This man who had dropped in out of nowhere was a massive, muscle-bound giant.
Just by looking at his standard boxing stance, his taut posture, and his bulging muscles, it was clear—this was a fighter of the highest caliber, a true powerhouse!
A single flying kick had left two deep imprints on the hardened body of the Grafted Scion—something no ordinary martial artist could achieve, especially considering the creature's surface was reinforced with grafted armor plating.
Blacksmith Andre—or rather, Andre of Astora—was a blacksmith character who appeared in both Dark Souls I and Dark Souls III. For many players, he was likely the first blacksmith they encountered, leaving a deep impression.
Like any proper blacksmith, if you gave Andre materials, he would forge or repair weapons for the Undead. With his hearty personality, he always reminded players not to die after finishing his work—and if you returned alive, he would happily say, "Good to see you!" Overall, he was a friendly old man.
But being friendly alone wouldn't make him this popular.
Just hit him a few times, and you'd immediately understand why he's called the Champion.
Andre had a unique moveset—boxing, flying kicks—all executed with incredible speed, overwhelming force, and devastating damage. His flying kick, in particular, could stagger even heavily armored warriors with shields. A few follow-up punches were enough to completely break their stance.
He was basically a compact version of Hoarah Loux!
A mysterious blacksmith—no one knew why he possessed such overwhelming combat power. But then again, without strength, he wouldn't have survived from the first game to the third.
Now, this boxing master had been placed here by Wade as a "blacksmith." Fighting was secondary—his real purpose was to solve the problem that no adventurer knew how to use forging stones.
In Lake Liurnia, he was just a blacksmith—but he might appear elsewhere in the future, giving people a chance to understand him more deeply.
The same applied to the Ruffian—the "Shrimp Guy." Their appearance here didn't mean they wouldn't show up elsewhere.
After all, this wasn't like a Souls game where missing an NPC dialogue would lock you out of their entire questline. Useful "employees" should be used again and again.
"Who is that guy!?"
Kunan couldn't help but shout. If not for his mask, his exaggerated expression would have been obvious.
The Grafted Scion was already enormous, and after Wade's modifications, its size rivaled that of a glintstone dragon. Compared to it, even Andre looked small.
What was this like?
It was like a bug kicking over a human child several times its size—what are you, Kabuto!?
Andre's sudden appearance stunned everyone. Liznai even stopped her spell mid-chant, nearly causing a mana backlash.
"You—"
Wienma wanted to greet him, but the Grafted Scion had already gotten up and lunged at Andre with a roar.
She quickly cast a combination spell:
[Mid-Level Water Control] + [Low-Level Earth Manipation] + [Mid-Level Hardening] + [Low-Level Plant Growth].
The muddy ground suddenly came alive, wrapping tightly around the creature's crab-like legs and temporarily restraining it.
Why was hardened mud this strong? Because it was mixed with dense plant matter—just like old construction techniques that used grass to reinforce mud walls.
Even so, Andre didn't need the help.
He stepped forward and delivered a simple yet overwhelmingly powerful uppercut.
"ROAR!"
The Grafted Scion panicked. In its eyes, that punch practically came with the background music of One Punch Man. If it landed, its skull might go flying like Kennedy's.
But at least Kennedy had people to pick his skull up—this creature didn't.
At the last moment, it barely managed to raise its shield.
"BOOM!"
A heavy impact rang out. The force pushed the creature backward—but the hardened mud binding its lower body kept it from falling. Instead, it snapped back into position—right in front of Andre's next punch.
It looked strangely familiar.
Wait… wasn't this basically a punching bag? A punching bag that couldn't fall down!
"BAM! BAM! BAM!"
Andre unleashed a flurry of punches! The creature's shield dented heavily under the barrage.
"Whoa! Whoa!"
The elves cheered with every hit—it was simply too satisfying to watch.
It wasn't that they were slacking—they just couldn't keep up with this level of combat.
The Grafted Scion used nearly all its arms to hold up its shield, dropping its repeating crossbows. Even if the elves attacked now, their damage wouldn't compare to a single punch from Andre.
Just who was this old man!?
"S-so strong…"
Kunan's eyes sparkled—he wanted that kind of power too.
After watching for a while, Melga said, "Isn't it kind of bad if we just stand here watching?"
She slowly approached the battlefield. The dropped crossbows hadn't disappeared—maybe she could pick one up?
Surely the dungeon wouldn't allow stealing legendary weapons, but something like a crossbow should be fine, right?
And since the Grafted Scion was busy fighting Andre—
"Snort, snort!"
Just as she bent down, a familiar sound rang out.
Looking up, she saw a plant-covered boar charging straight at her!
Wait—that was the mushroom boar they chased earlier! Why did it look bigger and faster now!?
No time to think—dodge!
Melga leapt sideways, but the boar suddenly changed tactics and slammed into her with a body check.
"Ahhh!"
Direct hit! She was sent flying, her insides churning mid-air.
…Wait, where am I flying?
Looking ahead—her trajectory led straight between Andre and the Grafted Scion!
At that moment, memories flashed before her eyes…
Childhood… sweets…
Wait, why am I having a life flashback!?
"Ah!" she screamed, squeezing her eyes shut.
If only she had an insect glaive…
"Hm?"
Andre noticed the incoming "missile." He kicked away the shield, then casually smacked Melga aside mid-air. A pair of magical hands caught her and pulled her safely away.
"Still feel like running around recklessly?" Wienma glared.
"N-no…" Melga trembled.
"GAH!"
The Grafted Scion suddenly broke free and fled at full speed.
Victory—by boxing.
"So strong…" the elves marveled as they moved to approach Andre.
But he ignored them completely, muttering, "Where's my hammer?" as he walked away.
Hammer? Could he be Andre the blacksmith?
Melga immediately perked up and pulled out the hammer given by the ruffian.
"Your hammer is here!"
Andre instantly appeared before her, his imposing presence making her take a step back.
Was this really a blacksmith—or someone who forged monsters with his fists?
"That's my hammer… where did you find it?"
After carefully examining it, Andre looked surprised.
Melga quickly explained everything.
The elves watched nervously, afraid she might say something wrong and provoke him.
After hearing the whole story, Andre laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! So that's where I lost it. I must be getting old. Thank you for helping me find it."
"It was nothing."
Melga looked at him expectantly. Was this a completed quest? Would there be a reward?
Maybe he'd teach boxing?
"I'm Andre, just a simple blacksmith."
He put the hammer away and said,
"Since you found it, I should return to my workshop. As thanks, how about I forge your weapons—for free?"
Forging weapons—fitting for a blacksmith.
Some of the elves showed interest, especially those who used weapons.
If his fighting was that strong, his smithing must be just as good.
"Then I'll be heading back to the Academy Gate Town. Come find me if you need forging."
Andre left, clearly in a good mood.
Melga suddenly remembered—the ruffian had told them to bring the blacksmith back for a lobster feast.
And more importantly—
She exchanged glances with the others.
If they followed Andre, they'd reach the Academy Gate Town.
Effortless success!
After Kennedy's skull was blown off, someone immediately crawled to pick it up… so the question is—does that count as a "decoy skull"?