Da Er and the Farron Exploration Team started hanging out together.

Damn it, even wolves get jealous!

Finally, ten people were selected and, carrying everyone's expectations, arrived at the portal to the Zane Dungeon.

"Wait a minute!" Just as they were about to go in, one of the Exploration Team members ran over carrying a thick notebook.

"Da Er, everyone, don't forget this!"

He shoved the notebook into Da Er's hand, who opened it and saw that it contained sentences that all ended with a question mark.

What are the different identities of Artorias? Is the wolf that follows him truly the Old Wolf of Farron? Why does he oppose the Abyss?

Where did he go after his battle with the Abyss? Did he leave any offspring?

These are the questions that everyone has come up with together, and we hope that Da Er and his team can find the answers to these questions.

"Leave it to me." He carefully put away his notes, turned around, and walked into the portal.

Inside the Firelink Shrine, everyone stared at the painting, unsure how to use it.

"How about we put our hands on it at the same time?" someone suggested.

"Okay, I'll count down a few numbers, and then we'll all release them together."

"Three."

"Two."

"One!"

Ten hands pressed down on it at the same time.

The painting radiated a dazzling light, yet it only enveloped one person!

Da Er seemed to be having a dream.

Everything I saw in my dream was blurry and indistinct, but the sounds were crystal clear.

He saw a magnificent city, a sight only found in myths and legends.

He heard others call him "the Abyss Walker," and saw soldiers wearing armor of a style he had never seen before, all of whom bowed to him with respect.

There were three other people who gave him a sense of "friendliness": a golden lion, a giant eagle, and a blue bee.

I feel like I've seen these people somewhere before.

He saw an old man with a white beard who looked quite friendly.

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

Huh, Silver Necklace? I think I've seen this before.

The scene shifts, and he embarks on a journey with his sword and shield, along with his most trusted companion. At the end of the journey, a country corrupted by the abyss appears before him.

The inhabitants here have all undergone a terrible mutation; their heads have swelled into enormous shapes, and their bodies have been stained with the abyss.

He fought his way through a land teeming with monsters, none of whom could withstand a single blow from his sword. His companions, though young, were also brave and skilled in battle, and they quickly carved a bloody path straight to the abyss.

This feeling of invincibility captivated Da Er, who felt the power of his own movements and seemed to gain some insight.

The Jet-black Abyss is filled with monsters that resemble magnified versions of human nature, as well as powerful enemies wielding abyssal magic.

The intensity of the battle far exceeded that on the ground; it was as if what had just happened was merely a minor skirmish. He needed to be 100% serious.

On the ground, he gave the Silver Necklace that could deflect the abyss to the survivors, thus preventing them from deflecting abyss spells.

The deeper they went into the abyss, the stronger the monsters became, and their injuries accumulated.

By the time he faced his final enemy, he was covered in wounds, yet even so, he still raised his Greatsword toward the culprit who had brought disaster.

A crimson light appeared in the endless darkness.

Accompanied by a terrifying aura that shakes even the soul, the master of the abyss is about to appear.

Da Er held his breath, his soul trembling, but his eyes remained fixed on the darkness.

It was interrupted.

This dreamlike experience was suddenly interrupted!

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

The sun shines brightly, just like the weather in real life; the primeval forest always gives people a feeling of being close to nature.

However, beneath this harmony of nature, Da Er always felt that something was lurking beneath the surface, and warnings of danger constantly appeared in his mind.

"Did I just experience Artorias's memories?"

Combining the events he experienced in Roguelike, including the Silver Necklace, the Abyss Walk, and the Three Knights, Da Er suddenly realized that the events he experienced in Roguelike were unfolding from Artorias's perspective!

He had already made contact with this mysterious knight!

In his emotional state, Da Er couldn't help but complain:

"Why is memory so limited?"

He was eagerly anticipating what the final Abyss Lord would look like, but he was ejected before they could even meet.

What does the Abyss Lord look like? What was the outcome of this battle? Where did Artorias go?

A multitude of doubts swirled in his mind, making his thoughts chaotic. This sudden interruption was truly frustrating and infuriating!

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

Artorias so strong, he will definitely achieve final victory!

He was convinced of it.

He was all alone. Where were his companions? Had they all gotten separated?

Da Er looked ahead, and not far away, stood a town. He had seen this place in Artorias's memory; it seemed to be called...

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

[Oolacile]

This is the realm where the abyss erupted.

Da Er took a deep breath and gripped the Farron Greatsword in his hand, which was now trembling slightly, as if it too was excited.

Perhaps the Farron Undead Legion never actually met their idol?

Now he enters this Painting World with the weapons of the Undead Legion, as if it were some kind of destiny.

Let me see just how the Wolf Knight truly is—

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

Hearing his footsteps, the densely packed monsters in the town raised their heads.

The two sides looked at each other and remained silent for a while.