Lion Ring, Smough's Great Hammer

She's so pretty! But since everyone else hasn't seen her yet, I'll just take one more look and then I'll stop.

Malu had just put down the binoculars when she picked them up again.

I'll take one last look, just the last time.

No, I can't watch anymore, just a little longer.

Her repetitive movements seemed to be stuck in a bug, much like the network latency, one of the five virtues of Souls.

If anyone other than her were to repeatedly observe this painting, they would probably be scolded long ago.

But she's fine; after all, she's a girl.

While she was admiring the magnificent treasure chest, Leon and the others were already discussing how to ambush the Silver Knight's ASS.

Beauty will only slow them down in their efforts to defeat the enemy!

Delu can cast Invisibility and Silence on Leon, but his proficiency with these spells is insufficient, which could potentially cause issues such as short duration.

In other words, if you want to Backstab someone, you have to be quick!

They had just looked around and confirmed that there were no enemies on the entire second floor; the only one present was the Silver Knight, who had his back to everyone.

And now, Leon is about to go down and use his Caria Straight Sword to Backstab the enemy's perfect opening from behind!

He nimbly vaulted over the railing, and even with the aid of invisibility and silence spells, he dared not move too fast, for fear of making a commotion.

It wasn't that he was afraid or dared not fight the Silver Knight; they wouldn't necessarily lose in a head-on battle. It was just that he had recently become obsessed with the thrill of parrying and piercing through the enemy.

If stabbing an enemy in the front is so satisfying, what about Backstab? Leon suddenly understood why most assassins were so addicted to sneak attacks.

In the quiet atmosphere, Leon finally crept up behind the Silver Knight, who was still admiring the portrait.

Hehe, beauty is a curse!

Leon was wearing a smile that didn't match his usual persona, and he was putting all his strength into the arm holding the sword when he suddenly realized that his invisibility spell had disappeared!

He quickly looked at the Silver Knight, thankfully the other hadn't noticed.

He decided not to delay any longer and quickly thrust forward!

"Stretch--"

What was that sound?

A familiar voice sounded behind him, taking Leon back to the time when he was the Mysterious Hooded Man in the dungeon. Back then, he was always the marathon invader, waiting for Si Telan to draw her greatbow and unleash Arrow Rain.

Wait, is that the sound of a bow being drawn taut behind me?

Broken!

I was so focused on Backstab that I forgot to check behind me!

A bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead. Knowing he had fallen into a trap, Leon went all out and, without dodging or avoiding, plunged his straight sword into the Silver Knight's back!

Blood splattered everywhere, but it wasn't just the Silver Knight's blood; it was also Leon's blood.

A giant arrow crackling with lightning pierced through him as well as the Silver Knight, pinning the two of them to the wall like skewers of incense!

This scene looks like some Demi-Human hugging his brother and dying together!

Unfortunately, this large arrow was not Special Beam Cannon, and it failed to kill Leon immediately; he could only struggle in agony.

He struggled to turn his head to look behind him before cursing:

"Damn, three Silver Knights!"

Including the Silver Knight was stabbed in the back by him, there are three other similar monsters, who are currently hiding in a blind spot where people on the second floor can't see them at all, drawing their bows and nocking their arrows.

This is a very classic design, but some people still fall for it, even Leon, who thinks he has figured out Sion's habits.

Ultimately, people can't resist things they like, and their brains sometimes go crazy and let their guard down.

A battle is about to break out.

The good news is that the Silver Knight's individual strength is lower than the Black Knight's.

The bad news is that they fight in groups.

As soon as they started fighting, Malu and the others realized something was wrong. This won't work!

These Silver Knight are quite tactically coordinated. One of them charges ahead with a shield and sword, while the other two fire large arrows. They feel even tougher to fight Duo Er Bo!

With their current team of old (Delu), young (Malu), sick and disabled (Te Er), how are they supposed to fight?

Malu and Leon exchanged a glance, Leon's expression changed. "Wait, where are you going!"

"We'll come pick you up ahead of time, boss!"

Half an hour later, at the campfire in front of the Irithyll Bridge.

After his resurrection, Leon looked at the smirking Malu with a gloomy face, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"Look, boss, we kept our promise and came to pick you up, meow~"

Leon's eye twitched, and with a "smack," he pinched Malu's cheek. His face visibly darkened, and he pointed at the panting Te Er, asking:

"You might as well die with me; at least you'll recover your strength after being resurrected!"

"But, but... that sheep's flower, the fire-injection effect is gone." Malu was pinched so hard she couldn't even speak clearly, looking like an innocent, dazed cat.

"."

Leon could no longer lose his temper, as if the whole thing had collapsed because he had inadvertently fallen into a trap.

People rested around the campfire for a while. Although the Element Bottle obtained from the Kindling Secret Ritual were very effective and allowed for about twenty large gulps of water, after resting around a regular campfire, the maximum number of gulps dropped to five, which was better than nothing.

It took them twice as long to return to the house at the end of the eastern avenue, mainly because the monsters along the way had respawned. After breaking through the blockade of monsters, the number of souls they accumulated was enough for Leon to level up half a level. The monsters in this "late-game" map were indeed stronger, and they gave out a lot of souls. As for monster armor sets, they obtained the [Pontiff Knight Leg Armor], bringing them one step closer to helping the little boy leave Irithyll.

Everyone just checked on the little boy, and he's fine. All the other monsters have reappeared, but the hunting dog that was barking wildly around the little boy's house hasn't come back to life.

So everyone felt a little relieved.

When they entered the house again, they learned from their mistake and prepared to defeat the Silver Knight one by one. Unfortunately, apart from the Silver Knight was admiring the painting, the other three Silver Knights were bound together, and they could not find a way to separate them.

After dealing with the Silver Knight was admiring the painting, Leon made good use of the terrain and used the elevator to banish one of the Silver Knight to the ground floor. The specific method was to lure the Silver Knight into the elevator by using a marathon, jump out at the moment of descent, throw Black Flame Pot to force the Silver Knight back off the elevator, and finally quickly pull up the lever to pull the empty elevator back up.

There was also a lever below, and it was unclear whether the Silver Knight would use it. However, it wasn't until they used marathon tactics to take down another Silver Knight that the Silver Knight who had been tricked downstairs hurriedly went back upstairs.

It's confirmed; the Silver Knight will also use the elevator lever.

Leon had a high opinion of the Silver Knight. They might not be as good as the Black Knight, but they were more dangerous when they acted as a group. Each Silver Knight could switch freely between ranged and melee combat and adjust their tactics according to the situation. If they hadn't been attracted by the Lure Skull, Leon would have almost thought he was fighting another group of adventurers.

Besides tactics, the Silver Knight is also adept at using the power of lightning enchantment. Wherever the sword passes, it crackles with lightning. Moreover, its own hardness and toughness are high. It is not as good as the Black Knight, but it is more tough than the shameful Pontiff Knight.

"Thump! Thump!"

The Silver Knight's powerful attacks left deep marks on the ground with each strike. Leon dared not confront him directly and could only look for opportunities to slash back.

Fortunately, with the cooperation of his partners, the last Silver Knight was still defeated by the Strategy Team.

"They, they, hoo!"

Leon collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. After all this commotion, each of them was old enough to level up at the campfire. It felt like ages since they last leveled up.

Everyone was exhausted, and they figured it was almost time for the dungeon to close. They just wanted to lie there until they were kicked out.

But if they were kicked out, they would lose their souls. Even for the sake of their souls, they had to force themselves to stand up and search the vicinity for a campfire. If there wasn't one, they would travel a long way back to the campfire on the bridge.

The soul, like a mountain, weighs heavily on us, a burden that prevents us from giving up easily.

Malu was still young and full of energy. She walked around the house and felt heartbroken to see the valuable furniture that had been destroyed in the previous battle. She thought that nobles from the outside world would like this furniture very much.

The walls were covered with paintings of all sizes, some depicting scenes, some depicting figures, and some simply abstract symbols. Malu looked at them for a long time but only recognized the painting of Irithyll.

The portrait of the beautiful older sister who adores the Silver Knight in the very center is unknown, but just by looking at her, one can tell that she is of noble status. Just how noble is she?

Unlike Raya Lucaria, these portraits have no written descriptions and can only be interpreted through people's imagination.

After wandering around, Malu made a new discovery behind the wall where a portrait of a beautiful older sister was hanging.

"Everyone come quick, there are three treasure chests!"

The three treasure chests were lined up in a row, offering generous rewards; now was the time for people to cheer.

But Leon and his group remained unprecedentedly silent, looking left and right before asking, "Shall we fight?"

One of the common sense rules in the Zane Dungeon is that not all treasure chests are Treasure Chest Monster, but when treasure chests appear in groups, there is definitely a trap!

"Alright, I'll try it out with the Mage Hand first."

Delu carefully opened a treasure chest from a distance, and everyone visibly breathed a sigh of relief when the purple light appeared before them.

[The Goddess's Blessing]

[Holy Water blessed by the Lothric Queen can fully restore life force and cure all abnormal statuses]

"Is this the potion that Teacher Jia Paer once obtained?" This is an item that they need to treasure.

They turned their attention to the remaining treasure chests.

If the first treasure chest is real, then at least one of the remaining two treasure chests must be fake, or perhaps both of them are fake, right?

How about we take a gamble?

Instead of choosing the treasure chest in the middle, they opened the treasure chest on the other side.

I was sweating bullets, but when I opened it, it was still just purple dots!

Lion Ring

[A ring passed down in the name of Ornstein Dragonslayer, one of the Four Horsemen who served Gwyn, the Sunlight King of Gwyn.]

[The wearer of this ring will have their thrusting counterattacks blessed with the power of the lion, piercing through even the strongest enemies.]

Ornstein is the chief knight of the Sun's Eldest Son, and it is said that his cross spear can even pierce the scales of an ancient dragon.

Another piece of information related to the Four Knights of Gwyn, and it's also related to the very handsome Ornstein!

But

After looking around for a while, everyone finally realized that no one in the team seemed to have a fighting style related to thrusting.

I don't need it!

"The last treasure chest."

This last treasure chest is definitely hiding a trap!

If not, that wouldn't be like Sion!

"Everyone, prepare for defense."

Everyone raised shields made of magic, watching Delu carefully open the treasure chest as if he were defusing a bomb.

The moment the treasure chest was opened, Malu was so frightened that she shrank back.

However, nothing happened.

"Huh?"

Malu's bewildered voice reflected everyone's thoughts, and a purple dot of light lay quietly inside the treasure chest.

"Not only are there no traps, but all three treasure chests are also glowing purple dots?"

People exchanged glances, and they could see panic in each other's eyes.

Does this mean Sion is going to run away? No, no, how could an underground city just run away?

This unusual situation made people a little scared.

But then I thought, if these three treasure chests are the reward for defeating Irithyll of the Boreal Valley Dorupo and the four Silver Knights, then it seems quite fitting.

Having confirmed that there was no danger, Te Er grabbed the light spot.

As is well known, the light spot in the dungeon can be anything, and that thing may not be exactly the same size as the light spot.

However, the palm-sized point of light suddenly swelled and grew larger in Te Er's hand, becoming taller and bigger than him in the blink of an eye!

That was an enormous hammer!

"Te Er, throw it away!"

It was too late. The sudden weight made it impossible for him to stand, and he was forced to fall backward.

"Thump!"

"Snap—"

Te Er was already carrying a giant hammer, and now he was knocked down by the giant hammer that emerged from the light spot, putting him in a pincer movement from both sides.

In the instant he fell to the ground, his neck, spine, ribs, and other bones all broke.

As Te Er turned to ashes and disappeared, the people fell silent.

In the dungeon, no one can predict how you will die.

"Keep it a secret," Leon suddenly said. "This method of death must never be known to anyone!"

Malu and Delu nodded emphatically. It was too embarrassing; they absolutely couldn't tell anyone.

The hammer was unexpectedly heavy; it took three people working together to lift it.

Smough's Hammer

[The last knight guarding the abandoned church, known as "The Executioner" Smough, wielding a deformed hammer.]

[A successful attack will drain the enemy's life force, possibly a lingering effect from his past as an executioner.]

Smough, I think, is the big, fat, golden guy standing next to Ornstein.

The question is, how are they going to get this thing out of here? Moving it to a campfire 365 miles away is clearly impractical.

One could use the dungeon's teleportation rules to cling tightly to Smough's Hammer when kicked out, but that would waste one's soul.

Ugh, this is so frustrating.

"Why don't we leave it here for now? I see there's another road over there."

Malu pointed to the side, where a hidden underground path led. Although the light was dim, it did not give people a sense of danger from the presence of monsters.

Instead, people seemed to hear the sound of flames burning.

"Could it be a campfire?"

Leon quickly followed the others down the path. As they went deeper, the firelight gradually brightened, and they also smelled a peculiar odor that was indescribable.

It looks like someone is making soup?

As they reached the end, a faint sound reached their ears.

Malu said with a strange expression:

"That's the sound of snoring."