I offered incense at a shrine after leaving a quiet cave. An old man appeared, transformed me into a golden cicada, and disappeared. Reverting to my original form, I fought through several wolves and a massive ogre guarding a chest before falling to a rain of fire arrows.
I gave the Destined One another chance to meditate before continuing the journey ahead. Expecting to leap down from the ledge, I watched as the Destined One stopped abruptly at the very edge.
That moment confirmed that he would not jump down, proving that the game was not entirely open world and preventing me from dying whenever I wished.
I checked around to see where else I could go and spotted a path leading straight into a dark cave. I headed inside without knowing if enemies or monsters lay in wait, but I found no living soul around, only lit torches and a statue.
Continuing past the cave, I discovered a small shrine where I could offer incense to save my progress. Resting at the shrine fully restored my condition, though it also meant any nearby enemies would respawn.
Shortly after I finished resting, an old man suddenly appeared and declared that things were not that simple. He offered to transform me into a golden cicada so I could scout the mountain paths ahead without being noticed. He cast his magic, turned me into the small insect, and noted that while the form seemed humble, it remained remarkably versatile.
The old man dissolved directly into the shrine, leaving me behind in insect form. I realized I could transform back into the Destined One whenever I wished, but once I changed back, I could no longer return to the cicada form.
Knowing I had to face whatever waited ahead, I prepared to fight. I began attacking the local enemies one by one, encountering three wolves in the area. After dispatching the first two, I could not find the third wolf, as it had likely fled or wandered off elsewhere.
Further up the trail, I encountered another wolf and struck immediately, eliminating it before it had a chance to retaliate. Beyond the wolf sat a massive enemy, a giant creature that looked like an ogre guarding a treasure chest.
The monster charged forward with heavy attacks, but I stayed aggressive and limited the damage it could inflict. I activated my stun ability to freeze the creature in place, dealing massive damage while it remained immobilized, and finished it off with a final series of strikes.
With the guardian defeated, I opened the chest and collected several units of Evil-Decaying Medicine alongside a Tiny Piece of Gold.
Suddenly, a wolf stationed far off began launching fireballs toward me. I executed a spinning movement to deflect the incoming projectiles, only to realize they were actually fire arrows.
Even as I closed the distance between us, the archer continued firing arrows instead of switching to melee attacks. Just as I prepared to land the lethal blow, the archer released a final shot and brought me down.
All the pictures are take by me, from my gameplay. I took help from the internet for some words/names/locations used in this post.
