Ringing the Bell

"Finally, we can go ring the bell!"

When those words came out of Hervey's mouth, not only he, but everyone felt a sense of relief.

The sense of accomplishment after defeating a powerful enemy, the relief of finally ending a torturous journey, and the anticipation for the adventure to come—all these feelings intertwine at this moment, creating an incredibly complex mix of emotions.

To conquer the "Twin Gargoyles," they had spent countless days in the dungeon, barely clinging to life without venturing out.

Now that the enemy has been defeated in one fell swoop, fatigue surges up as people relax, and some are already swaying and almost falling to the ground.

"Cheer up! We can't afford to fail at the last minute. Don't you want to persevere to the end and see what happens?"

Hervey's voice forced those who were showing signs of fatigue to perk up.

It's common knowledge among adventurers that the Zane Dungeon will kick out any adventurers who aren't in a good mental state.

Although the Zane Dungeon is usually quite unkind, people feel it's actually quite humane in this kind of situation.

It's not uncommon for adventurers to die suddenly in dungeons. This sudden death is caused by the depletion of Spirit Power due to prolonged exposure to dungeons. After being resurrected, there is a chance that they will become a vegetable.

Gong Qiying has always valued adventurers, which is why he set up danger lines. Some dungeons, on the other hand, are eager to squeeze every last drop out of adventurers, after all, they are also trying to survive.

Hervey knew very well that everyone's current mental state was already close to the danger of being kicked out of the Zane Dungeon, but it would be too much of a loss if they were kicked out at the last minute before the bell rang. Next time they came in, they would have to go through the trouble of fighting the Twin Gargoyles again, and they might even fail.

So no matter what, everyone has to grit their teeth and finish ringing the bell!

The Twin Gargoyles' bodies slowly turned to ashes and dissipated, leaving behind a large number of light spots as rewards.

[Gargoyle Tail Axe]

[An axe made from the tail of Gargoyle that guarded the Bell of Awakening Undead.]

[It can be used as a bronze battle axe. Perhaps because it was originally a tail, the handle will extend and lengthen like a whip when attacked forcefully.]

Gargoyle Helmet

[The helmet worn by the Gargoyle who guard the Church of the Undead]

Because Gargoyle's skin is already tough enough, they wear these bronze helmets purely for decoration and cannot be expected to provide much protection.

[War Ashes: Righteous Gale]

[Wings emerge from its back, powerful enough to create a hurricane. The hurricane that propels it forward will blow away enemies in its path and leave a wind field in its wake. Those who step into this field will be protected by the wind and their movement speed will be increased.]

Besides these, there were a bunch of small, scattered items; just picking them up one by one was enough to strain your back.

"Righteous Gale. Is this the Weapon Skill used by that Gargoyle with the different appearance?"

Hervey was quite fond of this Weapon Skill from Galio; according to the description, it could both attack and support. The only drawback was that the wind field seemed to also affect enemies.

As for the weapons and equipment of the other two Gargoyle, they were of little value to the Starfire Knight; they could simply return them to the church.

"If we can acquire one of the Gargoyle's Weapon Skill, then can we acquire the rest as well?"

The Starfire Knight raised a very likely issue.

After all, Galio's skills are pretty good. His shield is quite thick and can heal allies, the wind blast is powerful enough to knock enemies away, and the shockwaves emitted from his eyes are also very effective.

"Woo!"

Just as he was taking stock of his gains, Hervey suddenly felt a piercing pain in his head, so painful that he staggered and almost fell to the ground.

No, my already weak body is deteriorating further. I can't delay any longer; I need to go ring the bell quickly.

Sensing that their physical condition was also not optimistic, the Starfire Knight hurriedly gathered up the scattered sparks on the ground and headed towards the Clock Tower not far away.

The Fog Gate that had blocked people's way had long since disappeared. Passing through the not-so-large doorway, they finally entered the interior of the Clock Tower they had been longing to see.

"There's nothing special about this place; it's just a very ordinary building."

It's quite poignant to see that the place they finally managed to enter after going through so much trouble to defeat the formidable Twin Gargoyles is actually built in a style almost identical to the Undead Church. People have quite a few feelings about this.

Following the ancient spiral staircase upwards, climbing the creaking wooden handrails, and passing through the opening at the very top of the ceiling, the group finally reached the top of the Clock Tower!

The sunlight, closest to the sky, shone on Hervey's face. He took a deep breath and saw the great bell that symbolized the mission of the undead.

The bell is old and worn, and you can feel the aura of history just by looking at it. A layer of dust has accumulated on the surface of the bell, and it looks like it has not been rung for a long time.

Gong Qiying changed the bell, which was originally rung by a lever mechanism, to a manual mode that was rung by a striking rod. He felt that this gave it a more special feel than using a mechanism.

The Starfire Knight, holding onto the cold-touch baton, simultaneously exerted their strength without needing a countdown.

The heavy baton, combined with the collective force of everyone, struck the ancient bell.

The surface dust vanished under the sunlight.

"Knock knock."

The bells tolled throughout the Undead Parish, each chime louder than the last, the sound traversing the parish, passing through Undead Town, and spreading further afield.

It was as if something ancient was being gradually awakened.

If the last bell in the Plague Village could be rung, something momentous might happen.

The Starfire Knight looked at the swaying clock, and each of them showed a satisfied expression. Their long-term efforts had finally paid off.

This scene evokes a magical sense of mission in people's hearts, a feeling that would likely not have arisen without the long journey and arduous battles that followed.

After a smile appeared, someone leaned back and fell to the ground, disappearing into countless points of light before hitting the ground. This was a sign that their Spirit Power had reached the danger level and they had been teleported out of the Zane Dungeon.

"Don't fall asleep!"

Hervey snapped out of his reverie and slapped the faces of those who were about to fall asleep several times, yelling:

"If we fall asleep now, all the souls we've collected will be gone!"

Although the number of souls lost due to death and resurrection was reduced, the Twin Gargoyles replenished a large wave, so it would be a huge loss to leave without upgrading!

We must get back to the campfire and level up before everyone's mental state reaches its limit and they get kicked out of the Zane Dungeon!

Hervey used the Choking Dragon Fang to bind the still-awake group and spurred his horse back along the same route, wanting to get back to the Firelink Shrine, while the others were already yawning repeatedly.

This is a race against time!

He also discovered with despair that it seemed like they hadn't encountered a campfire in a long time since they ran across Wyvern Bridge. It was a long distance to run back to Wyvern Bridge from here, and many people probably wouldn't be able to make it!

What are we going to do? Are all these hard-earned souls just going to go to waste like this?

We have no choice but to speed things up!

Hervey immediately slapped the battle ash called Righteous Gale onto the Gargoyle Tail Axe he had just obtained, blowing a wind field several meters long forward and using the wind field to accelerate and increase his speed.

Although this seems like a drop in the ocean compared to the long journey he is about to face.

He rushed out of the Clock Tower and ran at top speed into the Undead Church. Even though he was still quite a distance from the bonfire, some Starfire Knight were already dozing off.

This feeling of urgency makes it really hard to relax!

Seeing that some people were already on the verge of collapse before even escaping the Undead Church, Hervey felt a deep sense of helplessness. Was all the souls they had painstakingly collected just going to go to waste like this?

Under this emotional influence, even the gates of the Undead Church, which were so close at hand, seemed incredibly distant.

Just then, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at one side of the church hall.

There were two extra small spaces enclosed by wire mesh, just big enough to accommodate the group of people.

One of the small spaces was empty, and looking down from there, the bottom was pitch black and unfathomable. The other had a raised wooden floor with a button in the center that looked like it could be stepped on.

Wait, is this an elevator?

Hervey's eyes suddenly widened.

Previously, when they were conquering the Undead Church, they were so focused on the monsters that they didn't pay much attention to the elevator here. Now that they had discovered it, countless thoughts immediately popped into his mind.

An elevator is a device that connects to other places, perhaps new areas or unexpected locations, but it certainly doesn't lead back the same way.

"Given the nature of the Zane Dungeon, there should be a campfire along such a long route from the Wyvern Bridge. We must have missed something, so maybe this elevator leads to a new campfire?"

His guess wasn't far off; perhaps stepping onto the elevator would lead to a new campfire.

But if not, it means he has not only wasted his precious time, but may also have stepped into the new underworld design of the Zane Dungeon.

"Rush!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Hervey pulled everyone and rushed into the elevator!

Since not many people can hold out long enough to run back to Wyvern Bridge or even the Firelink Shrine, we might as well take a gamble now.

Let's gamble on the conscience of the Zane Dungeon!

"Snap!"

The metal mesh closed, the elevator creaked, and began to slowly descend.

Although the descent wasn't slow at all except for the very beginning, he still anxiously shook his leg, never feeling that each day was dragging on for so long.

"Isn't this elevator a bit too high?"

Almost three minutes had passed, and the elevator was still descending as if there was no end in sight, which made Hervey so anxious that he was sweating profusely.

With an elevator this tall, did it descend directly underground? Or did it land in New Londo?

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. Just then, the elevator gradually slowed down, and a gap appeared in the stone wall in front of him, revealing the view below.

"Huh?"

Upon seeing the scene outside, Hervey, who had been extremely anxious, suddenly froze, involuntarily uttering a sound of surprise.

The scenery outside was so familiar!

He was so surprised that when the elevator finally came to a complete stop, he remained stunned for two seconds before snapping out of it and pulling everyone out of the elevator.

The moment his foot thudded onto the ground, magical runes appeared before him.

[Firelink Shrine]

Is this the Firelink Shrine!?

The familiar blue sky, white clouds, broken walls and ruins —Hervey even recognized exactly where this place was located within the Firelink Shrine —it was in an inconspicuous corner on the side!

So that's what this place is for; it's connected to the Undead Parish!

This road is amazing!

I never expected the map to be like this!

Even the Starfire Knight, who were drowsy and about to give up, widened their eyes upon seeing the scene before them, their minds instantly sharpened and they became alert.

Hervey ran wildly to the campfire, threw everyone to the fire, and without a word, they used all their souls to upgrade. After upgrading, they collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Hervey was the same; he lay on his back, panting, gazing at the Tranquility blue sky and white clouds within the Firelink Shrine, and only then did he belatedly realize that his emotions had changed.

"How did the ancients design this? This shortcut is absolutely ingenious!"

The stark contrast between the despair evoked by the darkness of the first half of the elevator and the sense of redemption that appears at the Firelink Shrine at the end creates a dramatic emotional shift!

It had been a long time since Hervey had felt the thrill of map design like this. He finally remembered why he had initially liked Sain.

It's because of these maps of dangerous yet wonderfully ingenious areas of the underworld!

"What a pity. If I had known, I would have gone here first to Opening a Shortcut. It would have made fighting the Gargoyle much easier."

Every time I respawn, I have to run all the way from the Wyvern Bridge. That Three-hundred-and-sixty-five-mile road is really annoying.

He sighed helplessly, but then laughed, shook his head, and said:

Even so, the adventures of the past few days were worth it!

After saying that, a wave of fatigue washed over him, and he finally couldn't resist closing his eyes and quickly began to snore happily.

Before drifting off to sleep, he vaguely heard the slightly surprised voice of the Hui Xin Ge beside him:

"It's unbelievable, you actually did it, you really rang that bell."

Of course, they don't even know who we are.

Upon hearing this, Hervey's lips curled up even wider before his consciousness completely plunged into darkness.

The Sparkfire Church's exploration of the Zane Dungeon has come to a successful conclusion!