Chapter no.38 Dark Souls

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Chapter no.38 Is that a Dragon?!

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Naruto trudged up the stairs, the metallic clink of his armor ringing out with every step. At the top, the faint sound of running water reached his ears, and something glimmered at the edge of the platform caught his eye—a soul orb. Naruto's face split into a grin.

"Well, don't mind if I do," he said, stepping forward.

But then he noticed something odd. Deep claw marks etched along the edge of the platform, gouged into the stone like something—or someone—had tried to claw their way back up. Naruto frowned, leaning over the ledge, and sure enough, there was a corpse lodged awkwardly in one of the archways below. Its body was twisted, limbs hanging limp, but what caught his eye was the faint glow of something valuable near it.

With a sigh, he created a shadow clone. "Alright, you know the drill," he said, waving the clone toward the edge. "You go grab the shiny stuff, and I stay up here looking heroic."

"You mean lazy," the clone quipped before leaping down.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto called after it. "Don't get stuck like that guy, alright?" He plopped himself down at the edge of the platform, letting his legs dangle over as he took a moment to catch his breath.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to center himself. Oscar's precepts echoed in his mind—words of duty, discipline, and honor. He'd started repeating them like a mantra to keep himself grounded, especially in this world where everything wanted to kill him.

"Every mistake could mean death," he murmured, opening his eyes to stare out at the horizon. But the thought didn't weigh him down like it should've. Instead, he scoffed, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, sure. Like dying even matters here."

Dying just meant he'd respawn at the bonfire. Big deal. But… what if he died in Konoha? Would he just wake up back here? That thought stuck in his mind for a second longer than he liked.

Before he could dwell on it, a low, grating squeak echoed through the air. His head snapped toward the doorway behind him, and his eyes widened.

"What the—?"

It was a rat. No, not just a rat—a massive rat.

"What are you, the Akimichi clan's secret mascot?"

The creature's wild, beady eyes glinted in the light, and its fur was filthy—matted and streaked with blood. It scurried into the room on clawed feet, leaving scratch marks on the stone floor as it darted left and right, like it couldn't decide whether to charge or skitter away.

Naruto wrinkled his nose as the stench hit him—a sour, damp smell that clung to the air like it belonged there. The doorway behind the rat led into a dark, slimy space, with walls slick with algae and water pooling at the edges. He spotted a rusted cage in the distance, and slumped against the bars was a body—or what was left of one.

"So the rat eats corpses," Naruto said, raising his pyromancy flame to light up the area.

The rat hissed, crouching low before lunging at him. Its claws swiped the air, and Naruto jumped back, waving his flame to keep it at bay.

"Whoa, easy there!" he said, trying not to step into the gross puddle behind him. "I don't do hugs, especially from giant sewer rats."

The rat reared up on its hind legs, standing almost as tall as his waist. Its claws swiped again, but this time Naruto didn't back down. He reached into his pouch and hurled a kunai, the blade slicing clean through the air before embedding itself into the rat's head.

The creature let out a horrible screech before collapsing in a twitching heap.

"Gross," Naruto muttered, eyeing the dead rat warily. He spotted something glimmering near its meal—a soul orb.

"Yeah, nope. Not touching that," he said, creating another shadow clone. "Hey, you! Go grab that for me."

"Sure thing, boss. Glad I'm disposable, huh?"

"Yeah, that's why you are a clone," Naruto said with a grin, watching the clone step into the muck to retrieve the orb.

Naruto moved farther along the wall, spotting another set of bars blocking an opening.

"What the hell is this place?" he muttered, gripping the bars. He gave them a push, but the familiar system window popped up in front of him: "Does not open from this side."

He groaned, slamming his hand against the cage.

With a sigh, he moved on, climbing a staircase that led up to a path. Light spilled in from the right, revealing a distant tower framed by dark, swirling clouds.

That's when he heard it.

A low, grating sound—metal scraping against stone.

Naruto froze, every nerve in his body on edge. His hand hovered near the hilt of his Zweihander as he strained to listen. The sound was slow, deliberate, and it was getting closer.

"Alright," he muttered under his breath, his heart pounding. "Let's do this the smart way…"

Naruto tossed out a shadow clone with a grin. If there was one thing he knew how to do, it was how to make a scene.

Switching the Zweihander for the winged spear, he gripped the long, slender weapon awkwardly in his hands. It felt… strange. Not bad, just not right for him. It was like trying to use chopsticks after eating with his hands his whole life. He gave it a testing spin, grimacing at the imbalance.

"Man, this thing is weird," Naruto muttered under his breath. "Guess I'm not gonna be pulling off any fancy moves with this. But hey, pointy end goes into the bad guys, right?"

Ahead, his clone was doing its job, waving its arms like a maniac and shouting taunts. "Oi, you ugly sacks of bones! Come get me! What, scared of a little ninja like me?"

Naruto smirked as the hollows were drawn toward the clone, their jerky, unnatural movements almost pitiful. The first hollow dragged a filthy axe along the ground, its emaciated body swaying as if it might fall apart any second. Through the shared memories with his clone, Naruto spotted the second one, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Classic ambush setup," Naruto muttered, crouching low.

Pushing chakra into his legs, he surged forward in a blur of motion, his Shunshin closing the gap before the hollow even realized he was there. The spear's tip drove straight into the hollow's skull with a sickening crack. Naruto winced as he felt the resistance of bone and flesh give way, the spear skewering deep. Its body slumped onto the spear, dead weight pulling against his grip. Blood oozed down the length of the weapon, thick and dark, but Naruto held steady, using chakra to anchor himself. The second hollow leapt from the shadows, its rusted sword swinging wildly. Naruto barely had time to adjust, bracing his legs as the attacks rained down on him. Each strike hammered against the hollow corpse still stuck on his spear, rattling up his arms.

Naruto dismissed the spear into his inventory. His now-free hand lit up as he summoned the pyromancy flame, the orange glow casting eerie shadows across the hollow's gaunt, mindless face.

The fireball hit the hollow point-blank. Flames erupted across its body, making it screech as its skin bubbled and cracked. But even as it burned, the thing staggered forward, undeterred.

"Seriously?" Naruto groaned, frustration bubbling up alongside his chakra. "What does it take to put you down?"

With a roar of effort, he threw a punch straight into the hollow's chest. His gauntlet connected with a satisfying crunch, the force sending the hollow flying backward. It hit the wooden bridge just as a firebomb exploded against its back, flames bursting outward in all directions. Finally, the creature collapsed into ash.

Who's handing out firebombs to these guys?!

As if on cue, another hollow at the far end of the platform raised its arm, a firebomb already cocked and ready. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

Shunshin carried him forward, and his boots slammed into the hollow's chest with enough force to send it flying. He felt the crunch of ribs giving way beneath his weight as the hollow tumbled off the edge, flailing uselessly before disappearing into the abyss below.

He didn't even have time to enjoy the moment. Another hollow lunged from the shadows, its rusted sword slicing downward in a vicious arc. Naruto ducked just in time, feeling the blade whistle past his head. Rolling to the side, he instinctively summoned a weapon—and cursed when the winged spear materialized in his hands again.

The hollow swung again, but Naruto ducked low, sweeping his leg out in a wide arc. His foot connected with the hollow's shin, sending it tumbling backward in a flailing mess of limbs. Before it could recover, Naruto grabbed its bony ankle with a firm grip.

"Time to take out the trash," he quipped, swinging the hollow around like a sack of rice. With a grunt, he flung it off the ledge, watching as it spiraled down into the darkness below.

Finally, silence.

Naruto took a deep breath, straightening up as he scanned the area. His muscles ached, his armor was scratched up, and he was pretty sure he smelled like whatever foul sludge the hollows were living in.

"Definitely need to work on my taijutsu when I get back," he muttered.

The path ahead was littered with broken barrels and rotting crates, leading to a series of small, crumbling buildings. The windows were dark, the wooden beams sagging under the weight of decay. He summoned a few shadow clones, sending them off to search the smaller buildings while he continued forward.

Crossing a rickety wooden bridge, he stepped into a larger room, the air stale and thick with dust. A stone staircase spiraled upward to his left, parts of it broken and crumbling. Beneath it, a pile of broken barrels covered something—or someone.

Naruto crouched down, nudging the barrels aside to reveal the crumpled body of a humanoid. Its limbs were twisted unnaturally, its hollow eyes staring blankly ahead. Near its hand, a soul orb glowed faintly.

Reaching out, Naruto grabbed the orb, feeling the familiar pulse of energy run through his fingers. He frowned, his thoughts darkening for a moment.

"Were they like me?" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Did they come here thinking they could make it out alive? Did they want to ring those Bells of Awakening too?"

The thought left a sour taste in his mouth. Naruto sat down on the cold stone, letting the silence wrap around him. He just let himself sit there, scrolling through his inventory, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in his chest.

[ Item: Ring of Sacrifice ]

[ Description: This mystical ring was created in a sacrificial rite of Velka, the Goddess of Sin. Its wearer will lose nothing upon death, but the ring itself breaks. ]

Another magic ring. Naruto rolled his eyes, tossing it back into the inventory. One-time use, maybe, and considering what he had to do to go back to Konoha, it'd be best not to waste it. Next up. His finger flicked across the screen, landing on another find.

[ Item: Humanity ]

[ Description: Rare tiny black sprite found on corpses. Use to gain 1 humanity and restore a large amount of HP.

This black sprite is called humanity, but little is known about its true nature.

If the soul is the source of all life, then what distinguishes the humanity we hold within ourselves? ]

Naruto tilted his head as he read the description. "Okay, that's… cryptic," he muttered, pulling off his gauntlet to inspect his hand.

He frowned. His skin looked off—ashen and rough, like a hollow's. "Wait a sec… didn't I just reverse my hollowing?" He flexed his fingers, turning his hand over to get a better look. "Is there, like, a time limit on this thing, or did it reset because I died?"

He let out a groan and moved to the next item on the list, his eyes narrowing as he read the name.

[ Item: Rubbish ]

[ Description: Rubbish with no value.

Who in their right mind would bother carrying this around? Perhaps you need help. ]

Naruto grumbled, "First of all, fuck you, system. And second, I didn't pick this crap—my clones did."

Still, he pulled it out of the inventory, intending to throw it away. In his hand was a pile of junk—a moldy piece of paper with strange, childlike drawings on it, scraps of metal twisted and broken, and some shards of pottery with faded patterns. It looked like... memories. Memories that had been abandoned, left to rot. The longer he stared, the more unsettling it felt. The quiet around him stopped feeling like peace and started pressing in, cold and heavy.

What happened to these people? The question formed in his mind before he even realized it. This world was full of mysteries, echoes of history, culture, and life that didn't fully make sense. But staring at that moldy piece of paper, something about it felt different. Real, in a way that got under his skin. He let out a slow breath, pushing the "rubbish" back into his inventory, but the thought lingered. What will happen if I ring the Bells of Awakening?

Naruto stood up, brushing off the dust and taking a deep breath. I'll find my answers by ringing the bells, right? The thought ran through his mind as he took each step, feeling more certain, more determined. Whatever this world held, the bells would be the key to understanding it.

He climbed up the stairs, his footsteps echoing against the cracked stone. The path opened up into a cold, empty walkway shadowed by a towering castle. High, rough walls stretched up on both sides. The whole place felt… forgotten. Barely visible in the gray mist ahead were crumbling towers, hints of a place long abandoned. There was no sound, just the faint, hollow echoes that broke the stillness.

And then, he heard it.

A loud, bone-rattling roar from the left, shaking the entire walkway. His mind went blank, his body frozen.

What the hell…

Naruto felt his stomach twist in dread, and then he saw it—a massive, dark red creature, dragon-like but far more monstrous than any story he'd ever heard. Its body was covered in rough, spiked armor, dark as blood, with sharp bone-like protrusions along its head and neck, pointing backward like jagged thorns. Where its eyes should've been, there was just a smooth, bony surface—no eyes, just an empty, blind stare. Somehow, that made it even worse, as if it could still see him, feel him standing there, paralyzed.

Is that... a dragon? Naruto's mind struggled to process what he was seeing. Oscar had told him about dragons, but seeing one was completely different from hearing about one.

It didn't feel real. It was like a dream, one where he was caught between terror and awe, just staring, unable to look away.

The dragon didn't notice him—or didn't care. It stretched its massive, scarred wings, leathery and worn, and with a powerful beat, it lifted off the ground, soaring into the gray sky. Naruto watched as it flew over the stone arch, its silhouette dark against the towers, vanishing into the mist as if it were returning home.

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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 19, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.

To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!