“Whoosh—”
“Whoosh—”
The waves washed back and forth across the sand.
A naked man, wearing only a loincloth and a small pouch, lay prone on the beach.
Beside him lay a large, tattered blue cloth and a scattering of various pieces of equipment.
This naked man was none other than Bai Shi.
The storm had affected his judgment of the distance, compounded by the psychological pressure he was under.
Bai Shi had activated his invincibility too early. The moment it wore off, his face made intimate contact with the surface of the sea.
The impact knocked him unconscious instantly.
But what Bai Shi didn't know was that after he lost consciousness, a gust of wind had risen, carrying him all the way to this beach.A cloaked figure on horseback slowly approached Bai Shi.
The horse, covered in long gray fur, stopped before Bai Shi. It was clearly a horse, yet it had a pair of great horns on its head.
It lowered its head, intending to nudge Bai Shi to see if he was still alive.
Just then, however, a piercing hawk's cry came from Bai Shi's pouch, and a wind began to gather around him.
The person who had been sitting sidesaddle dismounted, and a gentle female voice spoke.
"O ancient and powerful soul, please do not worry. We have no intention of harming him."
"We sought him out because we see in him the makings of a king."
"He will surely seek the Elden Ring… even if it means defying the Golden Order."
The Ancient King calmed the storm, accepting their words.
The woman and her steed did not linger, deciding to wait for a more opportune moment to make contact with Bai Shi.
—
Bai Shi slowly regained consciousness. Feeling soaking wet all over, he couldn't process what was happening for a moment.
Bai Shi pushed himself up. The edge of the beach was littered with tall, broken stone pillars and the massive remains of buildings. Farther on was a steep cliff face.
Looking around, he saw his equipment scattered everywhere, a scene straight out of a shipwreck.
“I can’t believe I mistimed the invincibility. I thought I was a goner…”
“But… did I actually survive? Is this body’s constitution that strong?”
Bai Shi, who had been a complete otaku in his previous life, couldn't help but marvel at the resilience of this body.
“Right, the late game is all about battles between gods. It’s perfectly normal for even the early-game stats to far surpass a normal human’s.”
As he marveled, Bai Shi wasted no time gathering all the scattered equipment.
“The Knight’s gauntlets, armor, and greaves are here, along with the pair of swords, straight sword, and halberd. Nothing is missing from my pouch.”
“The helmet, medium shield, and greatshield are gone. No big deal.”
“Most of those noble trinkets are gone too. A bit of a shame.”
Bai Shi had planned to trade them to a merchant for some runes.
But it was fine. He still had some savings on him.
“Still, where am I? According to the game’s story, I should have woken up in the Drifting Cave.”
He'd done the drifting part, but where was the cave?
Bai Shi put on a full set of armor, holding his sword in his left hand and the halberd in his right.
He tied the pair of swords to his back with a rope, put whatever odds and ends he could fit into his pouch, and tossed the rest.
Once he was ready, Bai Shi set off toward the cliff face.
Before long, Bai Shi stopped. It wasn't because he had reached his destination.
Rather, he had spotted the light of a fire ahead.
There was someone up ahead, but Bai Shi didn't rush forward. In the Lands Between, people you could actually talk to were in the minority.
The person by the fire could be a merchant, or any number of enemies.
Bai Shi crept closer, finally getting a clear look at the figure.
He wore Viking-style armor and gear. Tall and powerfully built, he was roasting a fish next to his warhorse.
In the Lands Between, only one group wore such attire: the Kaidan Sellswords.
Employed by various powers, they were renowned for their prowess on battlefields across the land.
Just as Bai Shi spotted the man, a wolf howled.
Bai Shi turned toward the sound. A white wolf was staring at him warily.
Wolves were the companions of the Kaidan Sellswords; they fought together and were inseparable.
Hearing the howl, the Kaidan Sellsword turned his head and saw Bai Shi.
The scene instantly fell into a tense standoff.