Solaire

"Hey, what brings you back?"

Outside the Bede City, at Da Er's farmhouse.

Some members of the Farron Exploration Team who were not selected to enter the dungeon are resting here.

They were excitedly discussing what kind of important intelligence Da Er and the others would bring back, full of anticipation, when suddenly they saw those who had entered the underground city return.

After a brief moment of surprise, people quickly gathered around to ask what had happened, only to receive an unexpected answer.

"Was Da Er the only one who was sucked into the painting?"

"Yes, when the light disappeared, Da Er was gone. Only the painting remained. We tried to bring it out, but we couldn't lift it at all. The painting suddenly became heavier than a mountain."

"You just left Da Er there and didn't leave him there?" Someone counted and found that exactly nine people had returned; no one had been left behind.

"Wait a minute," the man realized something was wrong as soon as he finished counting, "What time is it now?"

The stars and moon hung high in the sky; it was time for the underground city to close. These people had not come out voluntarily; they had been guarding the painting until the underground city closed.

"We thought Da Er had been teleported out too, but we didn't see him near the portal, so we came back to look for him. Didn't you see him either?"

Those who remained in the farmhouse shook their heads.

People looked at each other, their eyes filled with deep confusion.

"Where did Da Er go?"

At this very moment, Da Er is still suffering.

In legends, surviving a near-death experience makes one stronger.

So real death must make people stronger, let alone when a large number of people die in the same place in a short period of time.

"Tap tap."

Having lost count of how many times he had died, Da Er skillfully made his way around to the back door, lured the monsters out of the small room with practiced ease, squeezed through the gaps between the monsters at the last possible distance, climbed the ladder, caught the Flame Pot at the highest point, threw it back to kill the monster, and then ran through the path where the Fat Brother were gathered, dodging attacks from time to time.

He bypassed the elevator mechanism, which appeared to be the only way upwards, and rolled over a wall to open a hidden door.

A staircase built around the outer wall of the Fortress appeared before him, and a fully armed Soul Eater was walking towards him.

He calculated the distance accurately, took three steps forward, and skillfully dodged the Soul-Sucking Ghost's slash. Then he rolled twice to the side and back, successfully luring the Soul-Sucking Ghost into a charge. The Ghost stepped onto the edge of the stairs but didn't fall.

However, that place is prone to collapse.

With a loud crash, the wooden planks of the stairs suddenly shattered, and the Soul Eater completed a spectacular crash.

The Soul Eater here is an elite, unlike ordinary Soul Eaters. This guy seems to have been born specifically for fighting on the stairs, and he also kicks people in between battles.

Da Er was kicked down three times by him. Each kick was more accurate and harder than Patch's, leaving him no time to react.

Fortunately, he can sprint in one move, and the template of the stairs will also collapse.

Before Da Er could rest, he took a running start and jumped over the broken edge. The moment he landed, the Fat Brother's large machete struck the spot where he had just been standing.

Seeing that the obese monster was unable to jump over the gap due to its size, Da Er finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't draw his sword the entire way, as he knew the route by heart.

His bloodstains are everywhere. Click to watch "The 100 Ways Da Er Died".

At first, he worried that leaving bloodstains would make him a laughingstock, but now he's let go of that. So what if he dies? So what if he's laughed at? If later generations can avoid some traps by watching how he dies, that would be fine too.

Da Er utterly loathed this Fortress bearing the name "Oolacile".

He could only describe this place as something that only exists in a toilet.

"If this Fortress were left outside, no one would ever go there, absolutely no one."

But this is Painting World, and people can choose to come in.

Da Er rubbed his shoulders while complaining, got up and walked up the stairs. At the end, he saw a new small door, and turning into it led to the third floor.

He had entered this place specifically to reach the Fog Gate, but instead, he found himself climbing higher and higher, which puzzled him greatly.

From here, you're on the city wall, where you can feel the bright sunshine, which feels warm and comfortable on your skin.

But the thought of the bottom being filled with abyssal monsters makes it impossible to feel comfortable for even a second.

Da Er stood at the entrance, taking deep breaths repeatedly, and finally took his first step.

He only died twice on the third floor.

It's not because this place is easy, but because he has only managed to survive and come up here twice.

The constant dying and coming back to life frightened him. Everyone knew that a large number of resurrections in a short period of time would have bad consequences, and how many times had he died in this day?

Why do I feel like my body hasn't changed much? Could it be that all the negative effects are going to come out at once after I go outside?

He couldn't bear to imagine such a terrifying scene, so he could only shake his head, trying to shake off these chaotic thoughts and calm himself down to continue exploring.

Move cautiously, minimizing the sound of your footsteps, and mentally prepare yourself before peeking out from any corner.

If this continues, Da Er feels he will definitely develop psychological problems.

As if by divine intervention, after a difficult journey, he finally found the elevator, which led directly to the second floor!

This means that if he dies again, he won't have to go through this disgusting journey!

With tears welling up in his eyes, Da Er was so moved he almost cried.

But this feeling of being moved caused him to become careless, so...

"Awooo!"

A group of monsters chased after Da Er, who ran for his life, while also being careful of potential traps along the way.

Although it seemed unfortunate that his negligence led to him being relentlessly chased by monsters, he surprisingly didn't encounter any traps along the way.

That's strange, it feels like the difficulty of this level has actually decreased.

The monster wouldn't let him go, so he had to find his own way out. There was a terrace not far away, and a lookout tower near the terrace. If he could climb the lookout tower, he could try to jump onto the building on the other side and shake off the monster.

This is the benefit of having knees!

Seemingly sensing his intention, a nimble monster suddenly rushed out and swiftly reached his back.

It was at this time—

"Get down!"

A strange voice came, both serious and gentle.

Da Er heard a crackling sound and felt a surge of heat coming from in front of him. Without thinking, he lunged forward.

Just as he was about to lie down, he saw what was generating the heat.

That was a Lightning Spear!

"Aww!"

The wails of monsters echoed behind them, followed by more Lightning Spear, until the monster horde retreated in fear.

Da Er stared blankly at the monster's charred corpse, thinking to himself, "What incredible power!"

Are you alright?

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a stranger reaching out his hand to him.

The man wore a helmet as thick as an iron barrel, chainmail covered with a layer of leather, and a sun with a human face painted on his chest.

The sun's expression looks very serious, but after looking at it for a while, it becomes somewhat abstract.

Da Er was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected anyone to be there. It wasn't until the other person helped him up that he belatedly said, "Thank you."

"Haha, no need to thank me, it's the duty of Sun Warrior," the stranger laughed heartily, his tone full of pride. "Speaking of which, you actually dared to venture into such a dangerous place alone, your courage is commendable."

"Excuse me, who are you?" Da Er asked cautiously, sensing that the other person was different from him.

"My name is Solaire, and I am a Sun Warrior!" Solaire stretched his arms upwards, striking a pose as if he were stretching his body.

Is this some kind of etiquette?

Da Er clumsily imitated the other person's movements, but it looked completely out of place.

Solaire burst into laughter, not to mock his poor posture, but because he was happy to have met an interesting person.

He stood on the terrace, sunlight streaming in from behind, and said with distress:

"It's embarrassing to admit, but I was on my way to find the sun, and in the blink of an eye I ended up here. I'm still looking for a way to leave."

"Where did Mr. Solaire come from?" Da Er asked tentatively.

He had expected the other person to answer with a certain area of Zane Dungeon, but Solaire said instead, "Undead Town, have you heard of it? I'm planning to go there to ring the Bell of Awakening. Being trapped here is really frustrating."

The moment he heard the other person's reply, Da Er understood.

He's encountered an "event," the same kind of event as the Warrior Pot!

This Sun Warrior Solaire Solar is clearly a remnant of the past.

Similar things appear in other dungeons. He remembered that in one dungeon that told the story of a sadomasochistic love between two ancient nobles, projections of those two nobles would appear, giving adventurers a series of tasks to complete.

Presumably, this Solaire is also such a being.

Their collective name is "Afterimage," the afterimage left by people of the past in time.

There is one crucial detail to pay attention to when dealing with afterimages, and that is—

"Do you have a way to leave this place? I can't feel the sun here," Solaire asked.

The worldview of the afterimage must not be destroyed!

Da Er put on a sincere expression and said, "I'm sorry, I just wandered in here by chance."

Solaire responded in a tone that seemed to confirm his expectations. He showed no sign of discouragement, but instead smiled and said:

"Haha, so we're all lost. What a strange experience."

He handed Da Er a White Sign Soapstone and said:

"We are both lost souls, so let's help each other. If you encounter any difficulties, just call on me. You can rely on me without worry."

[White Sign Soapstone]

[After use, you will see summoning marks from other worlds]

[For use only in the Painting World]

Other worlds?

Da Er looked at Solaire in surprise. Wasn't Solar standing right in front of him perfectly fine? Why was he talking about other worlds?

Solaire noticed his confusion and said:

"This is a place where time and space intersect. It is truly fortunate that we met. Every step we take here could separate us, but thankfully we have this to stay connected."

"If you can see my summoning mark, don't hesitate, let's fight side by side."

He stood there, his helmet obscuring his expression, but Da Er felt the other man was definitely smiling.

Even though he knew it was just an afterimage, he was still touched by the other person's enthusiasm, and the brief contact had already made him feel good about Solaire.

The afterimage incident will eventually come to an end, and he hopes that this passionate person will have a good ending worthy of it.

May the sun be with you!

Solaire's energetic voice came again, but when Da Er looked up, he found that the other person was gone.

Is this the effect of spacetime distortion?

It's truly touching to encounter someone willing to lend a helping hand when you're in despair.

Da Er bowed in the direction where Solaire had disappeared, then turned back to explore the Fortress once more.

Solaire seemed to bring good luck; he always managed to escape danger on the road ahead, and the number of deaths decreased significantly.

After an unknown amount of time, he arrived in front of the Fog Gate.

With anticipation in his eyes, Da Er used the White Sign Soapstone.

"Buzz"

Accompanied by a peculiar sound effect, a golden summoning mark appeared.