Happy first anniversary, Ring!
—
The three brothers in the next grotto were still waiting for the girl's arrival. The two Mia had knocked down last time had, sure enough, revived as well.
Mia decided to learn from her previous mistake and re-optimize her input-output ratio.
First, she had to identify her differentiated track and, through simple reuse of her advantageous resources, realize her own value transformation.
Through unique leverage, locate the vertical field she excelled in and elevate her positioning along the critical path.
Eliminate the waste of saturation strategy, embrace change, fully reopen the old ecosystem, and adopt a focused, point-to-line combined approach.
Break through the information cocoon, find the disruptive ignition point that overturns fixed thinking, and establish a reusable solution with high retention, high open rates, and high activity.
Build a result-oriented decision model: what others don't have, I have; what others have, I do better; what others do better, I change.
In simple terms—
Cast.
Since close-quarters combat put her at a disadvantage against three Wandering Nobles, she would play to her strengths and avoid her weaknesses.
Fire Sling. Fire Sling. Fire Sling.
The first fireball smashed into the noble closest to her. She immediately shifted targets. After the second shot flew, the final noble finally reacted to Mia in the distance.
She didn't wait for it to approach.
The third fireball arrived with a boom.
She easily dealt with the trio who had killed her twice.
Magic really was something else.
That said, Fire Sling still lacked flexibility. The casting wind-up was noticeable, and its range was limited.
Mia quietly made a decision: once she left this cave, the first thing she would do was find Teacher Sellen and learn glintstone sorcery.
After the flames on the Wandering Nobles died out, Mia searched again for rope, intending to bind them tightly.
This grotto's layout was more complex than the previous one.
An extinguished campfire. A crude pot rack. Thin sleeping rolls…
Everything suggested these caverns had once been shelters for the Wandering Nobles.
She had no time to investigate what had happened here. Unable to find sturdy rope, Mia tore strips from the sleeping rolls and firmly bound the soot-black, strangely odorous nobles.
Before entering the next grotto, she had to climb two stone steps about half her height.
Awkwardly bracing herself with both hands, she hauled herself up.
The space ahead suddenly opened.
A towering, open-roofed cavern like a stone courtyard. Light from the Erdtree filtered down through cracks above.
There would be a Godrick soldier with a crossbow stationed high up here. She needed to avoid him.
With memories from her previous life, Mia lifted her head.
At the center high above, on a stone arch spanning the cavern, a soldier stood silhouetted against the light.
She was cautious—
But a fraction too late.
The moment she looked up, a crossbow bolt flew—
Pfft.
It sank into her abdomen.
"Guh—"
Pain struck.
The force sent her tumbling down the steps, and she slipped out of the crossbowman's line of sight.
Back pressed against the stone, Mia panted. A thick bolt protruded from her lower abdomen. The pain made her curl up—
Yet her cheeks were flushed.
The movement tugged at the embedded bolt.
Agony shot through her, making her tremble.
She almost cried out.
"It hurts… If I don't pull it out, I can't move…"
With each harsh breath, blood pulsed from the wound.
Mia held her breath, grabbed the shaft, and pulled—
Pop.
A violent, prolonged spasm wracked her body. Every muscle tightened.
"Guh—ah!"
The blood-soaked bolt fell aside. The sharp barbs had torn free small fragments of tissue. Mia arched her neck like a swan, eyes closed, a strange flush spreading from ear to throat. She breathed heavily, faint sounds escaping between her teeth.
The intense pain sent her blood pressure surging, which only sped up the bleeding.
She had to heal quickly, or she would lose another life.
In her blood-slick hand appeared a crimson flask. Trembling, she lifted it and drank the sacred drop.
Sweet.
Like hot milk tea—not in taste, but in warmth spreading through her limbs.
In an instant, golden light flashed over the wound.
Then it was gone.
Only a faint echo of pain remained.
Her clothes, however, were still sticky with blood.
After catching her breath, Mia cautiously peeked up from behind the steps to locate the Godrick soldier above.
She could see him.
But she couldn't throw a fireball that far.
She had no shield. No other ranged weapon.
Glintstone sorcery would likely reach.
The thought further solidified her resolve to learn it once she left.
So for now, she relied on speed.
Whoosh—
She ducked as another bolt struck stone and ricocheted away.
After a brief pause, she peeked again, legs coiled.
Soon—
Whoosh—
Another bolt hit rock. The crossbowman had good eyesight, but mediocre aim.
In that instant, Mia leapt up from behind the steps.
The Godrick soldier was reloading.
Perfect window.
She kicked off—
Stumbled.
It had been years since she had properly sprinted, even before transmigrating.
She lurched forward two steps, regained balance, lowered her center of gravity, and dashed for the next tunnel.
The soldier finished loading and fired at the last moment as she exited his view.
He missed.
The bolt scraped past her back.
Like the Wandering Nobles, this undead soldier retained only combat instinct: load, fire, load, fire. Concepts like leading a moving target were beyond his withered mind.
Mia crossed the open cavern and returned to a dark tunnel.
The enemy ahead changed.
No longer weak Wandering Nobles.
Now a soldier wielding a long spear and a massive shield awaited her.
Mia's response did not change.
The soldier spotted her and charged with spear leveled.
Mia hurled a fireball.
The flame struck the enormous shield—a towering barricade that completely covered the soldier's bulky body, revealing only his head. The shield was absurdly large, thicker and taller than any shield in Earth's history. Less a shield and more a moving wall—taller than Mia herself—advancing with a bright spear tip protruding from its side.
Against cold weapons, it would be an impenetrable fortress.
Against magic—
Less so.
The fireball exploded upon contact. Flames wrapped around the shield. Though partially blocked, some curled around its edges and scorched the soldier's exposed face.
Burned, the undead soldier lost his vision. He howled and staggered backward.
That blind retreat exposed his body from behind the shield.
Pfft—
Mia's spear struck into his face.
She felt the resistance of bone.
She pushed harder.
The spear paused, then she shifted to a two-handed grip and lunged forward.
The blade pierced the skull with a chilling sound.
The tall warrior of the Lands Between dropped to his knees.
Planting her foot against his chest, she yanked the spear free.
He collapsed backward.
Not difficult.
That was her verdict.
She prodded his chest with the butt of her spear and heard metal clink beneath the cloak.
The classic luxurious grunt of fantasy.
And even more luxurious knights above them.
This one would need to be tied up as well.
After dealing with the soldier, Mia advanced along the tunnel. The connecting passages wound upward.
After several grottos, Wandering Nobles were no longer obstacles. If few and scattered, she speared them to conserve FP. If many, she used incantations to assist.
When encountering other Godrick soldiers, she repeated her simple combo: Fire Sling plus thrust.
After all, she was a Ring scholar who had cleared eight cycles.
Those first two deaths had only occurred because she wasn't accustomed to how real this world felt.
Once she adapted to the rules, her experience applied again.
Come to think of it, she had cast Fire Sling and Catch Flame many times, yet only once had she exhausted her FP during this run.
This account didn't feel like a true beginner's file.
Her FP bar was quite long.
The next room should be the second-to-last.
She remembered the Cave of Knowledge boss well—a Godrick soldier wielding a two-handed sword. A simple teaching fight meant to help new players integrate what they had just learned.
Not truly difficult.
She entered the second-to-last chamber.
There were no Wandering Nobles waiting.
In fact, there was no one standing at all.
No undead howls echoed.
Mia frowned at the unusual sight ahead.
A Godrick soldier lay slumped against the rock wall.
A greatshield stood beside him. A spear lay on the ground.
A corpse?
Mia glanced at him.
He didn't seem threatening.
Not worth attention.
She decided to pass.
Her bare feet kicked small stones as she walked through shallow water past the soldier's "body."
He moved.
Then a hoarse murmur echoed through the cavern.
Mia swallowed the fireball she had been about to cast.
"Oh?"
"You—" The soldier raised his head. "Where… did you come from?"