Chapter 843 - 842: Pure Love, Cuckold, and Simp

In Ben's imagination, the ending should have been a happy one for Melina and the Tarnished.

Well, that wish seems a bit too much to ask for in a Souls-like game.

But at the very least, it should have been like the "End of Fire" ending in Dark Souls, the "Dragon's Return" in Sekiro, or the "Rise of the Great Ones" in Bloodborne.

But what about Elden Ring right now?

Great flames burned on the Tarnished, and the Frenzied Flame had set the entire Erdtree ablaze, thus engulfing the entire Lands Between.

In the dim ruins, a disheveled woman gradually approached the center. On the ground lay a ring glowing with fire – the Tarnished's Spirit Steed Ring.

The woman squatted down, picked up the still-burning ring, and murmured, "The Lord of Frenzied Flame..."

It was Melina's voice.

"I will definitely come to your side..."

Her hand gripping the ring slowly tightened, and at the same time, her tightly shut eyes opened for the first time.

One eyeball was a purplish-blue like the starry sky, while the other was a deathly white pupil.

"To offer you... Death, Destined to Kill!"

Looking at the final ending, and with the credits already rolling, Ben couldn't snap out of it for a long time.

This wasn't the ending he wanted!

Melina was going to kill him in the end!?

I bled so much for you, suffered so much for you, and this is all I get!?

In that moment, Ben felt a bit bewildered.

Then he switched out of the game and opened the official Elden Ring community on Nebula Games.

He wanted to see if there were other endings for Melina in the game.

However, he didn't find any other endings.

Instead, he found other players who were just as confused and distressed as he was.

"Melina... my Melina, why did it end up like this? Am I really just a tool?"

"Melina, I hate you for being so cold! If you had just said 'Help me,' I would have gladly died, but you said it was a transaction. Who do you think I was jumping over heaven and earth for? I didn't want to clean up after demigods, nor did I want to grind in dungeons to get stronger. I just wanted to feel needed. I've fought from Caelid all the way to the Altus Plateau. If staffs could complain, I'd be holding a chainsaw right now. I've been killing miners for ten years. My heart has grown colder than the crystal ores in the dungeons. For you, I chose to burn myself, only for you to turn against me and hunt me down. Melina, how will you ever repay what you owe me?!"

"Damn! Bro, that's too intense!"

"Realistically, Ranni can be married, Fia gives hugs, and the Teacher even left me a fallback option. Why do I have to be a tool and a simp?"

"Tarnished: [Melina, I can't even beat Margit yet, but I'll take you to the Royal Capital. If I ever become Elden Lord, would you consider being with me?], Melina: [Are you never going to stop?]"

"Masters, I've realized it! What does the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending mean? It means I've gone mad!"

"Melina and everyone else are wives. Can she be a wife? No, she can't. She doesn't have the capability, you know? If this continues, she'll lose to Ranni. After losing to Ranni, she'll lose to the Teacher, then lose to the Turtle. After that, there's no one left for her to lose to."

Although there was a hint of sarcasm, for many players, Melina's performance was truly frustrating.

As with other Souls-like games, even if there wasn't one in the game, many players defaulted to considering the Finger Maiden as the heroine. This was the case with Zullie the Witch in Sekiro and the Doll in Bloodborne.

But who would have thought that Melina, who took on the role of a Finger Maiden, would end up in such a situation?

Although the game has corresponding dialogues that allow for emotional interaction between Melina and the Tarnished, such as the initial cold transaction, and then seeing Melina wanting to hold the Tarnished's hand in the snowy mountains, only to pull back, and also being able to talk to Melina before the Royal Capital's sewers, where she would plead with the Tarnished to stay away from the Frenzied Flame.

But these were all restrained expressions. If it had been like Sekiro or Dark Souls, Melina's characterization would have been sufficient.

The critical point is that in Elden Ring, there isn't just Melina.

The Teacher, who cares about the Tarnished and assures them that there's always a place for them in the magical academy, needs no further mention.

The tsundere Ranni even reaches out to hold the Tarnished's hand in the final Star ending, welcoming a new era together. The only one who's truly pathetic is the Wolf Man.

Fia also offers hugs throughout the entire game, which is also a form of transaction. See how sincere Fia is? The Tarnished was a scumbag from the very first encounter. It's a pity for the Dead Prince. Of course, the most pathetic is the death of the Dragon. It didn't understand that the Dead Prince just wanted to die, so it earnestly came to prevent the Dead Prince's death. It wouldn't listen to advice and was killed, its death being truly unfair.

Pure love warriors, cuckolds, and simps – all the elements are there!

What? You say Ranni's questline also involved simping?

Is that the same thing? With all sorts of endings available, can that be called simping?

Ben sighed as he watched players discussing the various related storylines of Ranni, Fia, and Melina online.

Of course, players focusing on Melina and Ranni's emotional connection with the Tarnished wasn't the mainstream.

More players were diligently studying "Ring Lore."

This is also a hallmark of Souls-like games. For Souls players, the initial experience is common: suffering.

After adapting to the suffering gameplay and themes of Souls-like games, players' curiosity shifts to another aspect: what story is the game telling?

Souls-like games give players a very unique feeling of unfamiliarity with the world.

Just like when players first encountered Dark Souls and Bloodborne... players are extremely unfamiliar with this world.

And unlike ordinary RPGs, Souls-like games hide all content within various items and corners of the map.

Players need to discover and imagine everything bit by bit.

Similar to Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, as players continue to dig, the character backgrounds of the supporting cast and the entire world view of Elden Ring are gradually becoming richer. Coupled with the conditions for achieving the six endings that have already been discovered.

When all the discovered clues are pieced together, players realize that the main story presented in Elden Ring is just the tip of the iceberg floating on the water.

The so-called Golden Tree era, and even the Elden Ring itself, are merely transient visitors in the long years that have passed on this land called the Lands Between.

(End of this chapter)