Naruto: Our Goal Is To Dig Every Corner of Konoha

"You're not an Ashen One, are you? You shouldn't be here. After all, you're neither Ashen nor a wandering spirit. If you die, it's permanent!"

Hawkwood looked at Ais and the others with confusion. Ashen Ones, wandering spirits, and the Undead all resurrect after death, just like most of the people in the Firelink Shrine, including the ashes of the Lords of Cinder. They are immortal.

However, Ashen Ones cannot link the fire. Only ordinary humans can do so, and even then, it's no easy task. It requires immense strength and great resolve.

"No, we're actually here to meet the Fire Keeper. I have some souls that I need to test!"

Riveria explained, looking at the cluster of souls in her hand.

"Souls, huh? Indeed, they are a good way to grow stronger!"

Hawkwood replied, keeping his words brief. In this world, people can use souls to enhance their strength, but not everyone can do it, only a select few.

For instance, the Fire Keeper standing before them.

Hawkwood didn't say much more, preferring to remain quietly in his place.

"This hall looks so strange. There are five thrones!"

After surveying the area, they noticed five thrones. One of them was occupied by a peculiar-looking figure, while the rest were empty. Two of the thrones were enormous, one belonging to Prince Lothric and the other to the Yhorm the Giant. The remaining throne was surrounded by a pile of large, broken swords.

The last throne seemed relatively normal.

Meanwhile, the Ashen One had already inserted the coiled sword into the bonfire, igniting it with a weak flame. It acted as both a teleportation hub and a replenishment point, albeit with faint power.

The Ember was fully reinforced, and he used the flames to depart from the Firelink Shrine. However, just then, the Fire Keeper approached the group.

Despite being blind, she could sense souls clearly, and she quickly realized that the newcomers were not Ashen Ones, they were individuals truly capable of linking the fire.

The group found themselves behind the thrones, where they discovered some inscriptions, but none of them could decipher the text.

"What is this language? I've never seen it before!"

Even Riveria, who could read divine texts, was stumped by this one.

"It says Abyss Watcher!"

At this time, the Fire Keeper walked over and explained the significance of the inscriptions, 'This was the Throne of the Sword, corresponding to the Abyss Watchers.'

"You're the Fire Keeper? Can you tell me how to use these souls?"

Riveria inquired curiously.

"Of course, it is my duty. Souls can indeed be used to strengthen one's power, though the extent depends on the individual, but your strength is really strong. Although this soul is also considered powerful, it cannot strengthen you much!"

The Fire Keeper can see the power in Riveria's body, and although Gundyr's soul is powerful, it is not enough to improve the current Level 6 Riveria too much.

"What if it's her instead?"

Riveria asked, pointing at Ais, after all, she knew well what Ais sought.

"She is slightly weaker than you, or perhaps your focuses differ. The enhancement won't be vast, but it is possible!"

The Fire Keeper said.

Ais then spoke up, eager for the enhancement.

"Strength… I want to enhance my strength!"

Ais, skilled in speed and swordsmanship, opted for a boost in strength. The soul of Gundyr quickly vanished, and Ais felt the tangible increase in her power. Though the improvement was modest, it was a genuine enhancement.

"So that's how it works! My strength increased without needing to update my status!"

Ais looked at the Fire Keeper in disbelief. In their world, adventurers could only enhance their abilities through divine blessings from the gods, and until those blessings were updated, no matter how hard they trained, their stats wouldn't change.

Only after the status is updated, their strength will be improved, but now, this soul unexpectedly makes Ais stronger directly.

"Soul is the essence of power, and it can naturally enhance one's abilities. However, you are already very strong, so the amount of soul needed for further enhancement is substantial. Would you consider becoming a Lord of Cinder?"

The Fire Keeper spoke. Her purpose was to keep the flame from fading, and the only way to do that was to have someone qualified act as fuel to keep the fire burning.

Eventually, one of the Ashen Ones also became fuel, just like the new lords now present. They were no different, except they hadn't been completely burned away yet.

Becoming a Lord in this world is truly a great trap.

"Lord of Cinder? Is that like one of those on the throne? Can you just pick anyone to be your king?"

Tiona was stunned, 'Could it really be this easy?' She directly moved a throne closer to herself.

"Of course, it's not that simple. If you become a Lord, you'll be burned like wood on a pyre!"

At this point, Asahi had no intention of continuing to just watch. If this kept up, these people might really be tricked by the Fire Keeper into becoming fuel.

The Fire Keeper's duty is to ensure the flame does not go out, and she'll use any means necessary to prevent that. Even Ludleth of Courland knows that the Fire Keeper is not simple.

Why did Gundyr turn out the way he did? It was due to a Fire Keeper from an earlier cycle.

Becoming a Fire Keeper is no easy feat, and one of the outcomes was that a Fire Keeper once took the flame herself and extinguished it.

The Fire Keeper is complicated, and her actions are influenced by many factors.

Now she was fooling others into becoming Lords.

In fact, to become a Lord, you just need enough strength to handle the burning. As for character, it's similar to the leader of the Abyss Watchers, Aldrich, and this guy even devours people, which is no joke.

Being a Lord has only one purpose, which is to be used as fuel. The difference between being fuel and not being fuel is that Lords ultimately get killed by the Ashen Ones and are brought back as fuel.

Anyway, it's a rather tragic fate.

Asahi's appearance surprised everyone, but Riveria caught onto what he was saying.

"What do you mean by 'fuel'?"

Riveria asked, though she wasn't sure who Asahi was. She knew that if she agreed with the soul-enhancing lady just now, she would likely end up in a dire situation.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Asahi, and as for being fuel, it's exactly as it sounds!"

After Asahi introduced himself, he started talking about the Lords of Cinder.

Then, after hearing Asahi's explanation, even Ais shivered at the thought, realizing she had nearly been tricked into becoming fuel herself.