Who designed this underworld dungeon?.

Chapter 758 Let's embrace the White Religion!
"Excuse me, sir, we worship Gwyn, the god of fire, and we do not follow your White Church."

"Vulcan? Gwyn? Huh?"

In the underground city of Sein, at the Firelink Shrine.

Hervi righteously refused the preaching offered by the fat man's afterimage and turned to leave with the Starfire Knights.

Meanwhile, the afterimage of the fat man, who was clad in full armor, was bewildered in the wind, completely disoriented by Hervé's words.

Wait, when did a new afterimage besides the Disheartened One appear in the Firelink Shrine?
This all started when Herve and the others re-entered the Firelink Shrine.

some time ago.

"Report! Dragon grease, freezing arrows, steel drills, and fairy breath are all ready. We are prepared to slay the dragon at any time!"

"Very good, this time we must slay that red dragon!"

The Starfire Knights and Herve appeared near the campfire, and their words as they entered the portal were also teleported in.

Everyone had changed into brand new armor and red robes, and they all looked radiant and extraordinary. They were all handsome and talented. Hervi, who was wearing dragon-shaped armor, looked like a hidden BOSS who would break his armor and start a second phase when he was low on health.

Each person also carries items specifically designed to counter dragons: steel, ice, and fairy. People have long known that weapons with these three properties are particularly effective against dragons, almost as if they are a counter to them.

Now, the items used to control dragons will include dragon-inflicting oil produced in the Sien Dungeon, as this stuff is exceptionally effective!

As the strongest team among the Starfire Church forces stationed in Hypa Town, Hervi's purpose in coming here was very clear: to advance the overall exploration progress.

They played the exact same role as the strategy guide team here; whoever was stronger and cleared the maps faster became the strategy guide team!
To advance the exploration of the Sien Dungeon, it is necessary to defeat the red dragon blocking the way.

I wonder if I can catch them by the tail again. The Flying Dragon Sword is pretty powerful, Hervé thought to himself. It's just too fragile and breaks easily, even faster than ordinary weapons.

Because the structure of the Undead Town outside the city was too complex, they overlooked some paths during their exploration, to the point that they now believed they had to kill the red dragon to continue, without realizing that there might be other paths they could take.

The props they carried were not cheap; some were extremely difficult to obtain, all thanks to the strong support of the Spark Church.

This support comes with a condition: they must find a way to move from the new area to the old area as soon as possible!

Compared to the new areas that have only just begun to be explored and for which they know nothing about the terrain and local products, the bishops of the Starfire Church prefer to scavenge for supplies in the more familiar old areas, especially since the old areas are all-encompassing and can find almost anything.

Just finding a good food area is enough to ensure the troops have plenty to eat and drink. You can catch some roasted whole pigs with Poké Balls to feed the troops, not to mention other foods that have amplifying effects.

Unfortunately, other churches think the same way.

Although no one said it outright, a race to find the old area roads had already begun in secret.

Meanwhile, a group of nature priests from the Wild Forest Church, whose skills rivaled those of the Starfire Knights, entered Sein. They possessed a natural intuition for treasure hunting, which gave Hervi a sense of crisis.

Just as he was about to lead everyone away from the fire-linking sacrificial site, he heard a cracking sound coming from behind the inconspicuous ruins next to him.

There shouldn't be any danger at the Firelink Shrine, right? Unless you accidentally beat up the Disheartened Brother.

Despite thinking this, Hervé still drew his weapon, unleashing a strangling dragon fang like a kagune, and slowly walked toward the ruins they had previously overlooked.

Then they found a fat guy with a bowl cut inside, another afterimage character.

The first thing the other person said upon seeing them was:

"I am Petrus from Sollund. You all seem to have a special connection. Why don't you come and learn miracles from me? All you need to do is show a little bit of sincerity, hehehe."

Hervé swore this was the first afterimage that made him dislike it from the first impression, and for some reason, he found the fat man rather repulsive. "What sincerity?"

Therefore, Hervé didn't say much, but directly asked the question that was on his mind.

Was this guy in Firelink Shrine from the beginning? Why didn't I see him when I explored this place before? The Starfire Knights wondered.

"Nature is the soul. Teachers always need to receive some sincerity in order to continue teaching. I'm doing this for your sake. When you're out in the world, you should help each other."

Although she had already guessed it, Hervi was still amazed when she actually saw the afterimages using souls as currency, marveling that this was a spectacle that could only be seen in the Sien Dungeon.

He was quite interested in learning more magic—people often just call miracles and prayers "magic" for convenience—so he asked, "What can you teach?"

But what Petrus said next completely killed his interest.

"We, the clergy of the White Cult, are proud to teach you all kinds of miracles that can help you on your adventures. But first, you need to abandon your original vows and join our White Cult family."

Abandoning the original vow?
The moment Petrus uttered those words, Herve began waving her hands repeatedly.

I'm sorry, I can't do that!
Thus, the opening dialogue took place.

Herve turned and left without looking back, leaving Petrus bewildered by what he had said, his mind struggling to process it.

When did Gwyn become associated with Vulcan? Is it because they're related by marriage?

But when he saw that Hervé and the others were really about to leave, he suddenly spoke up:
"Wait a minute, since you're unwilling to learn miracles, I have some information here. All it takes is some sincerity—"

Before he could finish speaking, a Starfire Knight threw a soul at his face, saying, "Speak quickly."

It was obvious that this afterimage was a tool for teaching magic and passing on information, so the group felt there was no need to communicate with it too much.

“You’re going to that town where the undead gather, right? Then do me a favor.”

Petrus wiped the sweat from his brow with a human touch and said with a kind smile:

"Many different beliefs exist on this ancient land, and each belief has its own heroic legends. Our White Religion is no exception. Skilled painters once depicted the figures of those heroes. As time passed, those exquisite paintings were endowed with magical power, forming an existence similar to a painted world. Those who share the same oath as those heroes can enter the paintings and obtain incredible power. It's simply a miracle."

He suddenly sighed, shook his head, and said:

"It's a pity that all the paintings have been lost. I've received information that paintings once appeared in the place where the undead gather. I need your help to find them. Once you find any paintings related to the White Cult, bring them back to me. Paintings from other faiths are also acceptable. My reward will definitely not disappoint you."

Looking for paintings?

Hervi and the others instantly understood that the fat man's request was the super classic afterimage quest that appears in almost every dungeon—finding XX.

The Sien Dungeon is no exception, after all, this design is just too good to pass up.

When Petrus learned of the painting, Hervé's first thought was not to agree, but something else entirely.

There are paintings depicting various vows, which means...
Will there be sun warriors too?

"Okay, I promise you."

A smile immediately appeared on his face beneath his helmet, and he affectionately put his arm around the fat man's shoulder.

"However, you'll need to provide some more accurate location information."

(End of this chapter)