The contents of the Scorched Ruins certainly lived up to the name. It was completely barren. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽 Aside from a Large Rune he’d found earlier, there was nothing else of value left. Bai Shi held the rune he’d picked up from a corpse up to the light, observing it closely. Like everything else in the Land of Shadow, this sizable rune was coated in a faint gloom. Shadow Realm Rune [2], was the name that appeared before his eyes. This rune looked quite substantial. Bai Shi crushed it, curious to see how many runes it contained. To his surprise, he gained ten thousand runes, on par with a Golden Rune [13]. The crucial part was that runes didn't seem particularly rare around here. A smile touched Bai Shi’s lips. He could look forward to collecting a good number of them now. Besides the runes, Bai Shi had also gathered a few new items in the vicinity. A host of new things, such as Redflesh Mushrooms, Rada Fruits, Spiritgrave Stones, and a Great Jar-wright's Cookbook [1]. Bai Shi now found himself wishing the information panel that showed him item names was a bit more detailed. This panel of his could only display names, not their descriptions, which deprived him of a lot of information. It hadn’t been a problem back in the Lands Between; he had memorized most of the important information anyway, so a name was all he needed. But here in the Land of Shadow, just a name felt inadequate. After all, that old trickster’s games were notorious for hiding crucial information and lore in item descriptions. Faced with these unfamiliar items, Bai Shi could no longer access that information the way he could in a game. He would probably have to find someone knowledgeable about the Land of Shadow later on and have them explain these things to him. After collecting everything in the ruins, Bai Shi headed out. Outside the ruins, he found the next Site of Grace by the main road and lit it. Just then, a sound from the nearby grass drew his attention. Bai Shi looked over and saw another white spirit, also the soul of a Horned Man. The soul faced a graveyard filled with countless tombstones, repeating endlessly: “...I can feel it. Your resentment has never faded.” “You will curse them forever, won’t you—Messmer, and all of Marika’s children...” Bai Shi shook his head and paid the spirit no more mind. Melina listened to the Horned Man’s soul’s accusations in silence, unsure how she was supposed to react. Bai Shi turned his head to look at the Wicker Golem still rampaging across the plains. The Wicker Golem patrolled the flatlands, likely searching for any Hornsent. But it seemed the Hornsent, having turned into shadows, could no longer trigger its detection mechanism. Perhaps that was how so many Hornsent had managed to survive in the ruins, right under the Wicker Golem's nose. By changing their form of existence, they could hide themselves from enemies like golems. But he imagined that the survivors must have transformed themselves into shadows only after the slaughter and burning by Messmer's main forces. An intelligent, conventional army would not have shown them any mercy. Bai Shi summoned Torrent again, preparing to get a closer look at the Wicker Golem. While he was at it, he would take it down and see if it dropped anything good. It had to be said, being in a new environment had reawakened Bai Shi’s ancestral player instinct to mess with everything. When faced with a brand-new enemy, of course he had to fight it to see what loot it held. However, Torrent looked at the Wicker Golem ahead but did not immediately move. Instead, he kept glancing around. Finally, as if spotting something of interest, Torrent turned in a different direction and nudged his head that way. Seeing Torrent gesturing repeatedly, Melina asked, “What is it, Torrent?” “Is there something over there that you want to see?” Torrent snorted and whinnied softly. Melina stroked Torrent’s smooth coat and looked at Bai Shi. “Well... shall we go have a look over there first?” Bai Shi nodded. It was rare for Torrent to act . They had no set plan right now anyway; it was time for aimless exploration of a new map, so they might as well check it out. “Let’s go. We might find something unexpected.” Torrent carried the two of them, galloping swiftly in the other direction. Soon, Torrent brought them before a platform. The platform resembled an altar, situated beside a cliff on the other side of the Scorched Ruins. On the altar was a massive corpse, charred black, missing its head and arms, kneeling upon the platform. On the platform before it, a pile of gray, ash-like material had gathered, emitting a faint, ethereal glow. Bai Shi stared at the enormous, headless corpse, which was as tall as a normal human even in its kneeling posture. This thing... was also a Horned Man? How strange. Could there be such a huge size difference within the same species? If you put this thing next to the other Hornsent, the disparity was like that between a Fire Giant and a Troll. Torrent walked forward, leaned down to the ash before the corpse, and began to lick it. Bai Shi focused his attention, and the name of the substance appeared before him—Revered Spirit Ash. Bai Shi didn’t stop Torrent. It had sought this out on its own, so it surely wouldn't eat itself to death... While Torrent was busy licking the Revered Spirit Ash, Bai Shi and Melina walked to the edge of the area. They now stood at the brink of another cliff, from which they had a clear view of a building at the bottom. From its appearance, it was undoubtedly another church. Next to the church, however, was a very small military camp, with some blurry figures moving about inside. Although the details were unclear, those figures were obviously different from the Hornsent. Bai Shi opened his map and quickly found the church’s location. The road that cut through the Scorched Ruins led all the way south, ending at this building, named the "Church of Consolation." Bai Shi studied the map a bit longer, starting to plan his next move. After some thought, he decided against exploring the church for now. It was likely another faction in there. For the time being, it was best to follow the markers and find Leda and the others’ comrades in the Land of Shadow. Not only did he need to get acquainted with them, but more importantly, he needed to gather some intelligence. In a moment, he would go and deal with that massive Wicker Golem, then head straight for the crossroads, to the place they had marked. Torrent lapped up all the Revered Spirit Ash, and a change gradually came over him. He seemed a little stronger than before... His physical form hadn't changed much, but he felt different somehow. It seemed this stuff was quite effective for him. He should help Torrent collect more of it from now on. After finishing the Revered Spirit Ash, Torrent still looked a bit unsatisfied. Bai Shi patted him, urging him to hurry toward the Wicker Golem. Empowered by the Revered Spirit Ash, Torrent ran with great enthusiasm, quickly bringing the two of them before the Wicker Golem. Up close, Bai Shi could clearly see that the Wicker Golem's interior was packed with dense corpses, all piled inside to be burned. Everywhere it walked, the straw on the ground was incinerated, leaving two scorched tracks upon the earth. Melina sat sideways on Torrent’s back, her arms around Bai Shi’s waist and her head resting against his back. Watching the terrifying destruction wrought by the Wicker Golem, Melina muttered softly, “This golem looks much more formidable than the ones in the Lands Between.” “But it seems thing wouldn't distinguish between friend or foe in a battle.” As they drew near, the Wicker Golem spotted Bai Shi. Upon seeing an unidentified figure, the Wicker Golem attacked on its own, kicking out with one leg. Instantly, a huge swath of earth and rock was scooped up by its massive metal foot. The debris immediately ignited, raining down in a blaze of fierce fire toward Torrent. Facing the shower of flames, Torrent easily dodged out of the attack’s range with a burst of speed, continuing to close in on the Wicker Golem. Seeing that the little thing before it wasn't fleeing but daring to charge, the Wicker Golem raised a leg and stomped down hard. As the Wicker Golem stomped, fierce flames erupted from its leg. The steel bars of its frame served their purpose perfectly, allowing waves of fire to surge outward from its body. The surrounding straw was burned to a crisp, turning into nothing but charcoal. Torrent leaped nimbly, effortlessly avoiding the rushing flames. Feeling the searing tongues of fire pass beneath him, Torrent became more alert and cautious. He didn't want his smooth coat to get damaged again. Riding on Torrent, Bai Shi assessed the golem's power based on the intensity of its flames. This wicker-style golem was far more powerful than the common ones seen everywhere. Ordinary golems were roughly at the level of elite enemies or heroes. In large-scale battles, their size made them highly destructive, but they could be dispatched quickly if a few elite units were sent to deal with them. But this Wicker Golem was not only much taller than the golem sentinels, its flames were also more efficient at clearing out mobs. Even hero-level units would find it difficult to approach. This thing’s size was unprecedented. It was in a league of its own among the humanoid enemies Bai Shi had ever encountered, likely standing at least thirty to forty meters tall. To put it another way, this thing was easily over ten stories high. Even removing the "humanoid" restriction, the only creature Bai Shi had met that was larger was Elder Dragon Greyoll. Massive, powerful, and burning with savage ferocity. If that Curse-Blade Dancer he’d met earlier were to face this, it would be an absolute slaughter. Bai Shi sized up the Wicker Golem from top to bottom, but he couldn't see any obvious weak points. Most golems had a power furnace in their chests, but this thing was burning from head to toe. The only way to defeat it was probably to extinguish its flames completely. Its operation was clearly different from that of a golem that distributed power from a core; it was likely propelled by some sort of magic or incantation. After getting closer, Bai Shi realized that the giant's head tied to the Wicker Golem's leg was just a sculpted mask, but its fiery red braids and enormous face were convincing enough to be mistaken for the real thing. Torrent dodged another wave of fire. Bai Shi simply leaped from the saddle, landing directly on the Wicker Golem's head. Taking advantage of his extremely high fire resistance, Bai Shi stood there and observed the Wicker Golem's internal structure. He saw that the Wicker Golem's fire basin was burning a large number of humanoid corpses. Without exception, all of them were the bodies of the Hornsent. Trapped in the cage formed by the Wicker Golem's body, they reached their hands out from the iron bars in a futile gesture, unable to escape even as they were burned to cinders. He imagined that on the battlefields of the past, this Wicker Golem must have constantly grabbed Hornsent and thrown them into the furnace of its own body, using their agonizing screams as a ritual sacrifice. And right in the center was the corpse of a dragon. This dragon wasn't particularly large, just an average one, nowhere near the size of Agheel or Smarag. Even so, using a dragon as fuel was still incredibly extravagant. Perhaps this was the reason for the Wicker Golem's immense power. By now, the Wicker Golem had realized that Bai Shi had landed on top of its head. Its massive stone mask opened its glowing red eyes and looked up, but because of where Bai Shi was standing, it rolled its eyes back as far as they could go and still couldn't see him. Furious, the Wicker Golem bent its knees slightly and jumped straight up, hoping to shake Bai Shi off. But how could Bai Shi be frightened by such a tactic? He simply grabbed hold of the railings on its head and remained firmly in place. Bai Shi looked at the flames constantly burning in the furnace and, for the first time in a long while, unleashed a Zamor Ice Storm. With his current terrifying stats, the effect was completely different from when he had cast it in the past. The frigid storm swept over, engulfing the entire Wicker Golem. The ever-burning flames were no match for the bitter cold. The eternal flames weakened steadily, forced back step by step by the frost, until they were finally extinguished completely. Once its core flame went out, the Wicker Golem stopped moving. It stood upright for a moment before crashing straight down. Melina, riding Torrent, circled the fallen Wicker Golem and suddenly spotted something inside its furnace. Melina went over and retrieved an item from among the charred corpses at the bottom of the furnace. It was a Crystal Tear. Melina held up the Crystal Tear and waved to Bai Shi. At that moment, Bai Shi was staring at the mask on the Wicker Golem's face, which was wreathed with Omen horns. This was because a name had appeared before his eyes—Furnace Visage. Undoubtedly another item he had never seen before. Seeing Melina wave him over, Bai Shi quickly removed the mask and walked over. When he saw the Crystal Tear in Melina's hand, its name displayed as ‘Retaliatory Hardtear,’ Bai Shi was very surprised. “Why does this thing have a Crystal Tear inside it?” Melina shrugged and placed the large tear in Bai Shi's arms. Bai Shi held the Crystal Tear up to his eyes. From the name alone, he could tell it was likely a tear that enhanced defense and counterattacks, but he didn't know how effective it would be. Bai Shi put the tear away, planning to have Melina mix it into his Flask of Wondrous Physick later. Having dealt with the Wicker Golem, Bai Shi proceeded toward the marked location. However, another unexpected situation arose along the way. More stone structures, like thresholds to a graveyard, appeared before them, with some mechanical grave-warden birds perched on top. Ahead, an unmarked dirt path, worn by footsteps, led toward a place shrouded by crooked trees. Bai Shi opened the map and glanced at it, finding the location marked as the Western Unnamed Mausoleum. Above the mausoleum was a red symbol, indicating danger. Bai Shi traced the red symbol with his finger a couple of times. In that case, he had to see what kind of danger was inside. Noticing that this location was quite close to the meeting point, Bai Shi decided to go and investigate. And so, Bai Shi made his way past the grave-warden birds, continually advancing toward the mausoleum. Along both sides of the path, many deep-blue, transparent, spirit-like creatures began to appear, each with a hollow face. These spectral creatures had slender bodies and emerged from the ground in groups, like garden eels from the sea. As Bai Shi and Melina passed them, they turned their heads to track their movement. Bai Shi had Torrent move a bit closer and only then discovered that these creatures had a pair of very inconspicuous little arms. Melina suddenly spoke up. “I feel like I've seen this kind of creature before.” “These seem to be creatures called Soul-Polyps. They're quite similar to Spirit Jellyfish; perhaps they are the same species in a different form.” Hearing this, Bai Shi looked at the bizarre creatures before him, unable to connect them with the cute Spirit Jellyfish. Hmm... but on closer inspection, they did have a sort of ugly-cute charm, very fitting for the aesthetic of a Souls-like player. After all, the ancestral mascot of the Souls series was the Basilisk. The Soul-Polyps showed no aggression, so Bai Shi ignored them and moved on as they watched. The two continued forward, fighting past strange mechanical grave-warden birds until they reached the front of the mausoleum. This mausoleum was completely different from what Bai Shi remembered. It was a structure built above ground, with a staircase just inside the main entrance leading down. As far as Bai Shi could recall, all the mausoleums in the Lands Between were Walking Mausoleums; he had never seen one . Arriving at the entrance of the mausoleum, Melina extended her hand to Bai Shi. “Perfect timing. Let’s try the newly mixed wondrous physick.” “Aren’t you curious what effect that Crystal Tear has?” Bai Shi nodded, handing the Flask of Wondrous Physick and the Retaliatory Hardtear to Melina. After a quick mix, Bai Shi took the flask and drank it down in one gulp. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Bai Shi had barely set foot inside when he saw the spirit of a knight in heavy armor at the mausoleum's base. Unlike ordinary spirits, this one’s armor and the greatsword in its hand were fully corporeal. Upon seeing this knight, Bai Shi’s eyes lit up. The knight's suit of armor was perfectly proper—simple and heavy, yet with cleverly designed details visible all over. It gave off an impression of utter reliability at first glance. Without a doubt, this fellow’s appearance was that of a true knight— Then Bai Shi saw the knight pull a repeating crossbow from behind his waist with his left hand and open fire wildly. Watching the stream of flaming bolts fly toward him like a line of fire, Bai Shi’s expression darkened. He had just praised him for being a proper heavy-armored knight, but the man had zero chivalry. A damn crossbow spammer. He was speechless. To think a man in such a respectable suit of armor would also have a thirst for victory flowing through his veins. Bai Shi summoned a storm, forming a wind barrier in front of him, and watched as every single bolt was blocked. After emptying his repeating crossbow, the knight didn't even bother to check the result. He immediately charged forward with his sword in both hands, bringing it down in a jumping slash. Bai Shi sidestepped and drew the Greatsword he hadn’t used in a long time. It was the colossal sword named "Greatsword," a weapon that looked like it had been pulled straight from the set of Berserk. When dealing with humanoid enemies, a weapon was always the most effective. Bai Shi crouched low. As the knight’s greatsword crashed down, leaving him unable to recover, Bai Shi thrust his own Greatsword straight into the knight's armor. Ash of War—Giant Hunt! The upward thrust sent the knight flying into the air. Fortunately, his armor was thick enough, and Bai Shi’s Greatsword hadn’t been upgraded much, otherwise that one blow would have turned him into a shish kebab. The knight was launched by Bai Shi’s attack and then crashed heavily to the ground. The moment he landed, he immediately rolled to his feet, displaying an agility that completely betrayed his heavy armor. His breastplate was now deeply dented, but he paid it no mind. The knight attacked again, raising his greatsword high before cleaving downwards. A blade of light shot out from the greatsword, flying toward Bai Shi. After launching the projectile, he dashed forward, rapidly closing the distance between them, and followed up with a wide, sweeping slash. His speed was immense, not at all what one would expect from someone in heavy armor. Bai Shi planted his Greatsword in the ground before him, easily blocking the blade of light, then switched his grip and charged forward. The next moment, Bai Shi’s Greatsword clashed with the knight’s. The instant he blocked the knight's attack, the wondrous physick he'd drunk suddenly took effect, and a surge of power welled up from within him. Bai Shi unleashed his strength, sending the knight stumbling back. He swung the Greatsword in a full circle, returning to a standard grip, then brought it down with terrifying force. Given the sheer mass of the Greatsword, this attack was less of a slash and more of a slam. The knight was smashed straight into the ground by Bai Shi's sword, sinking deep into the stone tiles and creating a web of cracks around him. The knight shakily stood up once more. Bai Shi didn’t press his advantage, instead waiting to see what other moves the knight had. The knight took out a flask, tilted his head back, and drank it down. His injuries began to gradually heal. Then he once again raised his greatsword and charged at Bai Shi. Halfway there, he used the same tactic again, leaping into the air to try and crush Bai Shi with the full weight of his body in a jumping attack. Bai Shi planted the tip of his Greatsword on the ground and vaulted himself into the air. Ash of War—Lion’s Claw! The knight leaped, poised to attack, only to find Bai Shi was now even higher than him, leaving him powerless to block. The Greatsword landed on the knight’s back, smashing him out of the air. This blow defeated him completely. His armor slowly disintegrated, and a soul separated from it and dissipated. Bai Shi picked up the greatsword the man had dropped. When he saw the name, he couldn't help but exclaim. “The Solitary... GREATSWORD!”