Resolve

I poked my head out!

Roll, roll, roll...

"You there?"

"Did you bring the goods?"

"Heh heh, getting my hands on this took most of the morning. You'd better handle it properly!"

"Mm."

The knife rose and fell, and blood sprayed.

"Oh, masterful knife work, chef!" I lavished him with praise without the slightest restraint.

Kale rolled his eyes at me and sighed. "I never thought a Tarnished like you wouldn't even know how to kill a rabbit..."

"H-hey, don't go saying that," I argued instinctively. "I-if I had a proper knife, I could handle a measly little rabbit all by myself!"

That was a lie.

In truth, I'd never even prepared a fish myself, let alone an advanced ingredient like rabbit.

Over these past two days, I'd truly experienced the Tarnished's rotten luck-the sort that made even dogs bark at you as you passed down the street.

Not only had Godrick Soldiers and monstrous bats chased me all over the place, but even those nasty bugs by the lake, called "giant dragonflies" but really just Elden mosquitoes, had charged straight at me, determined to leave me with a bite.

At one point, I'd gotten so hungry that I'd been reduced to surviving on Rowa Fruit.

Luckily, I'd found a skull glowing white along the way and knocked a Golden Rune out of it. I'd traded it to Kale for throwing knives, then relied on the Tarnished's warrior instincts to finally get the hang of hunting bunnies.

I skewered the chunks of meat Kale had cut onto Wooden Skewers and set them beside the campfire to roast. There was no salt, but a squeeze of tart fruit juice made them a pretty decent meal.

"Oishii-delicious~" I wolfed down the meat skewers.

Out of the corner of my eye, I happened to notice Kale staring blankly at me. Embarrassed, I lowered the skewer in my hand. "Wh-what is it?"

"Hm? Nothing." Kale shook his head, paused, then continued, "Honestly, you're the strangest fellow I've ever met on this troubled continent."

"Uh." His remark was pretty rude, but I didn't really have a rebuttal.

Kale continued, "Especially since the Elden Ring shattered. Everyone's been chasing power, hoping to become the ruler of these Lands Between."

"But you don't seem to care about any of that. You actually look rather carefree... I don't know whether that's good or bad." A faint sadness showed in Kale's expression as he spoke. "I don't dislike it, but the strong prey on the weak. Don't let the day come when you need strength, only to find yourself powerless."

"...Kale."

Perhaps feeling he'd said too much, Kale gave a bitter smile and waved his hand. "Never mind, never mind. Just think of it as an old merchant talking to himself. Don't take it to heart."

With that, Kale tossed aside the bone he'd picked clean, walked over to his little mule, and took down an instrument resembling an erhu. He began to play.

The melody drifted through the air, carrying endless sorrow.

Perhaps Kale had remembered the tragedy of his wandering people, utterly forsaken, and felt moved to warn me.

Admittedly, I wasn't carefree in the slightest. I'd just been getting beaten up without being able to fight back... But why had I been reincarnated into the world of Elden Ring, and what exactly had happened to the original owner of this useless Tarnished body?

I still had no idea.

My memories, and even my own name, seemed to have been hidden away in a dream. I could sense that I should still remember everything, so I wasn't frightened of having amnesia, but whenever I tried to think back, I could never quite grasp them.

Only the part concerning "Elden Ring" remained exceptionally clear.

But... the Elden Ring ending I wanted...

"Hello." Suddenly, a familiar, gentle voice sounded amid the music behind me. "You who have come through the fog."

Oh!

She's here! She's here! She's here!

That voice was one hundred percent Melina! I'd been wondering what was going on. I'd rested at Sites of Grace several times over the past two days, yet her scene still hadn't triggered!

"My name is Melina..."

"Little Wood!" I spun around and lunged at Melina, my arms spread like a great bird taking flight.

"Ah!"

A startled cry rang out.

Then I landed hard on the ground, flying backward and coming down butt-first like a goose landing on a sandbank.

Blue motes of light drifted away on the breeze, leaving only a line of white script on the ground: "Please put on proper clothes!"

Uh, did I scare Little Wood away?!

No way!

I'd already added a pair of rabbit-hide shorts over my starting loincloth! I'd even sewn them myself with a bone needle!

But then again, where was I supposed to get the runes to buy Kale's clothing set? Whenever I ran into Godrick's soldiers, they ganged up on me and chased me off, and larger animals like wolves and boars weren't easy to deal with...

Wait, had she been too embarrassed to come out because I'd been wearing a loincloth all this time?! Tonight, she'd finally worked up the courage, only for me to scare her away?! ...S-surely Little Wood wouldn't refuse to see me ever again!

No, please! Never mind how I'd survive in the Lands Between-I couldn't bear never seeing Melina again!

...Looks like I'd have to pull myself together. After all, I'd gotten basic survival under control. Next, it was time to do some proper exploring!

The best first dungeon for a player just starting out-the Stormfoot Catacombs.

The entire level was filled with little imps, that old bastard Miyazaki's "favorite children," while the boss at the end was a big imp. It wasn't all that hard. On my first run, I'd only died to dirty tricks a dozen or so times before clearing it.

Starting weapon: Godrick Soldier's Straight Sword, ready!

Secondary item: throwing knives, ready!

I still needed a shield...

"Hey, take this." The next day, just before I set off, Kale suddenly tossed a round object my way. "I'm only lending it to you. Don't go dying."

Oh, a Large Leather Shield!

That stingy old merchant was actually lending me an item worth six hundred runes.

Had he sensed my resolve?!

I thumped my chest confidently. "Hmph, don't underestimate a pro gamer!"

"Uh... what's that supposed to be?"

Kale, behind me, didn't seem to have much faith in me. Whatever. Everything was ready. Time to go!

The Stormfoot Catacombs weren't very far from the Church of Elleh. After jogging for a good part of the morning, I found the entrance.

I pushed the door open, and a thick smell of dust hit me.

After touching the Site of Grace, I poured the contents of the Cerulean Tears Flask into the Crimson Tears Flask to convert it. That gave me four chances to heal, leaving me more room for error.

I slowly descended the stone tomb's steps. Beside them, a pale apparition sat in a chair, mumbling, "...A proper death means returning to the Erdtree's embrace. Wait patiently-wait for the moment the roots call to you."

Honestly, I still didn't understand the rules of life and death in the world of Elden Ring-Destined Death, returning to the roots, rot and decay, or even the wandering nobles who chose to live in death...

In the game, the Tarnished was an unkillable cockroach. They were the player character, after all.

But now that I'd truly entered this world, things would surely be different.

The fight with the Grafted Scion was still vivid in my mind.

I swallowed hard, gripped my straight sword and round shield tightly, and began my first dungeon run since entering the Lands Between.

All right, watch me clear this in one life!