Charge at the Pontiff

"It's actually the Sid Guild Master!"

"Why is the Guild Master here?"

"This is the first time I've ever seen such an important person come to the dungeon!"

Because of Lu Lu Wo's words, Sid instantly became the focus of everyone's attention.

Although he had been thinking about how to attract attention and become the brightest star on his way here, it seems he has achieved his goal through unconventional means.

Something feels off, like something's not right. That's it, he's thinking of attracting popularity on his own, not relying on Lu Lu Wo!

Sid's lips twitched. He was asked to go on stage and say a few words. What could he say? Who could give him a "background recap"?

Guild Master, please listen to me. Here's what actually happened.

Lu Lu Wo's voice appeared in his mind; there was no doubt that this was the effect of magic.

A few seconds later, he understood everything.

Five days have passed since you entered the Painting World of Anor Londo. In these five days, everything about Anor Londo has been brewing. It would be too troublesome to explain everything one by one, so I will only talk about the key points.

The Holy Light Church declared that the Darkmoon faith is not on the side of an evil god, but made no statement regarding its legitimacy. Furthermore, it forbids Holy Light Follower from contacting anything related to the Darkmoon or Starfire, and any private contact is considered apostasy.

After news spread that Gwyndolin Anor Londo, the number of Oathsworn of the Dark Moon Blade surged, with many casual observers who were previously uninterested but simply wanted to experience what it was like to see the true god joining in.

Because a large number of ears are needed to exchange for the Dark Moon Priest Ring, Dark Moon Blade are now active everywhere in the dungeon, and there aren't enough invaders to kill.

[There are also a bunch of other miscellaneous things, such as Princess Serena's strong insistence on entering Anor Londo, the King's worsening condition, and the complete sell-out of all Solaire products, which I'll talk about later.]

The most important thing is that, just two days after you entered Anor Londo, the leader of Irithyll, "The Pontiff Sulyvahn's Phantom," suddenly became vulnerable to being injured by adventurers. While it's still like scraping water, it's more effective than before. However, after numerous investigations, it was discovered that whether or not damage can be inflicted is random; sometimes it still doesn't do any damage, and sometimes it works. Therefore, now is the best time to defeat him, allowing a large number of adventurers to test and experiment.

[I happen to possess some excellent intelligence: Pontiff Sulyvahn once imprisoned Yorshka, the Grand Master of the Dark Moon Knight Order, in Underground Jail. What about Gwyndolin, the first Grand Master of the Dark Moon Knight Order? Could he have also met a tragic end?]

[Fingel and I are releasing this intelligence right now. We can take advantage of the enthusiasm of those who have signed with the Dark Moon Blade for Gwyndolin and use them to attack Sulyvahn's illusion!]

After listening to Lu Lu Wo's explanation, Sid finally filled in the plot he had missed over the past few days.

There are still some questions, such as how it's possible that only Lu Lu Wo knows that Yorshka was imprisoned by Sulyvahn after Irithyll has been open for so long. There must be others who know, and what those people are doing, etc. But none of these matters anymore. Anyway, Lu Lu Wo was the first to bring this up.

Currently, it seems that only the final boss remains unconquered in Irithyll of the Boreal Valley; the rest of the area is largely clear. It's time for adventurers to put their efforts to the test.

If the goal is to excite adventurers, then the exclusive intelligence I currently possess could be quite effective. Sid weighed the options in his mind, then nodded, stepped forward, and the crowd automatically parted to make way for him, allowing him to reach the stage without hindrance.

"Now, what I'm going to talk about next is to complete the story of the god Dark Sun. I just won a battle against Ornstein and Smough with the valiant Sun Warrior and unveiled the most mysterious veil of the Painting World of Anor Londo."

His voice had a magical quality; as soon as he finished speaking, people immediately fell silent, listening quietly to his story.

It's definitely better to be quiet when we're talking about serious matters, even though I quite like a lively atmosphere.

Sid cleared his throat and recounted everything he had seen and heard in the Painting World. During this time, he also used magic to project the memories in his mind into images in the air for people to see. This required extremely high magical skill and operational technique. With such power, one can truly do whatever one wants.

When they saw Solaire take down the Gargoyle with a few slashes, several people in the crowd wearing the same iron bucket helmets cheered.

When Ornstein and Smough appeared together, a man in the crowd who looked like a royal guard quickly took out Image Stone to take a picture.

When the Sunlight Princess's face appeared, the previously quiet crowd instantly became restless, even more excited than when they saw the duo.

The crowd's excitement intensified when Gwyneth's illusion was shattered and Anor Londo fell into darkness.

After that, Sid revealed all his speculations about Gwyndolin, the story of the lone guardian of the Leyndell who maintained the linking of the fire.

At the campfire in Academy Gate Town, a petite figure carrying Sword Remains Greatsword and dressed in dirty, tattered clothes walked out. She had only wanted to find something to eat, but she had already listened to the final speech.

When she heard Sid say that "Sulyvahn may very well have used some means to storm Anor Londo and imprison Gwyndolin," she stopped in her tracks.

She didn't care what happened to Gwyndolin, but if Sulyvahn really did conquer the Leyndell, what about all the friends she had made Leyndell?

The crowd's reaction was undoubtedly heated. The moment Sid finished his speech, some people couldn't wait and ran to the campfire, wanting to be teleported to Irithyll.

"Very good, very good! Shout! Be angry! Let's all charge at Sulyvahn!" Lu Lu Wo cast a spell that had an emotionally charged effect, and the adventurers below the stage were willingly incited.

Half of the people dispersed immediately, and upon closer inspection, it became clear that those sharpening their knives were almost all Dark Moon Blade.

It seems that this "pre-battle speech" was a great success.

Looking at the impassioned crowd, Sid couldn't help but exhale, forcing a smile, and thought to himself:

It felt like nobody cared that I beat Ornstein and Smough; everyone's attention was on Sulyvahn.

What does all my hard work these past few days even mean?!

Just then, Lu Lu Wo suddenly nudged his side, her eyes sparkling with admiration, and said, "Guild Master, you actually defeated those Ornstein and Smough? You truly deserve to be called the pinnacle legend of Gold-Rank Adventurer! My respect for you is boundless!"

A silencing spell was cast, Lu Lu Wo immediately fell silent, unable to utter even a whimper.

"Alright, I can still tell the difference between genuine admiration and fake flattery."

Sid rubbed his temples and said, "Speak, what do you want from me?"

Lu Lu Wo immediately smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

After the crowd dispersed, the Adventurers' Guild of Bede City...

"I never expected that you, Guild Master, could actually clear the Painting World. I thought I would see you in the Resurrection Room in a few days."

"I'm starting to regret lifting your silence spell."

"Okay, okay, I won't talk about this anymore."

Seeing that Sid was gradually becoming impatient, Lu Lu Wo quickly returned to the main topic.

She took a pocket-sized notebook out of her pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of the Guild Master. The notebook didn't look like hers because it was worn and had fur from an unknown creature on it, and it smelled like a wolf.

"This is what you asked me to do before you entered Anor Londo, and it's now successfully completed," she said, turning to a page in her notebook. "Da Er and his men went to great lengths to obtain a Dark Moon Priest Ring, which allowed a Farron Guard to enter and meet Gwyndolin. This is the other party's reaction."

An adventurer can only have one oath at a time. Changing an oath means that all previous contributions to that oath will be reset to zero. Although the rewards already obtained will still be there, the number of oath-offering items accumulated will be cleared. To redeem higher-level rewards, you will have to start from zero again, and the rewards that have already been exchanged will not reappear.

So Da Er found a Dark Moon Blade Oathsworn who could probably withstand the test of Wolf's Blood to join his party. He first helped the person obtain twenty ears to exchange for the Dark Moon Priest Ring, which was an essential condition for meeting Gwyndolin. Then he helped the person change his oath and become Farron Guard before entering the Painting World.

The Farron Guard is currently the only oath that could potentially lead to failure. Adventurers who cannot withstand the Wolf's Blood will turn into mad werewolves, and it will take multiple deaths to recover. They will also be weak for a long time. They can use wolf-like monsters to share the Wolf's Blood and alleviate the pain, but it is difficult for others to have a wolf pack with a shared understanding like Da Er.

Therefore, at present, the number of Farron Guard is the smallest.

"They're very efficient; young people these days are so capable."

Sid flipped through his notebook, on which Gwyndolin had scribbled down what the Farron Guard had said to him.

[An unfamiliar oath, Wolf's Blood, the traces of Artorias. What does this mean?]

You bear the scent of the Darkroot Garden, yet it is far too faint; why then is there an abyss within you?

Ah, I understand. Such a thing exists in the world. You may leave.

That's it?

Sid shook the notebook, unable to believe that there were only three sentences on it.

"That's it, those are the three sentences. No matter how long you stay in front of the Fog Gate, the other party won't say anything more."

Lu Lu Wo suddenly asked curiously, "Guild Master, do you think she might have realized something, like her identity, the truth about the Painting World, or something like that?"

Sid fell into deep thought and said, "I thought the afterimage would go mad after realizing its true nature, but if the afterimage's predecessor was a god, then it's really hard to say."

After a moment, he closed his notebook.

"Since the so-called reaction consists of only these three sentences and there is no follow-up, there is no need to pay attention to it anymore. As you suggested before, the guild should form another Exploration Team, no, it should be called an extermination team."

If the incited adventurers can actually achieve the first kill of Pontiff Sulyvahn's Phantom, all the better. If not, the information they bring back will become "food" for the guild's expedition team, helping them increase their chances of winning.

"Ah, but before the expedition team sets off, could I wait for someone to come back? She's been missing for almost two weeks."

Lu Lu Wo's gaze pierced the sky as she spoke:

"Guild Master, do you know Elsa? I think she is the best candidate to lead the expedition team."

Meanwhile, in Irithyll of the Boreal Valley.

Despite being ragged and covered in dust, Elsa, feeling more refreshed than ever before, was walking through the city.

As I walked, I munched on the jerky I'd bought from Ka Lie. It seemed like I could go without eating in the Painting World, but once I came out, the hunger was even more unbearable than the loss of my Spirit Power.

During this time, she has been receiving guidance from Solaire in Anor Londo. Although her level may not have increased significantly, her improvement in certain aspects has been remarkable.

She left the Sword Remains Greatsword at the inn in the lake district and now carries her own greatsword. Besides this weapon, she also carries a small bag of unknown berries, a half-empty bottle of Element Bottle, and a ring called the Rusty Iron Ring. That's all she has.

The Element Bottle was given to her by the Brass Woman. Ordinary adventurers need to Kindling Secret Ritual to obtain Element Bottle, and it will disappear after death. However, the one given to her by the Brass Woman has remained.

The berries were also found for her by the Brass Woman. Elsa had initially complained that she was hungry and wanted to eat something, but the Brass Woman, who was an undead who didn't need to eat, actually found her berries. Although she could only taste them and not fill her stomach, she was still very touched.

The Rusty Iron Ring was a gift from the giant blacksmith, because during the last period of her life, Solaire always guided her in fighting against the Silver Knight in the castle. During breaks, Elsa would chat with the giant blacksmith.

Although the giant was not good with words, he had a very relaxing atmosphere when he talked to her, an atmosphere she had never experienced when she was with the Light Eagle Legion.

Oh, by the way, she also had a Sun Amulet in her pocket, which was used to unleash miracles; it was naturally a gift from Solaire.

Although the ten-odd days in the Painting World were tough, I felt very happy.

So after listening to Sid's speech in the Academy Gate Town, she somehow ended up in Irithyll. Was she going to challenge Sulyvahn's illusion alone? No, that would be a bit of a stretch.

However, her worries about the Brass Woman, the Giant Blacksmith, and even Solaire made her uneasy, so she decided to come here for a stroll, hoping to find something.

She is now walking on the cemetery path in Irithyll, the shortcut the little boy pointed out to people.

Adventurers initially saw this place as a shortcut to the cathedral, but as they explored further, they discovered that this cemetery had a much richer history.

Because the graves here can all be dug up.

Once a grave is dug up, a passage leading underground appears to be the sewers of the city of Irithyll. Various deformed monsters reside within, including Fishman, who are said to be Elite Monsters. The difficulty is extremely high, and every challenger who comes into contact with Fishman will curse them profusely.

Other graves also contain items, possibly Living Dead that jump up and bite, or equipment from Irithyll monsters. There's even a set of rarer equipment, but it's currently unknown who dug it up.

Elsa had never been inside the sewers before, and she was somewhat interested in them, hoping they might help ease her frustration. So she used her greatsword as a shovel and started digging.

Unfortunately, there was no tunnel in this grave, but a highly Living Dead corpse was found, with purple light spots floating on its surface.

Purple light spots—isn't this what adventurers who love opening chests and loot boxes are after? Today is truly a lucky day.

Elsa picked it up casually, and then

With a tremor of his hand, the brass armor scattered all over the ground.

[Brass Set]

The armor of the knights, formerly known as the Dark Moon Blade, was made of brass and was intended to conceal certain unsightly things.

The armor was marked with the marks of battle; the Dark Moon Knight fought to the last moment for her oath, and like a campfire that eventually goes out, her life came to an end.