"Dong... dong..."
The bell echoed throughout the entire Undead Parish, each toll louder than the last, resonating through the parish, across Undead Town, and spreading further into the distance.
In the unseen world, it seed as if sothing ancient was gradually being awakened.
If the final bell located in Sick Village could be rung, it might lead to so significant change.
The Starfire Knights looked at the swaying bell, each showing a satisfied expression; their long efforts had finally yielded results.
This kind of scene instilled a magical sense of mission in people's hearts—sothing that could not have been fostered without the arduous journey and fierce battles they had endured.
Soone smiled and then fell backward, turning into countless light points before hitting the ground, a sign that their spiritual power had reached a dangerous level and they were teleported out by the Sain Dungeon.
"Don't sleep!"
Hevi suddenly woke from his imrsion, slapping hard the faces of those who were about to fall asleep, and shouted:
"If you sleep now, all the souls we've accumulated will be gone!"
Though so souls had been lost with previous deaths and revivals, the two Stone Statue Ghosts had replenished a good amount. Leaving without leveling up would be a huge loss!
They had to return to the bonfire and level up before everyone's spirits reached their limit and they were kicked out by the Sain Dungeon!
Hevi swiftly tied up the conscious ones with the Suffocating Dragon Tooth, urging them back the way they ca, striving to return to the Fire Transmission Ceremony, while the others were already yawning.
It was a race against ti!
To his despair, Hevi realized that, ever since they ran from the Flying Dragon Bridge, they hadn't encountered a bonfire in ages; getting back to the Flying Dragon Bridge would be a long trek, and many might not make it!
What to do? All those painstakingly accrued souls were about to be wasted?
They could only quicken their pace!
Hevi imdiately applied the Justice Strong Wind war ash to the newly acquired Stone Statue Ghost Tail Axe, creating a wind field several ters ahead to accelerate their speed.
However, in light of the long journey he faced, it seed like a drop in the bucket.
He barreled out of the bell tower, sprinted into the Undead Church at top speed. Although they were still far from the bonfire, so Starfire Knights were already nodding off.
This sense of urgency made it impossible to relax!
Seeing they hadn't even escaped the Undead Church before soone was already faltering, Hevi felt a deep sense of powerlessness. Could it be that all the souls they'd painstakingly saved were to be squandered like this?
This emotional weight made even the nearby exit of the Undead Church seem extraordinarily far away.
At that mont, he noticed sothing out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to see the side of the church hall.
There were two small spaces cordoned off with iron sh, seemingly just big enough to fit a few people.
One of the spaces was empty, its bottom lost in darkness, while the other had a wooden platform that seed to activate a button in the center.
Wait, is this an elevator?
Hevi suddenly widened his eyes.
While conquering the Undead Church, their focus had been entirely on the Monsters, keeping them from noticing the elevator until now. Countless thoughts rapidly surfaced in his mind.
An elevator signifies a connection to other places, possibly a new area or an unexpected location, but it certainly doesn't lead back the way they ca.
"The path from the Flying Dragon Bridge to here is so long; given Sain Dungeon's nature, there shouldn't be no bonfire. We must have missed sothing, so this elevator might lead to a new bonfire?"
His speculation wasn't without rit; stepping onto the elevator might just lead them to a new bonfire.
But if it didn't, it would an wasting their precious ti and possibly falling into a new trap in the Sain Dungeon.
"Charge!"
Without a mont's hesitation, Hevi dragged everyone into the elevator!
There weren't many left who could make the run back to the Flying Dragon Bridge or even the Fire Transmission Ceremony, so why not take a gamble now?
Trust in the Sain Dungeon's good nature!
"Clang!"
The iron sh closed around them, and the elevator creaked as it began its descent.
Even though it descended at a decently quick pace after the initial drop, Hevi still shook his leg anxiously; he had never felt ti pass so slowly.
"Isn't this elevator a bit too high?"
They'd been descending for almost three minutes, the elevator seemingly endless, causing Hevi to break into a cold sweat.
Could such a tall elevator an they were descending all the way to the underground? Would it drop them in Little Londo?
The longer he thought, the more anxious he grew. Just then, the elevator began to slow, revealing gaps in the stone wall that exposed the scenery below.
"Huh?"
Seeing what lay outside, the once anxious Hevi suddenly froze, a gasp of surprise involuntarily escaping his lips.
For the scenery outside was astonishingly familiar!
The shock was so deep that even after the elevator ca to a complete stop, it took him two seconds to snap back to reality and drag everyone out.
As his foot landed with a "clap" on the ground, magic runes appeared before him.
[Fire Transmission Ceremony]
It's the Fire Transmission Ceremony!?
Familiar blue skies, white clouds, and half-ruined walls—Hevi even recognized which part of the Fire Transmission Ceremony they were in, a tucked-away, seemingly insignificant corner!
So that's what it was for, a connection to the Undead Parish!
This was an astonishing shortcut!
Never did he imagine the map would be laid out this way!
Even those sleepy Starfire Knights widened their eyes in shock, their spirits jolted awake by the scene.
Hevi sprinted to the bonfire and threw everyone beside it. They wasted no ti spending their accumulated souls to level up, collapsing with a "snap" once done.
Hevi did the sa, lying flat on the ground, breathing heavily while gazing up at the calming blue sky and white clouds of the Fire Transmission Ceremony, his emotions gradually changing.
"How did the ancients design it? This shortcut is astonishing!"
The stark contrast between the foreboding darkness of the elevator and the salvation provided by the Fire Transmission Ceremony's revelation dramatically shifted emotions!
It had been ages since he'd felt the thrill from map designs like this, reminding Hevi why he initially fell in love with Sain.
It was precisely these dangerous yet ingeniously crafted maps!
"Too bad, if I'd known beforehand, I would have unlocked this shortcut first, making the fight with the Stone Statue Ghosts much easier..."
Every revival ant trekking from the Flying Dragon Bridge, a truly exasperating journey of miles.
He sighed in resignation but then laughed, shaking his head:
"Even so, this past few days' adventure... was worth it!"
With that, fatigue overwheld him, and he succumbed to sleep, happiness manifesting in contented snores.
Just before sinking into his dreams, he vaguely heard Discouragent Brother's slightly amazed voice beside him:
"Unbelievable, you really did it, you really rang the bell..."
Of course, what else would you expect from us?
Hearing that, Hevi's grin widened even further as his consciousness fully slipped into darkness.
The Starfire Church's exploration of the Sain Dungeon had triumphantly concluded!
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