"Awooo-"
On the shore outside the cave, a pack of wolves surrounded a huge, bizarre creature-a Land Octopus.
Just looking at it made my skin crawl. Its enormous, birdlike beak let out grating cries, while two long tentacles extended from its body and thrashed wildly against the ground, kicking up clouds of dust that made it hard to approach.
Countless smaller tentacles writhed and tangled over its lumpy body. Through the gaps, countless white grains were visible. Anyone with trypophobia would probably have fainted on the spot.
And now, we were hunting this very monster!
"We can't just keep attacking it from behind!" I directed them from a short distance away. "Lone Wolves, try to bite through those two long tentacles first! That'll make it much less dangerous, and keep it from eating its own tentacles to recover when it's badly wounded!"
But a shadow descended over my head the next second.
Had this thing really used those two slender tentacles to launch its enormous body into the air and come crashing down like a falling boulder?
That made absolutely no sense mechanically. Sir Isaac Newton would have crawled out of his grave!
I hurriedly threw myself to the ground. The resulting shock wave sent me rolling several times before I finally stopped.
"Graa-"
But the Land Octopus was already swinging its tentacles and coming after me.
Had its instincts identified me as the pack's commander, making it chase me so relentlessly?
Well, have a taste of this-a Fire Pot!
I hurled it. The Cracked Pot shattered against the Land Octopus's forehead in a huge burst of flame, making it instinctively retract its tentacles and swat at the fire burning on its face.
Heh. Early in the game, Fire Pots were a godsend for getting started: quick to throw, decent damage, and easy to craft.
In Limgrave, two or three could stagger a Land Octopus for a critical hit, and four could kill one outright.
"Awooo-"
Here in reality, the White Wolf King and my summoned Lone Wolves seized that opening. Rallying the pack, they rushed forward, sank their teeth into the Land Octopus's long tentacles, and pulled them apart to expose its defenseless head.
"Don't be shy. Have another!" Without hesitation, I threw another Fire Pot.
This time, the Land Octopus stopped fighting back altogether and tucked its head away like a turtle to protect its weak point.
But I wasn't about to waste this opening. I raised my Straight Sword, charged forward, and plunged the entire blade into the spot where its head had withdrawn.
Critical hit-one strike!
As golden runes flowed into my body, the Land Octopus's two tentacles went lifeless, and the smaller ones coiled around its body loosened.
Good. That took care of it.
I whistled, and the little Demi-Humans hiding a short distance away swarmed over. Using stone blades, small knives, and similar tools, they began cutting up the octopus's tentacles and the grainlike eggs on its body.
Once they had stripped off most of those, they would push the big creature back into the sea.
After all, Melina had told me.
-Resurrection through runes and grace had its limits. If vital parts were severely damaged or missing, such as the head or heart, or if the entire body had been devoured, resurrection was essentially impossible.
So, as long as we only removed its tentacles and eggs, the Land Octopus would emerge from the sea again after a while, providing a sustainable source of prey... It sounded a little cruel, but we had to survive.
I wasn't any good at growing vegetables. I couldn't exactly cultivate a field.
More importantly, the octopus eggs were delicious!
Especially roasted. Their savory aroma filled the air, and when I bit into them, the outer layer was springy while the inside was soft and tender, on par with the finest beef meatballs. If this world had cumin and sauces, they would have been unbeatable!
As for the Land Octopus's tentacles, those were trickier to cook.
Since it spent so much time walking on land, even a little roasting made the outer skin as dry as tree bark.
The meat inside was pleasantly springy, though, much like the octopus from my old world.
As for poison, there was no need to worry.
Contact with the light of grace cured any bodily ailments, and there were two Sites of Grace near the cave, so we had nothing to fear.
What? The Demi-Humans?
Oh, they were the ones who had originally fled the Coastal Cave. Without their leader, though, they had struggled to survive.
Little Boc couldn't bear to leave them like that, so he called them back.
I figured they were outnumbered by the wolves and had no weapons, so they probably wouldn't pose a threat. I allowed them to stay in the cave and help out.
"Awooo-"
A wolf suddenly howled nearby.
Over there, the seawater churned as another enormous Land Octopus crawled ashore.
I still had two Fire Pots left, and the current pack would struggle to handle it alone. Nothing for it. I had mouths to feed, after all. Back to work!
That night, I lit a campfire on the island of the Dragon Communion Church. Listening to the ebb and flow of the tide, I enjoyed the sea breeze and roasted octopus eggs. With a few more dishes and drinks, it would have been a proper vacation.
Even the White Wolf King rested leisurely beside me.
...Maybe I should find a way to rebuild the Dragon Communion Church, then make the Coastal Resort a household name across the Lands Between.
Haha, just kidding.
Still, I really was on vacation at this point.
The coast was free of threats. We had even driven away the Kaiden Sellsword who had been sitting alone by a fire at the other end.
Along the way, we had also dealt with the Invisible Scarab and obtained an Ash of War-Quickstep: Spinning Slash.
The cave was well managed, too. The wolf king handled the pack, while Boc communicated with the Demi-Humans helping out. Kale showed up frequently, and sometimes his old friend Huf came along-the Wandering Merchant who lived near the Coastal Cave in the game.
He knew a little medicine and could make Moss Remedies.
So I asked Huf whether he could help treat the injured wolves. For a fee, of course.
As expected of a nomadic people, they knew how to watch every penny.
All I had to do each day was hunt a little and take a stroll. I had become the lord and king of this coast, enjoying a leisurely, slow-paced retirement!
Seek an audience with the Elden Ring? What was that?
Suddenly, the White Wolf King lifted his head and looked deeper into the Dragon Communion Church.
"So... this is a dragon? So beautiful, so majestic." It was Melina. After stroking the dragon's head, she turned around and asked in confusion, "What are you doing, Lord Zero?"
"I'm so sorry! Everything I was thinking just now was a joke! Please don't abandon me, Melina!" I dropped into a textbook prostration, flat on the ground.
Melina didn't respond at first. After a while, I heard her let out a soft sigh.
"Please raise your head, Lord Zero. I have never considered abandoning you."
Of course. My sweet Melina would never!
Melina walked over to the campfire and knelt down as she always did.
The White Wolf King actually had the sense to walk away... Good buddy. I'll save you the biggest piece of meat.
Watching the wolf king leave, Melina continued, "Still, you have been somewhat lax lately, Lord Zero."
"Hahaha..." After a couple of dry laughs, I decided to admit my mistake humbly. "I'm sorry."
"...Actually, I am not here to reproach you, Lord Zero." Melina paused again, seemingly weighing her words, then continued, "There is something unsettled about the sky tonight. I came to warn you."
I followed Melina's gaze up into the night sky, but... I couldn't read anything from it at all.
I only thought the Erdtree looked even more brilliant against the darkness.
"A fire is beginning to burn. Please be careful, Lord Zero." Melina started to rise.
I quickly called out to stop her. "Wait, Melina. Can I level up now?"
"Do you wish to turn your runes into strength? It will only take a moment. Let me touch you." Melina spoke that familiar line, and I held out my hand.
She nodded and asked, "Lord Zero, would you like to turn your runes into strength, intelligence, or agility?"
Huh? Why was this completely different from the game?
In Elden Ring, there were eight attributes you could level: vigor governed health, mind governed mana, and endurance governed stamina, followed by strength, dexterity, faith, intelligence, and arcane.
Now there were only three?
Wait, those sounded like the three main attributes from a certain dead game.
People said that game's players were everywhere except in the client itself. Could even Marika, the Eternal Queen, be a fan who never actually played?
Seeing my confusion, Melina explained, "Increasing strength will build your muscles, improve your resistance to blows, and enhance your physical power. Increasing intelligence will help you better understand sorcery and faith, and allow you to cast more spells. Agility improves a Tarnished's powers of observation and ability to react deftly."
Oh, had the eight attributes been combined into three different areas?
After all, in a real world, I didn't have actual health, mana, or stamina bars. Numbers alone couldn't represent everything, so the categories had become a little broader.
Still, I liked that broadness. One level here was worth two or three in the game!
"How many times can I improve?" I asked curiously.
"Judging by your current total of runes, I estimate twice."
"Then improve my strength and agility first." After all, I had planned to start with a strength-and-dexterity warrior build, allowing me to use more weapons against different enemies.
"Understood. Please wait a moment." Melina closed her eyes and silently mouthed something.
A golden radiance lit up our joined hands. Like a tree's seed, it sprouted and grew along my arm until it reached my heart, where its branches and leaves spread out to cover almost my entire body.
In an instant, a strange surge ran through me, as though my ren and du meridians had been opened. Power coursed wildly through my body, making me feel infinitely strong, capable of anything.
"It is done, Lord Zero." Melina released my hand.
I couldn't help standing up to savor that vibrant power.
Oh, my body felt unbelievably light!
For a moment, it reminded me of when I had first arrived in the world of the Elden Ring. It also felt like taking off weights after training with them strapped to my limbs-that unfettered lightness and freedom.
So this was the true power of runes?!
"Amazing!" I couldn't help exclaiming.
Melina replied modestly, "I am only fulfilling my duty. Farewell, Lord Zero."
Before I could react, Melina had disappeared.
"I haven't even thanked you or offered you any meatballs." I sighed regretfully.
Still, it seemed this wasn't the time to retire and take life easy.
A fire was beginning to burn.
Although I didn't know exactly what those words meant, I had a feeling something big was about to happen.
Conveniently, things here were mostly sorted out. Nothing too serious should happen even if I left. Tomorrow, I would set out again and explore the world!
I raised my head and looked toward the Erdtree.
Faintly, I seemed to hear the sea breeze carrying the sound of hidden currents surging beneath the silent surface of the sea.
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