The Magma Wyrm's massive body gradually split apart upon the razor-sharp stone spikes, its dragon's blood pouring down the towering pillars of rock in torrents.
Though it had once been a human hero transformed into a wyrm, it was, beyond any doubt, a true dragon.
The Dragon Heart it possessed was proof enough.
Those who had once devoured the flesh of flying dragons through Dragon Communion now bled the very same blood themselves.
Its flesh and blood possessed the same properties as that of ordinary dragons, perhaps even stronger.
After all, before becoming a Lava Wyrm, it had already consumed the hearts of countless dragons.
Lucian had no intention of letting any of it go to waste.
Resources were resources.
Later, he would simply have someone come and collect the corpse.
Ever since Selinsax had spread the teachings of Dragon Communion, many of Stormveil's warriors had become eager to undergo the ritual themselves.
Even setting faith aside, simply becoming genuinely stronger was temptation enough in the Lands Between.
Besides those people, Selinsax had also cultivated a group of warriors who truly believed in Dragon Communion.
Those were the knights of the Drakeblood Knights and the Storm Knights.
Having once bathed in dragon's blood together, drunk it, and obtained its power, every Drakeblood Knight knew firsthand what Dragon Communion could offer. Naturally, they longed to take it even further.
And in Stormveil's distant past, when the Ancient Dragons had helped shape the kingdom, Dragon Communion had once been commonplace among the Storm Knights.
If the opportunity presented itself, Lucian intended to continue strengthening them.
The stronger they became, the better.
The Drakeblood Knights and Storm Knights needed more powerful resources, and the Magma Wyrm's corpse was perfect.
After deciding how to make use of the corpse, Lucian shifted his attention to the system panel.
Another achievement icon in the neatly arranged list lit up.
Magma Wyrm Makar.
With yet another achievement completed, the 'cheat' interface gained another charge.
After counting the achievements he had unlocked so far, Lucian suddenly realized he hadn't even reached half of the total.
Which meant the number of remaining charges was actually quite plentiful.
The problem was that many of the achievements still locked weren't as simple as defeating an enemy.
Things like collecting all Legendary Armaments or all Legendary Talismans were completionist achievements.
Those would be far more troublesome than simply finding an enemy and defeating it.
But compared to those, what puzzled Lucian even more were several other achievements.
Looking at the blacked-out entries labeled [Continue playing to unlock], he quietly pondered.
He hadn't thought much about it before, but now it occurred to him that Elden Ring didn't have just one ending achievement.
Age of the Stars and Lord of Frenzied Flame each had their own separate achievements.
Once he became Elden Lord, he obviously couldn't reload a save like in the game and collect every ending on a single file.
So what would happen to those achievements afterward?
Would they simply become permanently unobtainable?
Or would they be replaced by entirely new hidden achievements?
There was no way to know.
It even affected the possibility of an ultimate All Achievements achievement.
Besides...
Lucian wasn't even sure he'd follow the game's endings.
Or rather...
He definitely wouldn't.
None of the standard endings truly satisfied him.
Among them, the best was probably Goldmask's repaired Age of Order, the perfected Golden Order ending.
The Lord of Frenzied Flame ending was one path Lucian would never choose.
As for Ranni's Order...
He wasn't completely satisfied with that one either.
Now that he had the opportunity, he wanted to carve out an ending that belonged solely to himself.
The Age of the Sun.
—
Lucian turned around and walked back toward the waiting group.
Well...
Strictly speaking, only Patches and Millicent had visibly different expressions.
Alexander and Tragoth were impossible to read.
Patches still wore his usual roguish grin.
Although it had been quite some time since he'd last seen Lucian, he wasn't remotely surprised by the one-sided slaughter he'd just witnessed.
"Well... that's Lucian. Whatever he does isn't strange anymore."
In a way, it was much like how Lucian never found anything Patches did surprising.
An odd sort of mutual understanding.
Millicent, on the other hand, stared blankly at the Magma Wyrm's corpse.
Seeing her frozen in place, Lucian walked over and waved a hand in front of her eyes.
Only then did she snap out of her daze and look at him.
Her gaze instinctively traveled up and down his body.
"He's clearly human too..."
"Yet he can achieve something like that..."
"Not even a burn on his hands... only his clothes were scorched a little..."
"Mm... those muscles are incredible..."
Seeing how strangely she was acting, Lucian couldn't help but worry.
"Millicent, what's wrong?"
Hearing his concerned voice, she hurriedly shook her head.
"I-I'm fine."
"Nothing's wrong."
She let out a quiet sigh before speaking in a subdued voice.
"It's just..."
"After seeing the gap between our strength..."
"I feel lost."
"Forget about me now, even if I were completely healthy as I once was..."
"...how could I possibly be of any help to you?"
Lucian hadn't expected her to voice her worries so openly.
But after hearing them, he quickly understood.
He had probably overdone it just now.
The overwhelming display of power had completely shaken Millicent's already distant hope of repaying him.
She had only just vowed to become his blade...
...only to discover that Lucian didn't seem to need a weapon at all.
He immediately replied,
"This has nothing to do with strength."
"If you're willing to fight for me, why would I ever reject that resolve because of how strong you are?"
"Besides, your talent and potential are both extraordinary."
Millicent gently shook her head.
"It's because of Lady Malenia, isn't it?"
"My body... my swordsmanship..."
"They all come from her..."
"That's why you have expectations for me."
Lucian hadn't expected her to deny the value of her own existence.
He answered without hesitation.
"The one I saved has always been Millicent, a one-of-a-kind individual."
"Not some fragment of Malenia."
"This has nothing to do with Malenia."
"I believe in you."
"I believe you can grow until you're her equal..."
"...or even surpass her."
"I truly believe you have that potential."
Receiving Lucian's wholehearted affirmation, Millicent slowly raised her head.
The uncertainty in her eyes gradually disappeared.
Taking a deep breath, she looked straight at him with renewed determination.
"Perhaps making such a vow with my current strength is childish..."
"...and perhaps it carries no real weight."
"But no matter what..."
"A vow once made..."
"...I will keep it."
Lucian nodded in satisfaction.
What he valued had never been any repayment for the kindness he had shown.
It was her unwavering resolve.
As long as Millicent had regained her spirit, that was enough for Lucian.
Patches, however, found the whole conversation rather strange. His expression became increasingly odd.
'Worried about never repaying a debt? Then just keep owing it.'
To Lucian, what he'd done wasn't even worth calling a favor. As long as you got on friendly terms with him, he wasn't the sort to nitpick over things like that.
'Ever heard of providing emotional value?'
Besides, unlike a rough old man like himself...
Wasn't there a much simpler and more straightforward way for a young lady like her to repay such kindness?
He really couldn't understand why she was suddenly so conflicted.
'Ah... the pride of a young knight.'
—
Their climb through the mine had already brought them very close to the Altus Plateau.
The cavern where the Magma Wyrm had nested lay only a few dozen meters below the plateau itself.
All that remained was to take the elevator behind them, which connected the abandoned mine to the Altus Plateau.
Passing by the Magma Wyrm's corpse, the group boarded the great lift.
As it slowly rose, Lucian and the others finally set foot upon the Altus Plateau.
Stepping off the platform, they found themselves in a marshland littered with enormous wandering mausoleums.
Countless gigantic stone coffins had been abandoned across the area. Many had already been overturned or shattered.
The bodies they once carried had long since spilled out, weathered by countless years into nothing but dry bones.
It was exactly as Lucian remembered.
This was the place.
After taking a few steps to activate the nearby Site of Grace, Lucian looked up toward the heavens.
From here, the Erdtree stood in full view, towering between earth and sky.
Staring at the colossal golden tree, even Lucian couldn't help but marvel.
Viewing the Erdtree from atop the plateau was completely different from looking up at it from below.
No wonder the people who lived beneath its boughs took such pride in it.
Patches spat casually onto the ground as he looked toward the distant Erdtree.
"Phew... Well, I brought you here just like you asked."
"So I'd better head back."
"Now that you've dealt with the Magma Wyrm, I'm not going to worry about the people Lady Rya recruits anymore."
"They're not so helpless they can't make it the rest of the way by themselves, right?"
"If they can't even manage that, they're not qualified to meet Lady Tanith."
Lucian glanced toward Patches.
"Will that really be okay?"
"Wasn't this assignment given to you by Volcano Manor?"
Patches shrugged.
"Volcano Manor?"
"That place's glory days are long gone."
"At this point, it's really just a favor Lady Tanith asked me to do."
"And even for something as simple as this, most people there can't be bothered."
Listening to Patches mention Tanith every few sentences, Lucian felt somewhat helpless.
'Don't tell me he's completely smitten with Tanith?'
He almost sounded even worse than someone under a charm spell.
"So you're planning to stay there?"
Patches nodded proudly and jabbed a thumb toward himself.
"Of course!"
"I'm Volcano Manor's future!"
"I'm the one keeping the whole place afloat for Lady Tanith!"
Lucian simply shook his head.
Just listening to him was enough to know he was exaggerating again.
Stepping onto a large boulder, Patches pointed toward a sloping path ahead.
"See that?"
"Follow that road and you'll reach the heart of the Altus Plateau."
"I've walked it plenty of times. It's perfectly safe."
"But here's a friendly warning."
"There are quite a few Erdtree soldiers stationed around there these days."
Just then, Alexander suddenly spoke.
"Mr. Patches."
"Since you're with Volcano Manor, I have a favor to ask."
"Could you point me toward Volcano Manor itself?"
Patches blinked in surprise.
Someone...
A Living Jar...
...actually wanted to go to Volcano Manor?
Rather than believing Alexander had a genuine interest in the place, Patches found another explanation more likely.
'Could he have a grudge against Volcano Manor and be looking for revenge?'
Knowing how Volcano Manor usually operated...
That honestly sounded much more believable.
Raising an eyebrow, Patches cautiously asked,
"Well... tell me why first."
"I'll decide whether I can help after I hear your reason."
If the jar really was looking to settle a score with Volcano Manor...
Then Patches would have no choice but to completely distance himself from them.
Alexander folded his arms across his chest and explained,
"My body suffered severe damage before."
"I've only barely managed to piece myself back together."
"But if I wish to fully recover..."
"...or even become stronger than before..."
"...I still need to be fired and tempered."
"Ordinary flames simply aren't hot enough."
"I've heard that Mt. Gelmir flows with molten lava."
"I'd like to try tempering myself there."
"Would you be willing to show me the way?"
Patches breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, that's all."
"Easy."
"You don't even need to go to Volcano Manor."
"I can take you to a quiet corner of the volcano myself."
"If you don't have business there, don't go wandering into Volcano Manor."
"The people there won't be friendly just because you're a Living Jar."
Alexander patted his own body and laughed heartily.
"HAHAHA! Thank you for the warning."
"I've wandered the Lands Between for quite a long time."
"I've met all kinds of people."
After a moment's thought, Millicent spoke as well.
"In that case..."
"I'll continue traveling with you for now."
"Perhaps I'll be able to find information about Malenia's prosthetic arm."
Lucian immediately cautioned her.
"Volcano Manor isn't a good place."
"If you're traveling around Mt. Gelmir, be careful."
"The people there hunt fellow Tarnished to strengthen themselves and openly rebel against the Erdtree."
"You two probably won't be their targets..."
"...but it's still best not to get too involved with them."
"After all, the way madmen think isn't something ordinary people can understand."
Patches nodded vigorously.
"I couldn't agree more."
"If you want information, just come to me."
"There's no need to visit Volcano Manor."
"Of course..."
"...good information costs a few runes."
"But anyway, since you're Lucian's friends, you're friends of mine too."
"I'll do what I can to help."
At that point, Lucian had nothing more to add.
Given their abilities, they were unlikely to run into much trouble.
After saying his farewells, he departed directly through the Site of Grace, returning to Stormveil.
Now that he had activated a Site of Grace on the Altus Plateau, traveling back here would be much more convenient.
Once Lucian had left, Patches turned toward the one person who had remained silent the entire time.
"What about you?"
"Going off to help more Tarnished somewhere else?"
Tragoth nodded.
Then shook his head.
From beneath his heavy helmet came a low, solemn voice.
"I think..."
"...I'll head for the Royal Capital."
"I want to return."
"And... for the sake of those who never could."
Patches clicked his tongue, turned away, and waved over his shoulder.
"You really are too nice."
"Guys like you are exactly the sort Volcano Manor likes to target."
"Try not to get yourself killed!"
Although they hadn't known each other for very long, Patches had genuinely grown fond of the big-hearted knight.
After all...
Even villains don't dislike good people.
Tragoth silently watched as Patches led Millicent and Alexander away.
Only after they had disappeared into the distance did he shoulder the Giant-Crusher once more and quietly set off toward the golden silhouette of the Erdtree.