Gods, Ashes Descend

Chapter 4 Skipping Class

Wood led the way, allowing the resurrected zombies to fall back into a peaceful sleep, while Levi followed behind as a backdrop. After all, with the big boss in front of him slicing two small Karami in half with a single sword stroke, he didn't need any underlings waving flags and shouting slogans.

The two chatted idly along the road under the ever-present sunshine, as if the world had been put on pause. Although the sunlight warmed their bodies, the strange world made them feel cold inside.

"Brother Li Wei, do you know how to use the gunpowder bottle you picked up on the road?"

The Fireball Pot, a ceramic pot the size of a ball, can be seen as a magic grenade. It is jokingly called "the old thief's mercy" and is a special item for skipping class.

But Li Wei really didn't know how to use it. He took out a pot from the two-dimensional chrysanthemum, held it in his hand, and asked in return.

"Just throw it out? There's no need to chant spells, twist the spout, or pull anything, right?"

The two-dimensional chrysanthemum was discovered by Li Wei when he was outwitting and fighting against the zombies. At that time, he killed a zombie and picked up a piece of soul that was about to dissipate, but he didn't know how to keep it.

As he lit the campfire, the burn marks on his palms sent a jolt of heat through him. He instinctively put the things behind him, then rubbed his hands on his backside before realizing they were gone.

Although he didn't know why, Li Wei continued to use this convenient gadget. Anyway, he had already traveled through time, so it didn't matter how unscientific it was.

Moreover, isn't the anime-style chrysanthemum a standard feature of the protagonist in the author's worldview?

"No need. Shattering will activate the trigger array inside, igniting the oil in the pot."

After answering, Wood looked at the fire pot that Levi casually pulled out from behind his back and couldn't help but sigh.

"No matter how you look at it, this is outrageous. The fire pot is one thing, but how did you manage to fit such a thick spiral sword in the back? You don't even have a storage pouch, do you? This is really not magic."

It's neither scientific nor magical, but Li Wei couldn't just leave it unused, so he simply asked a question in return.

"Isn't this standard equipment for Ashes?"

Wood couldn't comment on this, after all, this Ash was the first proper Ash to emerge after who knows how long. Anyway, he, who was resurrected along with it, didn't have this thing, so who knew what the situation was with the other Ashes.

"You're asking me? Who should I ask? I don't have any information."

As he spoke, Wood stopped and looked Levi up and down, making Levi feel uneasy, and he quickly covered his backside.

Wood rolled his eyes.

"What kind of movement was that? Even if I'm curious, I know it's not something I can understand. It involves advanced spatial magic, tsk~"

When they arrived at the territory of the Ashen Judge Gundyr, the two completely ignored the large lump in the middle.

But when he arrived at the gate that was the only way to the sacrificial site, Wood found that he couldn't push open the gate in front of him.

Wood inwardly groaned, "A sealing array?"

Clearly, some stingy guy is openly hinting that if you don't help the Ashes defeat Gundyr and earn their first pot of gold, don't come back.

Gundyr was a demigod who rebelled against the royal family's forced linking of the fire. Even though the opponent had become a zombie, Wood wasn't very confident that he could defeat him in a one-on-one fight, and as a weakling, Levi was completely unreliable.

But now that we're here, we have to bite the bullet and give it a try. But before that, Wood plans to train Levi so he can be of some use.

"Buddy, I have bad news for you. Get ready to face Gundal. The magic circle on the door is connected to him. If we don't take him down, we'll all be stuck here waiting."

"But you want to learn swordsmanship, right? Ordinary people have their way of training, and ashes have theirs. Anyway, you won't die, and you won't lose your humanity, so why not learn how to face enemies in battle?"

Li Wei was startled by this. "I'll beat Guda, really?"

A Gundyr has two thousand souls, and a zombie occasionally drops a bunch of souls worth fifty, but a thousand zombies aren't enough for Gundyr to kill. I'm at most as strong as two zombies. Why would I risk my life for two thousand souls?

Isn't it fun to backstab zombies and then secretly collect their souls?

"Sigh~ Making a living off death, isn't that the way of life for us guys who can't die but aren't exactly living either?"

"A mere ember without fire accomplishes nothing, and is even a half-baked failure who can't even die properly. How pathetic, haha~"

Disheartened looked back at Gundyr, who was sealed by the Spiral Sword in the middle of the square, and fell into despair.

When he came to his senses again, Levi had already climbed up the wall by grabbing the tree roots by the wall and stepping on the weathered gaps in the wall, waving to the bewildered Wood.

"Hey, Brother Wood, if we can't open the door, we can climb over the wall. We don't have to fight. What are you standing there for? Are your knees hard? Want me to give you a hand?"

Wood was happy to have an easier time, since he didn't have to fight Guddar.

Moreover, Ash chose to skip class himself, so the Fire Keeper can't blame herself.

Feeling much better, Wood didn't mind teaching Levi something real, at least so he wouldn't cut himself while practicing swordsmanship.

"Young man, you've broadened your path. Didn't I pick up some souls that were about to dissipate along the way? When we get to the Fire Keeper, find the Fire Keeper to strengthen your small frame, and then I'll teach you how to use a sword. If your physique isn't strong enough, you can't even hold a sword straight. Learning swordsmanship is just for show. If you really learn it to the bone, it'll be harder to change."

Li Wei understood what Brother Huixin was saying. Even blacksmiths need to be strong themselves. Brother Huixin planned to teach him proper longsword techniques, instead of using weapons to exchange blows and fight for survival.

Li Wei responded immediately.

"I have dozens here, from when I stored them."

Disheartened Brother grabbed onto the tree roots and climbed up the wall, saying something to Li Wei as he did so.

"That's even better, strengthen it further. I reckon you won't need many souls with your physique."

........

Upon entering the Firelink Arena, they discovered it wasn't as dark as Disheartened Brother had described. Right inside the main entrance were five enormous thrones, surrounded by lit candles. However, Li Wei knew it was best not to say anything.

"We've arrived, Brother Li Wei... Firelink Shrine. Come find me after you've strengthened your physical abilities."

Disheartened Brother handed the collected souls to Li Wei, then looked up at the thrones in front of him. His gaze lingered for a moment on the throne of the Undead Legion before he chose to squat down at the top of the stairs, sinking into despair.

"How ridiculous! A bunch of idiots who can't die actually want to go find the Lord of Cinder and bring him back to his moldy throne. Those people are all heroes who linked the First Flame. How could someone like us possibly do that? I'm just a deserter, and you're just a commoner who can barely protect yourself. What are you thinking? Heh heh heh."

Ignoring Wood, who was lost in his own world, Levi walked down the stairs until he reached the hall.

The Fire Keeper, who had been waiting by the campfire for a long time, introduced herself the moment Li Wei stepped into the hall.

"Welcome to the campfire, Lord Ashes of No Fire. I am the Fire Keeper, dedicated to maintaining the campfire and serving you."

If you need help in finding the kings who abdicated their thrones, please feel free to use me.