Stormhill Shack, Little Red Riding Hood

Seeing those dozen or so pairs of glowing green eyes, Xia Tong broke out in a cold sweat.

But then he realized that he was still a Tarnished now, not the frail office drone from his previous life.

He dismounted Torrent and grabbed the Spirit Calling Bell at his waist.

Jingle, jingle!

Jingle, jingle!

Three Stray Wolves and two Fanged Imps were summoned.

At his side, Melina had also materialized.

More than a dozen wolves snarled low in their throats as the night wind occasionally carried over a rancid, musky stench.

By moonlight, he could see them crouching low, their muscles taut, black saliva dripping from their exposed fangs.

An especially burly alpha wolf stared fixedly at Xia Tong.

Gulp!

Xia Tong tilted his head back and took a swig from the Cerulean Tear Flask, rapidly replenishing his focus points.

He quickly counted them. There were twelve wolves on the other side.

Then he stepped forward, raising the Lordsworn's Greatsword in his hand, ready to unleash Upward Cut at any moment.

Awooo—

The alpha wolf backed away while the other wolves slowly advanced, forming an encirclement.

Xia Tong gave an order in his mind, telling the three Stray Wolves and two Fanged Imps not to act rashly and to stay close behind him.

The party instantly formed a defensive circle and faced off against the twelve wolves.

Whoosh!

One wolf could no longer hold itself back and charged viciously forward, lunging straight for Xia Tong's throat.

Slash!

The Lordsworn's Greatsword in Xia Tong's hand had long been itching for blood. He swung it fiercely upward to meet the attack.

The attack boost from the skill sent the wolf flying with a single blow!

Its body split in two midair, hot blood splattering across the ground.

On the other side, the three Stray Wolves had each found an opponent and were locked in savage combat.

Boom! Boom!

Two explosions rang out nearby.

The Fanged Imps continuously hurled Magic Pots from their hands. In an instant, four or five wolves were injured, their movements slowing and becoming clumsy.

Seeing how terrifying Xia Tong's area damage was, the alpha wolf let out another furious howl.

Afterward, the pack gradually spread out and no longer clustered together.

Soon, the Fanged Imps' Magic Pots stopped being effective and could only serve as a distraction.

"The tide has turned!"

Xia Tong chuckled.

His side had suffered almost no losses, while the enemy had already lost six or seven wolves.

"Charge!"

Xia Tong gave the command, and everyone immediately rushed toward the alpha wolf.

In an instant, Torrent materialized.

Xia Tong leaped onto the saddle, gripped the Lordsworn's Greatsword in his right hand, and chased the alpha wolf with all his might.

Wolves were monsters with high attack and low defense, their greatest strength being their incredible speed.

Seeing the alpha wolf getting farther and farther away, Xia Tong immediately drew a throwing blade from his waist.

He had looted it from a Godrick Soldier earlier.

A throwing knife.

He hurled the throwing knife in his hand with all his strength!

He had practiced darts a few times in his previous life. This body's coordination was better, and his aim was decent too.

Whoosh!

The throwing knife tore through the air and sank viciously into the alpha wolf's rear.

Awooo—!

With a pained howl, the alpha wolf suddenly slowed down. Its tail drooped as it turned to glare fiercely at Xia Tong.

Using Torrent's momentum, Xia Tong launched himself into the air!

He raised the Lordsworn's Greatsword overhead with both hands and brought it down savagely, borrowing the force of his descent!

Crack!

The combined force of speed, inertia, and gravity made the blow overwhelmingly powerful.

The alpha wolf was cleaved straight in half.

The remaining small fry were quickly dealt with as well.

Soon, all that remained on the battlefield was bloodied ground and scattered whimpers.

Xia Tong took a look.

The three Stray Wolves he had summoned were badly injured as well. One had had its tail bitten off, while the other two were covered in wounds.

He dismissed the summons.

The three Stray Wolves then dissolved into white smoke and returned to the Spirit Ashes to recuperate.

After skinning all the wolves and collecting their small beast bones, Xia Tong mounted Torrent and continued onward.

About half an hour later, a cluster of golden light appeared ahead.

"This is a Site of Grace."

Beside the Site of Grace stood a small, dilapidated shack swaying in the storm.

The roof was riddled with holes and incomplete, making it appear especially bleak amid the bitter wind and rain of Stormhill.

Xia Tong first sat down at the Site of Grace and stored the items he did not need for the moment in a wooden chest—his own private space.

Only after finishing all that did he walk toward the ruined shack.

A corpse lay outside. Xia Tong jumped onto the platform and picked up a Stonesword Key beside it.

He pushed open the rickety wooden door.

The first thing he saw was that striking flash of red.

Roderika was curled up on the wooden floor in the corner of the shack like a frightened little animal.

The most eye-catching thing about her was a dark crimson hooded cloak.

Beneath the cloak, she wore a set of noble traveling clothes.

It had once been fine ivory satin, but now it was stained with mud and grass, its edges worn thin, giving her a bedraggled and miserable appearance.

She hugged her knees, burying her face deep in the hood's shadow, her golden hair hanging messily around her face.

Her face was filled with grief and fear.

At the sound of footsteps, Roderika abruptly raised her head.

"...Everyone... everyone was grafted."

Her voice trembled.

"My companions who came to the Lands Between with me... they fought for me, but in the end, they all... had their arms and legs cut off and were taken away to be grafted."

Xia Tong said nothing and simply listened quietly.

He listened as she spoke at great length.

He knew this was Roderika's inner demon.

"Only I... only I was afraid and ran away... I'm such a coward... I'm so sorry..."

She covered her face in anguish, curling herself up even tighter.

Xia Tong crouched down until his eyes were level with hers.

Rather than merely listening as he had in the game, he reached out and gently patted Roderika's trembling shoulder.

Roderika lifted her tear-filled eyes and shakily offered him something.

"If you're going to Stormveil Castle too... could you please take this child with you?"

"Her name is Kurala. She's a Spirit Jellyfish... This child cries easily, just like me... If it's you, I'm sure you'll treat her well."

Roderika was exceptionally sensitive to spiritual matters and could sense that Xia Tong was not a bad person.

The conversation ended.

Xia Tong walked out of the shack.

Roderika was an extremely important character in the game, and now that Xia Tong had entered this real world, he valued her even more.

"My reliance comes entirely from Spirit Ashes. My Spirit Ashes army cannot do without Roderika."

"Right now, when Spirit Ashes are injured, it takes time for them to fully recover. But Roderika, as a future spirit tuner, must have some way to shorten that time."

Xia Tong calculated silently.

"But going to Stormveil Castle now is practically suicide!"

Only after obtaining Chrysalids' Memento and giving it to Roderika would she have the courage to leave and head for Roundtable Hold.

"Should I take the risk?"

A bold idea emerged in Xia Tong's mind.

With his current intelligence, he could go to Waypoint Ruins and learn sorcery from Teacher Sellen.

With ranged attacks, fighting some of the Lands Between's monsters would become much easier.

But learning sorcery alone was not enough.

Most importantly, he needed a powerful staff.

In Caelid!

Through the trapped teleportation chest in Dragon-Burnt Ruins, he could travel directly to Sellia Crystal Tunnel in Caelid, then make his way to Aeonia Swamp.

Within the swamp, at Sage's Ruins, there was a Meteorite Staff and the corresponding sorcery, Rock Sling.

That was the most powerful staff in the early to mid-game!

Though it could not be upgraded, it had S-rank intelligence scaling.

This staff was practically an official cheat code.

"But... that place is in Caelid."

Any Kindred of Rot or any Cleanrot Knight would be enough to take Xia Tong's life.

Not to mention the infamous—Scarlet Rot—within Aeonia Swamp.

"No, no. I can't go."

The thought of it left Xia Tong frightened.

He could not take that risk.

He still needed to play it safe!