In 2043, neuro-interface games experienced explosive growth. Their perfect immersive experiences drove countless gamers into a frenzy. However, as a novel gaming device, the quantity of exclusive games available was pitifully limited, so limited, in fact, that even dogs would shake their heads. Still, the future held endless possibilities.
Amid such circumstances, there were always bold players unwilling to accept the status quo. Lucian, currently seated in his gaming room, was precisely such a person. At this moment, he was connecting his neuro-interface device to his computer via a data cable.
Lucian was porting games from other gaming devices onto the neuro-interface. This time, his target was the game that had deeply shaken him during childhood: Elden Ring.
How, you might ask, could Lucian port games? Was he some sort of software genius? Absolutely not. He was merely a pure, ageing shut-in who had decided to give it a try after viewing various tutorials on online platforms. Previously, he'd successfully ported a few games without issue.
Normally, since the neuro-interface had safely reached the market, its safety was fully guaranteed. An automatic protection system would shut down the device if an error occurred, so ordinary game ports were usually no problem. Powerful optimisation allowed many games to find renewed life on the neuro-interface, although not as immersive as exclusive neuro-interface games.
Considering all these factors, Lucian finally relaxed. Accompanied by the crisp "crack-pop" of the neuro-interface device burning out, he left this world. Hopefully, this painful example will teach great inventors some lessons.
…
In a ruined chapel, Lucian awoke slowly, lying face down on the ground. He stared blankly at the dirty carpet beside his cheek, momentarily unable to comprehend.
"An unfamiliar carpet… Wait, my room doesn't even have a carpet!"
With a jolt, Lucian's sluggish mind resumed function.
"I remember, I was trying to port Elden Ring onto the neuro-interface... Could it have succeeded?"
Lucian rose from the ground. What met his eyes was a scene of desolation: shattered chairs, a gloomy chamber, and withered grass poking sparsely through cracks in the stone. Yes, this was precisely the starting location of Elden Ring, the Chapel of Anticipation.
"Did I really succeed on my first try? Am I actually a genius?"
Excitedly, Lucian explored his armour, feeling its cold texture and battle-worn damages, everything felt vividly real.
"Haha! Elden Ring, I'll step on Malenia!"
He strode around the cramped chapel, leapt about, and swung his sword at nearby chairs, watching them shatter before his eyes. He revelled in this unmatched "gaming experience."
The chapel was extremely dark. After a moment, Lucian found the corpse of a Finger Maiden leaning against a shadowed wall, and read her final message left in death:
"Though the path be broken and uncertain, claim thy place as Elden Lord."
Looking at this maiden he'd never met but who had already perished, Lucian couldn't help but sigh.
"Sigh… Even though she's just an NPC whose name I don't even know and barely has any associated text… seeing her corpse still feels sad."
"Moreover, being burdened with other people's expectations is honestly too stressful. I'm already sweating buckets here, brother."
Lucian turned to leave, but suddenly felt curious about what the Finger Maiden actually looked like. So, he crouched before her and reached out to lift the hood that obscured half her face. But since her corpse was tilted and her head turned, this simple gesture caused the hat to tumble off.
Startled, Lucian instinctively picked up the hat when suddenly a small line of text appeared before his eyes.
[Finger Maiden's Hood]
Lucian was instantly puzzled.
This gear wasn't obtainable here, yet now he'd received it from a dead NPC. He had merely crudely ported the game without modifying its content, so where had this hood come from?
The game seemed to have become a bit strange. Confronted with this anomaly, Lucian suddenly felt uneasy.
Recalling the intense sensations earlier, this was clearly not something a forcibly ported game could simulate. Combined with this unexpected gear, a terrifying thought crossed his mind.
Maybe this wasn't a game anymore.
He tried opening the menu to quit the game, but what used to take a mere thought was now impossible.
No matter how much he shouted, there was no response.
A fuzzy memory surfaced his final moments before death. His body had protected itself by forgetting these sensations.
He'd forgotten until now.
Forgotten the excruciating agony of electricity coursing through his body, forgotten the lethal sounds of the neuro-interface device burning out.
Lucian suddenly realised he was already dead.
"To think I'd die like this… I only wanted to play a game…"
"But I don't want to die yet…"
Death is a heavy topic. People always assume it's far away, but when it truly arrives, it comes with a shocking suddenness.
Lucian was just an ordinary person. Though his parents had divorced early and started new families, they had at least humanely left him a small apartment. With the help of relatives, he grew up healthy, attended a mediocre university, and after graduation, found a quiet job close to home that required minimal interaction. The salary wasn't great, but the working hours were short, giving him plenty of time for gaming.
Because he didn't need to pay rent, he gradually saved up a decent amount. Aside from daily living expenses, nearly all of it went into games. On his 28th birthday, he completed his setup with consoles like the Xbox and PlayStation, and transformed his bedroom into a full gaming room.
Naturally, when the neuro-interface device debuted, he installed it immediately. Sadly, that same device ended his life at the age of 29.
Due to his childhood circumstances, Lucian had long found emotional refuge in games. Whenever reality became too much, he would retreat into virtual worlds. He believed those virtual worlds were his true home he used to think so, at least.
He had imagined death before, but not like this, not in this way, at this time, so abruptly.
'Please... anyone... just let me go back...'
But the Chapel of Anticipation remained desolate and cold. Only the indifferent gaze of the statue on the wall responded to him.
In this land where hope had long vanished, no one had time for others. No one would answer his cries.
Lucian knew deep down that waiting for a miracle was impossible. He just needed to vent.
'It's hopeless... How am I supposed to survive in a world like Elden Ring?'
'But I don't want to die again. I want to live.'
'I must stay alive.'
Lucian thought about many things. He still hadn't fully accepted his situation, but staying in the chapel would lead only to death.
He laid the Finger Maiden's corpse flat and covered her face with the hood. It was the greatest respect he could offer.
After tidying the maiden's body, Lucian found the final item in the chapel: the Tarnished's Wizened Finger.
Once the chapel had been completely looted, Lucian inventoried his possessions: a damaged helmet that couldn't be removed, a weathered but reliable full set of armor, a straight sword, a halberd, a metal medium shield, and in his waist pouch: two key-shaped stone swords, a pack of white meat strips, two pieces of jerky, a handful of scattered runes, and finally the Tarnished's Wizened Finger.
Aside from the unexpected meat and runes, this was the standard Vagabond Knight starting gear. If this were truly a world transfer, having food and runes made perfect sense.
After checking his gear, Lucian felt heavy-hearted. It was only slightly better than the game start, and even then, just barely. For now, he'd have to take it one step at a time.
He pushed open the heavy doors. Light flooded in at last, bringing some brightness. Yet the stormy skies and endless tempests above seemed ominous.
The open landscape before him didn't lift his spirits; he knew what enemy awaited him.
The Grafted Scion. In the game, it was a true elite enemy. In terms of stats, it could even defeat its own boss, Godrick the Grafted.
If this were just a game, Lucian would have many ways to defeat it. But now he had to rely on his own human body.
He knew nothing about combat.
And even if he somehow won, the Chapel of Anticipation was built in the sea, he'd have to jump off a cliff to escape. The game's protagonist could revive endlessly. He probably couldn't.
Truth be told, Lucian wasn't even sure if he had truly transmigrated or if this was just a hallucination before death.
'Whether this is real or not... I'll only know once I experience magic, prayers, or special skills firsthand.'
'If I can feel some kind of extraordinary power, not just triggering skills like pressing buttons, maybe then I'll know I'm really alive.'
As he walked outside, Lucian suddenly remembered: in the side room, there were two valuable items in the game. Normally, you had to teleport back after leaving the island to get them. They were inaccessible now.
But since he'd gotten the Finger Maiden's Hood, he wanted to try. He approached the side door and pulled the iron ring, locked.
Still, the wooden door looked worn, weakened by time.
Lucian pulled out the halberd on his back. As a hybrid of spear and axe, he figured he could cleave the door with its axe blade. But when he measured it, the halberd was too long for the narrow space. If he swung it, it'd hit the walls. He didn't want to damage his weapon.
So, he drew his straight sword. He didn't plan to use it in the coming battle anyway; the Grafted Scion was large and agile, so the halberd would be more effective. Damaging the sword didn't matter.
Lucian gripped the sword with both hands, stepped forward with his left foot, twisted his waist, and swung hard. With a powerful diagonal slash, he shattered the wooden door.
'What just happened? My body feels so agile... Is this muscle memory?'
Even Lucian was surprised by the fluidity of his strike. Someone who had never touched a sword in his life had pulled it off effortlessly. The muscle memory must come from long, intense training. As expected, a Tarnished was the descendant of warriors.
He checked the sword. No obvious damage. He sheathed it and stepped through the door.
After just twenty or thirty steps down, he reached a broken terrace. At its far end, near the open sky, sat a small stone container, inside were the ashes of the Stormhawk King.
Long ago, the Storm King ruled the southwest of the Lands Between. The stormhawks were a powerful military force under his command. Though they were birds, the strongest among them fought with power rivalling human heroes. They soared through storms, summoned gales, and tore enemies apart. The Stormhawk King was their ruler, and even in death, his ashes remained closest to the skies.
Lucian stepped forward to pick it up. As he approached, the eternal storm above the chapel suddenly raged wildly, then stopped, as if nothing had happened.
Lucian waited a few seconds. When nothing else occurred, he collected the ashes and stored them in his pouch.
To him, it seemed like a random weather change. But what he didn't know was that even time couldn't erase the pride of the ancient king. Those unworthy of kingship could never earn his recognition, and not just anyone could reach the Chapel of Anticipation.
[Spirit Ashes] are a type of item in the game. With another item, you can summon the soul within to aid in battle.
After picking up the Stormhawk King's Ashes, Lucian entered the door on the terrace.
This door connected the terrace with the second floor of the starting room.
At the far end of the second floor, there was a treasure chest radiating a cold, pale light.
Lucian stepped forward and opened the chest. Inside was another set of ashes, the Stormhawk Deenh.
The Stormhawk Deenh was, in the distant past, second only to the Stormhawk King among the Stormhawk clan, a fierce elder who accompanied and served the King to his last breath.
Lucian pondered for a moment.
'That's all the items here… next, I'll have to face the terrifying Grafted Scion.'
He turned to leave, but suddenly heard a shuffling sound.
It sounded like something crawling rapidly toward him...
Before Lucian could react, a massive figure crashed down right in front of him.
Its colossal body was stitched together from countless limbs. To support its weight, it had many legs, some with multiple feet, some even made from several arms fused together. Its twisted, patchwork torso, covered in deep blue peacock-feather-like cloaks, looked like a gigantic arthropod. Only the head and a single arm belonged to itself. That handsome, pale, aristocratic face looked eerily out of place atop such a grotesque body.
Two right arms gripped a pair of ceremonial straight swords, while a powerful left arm held a Beast-crest Heater Shield before its body.
Lucian swallowed hard. He instinctively wanted to run, but his legs refused to move.
'Why is the Grafted Scion, who's supposed to be stationed by Marika's statue, coming for me?'
'Was it the storm just now? Or the noise from breaking the door?'
"Shing!" "Shing!"
The Grafted Scion's rapier lunged at Lucian before he could think.
Lucian reflexively raised his shield to block, but the force blew his shield aside.
The second sword immediately stabbed into his left shoulder plate.
Though it didn't pierce his armour, the shock left half of Lucian's body numb.
Lucian drew his straight sword and slashed at the Grafted Scion, but it was solidly blocked by the huge shield.
'The strength gap is too big! If this keeps up, I'll die for sure!'
He couldn't keep fighting head-on. The Grafted Scion was blocking the door, so he couldn't draw it into an open space. If he fought head-to-head, he would lose for sure. In that case…
Lucian backed up against the railing of the second floor, focusing entirely on the Grafted Scion's movements, waiting for an opening.
The next attack was a sweeping double-sword slash. Lucian ducked under it thanks to his smaller build.
The third attack, a heavy shield bash, shook the entire floor. Lucian narrowly rolled away in time, barely avoiding being crushed.
Amid this peril, Lucian finally got the chance he was waiting for.
The Grafted Scion twisted its body, raising both swords high and aiming them at Lucian, then charged forward, thrusting both blades like a torrential rain.
But Lucian was ready. He rolled between the Grafted Scion's legs, coming up behind it, and with its momentum, shoulder-charged it hard.
He knocked the Grafted Scion straight through the railing, sending it tumbling to the first floor.
The Chapel of Anticipation was a cramped space, especially so for a monster of that size. The Grafted Scion lay stunned for a moment, unable to get up.
Lucian seized the chance, drew his halberd, and stood on the second floor, stabbing repeatedly at the monster below. Black, putrid blood splattered as the axe blade severed some of the smaller limbs.
But the opportunity was fleeting. The Grafted Scion soon protected its vital spots with its shield and, scrambling with its many limbs, climbed back up.
As it hauled itself up, one sword-wielding right arm was exposed beyond the shield's cover. Lucian didn't hesitate, he swung with all his might and chopped the arm clean off.
Seeing the monster lose an arm, Lucian was elated; he finally saw a glimmer of victory.
But that joy didn't last long.
Losing an arm, the Grafted Scion, perhaps in pain, perhaps in rage, let out a furious roar. The force of the scream blasted straight into Lucian's mind.
The roar made Lucian bleed from every orifice; he could barely stand.
Even worse, the Grafted Scion used its massive body to claw its way back up to the second floor.
As the monster inched closer, Lucian was filled with despair.
Looking into those furious eyes, he could already foresee his fate: being torn apart and stitched onto the Grafted Scion's body.
Lucian stumbled backwards. He needed to jump off the ledge, just like in the original, for a slim chance at survival.
But the roar had scrambled his brain. He staggered back a few steps and collapsed.
Lying on the ground, Lucian felt only pain and despair. He didn't want to die, but he couldn't survive. In the end, he was just too weak.
'If I really fought like a true Tarnished, maybe I wouldn't be losing so badly… No matter how much I plan, I can't win like this.'
The Grafted Scion loomed over him, raising its last sword high, preparing to pierce Lucian through.
So Lucian closed his eyes in hopeless resignation.
"Shing!"
"Ding!"
The expected pain of being impaled never came. Instead, he heard a familiar sound.
Lucian opened his eyes to see a black panel appear before him, it was the Wind Spirit Moonshadow Mod menu!
The thrusting sword was frozen, unable to move forward another inch.
[Function 1 – Invincibility Mode (Auto-activated, 2 seconds remaining)]
Lucian let out a relieved smile. He knew he was going to survive.
Wind Spirit Moonshadow, the legendary single-player mod tool, was famous for its simplicity. Even a total newbie could use it with ease.
With its vast game library, rich features, and detailed guides, even in 2043, it remained a pillar among mod tools. Every year, countless clumsy players joined the Wind Spirit Moonshadow "sect," and even veteran gamers, after clearing a game, would come for new experiences.
Lucian, being a gaming fanatic, was naturally among its loyal followers.
Sometimes he used it to skip pointless grinding. Sometimes, to enable flight and explore freely...
Lucian knew Wind Spirit Moonshadow inside and out. So the moment that black panel appeared, he knew he'd be fine.
The Grafted Scion, of course, couldn't comprehend what was happening. The sword that should have run him through now felt like it was stabbing solid steel no matter how it pressed forward, it simply couldn't penetrate.
While the invincibility was still active, Lucian elbowed the Grafted Scion's sword aside, driving it into the floor, then quickly sat up.
The invincibility timer ended, and Lucian's next command triggered.
[Activate One-Hit Kill!]
'Function 10 – Super Damage / One-Hit Kill activated (1 time)'
He didn't bother picking up a weapon he simply punched the Grafted Scion barehanded.
The monster looked confused. What could a feeble punch possibly do? It simply saw it as a dying act of defiance.
Bam!
Lucian's fist landed squarely on the shield.
A second later, the Scion's body behind the shield exploded into a spray of blood, covering the entire ceiling.
Most of its body was annihilated fatal even for a creature as grotesque as this.
It was as dead as could be.
A surge of golden energy drifted from the corpse into Lucian.
'Is this… a rune?'
Lucian tried to sense it, but couldn't tell where it had gone.
Anyway, the crisis was over. Lucian had survived.
Staring at the bloody scene, Lucian's heart pounded wildly. That was way too close.
'In the Lands Between, roars carry power. Some boost strength, some intimidate enemies, some even deal direct damage.'
'That roar almost finished me just now. If it had been another move, maybe my game knowledge would have helped me counter it.'
But ultimately, Lucian had won. He could definitely use this experience in the future.
He also realized that this body moved without any awkwardness; during battle, his mind would rapidly assess how to defend and attack.
Sometimes, though, his mind couldn't quite keep up with the body's instincts.
But the Grafted Scion was dead, the crisis passed. Now he just had to find a way off this island he would have plenty of time to grow stronger later.
"Now the question is how to get down."
He originally thought that, with Wind Spirit Moonshadow, this would be easy just enable flight and leave.
But after checking the menu, Lucian realized this mod was incomplete.
First, in terms of features, what remained was:
1 – Invincibility
2 – Infinite Health
3 – Infinite Focus
4 – Infinite Stamina
5 – Zero Equipment Load
6 – Stealth Mode
7 – Remove Status Effects
8 – Lock Enemy Position
9 – Rune Gain Multiplier
10 – Super Damage
Compared to the original, many features were missing. All direct stat modification features were gone; he couldn't change his runes, level, or item count either.
Most importantly, there was no flight function which meant Lucian couldn't just fly off this island.
Additionally, Wind Spirit Moonshadow couldn't stay on indefinitely.
For example, in that last fight, invincibility lasted only two seconds, and One-Hit Kill applied as a massive damage multiplier to a single attack, with no specifics given, and could only be used once.
Because his punch's base damage was so low, almost all of the damage output was from that fixed-value super damage.
The black panel now showed a blue energy bar with five segments two of which were now greyed out.
That's right: this version of Wind Spirit Moonshadow had a limited energy pool. Each use consumed one segment.
Lucian didn't know how to restore it.
If it recharged over time, he could just hide somewhere, use Stealth, and assassinate bosses with a single blow.
But if it didn't, energy would be extremely precious.
...
Energy aside, the immediate concern was how to escape this island.
Lucian rested for a bit, making sure he was almost fully recovered, then approached the Grafted Scion's remains.
Time for some looting.
A pair of Ornamental Straight Swords, a Beast Crest Heater Shield, a giant blue peacock-feathered cloak, and some scattered noble trinkets this was all the loot on the Grafted Scion.
Lucian tried swinging the twin swords, but the blades kept clashing awkwardly.
'Feels like I'm missing something to fully master these… but I can't put my finger on it.'
It had been too long he barely remembered the attribute requirements for these rarely used weapons.
The Beast Crest Heater Shield was much simpler: he just wasn't strong enough. He could barely lift it, let alone use it for blocking.
He bundled everything in the cloak, tied it with the rope, and planned to finish exploring the island.
Massive statues of a Leyndell Knight and Queen Marika stood watch. Under their gaze, Lucian picked up a short piece of rope.
There was nothing else of note.
Wandering around, Lucian reached the island's edge.
There was a broken platform. Looking out across the gap, he could see an ancient castle, its walls riddled with holes left by "death" itself.
Lucian knew it at a glance: that was Stormveil Castle, the domain of the Golden Lord—Godrick the Grafted.
"Sigh."
"In the end, I still have to jump."
Lucian peered down layer upon layer of storm, the sea itself lost to view.
After thinking it over, he decided to take the plunge. With Wind Spirit Moonshadow's invincibility, as long as he timed it right, he shouldn't die.
Lucian stripped off all his armour, keeping only his small pouch.
He wrapped his armour and weapons in the cloak, tied it tight with the rope, and kept one end in his hand, ready to let go if needed.
Just in case he didn't activate invincibility in time and lost consciousness on impact, he wouldn't be dragged to the bottom of the sea by his gear.
Taking a deep breath, Lucian looked back at the Chapel of Anticipation one last time.
Then, gripping his bundle, he leapt toward the sea.