Naruto: Our Goal Is To Dig Every Corner of Konoha

The Ashen One quickly ignored everyone else and pulled the coiled sword from Gundyr's chest. However, as soon as the sword was removed, it disintegrated into particles of light and vanished. He would have to find the real coiled sword later.

Right after the sword disappeared, the towering and burly Gundyr slowly stood up from the ground, his body swaying slightly.

"This guy is still alive?!"

Tiona was puzzled by this sight, and the others were equally shocked. They had assumed Gundyr was dead, given that his heart had been pierced, yet here he was, obediently getting back on his feet.

While they were still in shock, the Ashen One had already engaged Gundyr in battle. But this wasn't a game anymore.

In games, there are certain patterns to follow, and once you master them, defeating a boss is relatively straightforward.

Now that this world had turned into reality, Gundyr's true strength is naturally more than that.

Gundyr's weapon shattered the ground with every strike, each move carrying immense power.

"This guy's strength seems to have reached the level of a high-level Level 4!"

Tiona and the others, observing from the sidelines, quickly reached their conclusion. However, they soon witnessed a shocking scene: Gundyr's shield pierced the Ashen One, followed by a brutal beating, and finally, a blow that spun his head around several times before he collapsed.

This scene happened so quickly that the Ashen One was beaten to death before anyone else had time to intervene.

"D-did he just die like that?"

Everyone watching was at a loss for words. It was too bizarre, as the other party had simply been defeated in an instant.

Gundyr, meanwhile, didn't care too much about it and immediately charged at the group.

"Just a mere Level 4 opponent? I can handle this myself!"

Tiona declared as she picked up her greatsword and charged forward to face Gundyr. Her strength was genuinely at an LV5 level, making her extremely powerful in battle, and she quickly gained the upper hand against Gundyr.

Her weapon caused significant damage to Gundyr, even severing one of his arms.

However, after sustaining severe injuries, Gundyr's body began to writhe and shift, and a bizarre entity suddenly erupted from within him. His entire upper body was enveloped, transforming into a grotesque form with a massive serpent-like head and a monstrous arm, although the arm wielding his weapon remained intact.

At this moment, Gundyr had turned into a monstrous behemoth.

"What's happening?!"

Tiona was startled by the sudden transformation, and the others were equally stunned by the abrupt change.

"He's transformed into Pus of Man!"

At that moment, the Ashen One, who should have been dead, appeared once more. They were all Undead, including those at the Firelink Shrine, so he's incapable of truly dying.

Gundyr was originally meant to kindle the flame, but due to complications with the Fire Keeper of that era, Gundyr arrived too late, and the other Lords were similarly manipulated. Knowing he was doomed, Gundyr willingly became the sheath, awaiting the next challenge.

Yet, with the bell tolling once more, the other Lords, unwilling to rekindle the flame due to past grievances, returned to their original places.

Gundyr became what he is now. Originally, Gundyr should be a hero, but it is precisely because of this that Gundyr turned into a scabbard and became a tester. He had become the trial, with his true self lying in another Firelink Shrine, shrouded in darkness.

However, even this transformed version of Gundyr wielded Level 5 power.

"Pus of Man… Huh?! Aren't you already dead?"

Seeing the Ashen One suddenly appear, everyone was startled. This being, who was supposed to have perished, had revived once more.

"I am an Undying existence, at least for now, I can't truly die. Well, let's deal with this guy first!"

The Ashen One wasted no time and took out a flask filled with an orange liquid, drinking it in one gulp. Then, his injuries were instantly healed.

In the game, there's a health bar, but now, in this reality, that system no longer exists, making this item, the Estus Flask, an essential healing potion.

"Is this some kind of alternative version of a panacea?"

Seeing this, Riveria's eyes couldn't help but widen. This kind of item would be extremely useful to them.

But for now, their priority was to defeat this so-called 'Pus of Man' in front of them. Riveria stepped in as well, even though she didn't really need to.

She just decided to intervene because the others were having a tough time with Gundyr.

Flames engulfed the entire circular area, incinerating Gundyr completely. Moments later, a coiled sword descended and fell to the ground.

"Now, let's talk about what this 'Pus of Man' thing is exactly!"

After the flames dissipated, Riveria asked, clearly curious about what was going on.

"It's a kind of virus. Its origin is unknown, but once infected, people transform into what you just saw!"

The Ashen One knew that Gundyr was once human but was clueless about where he came from or how he became what he was…Whether he was a product of the Abyss or something else entirely.

After all, he was just a mere Ashen One with no fire.

"Well, it's okay if you don't know. Earlier, you mentioned that souls can be used to strengthen one's power, right? How exactly do we do that?"

Since Riveria had defeated Gundyr, she collected a large amount of souls from him, much more potent than the ones from those minor zombies they encountered before.

"Up ahead is the Firelink Shrine. Only the Fire Keeper can utilize these souls!"

With that said, the Ashen One didn't elaborate further. Instead, he picked up the coiled sword and walked towards the Firelink Shrine.

The rest quickly followed, and after dealing with a few minor Hollow enemies along the way, they soon arrived at the Firelink Shrine.

"Ah, another newcomer. Ashen One, I hope you don't break down right away!"

The one speaking was a man sitting on the steps, Hawkwood the Deserter. He was once part of the Abyss Watchers but had now abandoned them.

He carried a small broken shield, though it was known that the Abyss Watchers typically didn't use shields.

Asahi remembered his own foolishness from his gaming days, when he attacked Hawkwood a few times for no reason, only to be relentlessly hunted down and killed by him in the Shrine. It is a humiliating defeat.

Sometimes, it's best not to provoke NPCs when you lack the strength, otherwise, the consequences can be dire.

Still, Hawkwood seemed a bit surprised to see the group behind the Ashen One. After all, they were not the Undying Ashen Ones he was used to.