"Boss! They found something new in the Dungeon again—it's called the Farron Undead Legion or something!"
Maru burst through the door with her usual noise and energy, only to find Drew and Terl sitting inside.
She froze mid-step, blinking. "Oh, right… the boss left a few days ago. Still can't get used to that."
After defeating the Knight, Leon's confidence had skyrocketed. He'd given his companions a few last instructions before setting off on his journey home.
He was going to settle everything—once and for all.
His home was said to be far from Bedford City, at least a month's journey away.
Seven days had already passed.
Everyone had wanted to go with him, worried Leon might run into danger, but he'd refused outright. He said this was his business—something he had to resolve with his own hands.
"Maru," Drew sighed, rubbing his temples. "You talk like Leon's already dead."
Terl crossed his arms. "And what's this about the Farron Undead Legion? Where'd you even hear that?"
Why was it that every time new information surfaced, it was always Maru who heard it first?
"I think it's the name of some ancient organization!" she said, her tone rising with excitement.
At the words ancient organization, everyone's ears perked up.
"Details," Drew said sharply.
"Lately, lots of adventurers have been discovering new things in the Dungeon," Maru explained quickly. "Someone found a stone tablet that tells the legend of the Undead Legion."
"New things, huh…" Drew frowned, sinking into thought.
Ever since that rampage incident, the Sein Dungeon had been producing new items—equipment, tools, weapons, even new monsters. But the map itself hadn't changed.
It gave everyone the uneasy sense that something big was coming—that all these "new discoveries" were just appetizers before the main course.
The biggest change was the appearance of item lore. Whenever someone obtained a new weapon or artifact, a fragment of information would appear directly in their mind—always in the same strange format.
It would start with a cryptic line about the item's origin, followed by its abilities and effects.
Just a few days ago, someone obtained a large spiked mace. Its description read:
[Spiked Mace]
[Choice weapon of the evangelists of the Cathedral of the Deep, mentors of the dwellers of the Undead Settlement. Its long, sharp spikes cause great pain and bleeding.]
[Skill: Spin Bash Bash foes with a large spinning motion, then use the momentum to transition into a powerful overhead smash.]
Even this one weapon sparked countless questions—
What was the Undead Settlement?
What was the Cathedral of the Deep?
And what were these so-called mentors?
There was too much missing information. People knew the names of things—but not their meaning.
Some began to suspect these descriptions were fragments of history from another world—like the images seen in the dungeon's bonfires.
The bonfire visions had already drawn massive attention.
At first, having even two bonfires that recorded visions had seemed like an unbelievable stroke of luck. But the dungeon just kept producing new relics, new discoveries, without end!
Adventurers began combing through every inch of the dungeon, even studying odd-shaped rocks in case they hid secret information.
Curiosity—it's one of humanity's most unstoppable urges.
That was when the Adventurer's Guild intervened.
In the center of Bedford City, they constructed a massive bulletin board for one purpose—to instantly publish any new discoveries from the Sein Dungeon.
The intel came straight from adventurers.
Anyone who reported something new to the Guild would receive a generous reward—and their name would be listed publicly as the discoverer for everyone to see.
Next to the board, the Guild built a ranking chart based on both the quantity and quality of the shared intel. Competition quickly grew fierce.
And soon, something strange happened—people began to care less about the money and more about seeing their names on that board.
Every day, crowds gathered around the ranking list, gossiping about who found what and wildly speculating about what it all meant. With so many gaps in knowledge, most of it was pure conjecture.
Perhaps this was the birth of the "Soul Scholars."
In a matter of days, people had learned countless new names—Griggs of Vinheim, Archdragon Peak, Lothric, Yharnam, and more.
Some said the information was too fragmented to be meaningful. Others found joy in piecing it together, gaining a deep sense of accomplishment.
With rewards and fame on the line, who wouldn't want to dive into the Sein Dungeon?
Besides, it wasn't even that risky anymore—Count Charon was subsidizing teleportation crystals, and the Church of Holy Light had lowered resurrection fees, indirectly encouraging exploration.
And really, what were the odds the dungeon would mutate again overnight… right?
"Anyway, the Farron Undead Legion is, uh…" Maru hesitated, scratching her head. "Ah, forget it—let's just go check the bulletin board!"
When they arrived at the town square, it was absolutely packed—three, maybe four layers deep with people all trying to see the latest intel.
It was 3 a.m., the sky still pitch-black, yet no one had gone to sleep. The crowd's anticipation buzzed like static in the air—it felt like waiting for a new episode of a beloved show.
Those in the back couldn't even see the board anymore, so Guild staff used amplifying magic to shout the news aloud.
"The Farron Undead Legion! They are the Abyss Watchers—heirs to the will of the Abysswalker! Forever stationed at the frontlines against the Abyss!"
"They are heroes who fought to keep the world from falling into darkness!"
"When the First Flame began to fade and the world neared its end, the Undead Legion threw themselves into the Kiln, turning their own bodies into kindling for the flame!"
"They linked the fire!"
"But after countless ages since their sacrifice, the Legion's silhouettes have appeared once more—in a place known as Farron Keep!"
The Guild official's voice was hoarse from shouting, repeating the announcement over and over.
Beside him stood a smug adventurer—the one who had submitted the intel. He was about to become famous.
The crowd didn't know what "Farron" meant, but everyone knew about the linking of the fire.
The bonfire visions had shown it clearly—Lord Gwyn burning himself to preserve the world!
So the Undead Legion must be heroes too—and whatever they fought, this "Abyss," must be something truly terrifying.
Though the bulletin was brief, it felt more like a legend than a report.
Somewhere in the crowd, a bard was already composing a ballad about the Farron Undead Legion.
"Think we should head back into the dungeon?" Maru asked, eyes gleaming with envy. "That guy's getting all the spotlight."
"I thought someone wanted a vacation," Terl teased.
Since the Sein Dungeon's rampage, their raid team hadn't gone back in once. The shock had cut deep.
"Now's as good a time as any," Drew said, nodding. "No need to wait for Leon. We know the dungeon well enough—there's nothing we can't handle."
"Then let's go now!" Maru grinned, glancing up at the moon. Perfect timing—the dungeon should've just reopened.
Everyone agreed. After such a long break, their raid team's name had nearly faded from memory.
"Everyone, listen to me!"
A hoarse voice suddenly rang out across the square.
People turned to see a ragged adventurer stumbling forward, his armor in tatters, his head wrapped in bloodied bandages faintly glowing with resurrection magic.
No doubt—he'd just died in the dungeon and rushed straight here the moment he revived.
Pathetic. The dungeon had only been open half an hour, and he'd already died?
But if he was in such a hurry… maybe it was important.
"Dungeon… the Dungeon…" he gasped between breaths.
"The Sein Dungeon's changed again! The entire map's different now!"
"What!?"
The words hit the crowd like a thunderclap.
People swarmed him instantly, shouting questions from every direction.
The raid team exchanged uneasy glances—a creeping dread rising in their chests.
"I—I was in the swamp when this tall, thin monster grabbed me! It kept scratching at my head!" the adventurer cried, pointing to his fresh scars.
"No one cares how you died! What changed about the Dungeon!?" someone yelled.
"I—I don't even know how to describe it!" the adventurer stammered. "You'll just have to see it for yourselves! But be careful not to get scared—by the Firelink Shrine!"
And so, beginning with Farron Keep—
a new chapter was about to begin.