After that, Duanmu Huai returned once more to the Divine Tower. The towering structure was still sealed by a massive stone door—though for him, pushing it open was a trivial matter. Climbing the long spiral staircase to the summit again, he found the scene had changed.
The two giant fingers were still half-buried within the circular dais at the tower's top. But this time, between them glimmered a radiant sigil identical to the one branded upon the back of his hand. Duanmu Huai stepped forward and placed his palm upon it. The glowing mark instantly shattered into fragments of golden light, which streamed into his hand and merged with his rune.
Warmth flooded through his entire body, and before his eyes appeared a familiar string of system prompts.
[Godrick's Great Rune (Activated)]
[This Great Rune, known as the Core Law Ring, occupies the central position of the Elden Ring. Godfrey, the First Elden Lord, and his descendants—the Golden Lineage—were the first among the demigods. (All Attributes +5)]
Not bad at all.
Reading the description, Duanmu Huai raised his brows. An artifact that granted +5 to all stats—even in the late game that was rare to see. And to think the previous holder of such power had been such a pathetic weakling.
Still… Godrick, Godfrey, Godwyn…
Were all of them from the same family?
Maybe there was a God You somewhere too?
Shaking his head at his own nonsense, Duanmu Huai opened his status screen.
All other stats aside, his attention went straight to one in particular—
[Charisma: 1 (Locked)] [Communication –3] [Fear Aura Lv.1]
Yeah. As expected, still unchangeable.
Apart from that cursed Charisma, all his other attributes had risen: Strength from 21 to 26, Dexterity from 4 to 9, Constitution from 18 to 23, Intelligence from 18 to 23, and Perception from 8 to 13.
According to the soul card's attack-defense calculation formula, that meant—
Attack = Strength 26 + Intelligence 23 = 49 → 4 Attack Points
Defense = Constitution 23 + Dexterity 9 = 32 → 3 Defense Points
Hm. If only that boost applied to Charisma too, it'd be perfect. Still, this wasn't bad at all.
Besides… there were some unexpected benefits from this overall boost. Duanmu Huai's gaze lingered on one specific stat for a few seconds.
A pity that monsters within these fractured worlds didn't grant experience. Otherwise, he could have tried that move. Ah well—something to test once he returned.
But just as he turned to leave, something wholly unexpected happened.
The two dead-looking fingers twitched. A faint, miserable wail echoed through the chamber, and before he could react, the massive digits sank back into the earth—disappearing without a trace.
"…What was that?"
Duanmu Huai frowned deeply. He couldn't explain why, but he had a bad feeling about this.
.....
Afterward, he left Stormveil Castle and returned to the old shack. The girl in the red hood sat quietly in her usual spot. Duanmu Huai had expected another round of persuasion, but when the girl accepted the strange black orb from his hand, her expression froze. Understanding dawned in her eyes—and tears immediately streamed down her cheeks.
Then, as though gathering her resolve, she looked up at him.
"I… I want to change. Everyone believed in me. Even if I can't do anything now… I want to become someone who can, someday."
She stood, bowed her head deeply.
"Thank you, Iron Warrior. I'll find the path I'm meant to walk."
With that, she turned and left. Watching her departing figure, Duanmu Huai merely shrugged, then turned his gaze toward the person now sitting where she had been—the sorcerer Rogier. The man smiled faintly when he noticed Duanmu Huai's glance.
"Ah, you're back. Judging from your look, I assume you've defeated Godrick and obtained his Great Rune?"
"Just a weakling. Not worth mentioning."
Duanmu Huai shook his head and stepped closer.
"And you? Did you find what you were looking for?"
"I did."
Rogier let out a weary chuckle, then shook his head again.
"Though I paid a price for it… but it was worth it."
He hesitated, then looked earnestly at Duanmu Huai.
"I have a request, brave Iron Warrior."
"What is it?"
"Do you remember the Night of Black Knives I told you about? Just now, I uncovered a clue. In the library of the Raya Lucaria Academy, there's a record concerning the tombs of the Black Knife Assassins. If possible, could I ask you to go there and investigate? Perhaps it will lead us to the Death Rune."
"No problem."
Duanmu Huai agreed without hesitation. Truth be told, from the moment Rogier had first mentioned it, he'd already set his sights on that rune. The power to slay gods—how could he possibly ignore it? The only issue was that Rogier hadn't had any leads back then. Now that he did, Duanmu Huai certainly wouldn't refuse.
After confirming the location with Rogier, Duanmu Huai set off once again, passing through the now-quiet Stormveil and heading toward new lands.
The region ahead, known as Liurnia, was utterly different from before—a vast, misty expanse drowned beneath shallow waters, more a flooded basin than solid ground.
And the most disgusting part of it all was…
Whoosh!!
A jet of water came whistling out of nowhere, striking his armor with such force that it actually made him stagger. Snarling, Duanmu Huai's thrusters roared to life, propelling him skyward. He soared over the swampy forest, then descended like a meteor—his warhammer slamming down upon the back of a creature several meters long, something that looked like a monstrous, mutated lobster.
CRUNCH!!
Its thick shell shattered instantly. Before it could even twitch, Duanmu Huai reached down, grabbed the thing's "spine vein," and ripped it out—drawing a foul, black line of filth from its body. The lobster twitched violently, then collapsed motionless in the muck.
RUMBLE!!
Before he could even relax, the ground behind him erupted, and another lobster lunged out, its giant claws snapping shut around his torso, trying to cut him in half.
But Duanmu Huai was no easy prey. With a roar, he hurled his warhammer forward like a cannonball—
BOOM!!
The weapon struck its head dead-on, bursting it into chunks. The creature convulsed, then fell lifelessly into the mire.
"Never thought lobsters could be this damn annoying…"
Scowling, Duanmu Huai glared at the carcass. These oversized, nuclear-mutant crustaceans were the worst part of this swamp. They stayed buried underground, waiting to ambush anything that passed by, and even from a distance they could spit high-pressure water jets powerful enough to pierce steel.
If not for his power armor, he'd have been skewered long ago.
Hell, if Godrick had grafted these claws onto himself, he might've actually been a challenge!
Not that these lobsters were even edible… not unless someone had a cauldron the size of a house.
Just as he shook his head and started forward again, a timid voice called out:
"Um… excuse me… over there…"
"Hm?"
Turning his head, Duanmu Huai saw a figure waving at him from a nearby pavilion.
"Would you please come over here?"
"…?"
He approached. Inside the small stone gazebo stood a woman in a green robe, with golden hair and a slight hunch to her posture. She looked at him nervously, eyes wide and uncertain.
"You needed something from me?"
"Ah… good day, sir warrior…"
The woman bowed politely, speaking with care.
"You see… I was sent by my master to travel abroad—but I was attacked by a bandit. He took something very important from me, my necklace. Could I… trouble you to retrieve it? Ah, of course, if you refuse, I'll understand…"
"Where is he?"
"Just ahead, in a small hut by the water."
"Got it."
Duanmu Huai nodded. It was along the way anyway—no harm in checking it out.
Following her directions, he strode through the swamp until he spotted a crumbling stone house in the distance. But as he neared it—
"Hm? Hmhm?"
A familiar aroma hit his nose.
Wait a minute… was that… lobster?
He followed the scent and indeed found a man sitting by the hut's entrance, wearing an iron helmet, tending a pot over a fire. Inside the pot boiled bright red, perfectly cooked lobsters.
"Who are you?! What do you want?!"
Startled, the helmeted man grabbed his weapon, glaring at Duanmu Huai.
"I just came to talk."
Duanmu Huai raised a hand calmly, then gestured behind him.
"There's a lady back there who says you took her necklace. I'm here to get it back for her."
"Oh, that's all?"
The man relaxed slightly, grinning.
"So you want the necklace, huh? Heh… well, that depends. Maybe I'd sell it to you—if you can show some sincerity."
"Sell it? I've got no money."
"Then that's a problem. Maybe you could give me that fancy armor instead?"
"I've got a better offer."
Duanmu Huai stepped closer, eyes flicking to the pot of steaming lobsters.
"What offer?" the man asked warily.
"How about this?"
Duanmu Huai swallowed, staring longingly at the pot.
"I can make those lobsters taste even better. Let's make a trade—if I can improve your recipe, you give me the necklace and share the meal with me. How about it?"
"…Huh???"
(End of Chapter)