Chapter 6: Short-Term Goals
Loran’s gaze moved back and forth between Kiro’s name and Melina’s as he weighed his options.
Kiro — current Affinity: -91. Status: Disdain / Impatient.
An extremely emotional, self-centered target, but one whose behavior was relatively straightforward. What kind of gift would make her happy? A powerful weapon? A rare incantation? Or maybe something shiny, pretty, and completely useless?
Melina — Affinity: -10. Status: Highly Alert / Suspicious.
A rational, mysterious woman carrying some sort of mission. She seemed completely uninterested in anything beyond “power” and “the accord.” Giving her a gift would be far more difficult. One wrong move could easily deepen her suspicion and shatter their already fragile agreement.
So then—
Who should receive the [Faded Lilac]?
Loran didn’t act immediately.
He still didn’t have enough runes to level up again, and the dried flower was the only real asset he possessed. Using that card recklessly without more information would be foolish.
He needed more “gifts.”
More test subjects.
He closed the gifting menu and stood up from beside the Site of Grace.
“What, done leveling? Didn’t accidentally level yourself into stupidity this time, did you?” Kiro mocked.
Melina had already vanished into golden particles after completing the level-up. Once again, only the two of them remained.
Loran ignored the jab. He turned toward the ruins ahead of the Gatefront, where several wandering Godrick soldiers patrolled.
Weak enemies.
Ideal sources of “materials.”
“Are you coming?” Loran asked.
“Nope.”
Kiro crossed her arms and sneered.
“If you wanna go, then go yourself. Aren’t you some battle maniac? Just farm runes for me.”
[Kiro Affinity: -91 → -92]
[Status: Mocking / Lazy]
Loran didn’t bother arguing. He headed straight toward the ruins.
He needed runes.
More importantly, he wanted to see whether those soldiers might drop anything usable as “gifts.”
Watching Loran’s retreating figure, Kiro clicked her tongue and stomped her foot against the ground.
Being left alone in this desolate place made her uneasy.
After hesitating for a while, she finally followed after him anyway, muttering under her breath the entire time.
“What an idiot… all he ever thinks about is fighting… zero flexibility…”
[Kiro Affinity: -92 → -91]
Not long after, the only thing left around the Gatefront ruins was the sound of the wind.
The Godrick soldiers’ corpses had already dissolved into golden fragments, leaving behind only a few scratches in the dirt and several broken crossbow bolts.
Loran wiped down the Whetstone Knife he had just found inside the underground chest using a scrap of cloth.
The Ashes of War tool itself wasn’t particularly useful in combat, but its existence proved something important:
The rules of this world were identical to the game’s.
He tucked the knife into the leather pouch at his waist, weighed the small amount of runes in his pocket, and spoke.
“Let’s head to the Weeping Peninsula first.”
“No.”
Kiro’s refusal came instantly.
She was crouched on the ground, absentmindedly poking the dirt with a twig, not even bothering to look up.
“Why?” Loran asked.
“Why?” Kiro raised her head. “Because we should just push Stormveil Castle directly. Don’t tell me you’re scared? It’s just Margit. What’s there to be afraid of? The two of us together can definitely beat him.”
She stood up and dusted off her hands, wearing the kind of dumb, confident grin only a terminal thrill-seeker could manage.
After the initial panic and humiliation of being instantly flattened by the Tree Sentinel, her chaos-goblin mentality had started resurfacing.
To her, nothing was more exciting than challenging bosses far above her level.
Methodically clearing areas and leveling up?
Too boring.
Not her style.
[Kiro Affinity: -91 → -93]
[Status: Excited / Contemptuous / Aggressive]
Loran watched the numbers above her head shift without the slightest emotional reaction.
He had expected this exact response.
“We can beat him,” he said calmly. “Then what?”
He looked back at her.
“After Margit? What’s your plan? Fight Banished Knights and grafted nobles in melee with 9 Intelligence and slightly boosted Faith?”
“I…”
Kiro froze.
Loran didn’t give her time to come up with an argument.
“The Weeping Peninsula. Castle Morne. Best early-game rune farming area.”
“There are several churches there too. You can get Sacred Tears and strengthen your flasks.”
Then he paused deliberately before delivering the real bait.
“And most importantly…”
He looked directly into Kiro’s eyes.
“There’s Frenzied Flame there.”
The words hit her like an electric shock.
Kiro instantly perked up again.
In the game, the Frenzied Flame was a path completely opposed to the Golden Order. For players obsessed with power, the sheer spectacle and destructive force of Frenzied Flame incantations held irresistible appeal.
And for someone like Kiro—
The concept itself was even more tempting than weapons or armor.
For a self-proclaimed prophet build player, nothing was more attractive than a set of powerful forbidden incantations.
Kiro fell silent.
She lowered her head and absentmindedly curled a strand of silver hair around her finger.
On one side:
The immediate thrill of challenging Margit early.
On the other:
The long-term temptation of chaos and power.
Inside her “Wretch” brain, a fierce internal battle unlike any before was taking place.
Loran didn’t rush her.
He simply waited.
He already knew she would make the choice he wanted.
Because what he had offered wasn’t a suggestion.
It was an irresistible trade.
Finally, Kiro looked up.
“…Fine.”
She made up her mind.
“We’ll go to the Weeping Peninsula first. But after I get the incantations, we’re coming straight back to fight Margit. I’m not staying in some backwater countryside longer than necessary.”
[Affinity: -93 → -85]
[Status: Compromising / Anticipating / Impatient]
“Works for me,” Loran replied with a nod.
This was exactly the outcome he wanted.
The trip to the Weeping Peninsula wasn’t just about Frenzied Flame incantations. The area had abundant resources, enemies with manageable difficulty, and most importantly—
Friendly NPCs with full questlines.
The perfect testing ground for the newly unlocked [Gift System].
Agreement reached.
Objective decided.
But one very basic practical issue remained.
The distance from Gatefront in Limgrave to Castle Morne on the Weeping Peninsula wasn’t especially far in a straight line, but the terrain was uneven, with forests and enemies blocking the way.
Traveling on foot would take at least half a day.
Loran raised two fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp, clear whistle.
A spectral steed appeared at the call.
It affectionately nudged its head against Loran’s shoulder and snorted softly.
Torrent.