The Scorched Ruins truly lived up to their name. The place was utterly barren.
Aside from a single large rune he had picked up earlier, there was nothing else of real value.
Lucian took out the rune he had looted from a corpse and examined it closely.
Like everything else in the Land of Shadow, a faint layer of gloom clung to its surface.
A line of text appeared before his eyes:
[Shadow Realm Rune (2)]
It looked fairly sizable. Lucian crushed it in his hand, curious how many runes it would yield.
The result surprised him.
10,000 runes.
That put it on par with a Golden Rune [13].
More importantly, these Shadow Realm Runes didn't seem particularly rare here.
A smile formed on Lucian's face. This was something to look forward to.
If he gathered enough of them and crushed them all at once while using his five-times rune bonus, the gains would be considerable.
Aside from runes, Lucian also picked up a number of unfamiliar items around the area.
Things like Redflesh Mushrooms, Rada Fruit, Grave Glovewort, and Greater Potentate's Cookbook [1], among others.
Seeing these, Lucian found himself wishing his system interface was a bit more detailed.
Right now, it only displayed item names. There were no descriptions, no additional information—nothing.
Back in the Lands Between, that hadn't been an issue. He already knew most items well enough that a name alone was sufficient.
But here, in the Land of Shadow, that wasn't nearly enough.
After all, FromSoftware loved hiding important details inside item descriptions. A lot of lore and useful information was tucked away there.
Now, faced with these unfamiliar items, Lucian had no way of obtaining that information like he would in the game.
He figured that later on, he'd have to find someone knowledgeable about the Land of Shadow and have them explain these things properly.
—
After collecting everything worth taking from the ruins, Lucian stepped outside.
Just beyond the ruins, along the main road, he found another Site of Grace and activated it.
At that moment, a rustling sound came from the nearby grass, drawing his attention.
Looking over, Lucian spotted another pale spirit. It was, once again, the soul of a hornsent.
The spirit faced a graveyard filled with tombstones, endlessly repeating its lingering obsession:
"I know... All your resentment lingers yet..."
"The raw stuff from which I shall surely forge a curse. Upon the dastard Messmer's head. Upon Marika's children each and all."
Lucian shook his head and ignored it.
Melina listened quietly to the hornsent spirit's grievance, saying nothing, unsure how she ought to respond.
—
Lucian turned his gaze back toward the plains, where the towering Furnace Golem still roamed.
It wandered across the land, as if searching for the hornsent.
But those who had turned into shadow-like forms no longer seemed to trigger its detection.
That likely explained why so many hornsent still remained in the ruins despite everything.
By changing their very form of existence, they had managed to hide from constructs like this.
Of course, it was more likely that only after Messmer's main forces had slaughtered and burned through the population did the remaining survivors resort to becoming shadows.
A proper army wouldn't have shown them any mercy.
Lucian summoned Torrent once more, preparing to head forward and take a closer look at the wicker construct.
While he was at it, he might as well deal with it and see what it dropped.
After all, stepping into a new area always triggered the same instinct.
If it's new, hit it first. See what it drops.
However, Torrent didn't move immediately.
Instead, it glanced toward the wicker construct, then began scanning its surroundings.
After a moment, it seemed to notice something. It turned its head in another direction, letting out a low snort.
Melina gently stroked Torrent's mane.
"What is it, Torrent? Is there something over there that caught your attention?"
Torrent snorted again, letting out a soft neigh.
Melina looked toward Lucian.
"Then… shall we go check it out first?"
Lucian nodded. Torrent rarely acted like this without reason.
They didn't have any strict plan anyway. This was the perfect time to explore freely.
"Let's go. We might find something interesting."
—
Torrent carried the two of them off in a different direction at speed.
Before long, it brought them to a raised platform.
The structure resembled an altar, situated near a cliff on the opposite side of the Scorched Ruins.
Atop the platform knelt a massive corpse.
Its body was charred black, missing both its head and arms, frozen in a kneeling posture.
In front of it, a small pile of faintly glowing ash had gathered.
Lucian studied the corpse carefully.
Even kneeling, it stood as tall as a normal human.
Was this thing… also a hornsent?
The difference within the same species was absurd.
If placed next to ordinary hornsent villagers, the gap would be like that between a Fire Giant and a troll.
Torrent walked forward and lowered its head, beginning to lick at the glowing ash.
Lucian focused on it, and a name appeared:
[Revered Spirit Ash]
He didn't stop Torrent. After all, it had been the one to find it. It probably wasn't going to poison itself.
While Torrent continued licking up the ash, Lucian and Melina walked to the edge of the platform.
From their position on the cliff, they could clearly see what lay below.
At the base of the cliff stood a building.
From its appearance, it was unmistakably a church.
Beside it was a small encampment, where several indistinct figures moved about.
Though the details were unclear, those figures were obviously not hornsent.
Lucian opened his map and quickly located the place.
The main road running south through the Scorched Ruins led directly to that structure.
Its name was marked as Church of Consolation.
—
Lucian studied the map for a moment, planning his next move.
After some thought, he decided not to head into the church just yet.
That place likely belonged to another faction.
For now, it would be better to follow the marked route and find Leda's companions in the Land of Shadow.
Meeting them was important, but more importantly, he needed information.
The plan was simple.
First, deal with the massive Furnace Golem.
Then head straight for the crossroads marked on the map.
By the time he finished thinking, Torrent had already licked up all the Spirit Ash.
A subtle change came over its body.
It didn't look much different outwardly, but something about it had clearly improved.
Stronger, perhaps.
Lucian took note. This stuff seemed to have a significant effect on Torrent.
He should gather more of it in the future.
Torrent, meanwhile, still looked a bit unsatisfied.
Lucian patted it lightly.
"Alright, that's enough. Let's go deal with that thing."
With the boost from the Spirit Ash, Torrent ran with renewed energy.
Before long, it carried them back to the towering Furnace Golem.
Up close, Lucian could clearly see that its interior was packed with corpses, all piled together and burning.
Where it walked, the straw beneath it was incinerated, leaving behind two long, scorched trails across the ground.
Melina sat sideways on Torrent's back, her arms wrapped around Lucian's waist, resting her head against his back.
Watching the devastation it caused, she muttered softly:
"This Golem looks far more dangerous than the ones in the Lands Between."
"And it doesn't seem very selective about what it burns…"
As they approached, the Golem noticed them.
Detecting an unknown presence, it immediately launched an attack.
It kicked forward.
Chunks of stone were torn from the ground by its massive metal foot, instantly ignited, and sent crashing toward Torrent in a blazing barrage.
Torrent accelerated without hesitation, easily escaping the area of impact while continuing to close the distance.
Seeing that the small target wasn't fleeing but instead charging straight at it, the Golem lifted one leg and slammed it down.
Flames erupted outward.
The metal bars that formed its body allowed the fire within to burst outward freely, creating waves of searing heat.
The surrounding straw was instantly reduced to blackened ash.
Torrent leapt gracefully, avoiding the spreading flames.
Feeling the heat brush past beneath it, the spectral steed grew more alert, moving with greater caution.
It had no intention of letting its sleek coat get scorched.
Riding atop Torrent, Lucian gauged the Golem's strength based on the intensity of its flames.
This construct was far stronger than the golems commonly found elsewhere.
Ordinary golems typically ranged from elite enemies to low hero-tier threats.
In large-scale battles, they were dangerous due to their size, but a handful of capable fighters could bring them down without much trouble.
But this one was different.
It was larger, its flames far more destructive, and even opponents at the hero level would struggle to approach it.
Its sheer size alone was unprecedented.
Among all the humanoid enemies Lucian had encountered so far, this one stood at the very top.
At least thirty to forty meters tall.
To put it more simply, it was the height of a ten-story building.
Even when compared to all creatures he had seen, only the Elder Dragon Greyoll surpassed it in sheer size.
Massive. Powerful. Relentless in its burning.
If that Curseblade's Cirque wielding hornsent from earlier were to face this thing, it wouldn't stand a chance.
Lucian gave the Golem a thorough look from top to bottom, but found no obvious weak point.
Ordinary golems typically housed a furnace core in their chest, but this thing burned from head to toe. The only real solution seemed to be extinguishing it completely.
Its operation was clearly different as well. Rather than channeling power through a central core like standard constructs, it felt more like it was being driven by some form of sorcery or incantation.
Now that he was closer, Lucian realized the giant head tied to its leg wasn't real, it was a sculpted mask. Still, the fiery red braids and exaggerated features made it look convincingly lifelike at a glance.
As Torrent dodged another wave of flames, Lucian suddenly leapt from the saddle and landed directly atop the Golem's head.
Thanks to his high fire resistance, he stood there without hesitation, observing its inner structure.
Inside the blazing cage, countless bodies burned—every single one of them Hornsent.
They were trapped within the iron lattice of its body, reaching out in vain through the bars, only to be reduced to charred remains.
On some distant battlefield, this thing must have seized Hornsent one after another, casting them into its living furnace, using their screams as offerings.
At the very center, there was even a drake's corpse.
It wasn't particularly large—just an ordinary drake, nowhere near the scale of monsters like Flying Dragon Agheel or Glintstone Dragon Smarag. Even so, using a drake as fuel was extravagantly excessive. That alone might explain the construct's immense power.
By now, the Golem had realized Lucian was standing on its head.
The massive stone mask opened its glowing red eyes and tried to look upward, but no matter how far it rolled them back, it couldn't catch sight of him.
Enraged, it bent its knees and sprang upward, attempting to shake him off.
Lucian simply gripped the metal framework atop its head and held firm.
Watching the flames roaring within the furnace, he finally cast a spell he hadn't used in a long time—Zamor Ice Storm.
With his current power, the effect was on an entirely different level.
A frigid storm erupted, engulfing the entire construct. The ever-burning flames faltered against the overwhelming cold.
Bit by bit, the fire weakened, forced back until it finally died out.
With its core extinguished, the giant stopped moving entirely. It stood rigid for a moment before collapsing straight to the ground.
Melina, still mounted on Torrent, circled the fallen golem and soon spotted something within its furnace.
She reached in and pulled out an item buried among the charred remains, a Crystal Tear.
Holding it up, she waved to Lucian.
At that moment, Lucian was studying the mask on the construct's face, wrapped in Omen-like horns. A name had appeared before him, [Furnace Visage].
Another unfamiliar item.
Hearing Melina call him over, he removed the mask and walked toward her.
Seeing the name of the tear in her hand, [Deflecting Hardtear], Lucian raised an eyebrow.
"Why would something like this be inside it?"
Melina shrugged and casually handed it over.
"Who knows."
Lucian examined the tear. From the name alone, it likely enhanced defense and counterattacks, though the exact effect remained unclear.
He stored it away, planning to have Melina mix it into the Flask of Wondrous Physick later.
With the Furnace Golem dealt with, Lucian resumed heading toward the marked location.
But before long, something else caught their attention.
More graveyard-like stone structures appeared ahead, with mechanical birds perched atop them.
Beyond that, a narrow dirt path which was clearly worn by footsteps, led into a region obscured by twisted trees.
Lucian checked the map. The place was labeled Western Nameless Mausoleum, marked with a red warning symbol.
He traced the symbol with his finger.
Danger?
All the more reason to take a look.
Noticing it wasn't far from their intended rendezvous point, Lucian decided to investigate.
—
They pressed forward, passing the Gravebirds and heading toward the mausoleum.
Along the way, strange creatures began to appear—deep blue, semi-transparent beings with elongated bodies, like garden eels emerging from the ground.
As Lucian and Melina passed, the creatures slowly turned their hollow faces to follow them.
Drawing closer, Lucian noticed they even had small, almost vestigial arms.
Melina spoke up.
"I think I've seen something like these before."
"They're called Spirit Eel. Very similar to Spirit Jellyfish, perhaps just a different form of the same species."
Lucian stared at them, unable to reconcile these eerie things with the gentle jellyfish he remembered.
Then again… in a strange way, they had a certain ugly charm. Very on-brand for this world.
After all, the Lands Between had never been short on bizarre mascots.
The Spirit Eels showed no hostility, so Lucian ignored them and moved on.
After dealing with a few more of the strange gravekeeper constructs, they finally arrived at the mausoleum.
This one was unlike the Walking Mausoleums of the Lands Between. It was a grounded structure, with a staircase leading down from its entrance.
Lucian had never seen anything like it before.
At the doorway, Melina extended her hand.
"Perfect timing. Let's test that new Physick mixture."
"Not curious what the tear actually does?"
Lucian nodded and handed her the flask along with the Deflecting Hardtear.
After a quick mix, he took the flask back and drank it in one go.
Descending the stairs, he stepped inside—
And immediately spotted a heavily armored knight standing at the bottom.
Unlike ordinary spirits, this one's armor and greatsword were fully physical.
Lucian's eyes lit up.
The armor was solid and unadorned, yet finely crafted. Every detail spoke of reliability and discipline.
A textbook knight.
And then—
The knight casually pulled out a repeating crossbow from behind his waist and opened fire.
A barrage of flaming bolts streaked toward him in a continuous line.
Lucian's expression darkened.
So much for knightly honor.
A crossbow spammer.
He raised a storm barrier, deflecting every incoming bolt with ease.
Once the magazine was emptied, the knight didn't hesitate, he charged forward with his greatsword and leapt into a heavy overhead strike.
Lucian sidestepped and drew a weapon he hadn't used in a while.
The Greatsword. A colossal blade straight out of something like Berserk.
Perfect for dealing with humanoid enemies.
Lowering his stance, Lucian struck at the exact moment the knight's sword hit the ground and couldn't recover in time.
Skill: Giant Hunt.
The upward thrust launched the knight straight into the air.
If not for the sheer thickness of his armor and the fact Lucian hadn't upgraded the weapon much, that strike alone might have skewered him clean through.
The knight crashed back down, but immediately rolled to his feet, displaying agility that belied his heavy armor.
His chestplate was badly dented, yet he showed no concern.
He raised his greatsword and slashed, sending a wave of energy toward Lucian.
Then he followed up, closing the distance in an instant and chaining into a sweeping attack.
Fast. Far too fast for someone in full plate.
Lucian planted his greatsword, blocking the wave, then surged forward.
Their blades collided with a heavy clang.
At that moment, the Physick took effect. Power surged through Lucian's body.
He forced the knight back, then swung his greatsword in a wide arc before bringing it down with crushing force.
It wasn't so much a slash as it was a slam.
The knight was driven straight into the ground, cracks spiderwebbing through the stone.
Still, he struggled back to his feet.
Lucian didn't press the attack. He waited.
The knight pulled out a crimson flask and drank deeply, his wounds beginning to mend.
Then he charged again.
Halfway through, he leapt once more, attempting another crushing plunge attack.
Lucian planted his blade, then vaulted upward.
Lion's Claw.
He rose higher than the knight midair, leaving him defenseless.
The greatsword crashed down onto the knight's back, smashing him into the ground.
That blow ended it.
The armor fell apart, and a soul slipped free before fading into nothingness.
Lucian stepped forward and picked up the greatsword the knight had dropped.
When he saw its name, he froze for a moment, then blurted out.
"…Greatsword of Solitude?"