Waypoint Ruins

What was my reason for staying alive?

Actually, while I was talking with Melina, the answer had already been on the tip of my tongue.

Of course, it was to meet every NPC in the world of Elden Ring who treated the Tarnished decently, save them all, and achieve the ultimate perfect ending for this world!

Granted, that goal still seemed impossibly far away. After all, I was just a small fry terrified of dying. Hahaha... (dry laughter).

But now I had a new goal, too: my new promise to Melina-to properly explore these Lands Between together, and take another good look at this land I already knew so well.

Well~ saying I was no longer afraid of death would obviously be a lie.

Besides, I belatedly realized that Melina seemed to have deftly steered the conversation last night, helping me confront the real source of my fear: impatience and anxiety over the unknown and things not going as expected, which then spiraled into terror of death.

Melina said she wasn't a real Finger Maiden, but she was pretty good at guiding me!

To keep her earnest advice from going to waste, and to ease my own anxiety and impatience, I needed more knowledge and a better grasp of the current state of the Lands Between. Only then could I plan a better survival strategy.

At present, having started as a Wretch Tarnished, my weapons consisted of three remaining throwing knives, a battered Large Leather Shield, and an empty Cracked Pot... That was it.

Sigh. I needed to find myself another sword.

Also, it was time to settle on the main direction for my build: a strength-and-dexterity warrior, primarily leveling those two attributes? A faith warrior? An unstoppable mage?

From a gaming perspective, a mage was the best choice for a fresh playthrough.

But in this now-real world, there was one major problem: I couldn't lock on! Whether a target was hidden in the grass or some sneaky bastard was lurking in the shadows, I had to keep my eyes peeled. There was no pressing the interaction key, Q, to instantly locate them like in the game!

And against agile enemies, spells sometimes missed, which was another headache.

A faith warrior was pretty good in the late game, with all sorts of flashy skills and powerful buffs that greatly enhanced the gameplay and fun... But in the early stages, it had the same problems as magic, without even a particularly useful weapon to compensate. Dealing barely a scratch with low faith was another major issue.

So, to start with, I'd put my trust in my body! Strength and dexterity would let me use more weapons, giving me more options through their excellent weapon skills.

Later, I'd also have a chance to find Rennala, Queen of the academy, and respec my attributes.

Besides, starting as a Wretch Tarnished had one particular advantage over other warrior starts: a natural ten intelligence, which meant I could use the most basic Glintstone Sorcery.

That would be a pretty good, simple means of dealing ranged damage early on.

It would also help me get used to casting spells in the real world.

With my strategy decided, my tasks gradually became clear: first, find a weapon and a staff; second, find a sorcery teacher.

And when it came to a sorcery teacher in Elden Ring who was adored by everyone, the obvious choice was Sellen-sensei!

Besides, my current location-the Agheel Lake South Site of Grace-was extremely close to the Waypoint Ruins, where Teacher Sellen was hiding.

That information shouldn't be wrong.

After all, Teacher Sellen was currently in a bit of trouble and wouldn't move around casually. In the game, I could buy information about her from that old geezer Kale.

Since I was here, it would be a shame not to meet her.

Besides, I happened to want to ask her about why Boc couldn't return to his original form.

All things considered, Teacher Sellen, here I come!

Please let me wear the same stone mask as you and breathe in the traces of your scent. Hehehe~

I set off on Torrent, and along the way, I happened to pass the spot where Patches and I had robbed Godrick's convoy yesterday.

It was just as Melina had told me after last night's events: "Lives in this land that still receive grace do not truly die so easily."

Now, there wasn't a single corpse here. Only the traces of yesterday's chaotic battle remained.

Even the Godrick Soldier who had been trampled flat had disappeared without a trace.

"After suffering a fatal wound, they fall into a state resembling a coma... As the price, some of the runes within them are taken by others, and the Erdtree absorbs a portion as well... After some time, grace descends upon them again, and they revive," Melina had explained.

Remembering the blank period after my fight with Nerijus, and how Patches had taken my runes, I had asked curiously, "Then if I have enough runes on me, could I live forever without dying, too?"

Melina had shaken her head. "Unfortunately, Tarnished such as yourself, Lord Zero, were once banished beyond the Lands Between by Queen Marika. The grace you receive is now negligible, insufficient to grant revival."

"Furthermore, through grace, runes have another important use: increasing one's power. The demigods of the Lands Between, and others who crave power, choose to use them this way. As a result, they, too, often have only one life."

So that was why Bloody Fingers and all those bosses disappeared after being defeated.

I'd gained another crucial piece of information.

Although I still had a few minor questions about the mechanics involved, this basic understanding was enough for now.

...It also eased some of the guilt of taking lives. Perhaps that was the real reason Melina had told me all this.

Oh, there it was.

As I searched the battlefield while recalling our conversation, I found a Lordsworn's Straight Sword beneath a clump of bushes, its blade mottled with bloodstains.

Could it have been my original sword, the one the Troll had pulled from its ankle and casually tossed aside?

Either way, I could fight again.

...If I remembered correctly, before meeting Teacher Sellen, I had to deal with a mad pumpkin-headed boss. Still, even a level-one Tarnished could handle that guy easily after learning the trick to the fight.

That's right, I was still level one!

It felt as though I'd already endured several grueling battles, yet I was still only level one. Why? Sob.

I rode straight on, and soon found the Waypoint Ruins beside the road.

Not long after entering, I caught an intoxicating floral fragrance. Sure enough, the place was full of Elden Ring's flower monsters. They moved extremely slowly and mainly attacked by spraying poison, so they weren't much of a threat.

But...

A faint white glow lit up beneath my feet. Immediately afterward, beams of light rained down from the sky in rapid succession.

Miranda's Prayer-this area-of-effect skill had a very long windup, but it also lasted quite a while.

Normally, it was manageable. But when passing through a fog gate or climbing a ladder, where I stayed in the same spot horizontally, getting hit two or three times was pretty annoying.

So before entering the Waypoint Ruins boss fight, I would deliberately bait the monstrous flower into using this move, then slip into the underground entrance.

Next up, then-let's fight, mad Pumpkin Head Soldier!