Sain Keeps Serving Up More Than Enough

"What was going on with that Iron Boar? It didn't even budge when I hit it with a hammer. Its defense is terrifying."

"Fortunately, we are more skilled; the Thunder Spear is surprisingly effective at piercing through armored enemies."

"To be honest, I'm a bit tired. This basement doesn't seem dangerous. Shall we take a break?"

"Alright, that's perfect for our target. That big bell is right here. Knowing the nature of the Zane Dungeon, there's bound to be a major battle waiting for us up there."

The Starfire Knight quickly decided on a place to rest after discussing it amongst themselves.

The group descended a staircase leading into darkness. Despite the darkness, they felt no threat to the keen senses within.

The Zane Dungeon really loves creating this kind of contrast.

Several hours have passed since everyone entered the Painting World, and everyone has arrived except for Jess.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel that people's mental state becomes healthier after they come out of the Painting World. Their conversation topics are no longer as abstract as before, and they become like a serious collaborative team.

However, only Hervey noticed this change; everyone else thought, "I've always been perfectly healthy," which made Hervey extremely uncomfortable and longed to return to the noisy, abstract group they used to be.

However, if we want to project a positive image of the Sun Warrior to the outside world, I feel we should be more serious. Damn, that's a bit boring.

After bidding farewell to Solaire, they headed towards the Undead Parish, encountering countless dangers and troubles along the way, filled with the malice of the underworld.

The Undead Parish and the Undead Burg are connected by a stone bridge that leads directly to the Parish gate. The group is on one end of the bridge, while the other end is heavily guarded, with both ranged and melee combat personnel, making it seem like a difficult obstacle.

But if the enemy's deployment were only like that, that would be one thing. The most crucial point is that the enemy has a giant boar whose entire body is covered in iron armor.

This pig is as wide as the TM bridge!

When they rushed over, people had nowhere to hide except to run back. Some people wanted to hide under the bridge, but when they actually did it, they found a bunch of Living Dead assassins hanging under the bridge, ready to ambush people, grinning at them.

What's even more ridiculous is that the giant pig refused to come down from the bridge. No matter what they did, it wouldn't be lured to the open space outside the bridge. It just kept charging back and forth on the bridge.

This situation directly led to Hervey Vision becoming the iconic giant iron ball of Thane; why does your next giant iron ball have to be spherical?

Finally, using the slope where the Choking Dragon Fang were manufactured, the group worked together to lure the giant boar off the bridge, where it fell to its death. Only then were they able to cross the bridge and fight the enemies on the other side.

A world without invisible walls would be so wonderful.

Then they fought their way through, and when the parish gates saw them coming, they crashed down from the sky and refused them entry.

However, the gate was welded together with thick, heavy iron bars. Although an adult couldn't turn around through the gap in the middle, a cat or dog could pass through without any problem.

So the clever Starfire Knight used the gaps as footholds and climbed onto the wall like soldiers besieging a city in ancient times. After a fierce battle to capture the wall, they successfully took control of the lever that controlled the gate to descend, causing the gate to open.

As soon as the main gate opened, Hervey found a side path leading into the parish.

There were few soldiers on the path, and it was easy for them.

"I knew it! I knew there would be a side door after the main gate of the Zane Dungeon closed."

The intensity of the siege they initiated was no less than that of a real battlefield. They were exhausted and suffered heavy losses, so they could only find a place to rest temporarily and wait for their fallen comrades to escape and rejoin the team.

Based on their observations, the only place left to conquer is the largest building in the parish, with the bell at the top; let's call this building the church for now.

The church didn't look very big, but during the siege just now, several knight-type enemies— Balleder Phantom Knight —whose strength was slightly lower than small dragons, rushed out of it, causing quite a bit of trouble for everyone.

Assuming there are more Balder Knight inside the church, the Starfire Knight will need to rest here.

The group entered the dark basement. There was no surprise like the campfire, just no monsters. They quickly found a place to sit down, rest, and recover their strength.

"I think the Archbishop's faith in the Sun Warrior might not be as steadfast as mine."

Sitting to the side, munching on Magic Bread, Hervey couldn't help but mutter to himself that after leaving the Painting World, he felt his faith in the sun was the greatest in the world.

Guys like Dark Moon Blade, whose followers are mostly drawn to him because of Gwyndolin's boasting, are nowhere near his level!

In order to make the faith of the Sparkfire Church more pure, he decided that after he went out, he would immediately gather other people to also visit the Painting World.

The idea of doing great things began to take root in Hervey's mind.

"Bang!"

A sudden clang of metal clashing echoed in the darkness, startling the relaxed crowd.

"What's that sound?!" "Where is it coming from?!" "An enemy attack?"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The rhythmic clanging of steel echoed continuously, like a highly skilled musician performing a unique melody, openly and unabashedly displaying his skill.

"There's actually a downward path below this!"

Perhaps because their senses were dulled by fatigue, they then discovered that there were actually stairs leading to even lower levels inside the basement!

Hervey led the way, and the group cautiously descended the stairs. As they turned a corner, a flash of fire suddenly appeared before them!

It's not a campfire.

It was the Forge Fire! The flames of the forge!

Below the basement is an even more spacious basement, and in this open space, there is a forge burning with flames, where weapon blanks are rhythmically hammered into shape on an anvil, sparks flying everywhere.

The large hand gripping the hammer was strong and powerful, its robust muscles seemingly tinged with red.

Hervey recognized the man forging the iron, his eyes widened, and excitement ignited in his pupils!

"It is the blacksmith Andre!"

The sound of hammering stopped at that moment. The blacksmith, who heard his name being called, turned around and even tilted his head in confusion.

With his gray hair, muscular build, and massive hands that looked like they could smash a human's head with a single punch, there was no doubt that this was the adventurers' old acquaintance, the blacksmith Andre!

He was once a mysterious figure among adventurers, having appeared in the Academy Gate Town. This was mainly because he once blew the head off Elite Monsters with a single punch, and then continued to forge iron with his bloodied hands as if nothing had happened.

Powerful, mysterious, and with a good temper, this type of old man naturally has his admirers.

I never expected to see each other again here. It's such a pleasant surprise. Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is such a wonderful joy.

Upon seeing Andre, Hervey thought to himself, "Now the Wedge Stone Disc will finally have a use!"

I was just thinking of going back to the old area to find the blacksmith, and now the blacksmith has actually appeared, and I don't even have to go back to the original area. I really have to praise Saine!

"I have to get the Wedge Stone Disc back from the bishop!"

Just as Hervey was lost in thought, the Starfire Knight had already surrounded Andre, asking him all sorts of questions as if they were old acquaintances. Some even started buying various items from him with practiced ease, such as Repair Light Powder.

"I am Andre of Astora, a blacksmith. If you want to forge weapons, come to me. After all, in this abnormal land, if weapons don't improve, there will eventually be a day when we can't cope."

To the Starfire Knight, Andre's words sounded slightly different from before, and they didn't recognize any of the people among them who had met him in the Academy Gate Town.

Moreover, upon closer inspection, Andre's wrinkles seem to have lessened compared to before.

Is it the same situation as with Solaire? Is Andre here younger than the one they know?

"The Zane Dungeon really is a place of temporal and spatial chaos, just like Rodland in the background."

Hervey looked at the Starfire Knight surrounding the blacksmith. With the appearance of such a familiar figure, the newly appeared area suddenly felt much more welcoming.

He then went up and handed the Wyvern Sword and Dragon Scale to Andre, spending his soul to ask him to enhance the weapons. Unfortunately, as usual, enhancing weapons also takes time, and he wouldn't be able to get them for another day.

After finishing his own tasks, he gave the space to the others. It was then that he noticed an open door on the wall opposite Andre.

But why does the area opposite the gate look like unfamiliar land?

"No way, does this place also have a maze of interconnected pathways?"

Since he didn't see any monsters, he walked alone towards the gate. Beyond the gate was a vast, empty building interior filled with ruins. A huge, black, humanoid monster lay motionless in the ruins.

Hervey didn't dare touch the somewhat imposing monster, and instead headed straight for the farthest doorway.

As you pass through the doorway, fresh air rushes in with the breeze, mingling with the rustling of leaves, and the scent of plants fills your nostrils.

Looking around, it turned out to be an endless black forest!

[Darkroot Garden]

These words appeared before my eyes.

Hervey was dumbfounded, because the scene before him seemed to be much larger than the Undead Town!

It would probably take several days to explore this place!

"We haven't even finished exploring one area, and we've already discovered an even bigger one?"

"This is an ancient church. The Undead Church you passed earlier was built after this place was abandoned, but that's not the point."

Andre's voice suddenly came from behind.

"This leads to the Darkroot Garden, a dangerous forbidden zone. I don't know much about it, but it's said that a clergyman skilled in metallurgy once lived there. Those who encounter bottlenecks in the Catacombs often come here because they want holy weapons. I advise you not to go."

Hervey turned around abruptly and asked, "Grandpa, do you know anything more about this area? Please tell us."

"No, I don't know much either, but there are some things I can tell you."

Andre's hands didn't stop hammering; as he struck, sparks flew, and he said:

"The Undead Parish is quite a famous transit point, not only leading to that great bell, but also connecting to forbidden areas like the Black Forest that normal people wouldn't go to. But I've never actually seen any normal undead, hahaha!"

"Are there other forbidden areas?"

Now it was the Starfire Knight's turn to be stunned along with Hervey. Judging from Andre's tone, there was more than one area like the Darkroot Garden?

Andre pointed to the ceiling and said, "It's right up there. What, didn't you see it?"

The Starfire Knight blinked and shook their heads in unison.

"Then you should go see for yourselves, it's quite spectacular."

A moment later, footsteps sounded, and the group went up from the basement where the blacksmith was, then retraced their steps and climbed up again. When they reached what appeared to be a garden on the side of the church, they finally saw the other forbidden area that Andre had mentioned.

[Sain Ancient City]

An ancient city stands amidst lush gardens, exuding an air of antiquity and mystery, while its sturdy iron gates undoubtedly hinder the steps of explorers.

This place seemed to be a building they had glimpsed from afar before entering the church; they hadn't expected it to be so important!

Andre's earlier words echoed in everyone's ears.

"The ancient city of Sion was built by the ancient gods as a testing ground to examine humanity. Legend has it that if you follow the path from there, you can reach the castle of the gods—the great Anor Londo. But then again, most undead can't even get into the ancient city, just like that Onion Knight, hahaha!"

People didn't see the familiar Onion Knight; perhaps he was lying somewhere asleep. At this moment, everyone's eyes were filled with the Sain Ancient City.

"Sain Ancient City, Zane Dungeon. The same name, what's the connection between them?"

If what Andre says is true, then the Sain Ancient City was a testing ground created by the gods for humankind.

Could the Zane Dungeon be positioned similarly?

Was it also created by a powerful being like a god?

Do they also shoulder the same mission?

Hervey suddenly felt that he might have stumbled upon a way to unveil the mysteries of the Zane Dungeon, but there was still too much fog before him.

There's something else that's catching his attention right now, and that's...

"I feel a chill all over my body."

Just looking at the silhouette of the Sain Ancient City, the Starfire Knight couldn't help but hug their shoulders, only then realizing that their bodies were unconsciously trembling slightly.

It's as if some terrifying malice is lurking inside this building!

"The gates of the Sain Ancient City are not open, which may be a good thing for us?"

If the door were wide open, Hervey might have been tempted to go in and take a look, but his intuition was screaming warnings, telling him absolutely, positively not to go in now.

People are now filled with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

I thought the Undead Parish was the end, but it turned out to be just the beginning.

The Darkroot Garden and the Sain Ancient City have come into view one after another, while the mysterious New Londo Ruins and the catacombs await silently.

Even the Starfire Knight, who loved exploring dungeons, couldn't laugh anymore. He couldn't help but gasp and mutter to himself:

"This is such a huge quantity, enough to fill you up. Will we be able to finish exploring it before the end of the year?"

No one chimed in, because everyone shared the same question: could so many areas really be explored?

The most crucial point is not whether they can complete the exploration before the end of the year, but whether they can hold out when the Holy Light Church attacks, and whether they can occupy the portal to the Zane Dungeon until the exploration is over.

"Hervey, what should we do next?"

The vastness of the Zane Dungeon left the Starfire Knight bewildered, unsure of where to begin, and they all turned to their captain for guidance.

"Us."

Hervey's lips twitched, and he clapped his hands, saying:

"Let's go ring the bell first!"