"Whoosh—"
"Whoosh—"
The waves washed back and forth on the beach.
A naked man wearing only a loincloth and a small pouch was lying facedown on the shore.
Beside him lay a large piece of blue tattered cloth and various scattered pieces of equipment.
This man was Bai Shi.
The storm, combined with his own psychological stress, had affected his judgment of the distance.
Bai Shi activated his invincibility too early, and just as the cheat expired, his face made intimate contact with the surface of the sea.
The impact knocked him out cold.
What Bai Shi didn't know was that after he lost consciousness, a gust of wind rose, carrying him all the way to this very beach.
A cloaked figure on horseback slowly approached Bai Shi.
The horse, covered in long gray fur, stopped in front of Bai Shi. Despite being a horse, it had a pair of large horns on its head.
It lowered its head, intending to nudge Bai Shi to see if he was still alive.
However, a high-pitched eagle cry came from Bai Shi's pouch, and a wind began to gather around him.
The person, who had been sitting sideways on the saddle, dismounted. A gentle female voice spoke out.
"Powerful ancient soul, please do not worry. We have no intention of harming him."
"We found him because we saw the potential to become a lord within him."
"He will surely seek the Elden Ring... even if it means betraying the Golden Order."
The ancient king's spirit calmed the wind, acknowledging their words.
The person and horse did not linger. They were waiting for the right moment to make contact with Bai Shi.
Bai Shi slowly came to, feeling wet all over, and for a moment, he couldn't process what had happened.
He pushed himself up. The beach was lined with tall, broken stone pillars and the wreckage of a huge building, with a cliff in the distance.
Looking around, the scattered equipment created a scene that looked exactly like a shipwreck.
"I can't believe I mistimed the invincibility... I thought I was going to die."
"But... I actually survived? Is this body's constitution that strong?"
As a complete shut-in in his past life, Bai Shi couldn't help but marvel at the resilience of this body.
"That makes sense. In the late game, it's all about fighting gods. Even the early-game stats would be far beyond a normal human's."
While thinking this, Bai Shi didn't waste any time. He quickly gathered all the scattered equipment.
"The knight's gauntlets, armor, and leggings are still here, along with the dual swords, straight sword, and halberd."
"Nothing is missing from my pouch."
"The helmet, iron shield, and greatshield are gone, but that's no big deal."
"Most of the noble trinkets are also gone, which is a bit of a shame."
Bai Shi had originally planned to trade those items with a merchant for some Runes.
But it was fine; he still had some money on him.
"But... where am I? According to the game's story, I should have woken up in the Stranded Graveyard."
He had been stranded, but where was the graveyard?
Bai Shi put on a full set of armor, holding the sword in his left hand and the halberd in his right.
He tied the dual swords to his back with the rope. The rest of the miscellaneous items went into his pouch, and anything that didn't fit was simply thrown away.
Once he was ready, Bai Shi started walking toward the cliff.
Before long, he stopped. He hadn't reached his destination yet.
He had spotted a firelight up ahead.
There was someone there, but Bai Shi didn't rush forward. In the Lands Between, people you could actually talk to were a minority.
The one by the fire could be a merchant, but they could also be any number of enemies.
Bai Shi crept closer until he could finally see them clearly.
The person wore Viking-style armor and clothing. He was tall and burly, with a warhorse beside him, and he was cooking a fish over the fire.
In the Lands Between, only one group wore such attire: the Kaiden Mercenaries.
Hired by various factions, they roamed battlefields, and the name Kaiden was feared in every conflict.
The moment Bai Shi spotted the mercenary, a wolf howled.
Bai Shi looked at the source of the sound—a white wolf, watching him with caution.
Wolves were the companions of the Kaiden Mercenaries; they fought together and were inseparable.
Hearing the howl, the Kaiden Mercenary turned his head and saw Bai Shi.
The situation immediately came to a standstill.
Note: To make the plot more logical, the landing spot from the game's original concept art was used instead of the final game's location.