The ruined church materialized through the mist.
Nidhogg climbed over a crumbling wall and stepped inside, unconsciously rubbing the golden ring on his finger.
He moved cautiously through the fog, alert and listening intently to avoid any surprise attacks.
Soon, he traversed the length of the ruined church. In the distance, he dimly made out a figure sitting in a gap in the broken wall. The silhouette suggested a woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat.
Nidhogg raised an eyebrow and thought to himself: Ha. The Spirit Calling Bell and Spirit Ashes I was missing—aren't they right here?
He stepped forward, stopped before the woman, and calmly looked her over from head to toe.
She was dressed primarily in blue and white, wearing a witch's hat wide enough to cover her entire body, a soft shawl, and robes. She looked elegant.
But the strangest thing was her face and hands.
She appeared to have two faces: one with its left eye open and right eye closed, and another ethereal face overlapping it.
The woman had four arms, overlapping one another, yet she didn't look frightening at all. Instead, she possessed an eerie beauty.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am a witch... Ranni." Ranni made no attempt to hide her identity. "I heard someone was riding a spectral steed. It took me some time to find you. It seems that someone is you."
Ranni's voice was quite soft and calm.
"That spirit horse—its name is Torrent. You can summon it, yes?"
Nidhogg nodded, showed Ranni the golden ring on his finger—the Spirit Calling Bell—and replied, "That's right."
A faint smile appeared on Ranni's face.
"Good. A straightforward answer. I simply wished to entrust something to you. It was entrusted to me by Torrent's former master."
"This item is called the Spirit Calling Bell. With it and the spirit ashes of those who have fallen, you can summon spirits. These spirits will temporarily acknowledge you as their master and recreate the semblance of the battle they fought before death."
One of Ranni's hands extended, offering an ordinary-looking bell to Nidhogg.
"Well then, use it as you see fit. Forgive me, but I believe we shall meet again. Let us stop here for tonight..."
Her four arms folded gracefully, one over another. She looked away from Nidhogg, gazing at the night sky. Her entire form began to dissolve into fragments of light.
And then, the entire ruined church dissolved into motes of light.
Countless points of light floated in the air, like stars dancing among the heavens.
The mist gradually dissipated. In the end, nothing remained on the hillside.
Nidhogg stood in an empty hayfield, feeling as though he had dreamed. But the heavy sensation in his hand told him this was no dream.
Ranni...
She hadn't introduced herself as "Renna the Witch" this time, unlike Melina. Their first encounter had changed in some ways. How much had truly changed? Could he trust her?
After all, this wasn't the Lands Between of Elden Ring. This was the world of Berserk. Everything shifted along with it.
He looked at the Spirit Calling Bell in his hand. It currently contained only one type of spirit ash: "Lone Wolf Ashes."
Jingle.
Nidhogg shook the bell. True to its purpose, three translucent, not-very-bright wild wolves were summoned before him. They materialized, circled Nidhogg, and looked around alertly.
Summoning them had cost a considerable amount of Focus Points. Nidhogg didn't mind—he could replenish them with his Flask of Cerulean Tears.
There were no enemies nearby. After some time, the three wild wolves vanished on their own and returned to the Spirit Calling Bell.
It seemed the bell worked exactly as described. There was no spatial limitation, only a time limit. Once he actively summoned them, he couldn't recall them. He could only wait for them to disappear.
In the future, he would surely acquire other spirit ashes.
This brief encounter with Ranni stayed with Nidhogg, but he didn't dwell on it excessively.
He knew there were many mysteries surrounding him. His advantage lay in focusing on what he could do, not overthinking or obsessing over things beyond his control.
Nidhogg produced the Golden Seed and Sacred Tear. He placed them into his Flask of Crimson & Cerulean Tears, letting them purify and strengthen it.
Thus, both the number of times he could drink from the Flask and the amount restored per drink increased.
Next, he used a Smithing Stone on his Lordsworn's Greatsword.
Smithing Stones could improve a weapon's performance.
Generally, Smithing Stones were categorized into types: Smithing Stone [1], Smithing Stone [2], Smithing Stone [3], Somber Smithing Stones, Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones, and so on.
Moreover, weapon enhancement with Smithing Stones usually required a blacksmith.
But the Smithing Stones Nidhogg had received apparently didn't come with such restrictions. There weren't many grades, and he could strengthen his own weapons himself. Naturally, he used them on the weapon he used most frequently.
「Lordsworn's Greatsword +1」
Thus, his greatsword was now sharper and more durable than when he had fought Boscogn.
Nidhogg then touched the golden brand and tried to summon Melina.
Melina usually appeared on her own. She rarely responded to Nidhogg's calls, and he never knew where she went during those times.
Nidhogg tried calling Melina again today. Fortunately, this time he succeeded without delay.
Melina wore her hooded cloak and slowly emerged from white light. But she suddenly turned her head, looked around, then fixed her gaze on Nidhogg and asked, "She was here, wasn't she?"
"If you mean Ranni, yes, she was here." Nidhogg produced the Spirit Calling Bell. "She gave me this."
Melina stared at the Spirit Calling Bell with her right eye for a long moment. She offered no opinion on Ranni or the bell, but simply asked, "Why did you summon me?"
"It's about the rune melting you mentioned earlier." Nidhogg said. "I've reached Level 54 now. I can give you the unused equipment and have it melted into runes."
Melina wasted no words. She stepped forward. "Then let me touch you. Silently name the equipment you wish to give me. I will melt them down and simultaneously channel runes of equivalent value into your body."
She extended her scarred hand and pressed it against Nidhogg's chest, touching the golden brand—nearly touching his heart.
Nidhogg did as instructed.
One by one, he melted down: the Lordsworn's Straight Sword, the Longsword, the Ashen Knight's Battle Axe, the Black Boar Lance, the Green Tiger Trident, the Purple Rhino Battle Axe, the Heater Shield, and the entire Vagabond Knight Set. All were converted into runes and channeled back into him.
「Rune Melting (Completed)」 LV 54 → LV 60
In one go, he had risen six levels.
When it was done, Melina withdrew her hand and said, "If you ever need runes again, even if you simply call my name—if I hear you, I will surely come."
"So I hope you will continue to travel safely with Torrent. Of course, you and Torrent shouldn't enjoy yourselves too much..."
Melina reminded him quietly, then dissolved into another burst of white light and vanished. Nidhogg didn't even have time to explain himself. He could only shrug and watch her go.