"Splash!"

The sound of a heavy object hitting the waterlogged ground exploded, it was Fanen falling to the ground.

If we count the time spent watching the images, how long had he been falling? Perhaps nearly ten minutes?

Where in the outside world could you find a place where you could free-fall for almost ten minutes and not die? Only in the Dungeon could such a spectacle occur.

Fanen was now mentally clear, but his body still couldn’t move. He could only lie on the ground, without the strength to even lift his head. Although he felt no pain, it was as if he had been crippled by the fall, and his newly awakened spirit turned groggy again, his eyelids almost impossible to open.

"Tap, tap..."

A strange sound seemed to come from the front, like the sound of hooves.

He tried to lift his head, but could only see furry white hooves before his eyes, and he had no strength to look further up.

Was it really a horse?

The creature, resembling a horse, lowered its head to nuzzle him, the gesture was quite gentle.

I’m not dead yet... Although he wanted to say this, Fanen had no strength to speak.

"Don’t worry, Torret, there’s still hope." A woman’s voice came from above, she dismounted, and the cloak swayed in Fanen’s field of vision.

Another person?

Fanen remembered the four-armed blue-skinned woman who talked like telling a story in the images, but the person appearing before him now was clearly different; just by hearing the voice, he could tell.

The former’s tone was rich, emotions like pride switching effortlessly, obviously a meticulous person.

Whereas the latter’s voice seemed devoid of variation, for some reason, a particular word seemed especially fitting to describe her—

Wooden.

"This person surely seeks the Elden Ring too." The wooden-sounding woman slightly leaned over and placed something beside him.

At that moment, fatigue surged over Fanen like a tide, leaving him without strength to lift his head or even keep his eyes open.

Just before losing consciousness, he heard the woman’s last words.

"Even if it means betraying the Golden Law."

...

Uncertain how much time passed, Fanen slowly awakened, finally regaining enough strength to move his body. Wearing clothes that had been soaked through by the ground’s water, he climbed up.

"What was that, exactly?"

He was certain that the horse and the woman he saw earlier were not illusions because there was something beside him that wasn’t there before; a red and a blue bottle tangled with golden stripes resembling crisscrossed values, exuding a unique aesthetic.

[Red Dew Holy Grail Bottle]

[It’s said that the Golden Chalice once held Benefit Dew, and this bottle is modeled after the Golden Chalice]

[When filled with red dew, it can restore Life Force and heal injuries, replenished when resting at the blessing]

[For those drifting to the tomb in pursuit of the Elden Ring, this item may guarantee recovery for the gradually dying bodies of the Faded]

The blue bottle, once consumed, could restore magic power. Fanen opened it up and saw that both seemed to contain only a mouthful of liquid.

Understood, they’re a Healing Potion and a Magic Potion!

"Turns out she was a kind person who came to deliver items."

Sighing in gratitude, he stopped dwelling on the woman’s origins or whereabouts and happily hung the two Holy Grail Bottles from his belt, suddenly feeling his life was secured.

"I wonder where everyone went. Since I didn’t die from the fall, it means Uffie should be fine too."

Thinking of this made him sigh with relief, and he looked around, finding that he had fallen into a place resembling a tomb, with nothing around but a tunnel leading deeper.

While replicating maps, Gong Qiying certainly made some changes; maps like the Learning Cave, which were entirely designed for beginner tutorials, were not replicated.

Perhaps when introducing a random enemy "MOD" for adventurers later, it could be added, surely creating great entertainment.

Looking up should be the Prince’s Chapel from where he fell, although the height from the tomb was unknown, it certainly exceeded the limit of human vision, obscured by lead-gray mist, making any judgment impossible.

Fanen gazed upward for a while, having a sudden quirky idea.

"What if I climb back up from here?"

A restless excitement stirred within him.

"When I gather more comrades, I’ll try climbing it, maybe there are hidden rewards in the Dungeon."

He temporarily suppressed this thought and moved towards the only tunnel, reaching its end only to find a long corridor, with a classic elevator situated at the corridor’s far end.

However, on the way to the elevator, something else caught Fanen’s attention.

A section of the corridor was open, and one could visibly see a vast empty area to explore by jumping down, its final destination unknown, undoubtedly tempting many adventurers to leap down and explore.

But the entrance was blocked by white fog, just like the Fog Gate, making it impenetrable.

And before the white fog stood a little demon statue, which had a slot on its body. It seemed to require a certain key to be inserted?

As Fanen approached, he saw this kind of prompt text.

[Insert Stone Sword Key, seal can be lifted]

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the so-called Stone Sword Key on him. He noted this down for future exploration.

This design is quite clever, attracting adventurers to return to the initial place in the future, preventing the map from being wasted.

"Buzz—"

The lift carried Fanen upward. The journey was quite long, with dim light occasionally glowing from the surrounding stone walls, appearing like falling streams of light in his eyes as he ascended. It conveyed a sense of mysterious fantasy as if suggesting he was ascending into a magical, splendid world. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Fanen had never been filled with such anticipation for the unknown events that were about to unfold. As the elevator gently stopped, he sprang out with an Arrow Step, running towards the last door that separated him from the outside world.

He wasn’t entering the Dungeon for revenge or survival. Now, embracing a lighter purpose, he explored the Dungeon, feeling as refreshing as putting on new underwear just by thinking about it.

Come, let me see what kind of world is beyond this door!

He bent down and lifted the stone door. As soon as he opened a small gap, the bright sunlight pierced through the darkness of the hidden chamber.

At the moment the door closed behind him, the scent of iron rust and decayed soil was crushed by clean wind and thrown behind, colliding with fresh air and golden sunlight.

The giant tree that seemed like molten gold pierced the clouds—the Golden Tree quietly stood in the distance, occupying almost half of the view with its massive body. The wind seemed to surge from its branches, accompanied by the whispering friction of golden leaves.

The Golden Tree was far, distant enough to see most of its trunk from here. It was so distant that it felt like the saintly figure glimpsed through the stained glass windows of a church in childhood, yet its magnitude made it appear close, close enough to see the brilliance flashing between the rough tree bark.

At the foot of the Golden Tree, where Fanen stood on the cliff, the ruins of ancient architecture unfolded beneath his feet like a silent epic. Broken arches protruded from the ground like the ribs of giants, and a dilapidated chapel was not far away, its spire piercing the sunlight. A robust Knight clad in golden armor patrolled amidst the ruined walls.

And closer, on the lush green pasture rarely seen in Red, leisurely sheep rolled and grazed, while the sound of waves seemed to reach the ears. White-headed birds fluttered across the sky, vibrant with life, forming a stark contrast with the ancient ruins, yet the style conflicted and fused.

[Nimgefo] such words appeared before him.

Fanen smiled with satisfaction at this unexpected yet fantastical scenery.

This perfectly matched all his imagination of the Dungeon.

"So beautiful..." he spoke with genuine admiration.

Just as he was about to find a place to enjoy the scenery he had never seen in his life, a discordant voice was heard.

"Fanen? You came out too, huh. Hurry and help me out, I can’t catch this guy!"

Where did the voice come from? How does it sound like Uffie?

He blinked, looking around but couldn’t find her figure.

"Down below, down below!" Uffie called out with battle sounds accompanying her voice.

Fanen looked down and indeed found Uffie below the cliff, with blood stains on her, chasing a... um, guy with a white mask?

The person with the somewhat sinister white mask held a weapon resembling a bouquet, conjuring swarms of blood-colored flies to throw at Uffie. Just a touch of the flies would cause severe bleeding, no wonder she was covered in blood stains.

The white mask’s pace was quick, dodging Uffie’s attacks agilely and highly familiar with the terrain, making it difficult to catch up for the moment.

"What happened?" Fanen asked as he jumped down to chase the white mask, only to bump into a silly sheep rolling along.

"It’s an enemy, one specially waiting to ambush at the door, too cunning!" Uffie said indignantly.

"When I opened the door, I saw this guy. Luckily, I was quick to strike first with an attack; otherwise, he would have ambushed me! Look, I still haven’t taken him down yet, this guy is quite tough."

"Really?"

Fanen crawled out from the fluffy wool, instinctively feeling something seemed off.

If he were really planning a sneak attack, would the enemy let you see him when you open the door?

Anyway, since the fight started, let’s enjoy the battle, and the white mask doesn’t look like a good person.

"If you think I’m just a kind and friendly person, then experience the price of looking down on others!" The white mask let out a curse-like shout, turning to jab fiercely at Fanen. Each strike of the bouquet weapon caused bleeding; the fierce onslaught almost matched a Hunter’s.

Fanen could barely cope, giving Uffie a good chance to catch up. With one thrust, she pierced a hole in the white mask’s waist.

The white mask groaned in pain, turned to throw out a swarm of flies to repel them, and this eerie blood magic made them wary.

Then, he performed an unexpected action.

Without any intention to fight, the white mask turned and ran out of the battlefield with such determination, leaving his back unguarded, seemingly attracting people to follow.

Fanen took a couple of steps forward, ready to shoot, while Uffie was also gathering Fighting Qi at the tip of her spear, preparing to launch an attack.

However, on the narrow path that the white mask ran to, there was another presence. It was a sturdy Knight, wielding a Golden Spear, fully armored with even the steed beneath him clad in golden armor.

[Big Tree Guard]!