Elden Lord of Cinders

Infinite Respec.

The feature sounded absurd.

In practice, it was downright broken.

With no cost at all, as long as he wasn't in combat or was at a Site of Grace, Lloyd could redistribute his stats however he liked.

Whether a pure strength bruiser, a nuclear sorcerer, or a scythe-wielding Soul 5, as long as he was out of combat, he could instantly switch between builds with a single tap.

In terms of raw power, this didn't boost him as much as, say, Godrick's Great Rune with its direct +40 levels. After all, his overall level was still capped, no matter how freely he could shuffle points around.

But in terms of flexibility and utility? This Great Rune was on an entirely different level.

Not only could he change strategies to suit different enemies, but weapons and tools he had previously written off—because their stat requirements clashed with his current build—were suddenly usable. Gear with excellent attributes that he had nearly abandoned now had a chance to shine.

Once Lloyd realized this, he couldn't wait to test the new function.

Seeing his excitement, Ranni didn't stop him. She just sighed and let him go.

...

Hearing noise from below, Tanith went to investigate.

As she passed through the mid-level, she caught the sound of something outside. Turning her head, she saw Lloyd—grinning with manic delight—as he cycled through weapon after weapon, mercilessly butchering the Man-Serpents.

Sword slashes, axe chops, spear thrusts.

Fist weapons, daggers, whips.

Sorceries, incantations, and even smashing with his staff.

Under Tanith's gaze, perhaps deciding that the other weapons were too powerful, Lloyd pulled out a staff. But instead of casting spells or using Ashes of War, he simply gripped it tight, smiling all the while, and beat the Man-Serpent in front of him again and again.

The blows were weak, but the drawn-out pain mounted until, slowly, the creature was reduced to bloody pulp.

When it was over, Lloyd lifted the staff, balanced it in his hand, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Mm. As expected, this staff has the highest physical damage..."

As he spoke, he noticed eyes on him. Turning, he spotted Tanith and flashed what he believed to be a kind smile.

"Do you need something?"

Tanith instinctively stepped back.

"No."

"Oh."

Lloyd nodded, then turned back to his "toys," continuing his experiments while Tanith fell silent.

This man…

The rebels of Volcano Manor were no saints. Rykard, who had walked the path of blasphemy, was among the worst of them. But even they had motives—whether duty, survival, or defiance against fate.

This one, though… judging from his behavior, he seemed to do it simply because he enjoyed it.

Especially when he pulled out the whip Elizabeth had given him. Its body, woven from veins, pulsed with pain and curses. Even Tanith found it excessive.

On the other side, as Tanith departed, Lloyd shook his head in disappointment.

He had thought she might offer a side quest. Turns out she had just been passing by…

Afterward, he activated the new system and tested every weapon he had neglected before, experimenting with each one against the Man-Serpents. Once finished, he nodded in satisfaction.

When he felt the time was right, he opened his map and warped back to Rykard's boss chamber.

The Queen of the Full Moon and her family had finished their discussion. Seeing Lloyd arrive, they exchanged a few words with him.

After explaining the situation and offering thanks, they asked if he had any requests, or if there was anything they could do to help.

Requests…

After a brief thought, Lloyd turned to Rykard and gave him a little wink.

"Um, could you perform that bit again?"

"The one where you said, 'Join the Serpent King, as family... Together, we will devour the very gods!…'"

Because the Queen of the Full Moon's family had interrupted earlier, Lloyd hadn't gotten to see the full cutscene. It felt like he'd missed out on five bucks' worth of content, and he was not okay with that.

At Lloyd's request, Rykard's expression darkened.

Honestly, if Lloyd had asked for Volcano Manor itself, or even to shove his head into a lantern, he would have accepted. After all, Lloyd had not only killed him but also saved his mother and brother.

But this…

Rykard turned to glance at his mother and brother, then sensed another presence. Ranni had quietly appeared beside Lloyd, lips twitching as she spoke softly.

"I'm curious too."

The Queen of the Full Moon nodded in agreement.

Even Radahn, for once, didn't back up his brother. He crossed his arms and watched with interest instead.

After a long silence, Rykard clenched his teeth. Though he had no body left, he still tried to mimic his earlier posture and reenact the gesture he had once prepared.

"Oh… not bad."

"You…"

"Join the Serpent King, as family!"

"Together, let us devour the gods! Together, let us devour the gods!"

Pfft—

Though she tried to hold it in, the Queen of the Full Moon burst into laughter at the last part.

Ranni didn't laugh aloud, but she did duck behind Lloyd, pulling her hat down to hide her face.

Radahn and Lloyd, however, didn't laugh. Their eyes lit up instead. They thought the performance carried real weight, and began discussing and imitating it right in front of Rykard.

After a while, dissatisfied that the imitation lacked the right flair, Lloyd looked back at Rykard and blinked.

"Can you show me that again?"

Silence.

Rykard's already pale, silver face went completely ashen. The light drained from his eyes.

"…Just let me die."

Eh. This guy.

Seeing that he truly didn't want to, Lloyd didn't press further.

Once he confirmed there was nothing else left to do here, he sent the others back to their original places.

As for Rykard's massive head, the Queen of the Full Moon sealed it and left it in Tanith's care.

"Volcano Manor has committed countless atrocities. I myself am guilty of sins beyond forgiveness…"

"I sought to defy my fated path, yet only fell into another's scheme. How utterly laughable…"

"Those who tread the path of blasphemy never meet a good end. I knew this long ago, and I accept it willingly…"

"But if possible, I ask that you watch over my family. They too resist fate, but they have not taken the path of blasphemy…"

[Obtained item: "Beast Claw"]

[Obtained weapon: "Blasphemous Blade"]

[Obtained incantation: "Rykard's Rancor"]

After receiving Rykard's offerings, Lloyd looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask… What exactly do you mean by 'the path of blasphemy'?"

Rykard froze.

What kind of question was that?

But when he saw that Lloyd truly didn't seem to know, he explained.

"Blasphemy is a broad term—it refers to committing acts of desecration…"

"To live with serpents, to kill one's kin, to torture prisoners for the sake of studying their craft…"

"Especially I, as Praetor, arrogant and conceited, thinking I could master the Serpent's power, only to be devoured in turn. My sins are countless…"

After listening to Rykard's long explanation, Lloyd blinked.

"Huh? You call that blasphemy?"

Rykard: "…?"

If that doesn't count as blasphemy, then what does?

Lloyd didn't know how to explain, so after a moment's thought, he pulled out Elizabeth's whip and demonstrated a few of the incantations Chaos had taught him.

At first, Rykard was merely confused, wondering why he was showing off such trivial things. But after a closer look, his eyes widened in horror.

"By Marika above! What kind of blasphemous objects are these?!"

Serpents were despised in the Lands Between, yes—but much of that hatred came from an ancient betrayal.

Had that betrayal never happened, serpents might have simply been another peculiar race of the Lands Between, shunned but tolerated. Certainly nothing on the same level as the things Lloyd was now holding.

"But… then take a look at this."

Lloyd revealed the Homing Crystal Soulmass in one hand, and the Dark Soul in the other.

Recognizing them, Rykard opened his mouth wide, but in the end, not a single word came out.

Seeing this reaction, Lloyd smacked his lips twice.

He hadn't been trying to frighten Rykard—he just figured that since Rykard's morals weren't particularly high, and he was once part of the Golden Order's dynasty, he'd be the right test subject.

From his reaction, Lloyd could gauge how the people of the Lands Between might accept—or reject—such powers.

But the results didn't look promising.

As for why he didn't test this on someone else?

If they were too insane, the reaction wouldn't mean much. If they were too upright, he wouldn't even need to ask; of course they'd reject such things.

Rykard, though, sat right between "mad" and "normal." Even so, his reaction was stronger than Lloyd had expected.

...

After wrapping things up with Rykard, Lloyd fast-traveled to Liurnia of the Lakes.

With Ranni's Carian Inverted Statue now in hand, he naturally wanted to check out the Divine Tower.

While he was at it, he also decided to wander the lake region again, just in case he'd missed something before.

And indeed, he had.

Amid the ruins, Lloyd found Diallos—the man he had once met briefly at the Roundtable Hold.

When Lloyd spotted him, he was standing before a young girl's corpse, one hand covering his face, speaking in a voice heavy with sorrow.

"Lanya… Lanya…"

"It's me, Diallos. If you can hear me, please answer…"

Lloyd walked over and exchanged a few words with him, learning that the body on the ground belonged to Lanya. She was the same girl he had once mentioned at the Roundtable Hold—the one who grew up alongside him as his attendant, only to vanish without a trace.

Because she often wandered off, Diallos had thought this time was just another brief disappearance.

But when they met again, she had been murdered. The culprit was a rebel from Volcano Manor.

Rykard might have just taken a brutal beating, dying multiple times in both body and spirit, but even so, there were still Volcano Manor rebels out in the world, unaware of what had happened inside.

...

"Alright, she's alive again."

A few minutes later, Diallos stood frozen as he looked at the newly revived Lanya before him. She had only just died—her body was still warm—yet Lloyd had brought her back on the spot.

After reviving her, Lloyd chatted with Lanya briefly. Seeing that Diallos was still standing there dumbstruck and unwilling to speak, Lloyd shook his head, mounted Torrent, and rode off.

Not long after, he ran into another familiar face.

Or rather, a familiar pot.

Alexander was stuck in a hole, calling out for help. When he noticed someone approaching, his whole body radiated joy. But the moment he realized who it was, that joy froze mid-motion, his body stiffening.

"Uh… trust me this time, I'll definitely hit the right spot."

Looking at the pot warrior stuck in the ground, Lloyd pulled out his old wooden club and weighed it in his hand.

Alexander was silent for a moment before immediately surrendering.

"Just dig me out."

Since Alexander himself said so, Lloyd didn't insist. Using his weapon like a shovel, he dug him free, then struck up a conversation.

From their talk, Lloyd learned that Alexander had been passing through on his way by his hometown and had wanted to catch a glimpse of it. But in focusing too hard on the view, he had gotten himself stuck.

The hometown of the jars?

The moment he heard the phrase, Lloyd instinctively felt something was off.

"Down there?"

"Yes."

Normally, Alexander would never reveal the location of his homeland. Jars were rare and precious—whether their fragments or the contents within, both held great value. There were even hunters who specialized in poaching them.

But with Lloyd, despite his odd behavior and bizarre way of helping, Alexander trusted him. He not only nodded but even pointed out the direction of Jarburg.

"But I won't be going back. I've already decided never to return."

He didn't explain why, and Lloyd didn't ask.

After their brief exchange, Alexander went on his way. Lloyd, with Torrent's help, leapt down Miyazaki's favorite jumping puzzle and made his way into the valley below.

After some travel, a village appeared before him.

Jarburg.

As the name suggested, it was a village where only jars lived.

No humans—just jars, big and small.

It was unlike any place Lloyd had ever seen. Even in the Siofra Forest, he had only avoided battle thanks to Dolores's charm. But here in Jarburg, though the place was filled with jars that would normally be hostile, none of them attacked.

At the entrance, a small jar capable of speech greeted him warmly and asked if he wanted to become a "jar keeper."

"What's a jar keeper?"

"They're the craftsmen who care for and repair jars… Doesn't big brother know?"

The little jar tilted toward him curiously—though it was hard to say how, without eyes, it could "look" at anything.

When Lloyd expressed interest, the little jar had him come closer, inspected his hands, and shook slightly.

"Hmm… they're not smooth enough."

"A jar keeper's hands must be smooth. I don't think big brother can be one of us… That's a shame…"

Though he couldn't be a jar keeper, the little one still welcomed him to come and chat anytime.

Hearing this and glancing at the peaceful surroundings, Lloyd fell silent.

Yeah, if this place didn't end in disaster, he'd eat Miyazaki's computer screen.

But soon he thought of a solution.

"Diallos, I'll leave this place to you two."

During their earlier talk, Lanya had mentioned that Diallos wasn't good at fighting, and the two of them didn't know where to go. Lloyd suspected this might tie into their side quest, so he fast-traveled back, confirmed with them, and brought them along.

And sure enough, it was the right call.

Though Diallos wasn't a fighter, he had what the jars called "smooth hands."

Lloyd had no idea what the standard for that was, but apparently it qualified him as a jar keeper.

Diallos himself resisted, though. He saw himself as a warrior, wanting to be one, not some jar keeper.

"It's fine. Leave it to me."

Lanya said this as she dragged him into a nearby house.

Though officially his attendant, they had grown up together. With Diallos unable to fight, their relationship was far more than master and servant.

No one knew what Lanya did inside, but when they emerged, Diallos had reluctantly agreed to become a jar keeper, with Lanya serving as his attendant and bodyguard.

Even so, Lloyd remained uneasy. After some thought, he pulled out a Ruin Fragment, inscribed a golden summon sign on it, and told them to use it to call him if anything happened.

After one last inspection of the village, he finally set off.

...

Leaving Jarburg behind, Lloyd summoned Torrent and rode straight to the Divine Tower of Liurnia.

Inside, he placed the Inverted Statue on the desk.

A loud rumble shook the air.

The Divine Tower of Liurnia turned completely upside down.

A new scene unfolded before Lloyd—alongside it appeared a shard of pure black.

...

[Up to 20 chapters ahead for now]

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