Two days later, Kaito had to marvel at the vastness of this world.
He rode his horse, holding the Fire Keeper, and finally arrived at the foot of the mountain where the Cave of Knowledge was located.
It was clearly a large mountain. Kaito saw a small castle there, but given its dilapidated state, he wasn't interested.
As for the Tree Sentinel?
Coincidentally, Kaito had thought he'd have to search the area tomorrow, but perhaps attracted by the smell of his barbecue that night, he felt a slight tremor in the ground. Standing up to look, he saw the Tree Sentinel charging towards him.
Tree Sentinels, guardians of the Erdtree.
No matter who the Elden Lord was, they were only loyal to the Erdtree.
In Elden Ring, the emblem on someone's helmet usually indicated what they served.
So, looking at the Tree Sentinel before him, the small Erdtree emblem on its helmet made it clear who it served.
Perhaps they had received strong blessings from the Erdtree.
Thus, Tree Sentinels were all large, and even their horses were large.
Here, there wasn't just one Tree Sentinel, but dozens charging together!
Each was a burly man over two or three meters tall, incredibly fierce.
Those holding the Erdtree Greatshield were known as the living bulwark of the Erdtree?
They all wore heavy golden armor, like fully armored knights.
The largest among them was likely the Tree Sentinel Captain, probably a true BOSS type among the minor BOSSes?
Even larger, with even more violent combat power.
Charging with the Erdtree Greatshield and the Golden Halberd!!
The momentum was formidable.
Why did they immediately become hostile to Tarnished?
It was easy to understand: it probably had nothing to do with whether he wanted to become the Elden Lord. The main issue was that the Erdtree now refused entry to everyone, so the Tree Sentinels attacked indiscriminately.
Furthermore, "Tarnished" had two meanings: one referring to the group who lost and regained their blessing, and one specifically referring to the player character.
There would only be one Lord. All Tarnished had the chance, but since none were Lord yet, they wouldn't follow anyone.
So they obeyed the Erdtree.
Who knew what was wrong with it?
Didn't the Erdtree also want a Tarnished to become the new Elden Lord and usher in a new age of the Erdtree!?
Originally, Tree Sentinels could also be encountered in Leyndell, Royal Capital, but due to game difficulty, they were removed from there.
Was this to spare players?
From going crazy against the hordes of Tree Sentinels?
See, the mercy of Miyazaki Hidetaka~
What?
It was said that Miyazaki only released the game after beating it himself, so maybe he found too many Tree Sentinels and couldn't win, so he left just one?
That could be.
According to the lore, Tree Sentinels should be everywhere.
"My Lord, I'll assist you too!"
Seeing the enemy's fierce advance, the Fire Keeper couldn't just stand behind Kaito guarding him anymore.
"Well, don't worry. Judging by their levels, they aren't that far above me."
"Besides..."
Kaito's lips curled up.
As a rock spear materialized in his hand...
!!!
Kicking up sand and dust, he shot forward like a rocket, keeping low to the ground. Charging straight at the Tree Sentinel group, both sides raised their weapons to engage.
Clang—!
Bam—!
Kaito halted his advance, the rock spear in his hand colliding with the captain's Golden Halberd.
The resulting shockwave swept the surrounding area.
Amidst the flying sand and rocks, the other Tree Sentinels didn't just watch. Raising their Erdtree Greatshields and wielding slightly smaller Golden Halberds, they charged on horseback.
Within 3 seconds, a full 360-degree encirclement was formed.
They moved fast, and their formation shifted even faster.
Their eyes were filled with murderous intent, especially when they noticed Kaito was a Tarnished!
"This won't do."
Smirking slightly, Kaito withdrew his spear, spun around, and targeted the regular Tree Sentinels first, saving the captain for last.
Among them, only the Tree Sentinel Captain made Kaito feel any pressure.
That was only in a fair fight based on their respective levels, excluding abilities.
The fact that he had blocked Kaito's rock spear earlier proved that.
As for the other Tree Sentinels, sorry, Kaito didn't even consider them a threat.
If they weren't in the way, he wouldn't bother with them.
"Heh..."
The fight continued.
Kaito spun and began his slaughter.
With War God's martial arts, he easily pierced through the Tree Sentinels. Even their Erdtree Greatshields couldn't provide effective defense.
Even if they blocked, the impact from the rock spear's tip would send them flying.
Kaito wouldn't let them go. He would press the attack, hurling a rock spear to finish them off, then immediately form another to attack others.
Repeating this, it was a one-sided massacre.
Covered in blood, Kaito stood before the Tree Sentinel Captain.
The captain's expression was blank, somewhat numb to his subordinates' deaths, but his gaze towards Kaito was filled with overwhelming killing intent.
Clomp, clomp, clomp...
The massive warhorse charged again under the captain's command.
Kaito didn't idle either. He charged forward and clashed again.
Clang, clang, clang, clang—
Clash, clash, clash, clash—
Sparks flew from the tips of their spears as they ground against each other.
Kaito completely dominated in martial skill, while the captain relied on his higher level and familiarity!
Then, Kaito killed the captain's horse, forcing him to fight on foot.
"You killed my horse!?"
The captain's eyes reddened as he looked at the horse impaled by Kaito's spear.
Before, with his horse, the captain had a slight advantage against Kaito.
Now, without it, while his strength didn't exactly plummet, it hindered him from performing at his best.
He was clearly the type who excelled at mounted combat.
Shlick—!!
A rock spear pierced the captain's body.
One spear wasn't enough; more followed.
After a full ten minutes of intense combat, Kaito finally seized an opening and killed him.
"Excluding abilities, in a fair fight relying solely on martial arts, even with your higher level suppressing me, lasting this long against my martial skills is something you can be proud of in hell."
Looking at the captain's corpse, Kaito took the Erdtree Greatshield and the large Golden Halberd.
He couldn't use them, but he could sell them.
These were his trophies.
"My Lord, congratulations on winning the battle!!"
The Fire Keeper came running, her face flushed, immediately casting a healing spell on Kaito.
Even though Kaito was completely unharmed, the ten minutes of intense combat had certainly drained much of his stamina.
"Okay, okay, I'm fine."
The Fire Keeper nodded, then helped Kaito clean the blood off and dried his clothes.
She was getting very familiar with this task.
After a while, Kaito used his ability to bury the corpses in the ground. He respected these enemies and allowed them to rest with dignity.
After that, he stood before the Fire Keeper to level up.
This jump brought him to level 35! The Tree Sentinels indeed gave a lot of experience!
The Erdtree Greatshield and Golden Halberd were also excellent weapons, with built-in skills!
Weapons of this level could be stored in the system inventory.
Once he cleared the activity, he could continue using them later.
This indicated these were indeed no ordinary weapons.
After resting for a while, Kaito was about to eat something and then sleep.
Pfft...
"Heh, looks like everyone likes to fight at night?"
Kaito rubbed his chin, looking at the figures of more Tree Sentinels appearing.
There was a captain among them earlier, but Kaito had killed him.
Either they were usual field BOSSes respawning weekly,
or they were true (minor) BOSSes that never respawned, leaving only the common troops.
Though their numbers were greater than the first wave, they were still no match for Kaito.
This time, he was too lazy to move. He simply stomped his right foot, and rock spikes impaled their horses!
The surviving horses panicked. Some Tree Sentinels died instantly.
The living ones?
They didn't run but continued charging.
Soon, Kaito killed all the Tree Sentinels without moving much, leveling up again.
Great, very satisfying!
More, perhaps?
Unfortunately, nothing else happened, and he slept well through the night.
Since that was the case, he decided to linger in the area for a while.
Kaito and the Fire Keeper set out on foot towards Stormveil Castle.
Kaito was now level 40. In theory, he could attempt to challenge Godrick the Grafted.
The only regret was that his horse had been killed by Tree Sentinel archers.
He had been in the midst of intense combat; the enemy was cunning. Knowing they couldn't hit Kaito, they shot arrows at the Fire Keeper and the horse.
The Fire Keeper dodged, but the horse wasn't so skilled.
So, Kaito and the Fire Keeper had to continue on foot.
Stormveil Castle, the royal capital of Limgrave.
Walking along the main road, they saw many small villages and even large towns.
Kaito didn't enter these places. He continued forward, spending every night outdoors.
Until one day...
Approaching the Stormgate.
Kaito awoke slowly from his sleep, saw the Fire Keeper still sleeping, sighed, and then smiled helplessly.
'So Melina had finally come, and she had deliberately made the Fire Keeper sleep more deeply to avoid her interference?'
"So... you've been secretly following and watching me all this time?"
A woman in a black robe was crouching by the campfire outside the tent, warming herself.
Noticing Kaito, she tossed the stick in her hand into the fire, stood up, and gave a slight bow.
"Greetings, one who has crossed the mist."
"My name is Melina..."
To show she meant no harm, as Kaito sat by the fire, she stepped forward, crouched down, and pulled back her hood.
Beneath the black robe, her clothing was simple, unremarkable.
The most striking feature was her closed left eye and the mark above it, resembling a skeletal dragon's claw.
"Do not worry, I mean no harm."
"I came here to discuss a condition, or perhaps a trade."
Melina's voice was slow, pleasant to hear, with an archaic intonation.
Kaito simply looked at her silently. Melina looked back at him silently.
It seemed she would only proceed if Kaito agreed.
If he didn't?
She would keep looking at him until he was willing to listen!
And this concerned Kaito's Maiden (the Fire Keeper)!
But Melina's appearance finally put Kaito at ease.
Since she had come, could his other wife, Ranni... oh no, was far away?
And maybe Rennala?
Kaito's heart stirred.
Though Rennala was large, a giantess, it didn't matter!
As long as he was strong enough!
Besides, Rennala's situation was quite pitiable!
"Go ahead. I hope to hear an interesting story."
"...Alright."
Melina nodded softly and began to explain her proposition slowly.