Soul of Wolf Blood
"To forge deformed souls and obtain their power?"
"If you want, perhaps I can help. I study 'alchemy' and can extract the essence of a soul after it has been solidified."
"This is forbidden power, but it can indeed grant people rare power. You also want to obtain the power of the Sunlight King, don't you?"
This was a sound that Da Er had never heard before.
The group exchanged glances, not particularly surprised by the situation, after all, this was the Zane Dungeon, and nothing was unusual here.
It was nothing surprising that it was just an old man's voice asking if you wanted the power of the Sunlight King.
If an old man suddenly crawled out of someone's body and asked questions in a bloody manner, people might get emotional.
According to the rules in the dungeon exploration manual written by the Skyrim Strategy Team, when encountering an entity whose true nature is unknown but who seems to be able to communicate, the first thing to say must be—
"Who are you?" Da Er asked.
"I am Ludleth of Courland. You may not believe it, but I am the Sunlight King once linked the fire."
The scene before all those holding the souls changed; all around was pitch black, and a new Linking the Fire Throne appeared before them, upon which sat Ludleth.
An elderly man, small in stature and with a broken leg, looked somewhat weak and pitiful.
Is this also the Sunlight King? People couldn't help but compare him to the Undead Legion, and their expressions were somewhat strange.
"When you obtain a powerful soul, I will appear at the nearest Linking the Fire Throne to help you acquire the power of that soul. Well then, do you want to obtain that power or not?"
"Yes." Da Er and the others exchanged glances, and finally decided to step forward and try, handing over the precious souls of the Undead Legion.
"Then hand over your soul to me. Fortunately, I still have a smelting furnace."
The Wolf's Blood soul vanished into thin air before Ludleth, while images and words composed of magical runes appeared before Da Er.
[The first warrior to defeat a formidable foe, this is a special soul that only you can obtain, containing an even more unique power.]
"Oh, so you can actually obtain two kinds of power from this soul," Ludleth said.
Da Er looked at the images, and the most familiar ones came to mind first.
Farron Greatsword
Then came a Greatsword. He suddenly couldn't help but swear, because he was so excited.
Wolf Knight Greatsword
[The Wolf's Blood lord of Fran is a knight's Greatsword tainted by the darkness of the abyss.]
The Wolf Knight is the Abyss Watchers, and this sword is extremely powerful against the dark minions.
[Weapon Skill: Wolf Sword Technique]
"Ah, Artorias's weapon!?"
Da Er would never forget the feeling of that weapon cutting him in half at the waist; the cold, chilling touch was truly captivating, and he would occasionally reminisce about it at night.
Without any hesitation, he immediately chose this Greatsword, and the next one also made his heart flutter.
Wolf Knight Greatshield
[The knight's Greatshield, tainted by the darkness of the abyss, belonging to the Wolf's Blood lord of Fran.]
[It possesses stable defense, coupled with a protective effect, granting the holder resistance to various abnormal statuses.]
A complete set of weapons!?
He bit his lip and looked at the last two rewards.
The Wolf Blood Grace
Purified Wolf's Blood
A short sentence, but often the most concise is the most powerful.
The other option is [Massive Soul], well, I doubt anyone would choose that.
Da Er looked at the Wolf Blood Grace and the Greatsword Greatshield, and fell into a deep dilemma.
"Want some advice?" Ludleth's voice came through.
Da Er nodded, and then he continued:
"You may have noticed that all of you possess the soul of the Wolf's Blood, but normally there can only be one soul. So what you have in your hands are just some afterimages, afterimages of the past. The true souls of the Undead Legion have long been put into the linking of the fire with ashes."
"Since it's an afterimage, it must have flaws. Those two weapons belonging to the Wolf Knight aren't the real thing, but we can't say they're fake either. Just consider them as the product of power being worn down over time. After all, you can't control the power of the real thing, but that doesn't mean they're worthless. At least for you right now, they're priceless."
"If I were you, I would choose the Greatsword and the Gift. That's all I can say."
Da Er lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then chose to listen to Ludleth.
After making his choice, he vanished from the space. Ludleth then asked the remaining people, "Who's next?"
Jia Paer made the same choice as Da Er: the Greatsword and the blessing. For someone like him who had never been given Wolf's Blood, this choice would grant him Wolf's Blood.
As he was ushered out of Ludleth's room, a burning sensation suddenly surged from within his body, causing him to involuntarily furrow his brow. However, the pain intensified, and even with Jia Paer's composure, he had no choice but to crouch down, gripping the ground and gritting his teeth to endure the pain.
It seemed as if the howling of wolves was coming from within his body, and the image of a giant wolf appeared in his mind.
A scream suddenly came from beside him; it was Da Er. As the other Farron Guard returned to the Fortress, the screams grew louder.
So everyone chose the Wolf Blood Grace?
After an unknown amount of time, the pain finally subsided, Jia Paer stood up again, but—
Why does my field of vision feel a bit strange?
He felt something was off about the scene before him, and after thinking it over carefully, he realized why:
He's grown taller!
His height was already around 1.9 meters, but now he has grown by nearly 10 centimeters, breaking the 2-meter mark. Fortunately, his muscles have also grown, so it doesn't look out of place.
But the others weren't doing so well. Their average height increased by about 20 centimeters, and the shortest was 1.96 meters tall. Their physical fitness couldn't keep up with the Sword Saint. Although they grew taller, their muscles didn't change much, and they didn't look very healthy.
"This... this is the effect of the Wolf Blood Grace?" Da Er clenched his fists, feeling his physical abilities double! A comprehensive improvement!
The Wolf's Blood within his body was also purer, with its concentration even increasing. If the Wolf's Blood were activated again at this moment...
He was filled with excitement. If he could activate the Wolf's Blood and stack buffs with all his might, he might be able to reach level 90!
The others around him also cheered with surprise. Although their improvement was not as great as Da Er's, they also felt like they had been reborn. Before, everyone was at an average level of thirty-five, but now they might be close to fifty.
The stronger a person's physical condition, the more pronounced the effect of Wolf's Blood, because the weak cannot withstand the benefits it provides.
Ludleth is a truly good man; he helped everyone make the wisest choice. He truly deserves the title of Sunlight King.
Da Er gripped the black Wolf Knight Greatsword tightly, and the martial art called "Wolf Sword Technique" appeared in his mind. He was so excited that he wanted to perform it on the spot, but he held back in the end. He got up and looked at Jia Paer.
The latter had his back to him, and his body was trembling slightly.
"Teacher, what's wrong?" He approached cautiously. The Sword Saint turned around, and what he saw was an indescribable expression.
His lips were clearly upturned, giving the impression of a joyful smile, yet it concealed a deep sadness, intertwined with feelings of relief, gratitude, and confusion. This was the first time Da Er had ever seen such a rich array of expressions on the Sword Saint's face.
It's hard to imagine that this magnanimous old man could also be so sentimental.
Da Er was startled and was about to ask a question when Jia Paer wiped his face, immediately regaining his normal expression, and took something out of his pocket and tossed it to the other person.
"This is... Experience Candy?"
[Rare Candy Small]
[These energy-rich candies, blessed by the gods, can be eaten by the campfire to receive their blessings and level up.]
[For use only on creatures below level 200]
Da Er looked at the other person, puzzled.
"I can't use it anymore, you can eat it." Jia Paer chuckled softly, then turned and looked up at the Farron Undead Legion on the throne.
It's unusable? Da Er pondered those words, then suddenly his eyes widened, and he looked at him incredulously. Could it be—
"Thump!"
Jia Paer made a move that surprised everyone.
He knelt before the throne!
He knelt on one knee and bowed to the Sunlight King, who sat upon the Linking the Fire Throne, the highest form of human etiquette.
The scene fell silent. Everyone who had been immersed in the joy of gaining power stared wide-eyed at the scene. Only Da Er guessed what had happened.
"Thank you, our great hero who linked the fire."
Jia Paer said sincerely, and the reason he did this was definitely not just because his strength had increased.
"Teacher, you..."
Da Er came over to help him up, but the Sword Saint stood up on his own, dusted off his knees, patted Da Er on the shoulder, and said:
"Tell Leon and the others that I'm going to break my promise and that I'll take him hunting the Furious Rajang when I get back."
Da Er nodded, seemingly oblivious, appearing quite compliant.
Seeing his apprentice's state, Jia Paer smiled but didn't speak; his lips merely moved.
I was never supposed to come back.
Having read the swordsman's lips, Da Er stared blankly at him, wanting to ask something, but the other walked towards the underground passage at the deepest part of the Fortress, not giving him even the slightest chance to ask a question.
But a moment later the other person came back, waving his hand and saying, "Can't get in, it's locked. Let's go back to the city and have a drink, it's on me!"
[Bound by a mysterious dark force, unable to move forward]
This sentence is visible as soon as you enter the underground passage; the dense darkness blocks your way, preventing you from moving forward.
Strange, why open the entrance but not let people in? It's like the dungeon suddenly changed its mind.
But this is good too. People breathed a sigh of relief. If the new area really opens up, will they bite the bullet and go in to explore, or will they turn back and go home?
This situation seems to be the best one, at least for the Farron Guard.
"Go home!"
People shouted a cry, carrying Greatsword or Greatshield, and returned home laden with their spoils.
Finally, Da Er turned back to look at the Farron Undead Legion. He pushed the gate open completely, and on this rare sunny day, the sunlight poured down without reservation, illuminating most of the Fortress.
It's just right to let the Undead Legion bask in the long-awaited sunshine.
On this day, news of the first successful mission by the Farron Undead Legion spread, and the people of the city were overjoyed. This was another major step forward for adventurers in exploring the Zane Dungeon.
In some aspects, people discovered that minor anomalies had occurred in the Zane Dungeon.
This minor anomaly had no impact on most people, but it was of great significance to the Farron Guard who fought on the day of the first breakthrough.
When people push open the gates of Farron Keep, the sounds of clashing swords cease; the scene of the Undead Legion fighting amongst themselves transforms into a video that appears as the gates open, and when the video ends—
The Undead Legion, seated upon the Linking the Fire Throne, will rise to pay homage to those who have passed the trial.
He seemed to have lost the weariness of endless battles, as if he had just woken up from a long dream and was testing those who came after him.
Da Er and his companions also discovered that when those who defeated the first phase of the Undead Legion returned to the Fortress, a battle would not be automatically triggered. They would need to touch the throne, and then two options would appear before them.
[Challenge the Farron Undead Legion]
[Challenging the "Sunlight King" Farron Undead Legion]
If the first option is won, the passage to the underground will open, and the darkness that has been blocking people's way will disappear sometime later.
For Gong Qiying, two noteworthy events have recently occurred.
First, "Sword Saint" Jia Paer is about to leave.
Secondly, Geralt was killed, and his mutilated body was thrown into the dungeon.
Geralt's death seemed to be the beginning. A few days later, the body of another adventurer was thrown into the Sien, and after careful comparison, Gong Qiying discovered...
The deceased all possessed "Unique Talent".