Chapter no.31 Dark Souls

Chapter no.31 Level Up?!

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Naruto ascended the staircase, the blue tearstone ring catching the sunlight as he emerged from the shadowy staircase into the open air.

He stopped at a landing, glancing between two paths: the familiar descent to the bonfire or the unknown climb ahead.

A grin spread across his face, his hand tightening on the Zweihander. “Forward it is,” he muttered, taking the first step upward.

The stone stairs wound upward, narrow and claustrophobic, when suddenly a strange rumbling reached his ears.

“What the—?” Naruto barely got the words out before a flaming barrel came hurtling down the stairs toward him, its fiery glow illuminating the shadows as it picked up speed.

“Oh, come on!” Naruto shouted, summoning a fireball with a quick hand sign. Without thinking, he hurled it at the barrel.

Bad idea.

The fireball struck the barrel dead center, and for a split second, Naruto thought it had worked. Then the barrel exploded in a fiery burst, sending smaller, burning chunks of metal ricocheting down the stairs like deadly pinballs.

“Great idea, Naruto!” he scolded himself, leaping backward. He twisted in the air, flipping gracefully before landing on an uneven platform outside the staircase. His foot caught on something, and he stumbled, arms flailing. But the iron rusted ring kicked in, stabilizing him just before he could topple over.

Looking around, he realized he’d landed on a forgotten patch of stone, overgrown with thick weeds and vines. The once-pristine masonry was barely visible beneath layers of moss and decay, like a garden lost to time. Beneath his boots, something solid creaked—an old wooden chest hidden in the undergrowth.

“Well, don’t mind if I do!”

He kicked the weeds aside and flipped the chest open. Inside was a small container filled with golden sap, faint sparks dancing across its surface.

[ Item: Gold Pine Resin ]

[ Description: Rare pine resin that emits golden sparks. Applies lightning to a weapon. Effective against enemies resistant to magic or fire, and particularly devastating against dragon-related foes. ]

Naruto read the description and let out a low whistle. “Lightning? Oh, this is going to be awesome.”

Eagerly, he scooped out a handful of the resin and smeared it along the Zweihander’s blade. The effect was immediate—the resin spread like liquid energy, coating the steel in golden light. Sparks crackled and hissed along the edge of the sword, the air around it humming with static.

Naruto flexed his hands as the tingling sensation traveled up his arms. His grin turned feral. “Alright, time to test this baby out.”

He spotted his target: a hollow hunched over the top, shoving another flaming barrel into position.

“You!” Naruto yelled, pointing the crackling Zweihander at the hollow. “You’re so dead!”

Channeling chakra into his legs, he vanished in a blur of speed, the Shunshin no Jutsu propelling him forward. The hollow barely had time to turn before Naruto’s blade came down in a sweeping arc.

The Zweihander sliced through the hollow with ease, the golden sparks igniting as they coursed through its body. The hollow crumpled to the ground, its charred remains smoking faintly, the lightning still dancing along its severed halves.

Naruto stood over the smoldering corpse, raising the crackling Zweihander high above his head. “I have the power!” he shouted, grinning ear to ear.

With the hollow dealt with, Naruto climbed the remaining stairs to find himself on a new floor. A single wooden door stood in front of him, framed by moss-covered stone walls. He grabbed the handle and twisted it, but it didn’t budge.

“Locked,” Naruto grumbled, shooting the door a glare. “Why is every door in this place always locked?!”

For a moment, he stared at the door, wishing he’d picked the thief class. “That master key thing probably would’ve solved so many of my problems.”

Shaking his head, Naruto sighed. “No use crying over bitter ramen—“ Then his stomach growled loudly, cutting him off. He paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “Wait… bitter ramen? That could actually be good. Oh man, when I get back, I’ll have to pitch this to Ayame!”

With a grin at the thought, Naruto turned away from the locked door and climbed the narrow, spiraling staircase.

The higher he climbed, the more the tower changed. The cold stone walls gave way to splintered wooden beams and piles of broken barrels. Finally, the stairs came to an abrupt stop, the path to the roof destroyed long ago. Instead, a side passage opened onto a wall walk.

Naruto stepped out, his boots clinking softly against the uneven stone. The path stretched ahead, broken and jagged in places, a relic of a time long past.

To his left, a breathtaking view unfolded. Jagged mountains pierced the fog, their peaks veiled in mist. Pillars of golden light broke through the clouds, casting the valleys below in a dreamlike glow. For a moment, Naruto’s worries faded, replaced by awe at the sheer beauty of the world.

To his right, the grand castle loomed. Its towering spires reached for the heavens, their intricate stonework carved with the precision of a master craftsman. The castle was both beautiful and intimidating, a monument to power and age.

Naruto stood there, caught between wonder and unease. “Man… this place really is something else.”

Then he heard it.

A deep, thunderous slam echoed across the wall walk, shaking the stone beneath his feet. Naruto froze, his heart skipping a beat as he slowly turned toward the source.

At the far end of the wall walk, a massive creature lumbered into view, monstrous and primal. Its body was a horrifying fusion of beast and humanoid—thick, muscular limbs rippled with raw power, and its rough, dark skin was streaked with patches of fur. Its head resembled a bull, with glowing yellow eyes that burned like embers and two massive, curved horns jutting from its skull-like face.

In its clawed hands, it held a crude, massive weapon—a brutal axe-like blade that looked capable of cleaving the wall itself in half.

The Taurus Demon hunched low, its glowing eyes locking onto Naruto with deadly intent. It raised its weapon high and slammed it into the stone with a deafening boom, shaking loose bits of debris.

For a second, fear crept into his chest. But then the cackle of the lightning on his blade seemed to whisper a challenge of its own.

Naruto grinned, steadying his grip on the Zweihander. “What am I afraid of?” he muttered, his confidence growing. “I’ve killed the Asylum Demon. I’ve taken down a Black Knight. And now…” His grin widened as he crouched low, the Zweihander humming with electric energy in his hands.

“…I’m going to add you to the list.”

[ Name: Taurus Demon ]

[ HP: 1,215 / 1,215 ]

Naruto stood his ground, taking the Fool’s stance, the Zweihander hanging low as if he barely cared to hold it. His body language screamed vulnerability, an open invitation for the Taurus Demon to attack.

It worked.

The beast crouched, its massive legs tensing like coiled springs. Naruto’s eyes narrowed.

Here it comes.

The Taurus Demon leapt high into the air, bringing its massive greataxe down in a thunderous vertical smash. Naruto jumped back just in time, the axe slamming into the wall walk with enough force to crack the stone and send dust flying everywhere.

But Naruto didn’t wait to admire the destruction. With a burst of Shunshin, he closed the gap, aiming the Zweihander directly at the demon’s eye.

The blade shot forward like a spear, but the Taurus Demon tilted its head at the last moment. The Zweihander met the beast’s horn with a resounding clang, sparks flying in all directions. The force reverberated through Naruto’s arms as he felt the blade deflect, his hands nearly slipping from the hilt.

The Taurus Demon responded with a horizontal slash of its greataxe, the massive weapon cutting through the air with terrifying speed.

Substitution Jutsu!

A split second later, the axe cleaved through a log, turning it into a fine spray of sawdust. Naruto reappeared midair above the demon, his Zweihander crackling with lightning as he prepared a plunge attack.

He brought the blade down with everything he had. Lightning erupted from the blade as it connected with the demon’s horn, slicing it clean off. The Taurus Demon let out a deafening roar, staggering back from the sheer force of the attack.

“Ha! Gotcha!” Naruto shouted, his confidence surging as he landed gracefully on the wall walk.

He prepared to go for another strike, but then it happened. A sharp sound whistled through the air.

Way of Focality kicked in, showing him the threat—a pair of arrows.

Too late.

Both arrows slammed into Naruto’s bicep, pain lancing through his arm as his grip on the Zweihander faltered. His attention wavered, just for a moment.

The Taurus Demon didn’t need more than that. Its greataxe swept across in a wide, brutal horizontal slash, and everything went black.

[ YOU DIED ]

[ Through sacrifice, no souls were lost. Ring of Sacrifice shattered. ]

Naruto groaned as he woke up back in his room.

“Of course, there had to be some stupid crossbow hollows in that fight,” he muttered, sitting up and rubbing his temples. “Like, because fighting a giant bull demon with a greataxe isn’t hard enough already, right?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. Thankfully, his backup plan had worked. The clone he’d stationed at the bonfire with a Ring of Sacrifice had preserved his souls. It wasn’t elegant, but it worked.

“Alright,” Naruto muttered, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Should probably be heading to Training Ground 7 right now… but Kakashi’s always late anyway.”

With a grin, he broke the Darksign in his hand, feeling the familiar pull as he was transported back to Lordran.

“I want my round two. Fair and square, this time. Dattebayo”

Back in the Barrier Corps HQ, the room hummed with activity. Chakra monitors blinked in steady rhythms, operators logged data, and people bustled between stations. Yet one figure stood out—Fu, the ever-stoic sentinel of the Barrier Corps, who was currently… sweating buckets.

Sora, sitting at the station next to him, leaned over with a raised eyebrow. “Uh… Fu? You good?”

Fu didn’t look up, his face as calm and emotionless as ever. “Yes.”

But the sweat told a different story. Fu’s fingers hovered over the controls as he worked to mask Naruto Uzumaki’s chaotic chakra activity. The boy had been using his space-time ninjutsu constantly for the last hour, and it was driving Fu to the edge.

Sora tilted her head. “You’re sweating like you just ran a marathon.”

“I am fine,” Fu replied in his monotone voice, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief.

In reality, Fu’s mind was spiraling. Naruto’s chakra signature kept blinking on and off the radar like a broken lightbulb. Every time it disappeared, Fu had to tweak the barrier’s readings to make sure no one noticed. If he didn’t, an automatic report would be sent to the Hokage’s office about the boy’s “sudden death.”

“Why?” Fu thought as he adjusted the readings for the thirteenth time in as many minutes. Why is he using it so much? Does he enjoy torturing me?

Sora squinted at him. “You sure you’re okay? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“For the mission,” Fu whispered under his breath, the faintest hint of frustration creeping into his usually emotionless tone.

“What was that?” Sora asked.

Fu cleared his throat. “Nothing.”

For the mission. For the mission, Fu chanted silently in his mind, trying to keep himself composed. But it wasn’t working. This was the first time in years—decades—that Fu had felt anything remotely resembling frustration, and it was all thanks to one loud, unpredictable ninja.

“Stupid boy,” Fu muttered under his breath as Naruto’s chakra signature blinked out again.

Sora stared at him, eyes wide. “Wait… did you just talk smack about someone? Are you okay?! Who are you, and what have you done with Fu?”

Fu remained silent, his calm mask slipping for just a moment as he resisted the urge to slam his fist into the console.

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Naruto found himself back at the bonfire, a small smile creeping across his face. Sliding on the Ring of Sacrifice, he summoned a clone as had become his routine.

The clone flopped down lazily beside him, already bored. “So, what’s the plan? You running straight to the demon again, or…?”

Naruto shook his head, cracking his knuckles. “Not yet. First, I need to level up and show that oversized bull who’s really stronger!”

The clone nodded, watching as Naruto pulled up the glowing system screen. His fingers hovered over the stats list before dumping a massive chunk of his souls into Strength.


[ Strength: 16 → 24 ]

[ R Weapon 1: 169 → 190 ]

The instant the change locked in, Naruto’s entire body felt different. His muscles tensed, and a deep warmth surged through his arms and chest, like every fiber of his being had been fortified. His grip around the Zweihander’s handle felt more natural now, his arms no longer straining to control its weight.

“Man, I feel like I could punch through a wall right now,” Naruto muttered, clenching his fist.

The clone smirked. “Plus, you can finally one-hand that giant slab of steel you call a sword.”

Naruto grinned at that thought, but the clone leaned forward, tapping on the floating screen. “Hey, you’ve got enough for one more level. Maybe instead of just strength, try adding a point to each stat and see what changes. You know, experiment a little.”

Naruto considered it, then nodded. “Good idea.”

He selected each stat one at a time:

- Vitality: Boosted his HP, making him a little tankier.

- Attunement: No immediate effect.


- Endurance: Increased his stamina, always useful.

- Dexterity: Weirdly enough, this added a small damage boost, though he didn’t fully understand why.


- Resistance: Made his resistances slightly higher.

- Intelligence & Faith: No changes, but probably important.


Naruto scratched his head. “So… let’s just go with Dexterity. More damage is always good, right?”

The clone shrugged. “Works for me.”

Naruto locked in the point.

[ Name: Naruto Uzumaki ]

- [ Level: 10 —> 19 ]

- [ Covenant: Way of White ]


- [ Souls: 1.8k ]

- [ ReqSouls: 2601 ]


[ Attributes: ]

- [ Vitality: 10 ]

- [ Attunement: 12 ]


- [ Endurance: 11 ]

- [ Strength: 16 —> 24 ]


- [ Dexterity: 10 —> 11 ]

- [ Resistance: 12 ]


- [ Intelligence: 10 ]

- [ Faith: 8 ]


- [ Humanity: 1 ]

[ Stats: ]

- [ HP: 573 / 573 ]

- [ Stamina: 93 ]


- [ Equip Load: 39.1/51.0 ]

[ Weapon Stats: ]

- [ R Weapon 1: 192 ]

- [ R Weapon 2: 40 ]


- [ L Weapon 1: 57 ]

- [ L Weapon 2: 20 ]


[ Defense: ]

- [ Physical Defense: 274 (44) ]

[ VS Strike: 267 ]

[ VS Slash: 310.7 ]

[ VS Thrust: 274 ]

[ Magic Defense: 145.5 (44) ]

[ Flame Defense: 153 (44) ]

[ Lightning Defense: 127.7 (43) ]

[ Resistances: ]

- [ Poise: 46 ]

- [ Bleed Resist: 118.3 ]


- [ Poison Resist: 92.4 ]

- [ Curse Resist: 30 ]


[ Miscellaneous: ]

- [ Item Discovery: 120 ]

- [ Attunement Slots: 2 ]


[ Attunement Slot 1: Fireball × 8 ]

[ Attunement Slot 2: Force x 21 ]

Naruto dismissed the screen, standing up and stretching. “Alright, time to see what all this strength can do.”

The boy strode out of the room, moving with a newfound confidence. As he rounded a corner, an arrow zipped toward him. He dodged with ease, sidestepping and closing the gap between himself and the hollow archer in an instant.

His fist shot forward in a devastating hook, no chakra, no nothing just pure raw strength. The impact tore straight through the hollow’s chest, his bloody fist erupting out of its back. Bone splintered, and blood sprayed as the hollow crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Naruto blinked, staring at the gory mess his hand had made. “…Whoa. I’m a freaking monster.”

Another hollow lunged at him, sword raised, but before it could get close, a kunai whizzed through the hollow’s skill. Its body collapsed as Naruto caught the kunai mid-air, turning to see his clone staring slack-jawed.

The clone pointed. “Did you see that?!”

Naruto smirked, tossing the kunai into the air and catching it again. “I think you’re right. We definitely need more of this.”

“Agreed.”

Naruto turned, cracking his neck as he headed toward the black knight and Taurus Demon. His Zweihander rested on his shoulder. He was stronger now—faster, sharper, and deadlier.

The clone called after him, throwing up his hands. “Wait! What am I supposed to do here?”

Naruto glanced back, his grin turning mischievous. “Kick rocks while I kick ass, dattebyo!”

Naruto grabbed the axe-wielding hollow by the arm, spun it around, and slammed it into the stone wall with his bare hands. The impact shattered its bones, the body crumpling like discarded parchment.

As he stepped out onto the narrow balcony, he spotted the familiar, hunched figure of the Undead Merchant.

“It’s you!” the merchant snarled, his yellowed teeth bared in an ugly grin. “Still skulking about, eh? You haven’t forgotten about that reinforced club, have you?”

“I’m not paying for something I didn’t buy,” Naruto replied curtly. “But I thought you were all about doing business, not holding grudges.”

“Fine, fine,” the merchant said. “We’ll deal with that little… misunderstanding later. For now, what can I do for you, dear customer?”

“I want to buy that residence key.”

“Straight to the point, eh? Good, good! That’ll be 1,000 souls. A fair price, wouldn’t you say? Especially in these treacherous times! Nee hee hee hee!”

Naruto frowned but pulled up his soul count.

[ Souls: 2354 ]

“Fine,” he muttered, reluctantly handing over the souls.

The merchant plucked a long, dark metal key from his wares and handed it over, the jagged teeth glinting faintly in the light.

[ Name: Residence Key ]

[ Description: Key to a residence in the Undead Burg. The simple, sturdy locks in the Burg are no match for this common key, capable of opening multiple doors. ]

Naruto turned the key in his hand, examining it. “So, this’ll open all those locked doors I’ve seen around?”

“Some of them, sure. Not all, though.”

Naruto nodded. “What about that door that leads down?”

“Ah, you mean the Lower Undead Burg? That one’s sealed tight, thanks to some sorcery. Those poor fools were trying to keep out a goat demon, you see.”

“A goat demon?!”

“Yes, a real nasty piece of work. It moved in not too long ago. Why, I could feel its foul presence even up here. And it’s not the only thing you should be wary of! There’s that humongous drake up above, and a bull demon, too. If you stick around these parts, it might just be your grave! Nee hee hee hee!”

Naruto took a mental note of that, but as he turned to leave, the merchant called out.

“Wait, wait! Before you go—look at that big slab of iron you’re swinging around. I’d strongly recommend repairing it before it snaps in two like a twig.”

Naruto pulled out the Zweihander, giving it a quick inspection. Sure enough, faint scratches and tiny cracks marred the blade’s edge. He frowned, pulling out a pouch of repair powder and sprinkling it along the blade. The shimmering golden glow sealed up the cracks, leaving the steel polished and pristine.

“See? Fixed it,” Naruto said smugly, sheathing the blade.

The merchant squinted at him, unimpressed. “Hmm. Try that on your armor next, genius.”

Naruto hesitated, then pulled off his helmet and sprinkled some powder on it. The glow only filled in the tiniest cracks, leaving larger dents untouched.

“Eh? Thought you’d get away with powder alone? Nee hee hee! For armor, you’ll need proper tools.” The merchant pulled out a small wooden box, opening it to reveal a grinding stone and rough cloth. “This’ll do the trick.”

“How much?”

“Three thousand souls,” the merchant said, his grin sharpening.

“Figures,” Naruto muttered, glaring at the merchant. “You’re just trying to scam me to get back at me for that stupid club.”

“Ungrateful brat!” the merchant snapped. “Not only are you ignoring sound advice, but you’re also refusing to take responsibility. Fine! Keep fighting in that busted-up tin can. I’ll be here when it shatters on you!”

“I’ll take my chances. Later, rip-off artist.”

The merchant’s mocking laughter followed the boy as he stalked off. “Don’t wait too long, my friend! Remember—broken gear means broken dreams! Nee hee hee hee!”

Naruto groaned under his breath. “Man, I hate that guy…”