The secret to success in life lies in whether you dare to take risks—even when surrounded by powerful enemies.
Take a risk, and your bicycle might just turn into a motorcycle. Take another gamble…
Right now, the Golden Smith stood guard at the passage between the Firelink Shrine and the forest area, showing no sign of leaving. If Roger and his team dared to "take a gamble" at a time like this—
Well, that would be the kind of gamble where your motorcycle turns into a dump truck… and you're the one getting run over.
Fortunately, their next destination was Farron Keep. The Golden Smith wouldn't be able to chase them that far. After all, there couldn't possibly be a route connecting the forest to Farron Keep, right?
...Right?
Even so, being under the Golden Smith's constant gaze made Darrick and the others uneasy, even while resting. They couldn't shake the feeling that the creature would suddenly burst in and give them all a deadly "hug of love."
Thankfully, that didn't happen—proving the rumor that monsters from other regions normally wouldn't invade Firelink Shrine.
[Hunter's Journal: Location Entry]
[Name: Firelink Shrine]
[Description:
The starting point of every hero's journey to kindle the flame. Once bustling with life, it was here that countless legends began.
However... this place may also serve as the final resting place for those who have lost all hope.]
After recovering, the group finally decided to move toward Farron Keep.
"Goodbye…" Roger said nervously, raising a stiff hand toward the Golden Smith.
He could tell the creature wasn't that powerful—definitely weaker than the Crucible Knight—but its durability was absurd.
They couldn't even scratch it. Best to leave it alone.
Darrick's sword had broken during the last battle, so Roger used magic to forge a temporary mana blade for him. It worked, but it was a hassle—every ten minutes it needed to be recharged, or it would crumble into dust like Dio under the sun.
Two of Antilly's beasts had shattered their teeth and lost much of their combat ability. Besides her fire-spitting bird, she only had two "backup" creatures left.
So, this time, she chose to step into battle personally—
Good heavens, the beast tamer herself was joining the frontline!
Upon entering Farron Keep again, the stench of decay filled the air. To Darrick, it was almost… comforting. Like coming home.
"You brought enough antidotes, right?" he asked the duo.
Roger opened his pouch. Inside was one bottle of antidote.
"Just one?" Darrick stared at him. They were all adults here—how could he show up so unprepared?
"One's enough. Because I've got these."
Roger pulled out several magic scrolls—custom-made by a Fire Priest from the Fire Church after hearing they were heading to Farron Keep. The spell was:
[Flame, Cleanse Me]
[A prayer used by Flame Priests. It ignites the user's inner flame, burning away toxins and reducing the buildup of Scarlet Rot. However, it also singes the user's own body—a reminder of the terror of flame.]
Though it came from Elden Ring, the Priest's "interpretation" was… creative. He believed the Fire Priest served Gwyn, and that the line "remember the terror of flame" was Gwyn's warning to revere the First Flame.
"The Fire God Gwyn's glory must be spread!" the Priest had said, thrilled that Roger's request meant Gwyn's influence was spreading once more.
Darrick looked at the scrolls and suddenly felt his meager antidotes were embarrassingly lacking.
So this was the power of connections. He couldn't compete at all.
With two strong allies beside him, Darrick abandoned his usual parkour-style rushing tactics and took a more stable, methodical approach.
Soon, they extinguished the first bonfire tower.
Then, the second.
Standing at the base of the hill beneath the second tower, Darrick reviewed the key points for the upcoming battle against the Soul Eater.
"The Darkwraith uses a magic—if it catches you, it drains your life force. You'll be completely exhausted afterward. Basically, if it grabs you, you're dead."
"Its attacks are fast and brutal. One mistake and you're done. Stay sharp during close combat."
"With its power, it's likely a top-tier servant of the Abyss—probably on par with the Crucible Knight. I suspect this fortress only holds one of them, and that the Abyss Watchers are here to contain it."
The first two points sounded reasonable… but the last line was pure speculation.
Roger stared at him. On par with the Crucible Knight? Seriously? That was the final boss of the entire Sein Dungeon! Were Darkwraiths on discount now?
But Darrick was so serious that Roger half-believed him.
Antilly flipped through the Hunter's Journal and offered a theory:
"If the book says the Ghrus are allies of the Abyss Watchers, and the Darkwraith serves the Abyss, then maybe—if we don't kill the Ghrus—they'll fight the Darkwraith for us when it appears?"
"Brilliant idea!" Roger clapped immediately.
Darrick's eyes lit up. Maybe this could really work.
These adventurers were starting to analyze lore now—how refined.
They stealthily climbed the hill from the side and managed to restrain several Ghrus with binding magic.
"All right, ready? I'm putting out the fire."
With a slap, Darrick extinguished the flame. As the cinematic ended, the binding spells wore off, freeing the Ghrus.
They roared at the adventurers, about to attack—then suddenly froze and turned their heads in unison.
A Darkwraith stood at the top of the hill. It looked up… and locked eyes with them.
"…"
The Darkwraith stiffened for a second—whether in surprise or confusion, no one knew. Then, the Ghrus charged straight toward it.
"Nice!" Darrick's eyes sparkled. He hadn't expected this to actually work.
Sein Dungeon really was full of surprises!
"Hmph," Antilly huffed proudly—after all, this was her idea.
"All right, let's finish this quickly," Roger said with a grin.
Chaotic brawls like this were perfect for his backstabby fighting style. Best to take advantage of the confusion and strike while everyone was distracted.
The Ghrus were half-dead already anyway.
At first, the Darkwraith was briefly overwhelmed, but it quickly unleashed its terrifying might—every swing of its jagged sword sent blood flying.
One-on-one, the Ghrus stood no chance.
Darrick jumped into the fray. Any lingering fear he had toward the Darkwraith vanished now that he had allies.
Antilly revealed her trump card—just as Darrick and the Darkwraith clashed, dozens of tentacles erupted from the ground, binding the monster's limbs.
It was a hybrid beast she bred herself—a cross between a tentacle monster and an octopus. The horns on its head could harden instantly, allowing it to burrow underground and ambush unsuspecting prey!
A fierce battle unfolded atop the hill.
Once the Darkwraith appeared, the Ghrus ignored the adventurers entirely, focusing all their rage on the Abyss creature. It was… surprisingly touching.
Sure, Ghrus were annoying as enemies—but as allies, they were kind of dependable.
That lasted until one of them accidentally smacked Darrick across the face while swinging at the Darkwraith.
Allies or not, friendly fire was still the worst.
After being hit several times, Roger retreated to the backline and switched to a support role—casting interference spells to disrupt the Abyss creature's rhythm.
Caught in the chaotic melee, the Darkwraith couldn't display its true skill at all.
Eventually, it collapsed to the ground with a thud, lifeless.
"Huff… huff…"
Darrick panted heavily, clutching his injured arm—bone visible beneath the torn flesh. But his eyes burned with excitement.
He did it! They defeated it!
Unlike the Ghrus, the Darkwraith's body crumbled into ash, leaving nothing behind—not even its weapon.
Roger watched the ashes scatter and frowned. That was it?
No—he wasn't underestimating the Soul Eater. It had been a tough battle; they had all nearly died. But still…
Darrick made it sound like it was on par with the Crucible Knight. In the end, it felt similar to fighting the Golden Smith—
Actually, the Golem was tougher!
Still, watching the Darkwraith drain a Ghru dry had Roger itching to study that spell's mechanism.
Darrick eagerly opened his Hunter's Journal to check its entry.
[Hunter's Journal: Monster Entry]
[Name: Darkwraith]
[Description: Once knights of New Londo, they were corrupted by the Abyss into monsters craving humanity. When the flood that drowned the ancient kingdom receded, the Darkwraith returned to the world.]
"…"
Darrick fell silent. One word caught his attention—"they."
They?
So… Darkwraiths were mass-produced?
For a long moment, he felt utterly stupid for having come up with such wild theories earlier.
Roger read the look on his face and patted his shoulder. "Wanna go deeper? We still have time."
Darrick looked up, determination returning to his eyes. "Yes!"
A while later—after extinguishing the third bonfire and encountering an entire squad of Darkwraith—
"…On second thought, maybe we shouldn't."