Chapter 36

Sellen was undeniably talented: simultaneously managing both her illusion and her true body was nearly impossible for an ordinary person—or even an extraordinary one.

But she wasn't called the most gifted sorceress in the history of the Raya Lucaria Academy for nothing, was she?

Now that she had a physical body, she could address matters she had been unable to resolve before. Chief among them was finding the Academy's founding fathers. Sellen was so gifted that only the founders themselves could teach her something truly intriguing and unique. Naturally, the exiled sorceress longed to seek out the teachers who had long since left the Academy.

However, this was no longer strictly necessary. What she needed most of all was knowledge, and Konstantin seemed to possess everything she sought—perhaps even more than the founders themselves. Even without mastering theoretical knowledge, he could execute spells in practice with a finesse unmatched by any sorcerer. For Sellen, this was more than enough to deconstruct powerful spells into their components and, eventually, master them herself.

The problem lay elsewhere.

It wasn't just Kosta who was influenced by those around him. The people who surrounded him also changed, perhaps subtly, in ways not immediately obvious—but they changed nonetheless. This was inevitable. They were altered by the Sunbearer who rolled through space and time, the one who held the keys to reshaping reality. How could it be otherwise?

At first, Sellen simply wanted to acquire the knowledge she needed. Now, however, she felt an urge to express her gratitude personally. Could there be a sillier reason to traverse half the continent? The man who had inspired Sellen, who extended a helping hand to women he didn't even truly know, thought differently.

They might not have bodies. They might be deceitful, duplicitous, or afflicted with a plague that twisted both body and soul. But none of that mattered to the Tarnished. He simply did what he wanted—because he could.

And Sellen wanted to follow his example.

Still, she first needed to set up a sanctuary somewhere—perhaps in the depths of a dungeon, catacombs, or a burial site. The Lands Between had no shortage of such places.

Unfortunately, the sorceress, despite planning her journey carefully, overlooked one detail.

"I can't say I'm pleased to see you, Seluvis."

Sellen had not expected an iron-clad bird to suddenly swoop down upon her.

Of course, after regaining her body, the sorceress checked to ensure nothing was amiss. Finding nothing critical, and distracted by Konstantin's adventures, she completely forgot about the possibility of a tracking beacon. Passive and devoid of obvious signals, it could have easily gone unnoticed.

'I'll have to inspect this body more thoroughly later,' she decided without much disappointment. After all, it was her own fault for not taking the matter seriously enough. The Tarnished had made her relax too much. A pleasant but foolish feeling. Perhaps that made it all the more pleasant.

Although she couldn't see it under the projection of her old acquaintance, the sorceress was certain the puppeteer had grimaced.

"I see you've quickly adapted to your new body."

Luckily, Sellen wore her favorite crown, so her own grimace remained hidden. Seluvis's tone was as condescending as ever.

"All thanks to your craftsmanship, Professor."

"Indeed," the arrogant sorcerer accepted the praise with ease. "There's still a debt between us, Sellen. Do you remember it?"

His voice turned tense and… fearful. He was clearly worried she might refuse him.

"And what trouble have you gotten yourself into, Seluvis?" she arched an eyebrow.

If one looked closely, they might notice the sorcerer's phantom looked dirty, as if he had recently been rolling in the mud. A piece of his mask was broken off, as though something heavy had struck him. Sellen's gaze lingered on his singed hat.

Despite her disdain for the vile puppeteer, Sellen calmly acknowledged that he was quite powerful. His main strength lay in his loyal puppets, an army he had amassed over the years. His minions ranged from monstrous creatures to skilled warriors and sorcerers.

And of course, his beloved marionettes, adored by magicians everywhere, were in a league of their own.

"I was set up," Seluvis's voice distorted. "Gideon has declared a hunt on me! A filthy Tarnished delivered a potion to him! That loathsome peasant, that wretched worm, that dimwitted…"

"I get it," Sellen interrupted with a slightly predatory smile.

She really did get it.

Apparently, the one who had brought her such a necessary ray of sunshine had found time to deliver the "gift" meant for the savage girl to her foster father.

Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing, could be as slippery and treacherous as he wanted, but none of that negated his power—if anything, it complemented it. More importantly, it didn't negate a certain attachment to his foster daughter.

Who would like discovering that the tool they had spent years honing was being claimed by a swindler—and an old enemy(1), no less?

Sellen didn't know the full details, but she could imagine the kind of feuds that might occur between two scoundrels. Of course, Konstantin could have crushed Seluvis himself, especially now that he possessed the rune of one of the most powerful demigods in the history of the Lands Between.

But that would have put him at odds with the puppeteer's mistress. She had made it clear she didn't want conflicts between them.

So, the Tarnished hadn't laid a finger on the sorcerer. He had simply warned the doting father that his daughter was in danger.

Given the demigoddess's character and her usual way of solving problems by delegating them to others, Sellen was sure the Tarnished's actions would have pleased her.

A shiver ran down the woman's spine.

Unlike the surprisingly modest daughter of a goddess, Sellen had no intention of provoking Lady Ranni—except, perhaps, just a little, when she was in a good mood.

"I need your help, Sellen," Seluvis said, somewhat calmer now.

Sellen didn't want to agree. Seluvis was entirely to blame for his predicament—who in their right mind assigned such tasks to the first person they met?

There hadn't even been a single "fetch quest" as a prelude!

And yet, she couldn't outright refuse him. A deal was a deal. The only thing that could force her to abandon the quest thrust upon her would be some urgent matter of her own.

For instance, if someone were to try and kill her—or something along those lines.

"I understand," the woman sighed quietly. "I need to know whe…"

The sorceress flinched as she felt the defensive wards at her refuge's entrance shattered by a powerful burst of energy.

"Sellen?"

Seluvis frowned, noticing how the sorceress suddenly became alarmed and began looking around. She seemed about to say something, but then the puppeteer heard something explode behind her, followed by a different woman's voice:

"…we need to discuss something, Sellen…"

The last thing Seluvis saw before the connection was severed was a cloaked figure with a massive club hurtling toward the barrier shielding the sorceress.

Something definitely exploded.

"Marika's tits!" Seluvis cursed.

Or didn't curse. It depended on your perspective.

He doubted the sorceress would be able to help him anytime soon. Could she have orchestrated this?..

Still, he didn't have time to ponder. Like the exiled sorceress, Seluvis jerked upright as he felt the protective wards of his latest refuge shattered. Rapid footsteps echoed closer.

"Marika's tits…"

It seemed he needed to flee once again.

Blaidd couldn't express how overjoyed he was to see Konstantin. The half-wolf couldn't even recall the last time he had hugged someone so tightly. Kosta's warrior companion piqued his interest, but he was far too ecstatic to ask questions.

Especially when he had such an interesting topic to discuss!

"You won't believe what I saw, my friend!" Blaidd exclaimed. "The explosion was so loud, I thought my ears would fall off—ha-ha! It was awful!"

Konstantin unexpectedly felt a pang of guilt.

"I didn't think about that. I'm sorry, Blaidd."

The half-wolf's grinning face froze.

"What?"

Kosta's story wasn't long: he'd arrived, participated in a festival, and casually defeated a demigod…

Konstantin wasn't one for dramatic storytelling; truthfully, he didn't see the need. Even his brief summary was enough to make Blaidd's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.

"Y-you defeated the Starscourge?! Stars above, how can you talk about it so casually?!"

Blaidd clutched his snout.

"While I was stuck here, you were fighting a demigod for Lady Ranni! How could I miss that?!"

The wolf raised his head and howled loudly.

Millicent felt a genuine pang of sympathy for Blaidd. As a warrior herself, she would've loved to participate in such a challenging battle. But deep down, she knew there was nothing she could've done.

"You wouldn't have been able to do anything," Millicent murmured softly, exhaling deeply as memories of the fight surfaced. "It was terrifying… When the demigod took to the skies, and the meteors—"

"Awooo!!!"

Millicent stopped mid-sentence, startled by Blaidd's even more desperate howling.

"How could I have missed this!!!" his mournful cry seemed to say.

Konstantin, watching the wolf's distress, didn't know where to look. Outwardly composed, he was inwardly consumed with guilt.

"We can hunt the stag together if you want…" he offered hesitantly.

"Awooo…"

Of course, Blaidd couldn't wallow in self-pity for too long. Grinding his teeth, he swallowed the bitterness that overwhelmed him. Perhaps he'd howl at the moon later in private when no one could see him.

After all, they still had a mission to complete.

That said, Blaidd didn't decline the offer of a stag hunt. The spectral deer had been a thorn in his side during his navigation woes, and he was more than willing to settle the score.

Without needing to search for and ignite beacons(2), the process was much smoother and faster. Before long, a determined Blaidd and Millicent set off on their hunt.

An albinauric joined them soon after. Upon arriving, she looked sorrowfully at Konstantin, stroking the spirit wolves that now served as her legs.

"I thought you'd forgotten about me…"

The spirit wolves howled mournfully alongside her.

"Everything would be much easier if you didn't all love fighting so much…" Kosta sighed.

The man's unexpected conclusion made Latenna smile faintly.

She had noticed how the Tarnished was slowly, almost imperceptibly, changing. As his emotions and feelings grew more pronounced, he became more human. With his increasing strength, it seemed he was shedding invisible constraints.

It was fascinating to watch. In some ways, he reminded Latenna of herself, having undergone her own long transformation.

"You're hardly one to talk, Konstantin of the Tarnished," the archer said, smiling as she drew the string of her bow.

Konstantin remained impassive, turning his gaze toward the massive stag that Blaidd and Millicent were already charging toward.

"Let's just hope it doesn't clip through the textures like its counterpart(3)…"

The albinauric glanced at Konstantin, outwardly unflinching.

What once had seemed like madness now felt more like calculated mockery.

She didn't want to know what he truly meant.

Sighing, she patted her wolf's mane, giving it a command. Her spectral companions rushed forward to assist Blaidd and Millicent.

The beleaguered spirit, fending off the relentless half-wolf and warrior, let out a plaintive wail as it saw the approaching archer and her wolves. Clearly, the spirit was no tryhard eager for challenges. The stag's fate was sealed.

The victory over this minor boss lifted Blaidd's spirits, as it would any true Soulslike enthusiast. The now more cheerful half-wolf considered bringing the wandering merchant along, but…

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, merchant?"

The merchant merely waved lazily, continuing to play his favorite instrument.

"Come… come if you want to buy something, dear customers… I'll stay here…"

Blaidd scratched his furry chin.

"Suit yourself, friend…"

To say that Ranni's loyal servant and sworn brother was astonished by Konstantin's ability to traverse the Lands Between with such ease would be an understatement.

Already not in the best of moods (though the stag hunt had improved his spirits slightly), the wolf grew visibly more sullen.

He knew Finger Maidens could assist the Tarnished in traveling great distances, but the fact that Konstantin could do so himself…

Later, he would need to howl at the universe's unfairness for a bit longer.

The scale of sprawling Nokron amazed both the red-haired warrior and the moonlit demigoddes' servant. The massive stone structures of this long-forgotten civilization filled the subterranean realm, their eerie grandeur leaving them awestruck.

Millicent never imagined she would find herself in such a breathtaking place. Accustomed to the many shades of rot, it was difficult for her to grasp that somewhere nearby, there was an entire world untouched by the dreadful curse.

Unlike the others, Kosta remained largely indifferent to the sights around him. His mind was elsewhere.

"The Pillar of Casualness is near…" he muttered darkly.

The ominous tone of his voice made his companions instinctively tense up.

"The Pillar… of Casualness?" Millicent whispered.

Kosta nodded grimly.

"The Mimic Tear. A Tear that fights against those who summon it…"

His cold, ominous words left Blaidd and Millicent even more on edge. They exchanged uneasy glances.

Nokron loomed over them. Its oppressive grandeur, cold stone walls, eternal subterranean night, and false stars created a foreboding atmosphere. Any one of these elements alone might not faze a Soulslike inhabitant, but together…

"Let's find the blade and get out of here," Blaidd declared resolutely.

Millicent nodded quickly. She didn't fully understand what blade he meant, but she wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment.

They were quickly forming a strong bond.

Konstantin shrugged.

The Sites of Grace were present even here. The local atmosphere didn't deter him, which meant that soon, he could return and… do some light farming.

Of course, Nokron wasn't completely deserted. Aside from the innumerable spirits, the fallen city in every sense of the word boasted an abundance of tears. Kosta, who had only recently expressed an interest in the path of a scholar (a lore enthusiast), had a vague understanding of what they actually were. He knew they were some sort of casual experiment, but that was the extent of his knowledge. What he was certain of, however, was how utterly irritating they could be.

The formless silver masses that inhabited Nokron could mimic attacks and even take the forms of their opponents. On their own, they might seem harmless, but that was only until they cornered you in a group, like the most treacherous of casuals.

Millicent would long remember being chased by a silver woman with a crossbow who seemed to ignore all their attacks.

...Or was it a silver man with a zweihander?

While they ultimately posed no real threat to Konstantin, the atmosphere remained no less unsettling.

It became particularly eerie when they encountered…

A ball.

"Why did you stop, Konstantin?" the half-wolf asked, leaning casually against the sphere.

"Balls…" Kosta squinted. "Their treachery is the stuff of legends… Step away from that thing. Slowly."

Millicent blinked.

Blaidd scratched his snout, already about to ask what the Tarnished meant when suddenly…

The ball he was leaning on moved.

Lady Ranni be his witness, Blaidd was brave—nearly fearless. Of course, he experienced the full spectrum of emotions, and fear was no exception, but at that moment, in the forgotten city under the artificial stars, filled with strange mimics, when that cursed ball moved…

The once-silent city echoed with half-wolf howls, growing especially loud as the ball gained speed, rolling after its fleeing prey.

In truth, the danger wasn't all that significant. At least not for the Tarnished who had defeated three demigods.

Boom!

The massive sphere shattered into pieces as it collided with Konstantin's fist. His cold glare, forged by the hardships of life and loathing for these accursed balls, bore into the shattered remains of the monstrosity, perfectly conveying his feelings about the treacherous contraption.

"I've dreamed of this moment for so long…" Kosta admitted.

Millicent blinked again, glancing at the ball's scattered remains.

The massive half-wolf, who had somehow managed to hide behind Konstantin, hiccupped.

"I… I wasn't scared at all…"

If Melina and Sellen had been observing, they undoubtedly would've had some comment, but unfortunately, they were a bit occupied at the moment.

Kosta shrugged.

"Let's move on."

Someone was watching them. Konstantin knew it. But after he smashed the treacherous ball with his fist, the potential threats vanished as if they'd never been there.

Back in the Starry Wastes, he'd grown accustomed to potential farming targets fleeing before he could act unless he actively pursued them. Now, however, the fear had reached a whole new level: opponents didn't even try to show themselves anymore, preferring to disappear entirely before the powerful psycho could so much as glance their way.

He had long since come to terms with this. But that didn't make the situation any less depressing.

The path he'd walked, the well-being of his waifus…

Everything demanded a price.

And this became especially evident when they finally stumbled upon one of the pillars of casual power.

The Nokron presented to Konstantin was much larger than the one he had seen in the game. Far more expansive, with a multitude of pathways and routes. Only by knowing the general direction, possessing the supernatural sense developed by Soulslike players navigating without guides, and, of course, thanks to Grace, did he have a rough idea of where and how to go.

So, it wasn't entirely surprising that the appearance of the Mimic Tear caught him off guard.

It began to coalesce before them suddenly. On yet another bridge, one of the many shapeless blobs distinguished itself subtly from the others. Kosta sensed it.

"You-Who-Strips-Casuals-Bare(4)… So, we meet at last."

Millicent and Blaidd once again cast nervous glances at the man.

He stepped forward, patiently waiting for the opponent to finish its mimicry.

Surprisingly, the Tarnished could feel something unseen… as if it were scanning him. Trying casually to extract information, adapt to him, mimic him.

It was a strange sensation he wouldn't have noticed without his leveled perception, but Konstantin had been leveling up for a long time.

The Tarnished frowned, noticing the Mimic Tear hesitate. It trembled strangely, struggling to assume a form but only managed to produce an odd "blorp." Then again. And again. And again.

"Maybe it's not feeling well?" Millicent whispered.

Blaidd scratched his snout.

Kosta, feeling his brow twitch, approached the great and terrible Mimic Tear.

"Don't disgrace the pinnacle of casualness," he said, his voice alone cowing the Mimic Tear. "Come on, you can do it!"

The creature, seemingly nodding eagerly with its gelatinous body, hastily began taking Kosta's form, mimicking him.

Soon enough, a perfect replica of the man stood before him. Except, instead of the stoic composure it should've displayed, the copy trembled, staring at him as if he were a monster.

Clearly, the Mimic Tear was intelligent in its own way.

"You…"

The Mimic Tear, shattering Kosta's mind further, unexpectedly knelt before him, extending its hand.

Konstantin stared blankly at the mimic.

"HEART… STOLEN(5)?… No, n-no, not this…"

Blaidd and Millicent froze, trembling, for the first time seeing a flicker of panic cross the face of the bearer of three Great Runes.

Truly, Nokron was terrifying. So terrifying that it could instill fear even in the unflinching Tarnished.

Defeating one of the mightiest demigods was child's play in comparison. Melina and Sellen, busy with their own matters, could never have imagined what they were missing.

Meanwhile, the blade was drawing closer.

(1) It's mentioned in the game that Gideon and Seluvis were once quite friendly. Fortunately for the rest of the Lands Between, they ended up becoming bitter enemies after failing to settle a dispute over a woman.

(2) Reaching the boss isn't easy: the player must light eight beacons, which first need to be found. Honestly, if it weren't for online videos, I'd never have even known about this boss—or about the majority of other bosses, for that matter ಠ_ಠ.

(3) For some reason, an enhanced version of the spirit can fall through the textures and die. According to discussions on Reddit, this issue is systematic and, to this day, remains unfixed. Source: YouTube Link.

(4) Since the boss completely copies the player's gear and abilities, the community quickly discovered a way to turn the enemy into a punching bag: simply strip down before entering the arena and re-equip your gear once inside. The boss will appear completely naked, completely unprepared for such a trick.

(5) "HEART STOLEN" — this is the message the player sees if they fall under Miquella's charms twice, sending them to the loading screen.