What Are You Aiming At, Little Bro?

A cool breeze woke me early that morning.

I opened my eyes, listened to the patter of rain outside the door, then climbed off the floor and stretched.

The Weeping Peninsula. Legend had it that heroes who resisted the oppression of the golden dynasty had once gathered here, only for King Godfrey to sweep them away and conquer their last stronghold, Castle Morne.

And so, rain fell here year after year, an endless curtain that seemed to mourn those heroes with tears that never ceased.

That was where the name "Weeping" came from.

Chewing on jerky, I looked out through the doorway toward the hazy outline of Castle Morne hidden behind the rain.

I'll try to get there today, then figure out how to clear it.

And will Irina's real killer show up-the person who, like me, has memories of the game Elden Ring?

That remained unknown.

What I did know was another piece of evidence supporting that theory.

-The seal on Oridys's Rise, where I was staying, had already been broken before I arrived.

-Someone had also beaten me to the Memory Stone in the chest on the top floor.

Last night, after racking my brains and finally defeating the Night's Cavalry patrolling the Weeping Peninsula, I'd been worrying about finding somewhere peaceful and quiet to sleep on this chaotic stretch of land.

The spiritspring at the foot of the cliff had offered a fine answer.

And so, with Torrent's help, I'd ridden the wind upward.

First, I'd landed on a lookout tower along the outer wall, where I'd found a Turtle Shell Shield and replaced my Straight Sword while I was at it.

After all, the Straight Sword I'd picked up at the beginning had been through plenty of battles with me. After last night's fight, it was worn beyond recognition.

Weapons suffered wear and tear. That was another difference from the game, though I'd expected as much.

Then I'd headed to Oridys's Rise near the lookout tower and discovered, to my surprise, that its seal had already been broken.

The puzzle here wasn't exactly easy.

Sure, all you had to do was find three turtles called "Wise Beasts" around the tower. One stood out in the open right in front of it, and the second hid in the bushes to the left of the entrance.

But the third was really hard to find.

Back when I'd played without looking up a guide, I'd circled the place over and over until my eyes blurred.

Only afterward had I learned that the damned turtle was invisible in the puddle to the right of the tower. Its occasional spurts of water were the only way to find it.

Now someone had beaten me to the treasure inside the tower.

That also warned me that another player was competing with me for resources on this land. If he wasn't reasonable, we might even end up fighting.

I needed to get moving.

Once I'd eaten and drunk my fill, I left Oridys's Rise, summoned Torrent, and rode to the cliff on the western side. After checking the spiritspring's location, I leaped off.

Well~

Once you got used to it, this thing was just like an elevator-fast, with an extra thrill.

Perhaps riding Torrent generated something like Superman's bioelectric aura. No matter how high the drop, as long as we jumped through the updraft, we could land safely.

The moment I reached the bottom of the cliff, I spotted the Wandering Merchant who'd fled last night.

Perfect. Beating the Night's Cavalry has fattened my purse again. Time to shop~

"Old merchant, you shouldn't need to run away today, right?" I rode over with a friendly smile.

Startled, the merchant hurriedly peered behind me before letting out a relieved breath. "So you're a Tarnished. No wonder you had that ghostly fellow following you last night."

"Open for business?"

His expression changed instantly, and even his voice shot up an octave. "Yes, of course! Dear customer, what do you need?"

Are all Wandering Merchants just like Kale?

Oh, no. The one beside the Coastal Cave is pretty unsociable. Every time I approach, he looks utterly impatient.

I dismounted. "Let me see what you've got first."

The merchant quickly opened the bundle beside him, spilling out a jumble of items.

I glanced over them and asked curiously, "Hmm? You don't have any Cracked Pots?"

"You have a fine eye, dear customer! This old merchant did have some for sale, but unfortunately, someone bought them a few days before you arrived."

Tch. More resources snatched away.

"A few days? How many, exactly?"

"About six or seven days ago, I'd say?"

"Do you remember what he looked like?"

"Well..."

The old merchant began playing dumb, apparently unwilling to sell out his customer's information.

Ah, nothing for it. A profiteer just like Kale. Money will have to do the talking.

I tossed out a hundred runes. "Remember now?"

"I remember! I remember!" The merchant beamed and hurried on. "That customer wore a hood, and it happened to be nighttime, so I couldn't see him very clearly. All I remember is that his face was extremely pale, but his eyes gleamed in the darkness. He gave this old merchant a strange sense of familiarity..."

Familiarity?

Had he reincarnated as one of the nomadic people, or started as a wandering swordsman?

"But this old merchant only met that customer once. I can't remember anything else."

Fair enough.

A pale face and someone resembling the nomadic people-those were two decent clues.

I looked down at his wares again and picked out a Wooden Roundshield and a Crimson Amber Medallion, then spent the rest of my money on some throwing Kukri.

"Thank you for your patronage! Come again, dear customer!"

As I rode Torrent through Castle Morne's outer wall, I examined the Crimson Amber Medallion.

In the game, this thing increased your health a little.

But why don't I feel anything now? Am I using it wrong?

It looked like I'd have to find a chance to ask Meme about it properly.

Oh, there's the Weeping Peninsula's Map Stele.

I dismounted and reached out to touch the stele.

The entire peninsula unfolded in my mind, joining up with Limgrave to the north.

Boom!

Suddenly, an explosive crash rang out nearby, sending grit and stones flying.

Ah, here it comes.

One of Elden Ring's long-range snipers-the Golem!

I walked around the stele, and a broad plain opened up before me.

At its far end stood the gray silhouette of Castle Morne.

A reddish-yellow glow hovered in the rain and mist at the castle gate. That had to be the Golem's eyes.

I raised both arms high. "Over here, sir! Shoot here!"

Boom-

Another arrow hurtled through the wind and planted itself like a javelin more than ten meters away, throwing up a great spray of dirt and stone. Torrent neighed in fright.

Good. Test complete.

I stroked Torrent's neck to soothe Torrent. "Easy, don't be scared. Torrent, head back for now."

Torrent gave a soft call, perhaps warning me to be careful, then turned into blue light and slipped back inside the Spectral Steed Whistle.

Boom-

Another arrow came flying in and blasted the ground in front of me.

That made three arrows in a row. Surely everyone understood by now.

-That Golem was a noob who sucked but loved playing anyway. Sniping? In the game, aside from the slightly more accurate first shot aimed at the stele, he couldn't hit you even if you stood still.

-If anything, running too fast might get you shot.

In the game, that shot from beyond visual range had scared me into speeding across the plain on Torrent, only to get thoroughly schooled.

I'd even cleverly sought out obstacles to hide behind, advancing during the long pauses between his shots.

Only later had I realized I'd been matching wits with thin air.

That damned old scoundrel Miyazaki! His scare tactics got me again!

All bark and no bite.

All I can say is, if you suck, practice more. If you can't take a loss, don't...

Oh, the Golem doesn't seem like a sore loser. And technically, he is practicing.

Still, I couldn't blame him entirely. Even in the game, this fellow wasn't at full strength.

Besides, sniping required accounting for humidity, airflow, distance, and gravity. Rainy weather like this was a major obstacle.

I strolled forward at a leisurely pace.

With giant arrows booming like a ceremonial salute, I walked all the way up to the Golem, and he was still drawing his greatbow, preparing to fire.

What exactly are you aiming at, little bro?

Boom-

"Ow!"

Another arrow shot toward me. I'd forgotten how close I'd gotten. Even though it missed, the tremendous impact still hurled me into the air, spun me around two and a half times, and slammed me flat onto the ground.

My fists clenched.

-You goddamned bastard! How dare you ambush me while I'm getting carried away!?

"I-it's time for some warm-ups. Get the blood flowing." Seething, I climbed to my feet, readied my Straight Sword, and charged beneath the Golem, unleashing a flurry of blows on his bark-like ankle. "Get on your knees!"

"Aaargh-"

With a long roar, the Golem crashed to the ground.

Copying the game's execution animation, I hurried to the giant's chest and thrust hard beneath his ribs.

Murky yellow sludge gushed out at once.

The Golem became my runes, bringing his duty as the castle's guardian to an end.

Whew~

The supreme Mr. Tarnished has arrived at his faithful Morne.

I wiped my mud-covered face, let out a long breath, and entered Castle Morne.

As the lift climbed, the scorched stink of protein gradually filled my nostrils, while lively sounds of welcome already reached my ears.

Now, let the clear begin! Watch me beat this in one life!