Chapter 2: Dread

[ Initializing... Success! ]

[ Analysing world... Success! ]

[ Adjusting to World Logic... Success! ]

[Internally call out status to open your 'Status']

What in the living breathing hell? I just died and now I'm in the world of Dark Souls along with some kind of system? Is this actually happening or did I take some drugs from a shady man in the sewers and am hallucinating all of this?

I mean, while that does seem like a more plausible scenario but unfortunately doesn't seem to be the case. Let's calm down first and focus on the most relevant points. After calming down I did some thinking and made a mental list of the most important and relevant facts at this moment:

First things first: this is definitely the world of Darksouls 1 and I am in the Northern Undead Asylum as the "Chosen Undead". Also worth noting that I am completely naked except for some dirty rags covering my waist and groin.

It seems that whatever sent me here wasn't satisfied by just sending me to the cruel world of Dark Souls. It also decided to do me dirty by forcing the deprived class on me. As if my odds weren't already bad enough

Second things second: this is in fact not a game but reality. Everything feels, smells, and looks too real. And being a hollow feels as good as it looks. My body is unnaturally skinny and my skin has the color and texture of old beef jerky. alongside that, I smell like a dumpster fire. So overall it kinda sucks being a hollow.

Third things third: Not everything is absolutely against it seems, seeing that I got a system. Though I don't know its functions yet. Or how to properly utilize it. But I don't doubt it'll be helpful.

So in summary; I'm fucked. I am in Darksouls of all things. A dying world filled with undead, demons, gods, and everything in between. All of which want to, and will kill you. I wouldn't be so horrible if I was just some bystander or something, if it was like that I could just chill out at the firelink shrine and let the chosen undead do their thing.

But nooooo. Whatever sent me here apparently hates my guts and now I am in the shoes of the chosen undead. I am the one responsible for killing hordes of undead, demons, and dragons. Me an average Joe (or well John) who doesn't even have the very basic of military training. The most I know about fighting is from the time I took some boxing lessons and from watching videos online.

But that isn't even the best part! I am forced to do this, there is no other choice. I am the "Chosen Undead". And if I don't save the world then it withers away. Along with me in it. So either I grit my teeth and prepare to challenge the world or let everything and everyone (including me) die. And I'd rather grit go for it than to not try and regret it.

After all, what is life (or rather undeath, heh,) if waste all of it out of the fear of failure?

And it's not like it's all bad! I have a system! And if whatever force chucked me into this world had any form of pity for me whatsoever. Then they may have chosen the 10 black fire bombs as my gift. And so, for the first time since my transmigration I call out in my head:

'Status'

---

{John Moore}

[Titles: Chosen Undead]

[Souls: 0 ] [Humanity: 0]

[Sl : 6]

{Vitality : 11 }

{Attunement : 11}

{Endurance : 11 }

{Strength : 11 }

{Dexterity : 11 }

{Resistance : 11 }

{Intelligence : 11 }

{Faith : 11 }

[Skills]

[ Inspect ](Active)

[Traits]

<Curse of Undeath>,

[Inventory]

<Pendant>, <Straight Sword Handle>, <Darksign>

---

; )

If there is a God out there; then his favorite hobby must be kicking me in the balls.

I mean, Really? The fucking pendant? Literally anything else? fine. But the fucking pendant off all things!? Not only have sent me into one of the most dangerous worlds as the only guy capable of saving it, but you have also given me the worst start possible! Are you taking the piss!?

/*sigh*/

Whatever. Let's just check what inspect does. Maybe it will be something useful. Though seeing the current pattern I don't have much hope.

___

[Inspect] (Active)

-Inspects a designated target providing information to the host.

-Targets able to be inspected and the information acquired depends on the user's skills and knowledge.

___

Huh, that is unusually useful. Alright, that's great. This means I don't have to go into a foreign world blind and ignorant of basically everything there is. Now let's check the traits and see what the curse of undeath actually entails.

___

<Curse of Undeath>

-You are cursed with an undead body causing you to be continuously reborn after death until you lose your mind and go hollow

-The memory loss is mitigated by the title {Chosen Undead}

___

Well, that sounds incredibly grim and intimidating. Though thankfully my title apparently prevents me from getting Alzheimer's from getting my shit pushed in by the local fauna of Londor. Finally finished with my self checkup I begrudgingly exited my cell.

And that's precisely what I did but first I got off my ass and walked up to the corpse in the middle of my cell. I crouched down and touched the white glow hovering above it with my hand. And on queue, the glow disappeared and I got a notification.

< Got 1x {Dungeon Cell Key} >

___

<Dungeon Cell Key>

Key to the dungeon of the Undead Asylum to the North.

___

I decided to bring out my items from my inventory to inspect them.

Which I can apparently do by just focusing on the item appearing on my hand or slightly in front of it. And I can also store any unoccupied item by touching it and focusing on the intent to store it. I don't know how I knew all of this it just came to me naturally. Interesting...

Anyways, I took out the two items. The damn pendant and the straight sword hilt. Though I couldn't really take out the darksign as that would lead to me using it and I don't want to know what happens when I use it with no bonfire.

___

< Pendant >

-A simple pendant with no apparent use

___

___

< Straight Sword Hilt >

-The hilt of a broken straight sword. It is heavily worn and is not recommended for extensive use.

___

Alright, something that I have noticed is that the [inspect] skills description and the description provided in-game a different. Which is an interesting thought for later. Now I gotta get out of here.

So I put back the pendant(the darn thing) and brought back out the cell key and walked up to the door and inserted the key. After twisting I gave a solid push and it finally opened. I cautiously stepped out of my cell while tightly holding the straight sword hit on my right hand.

Stepping outside, I see something interesting. Instead of the multiple messages left behind by the developers in the original. There was only one message in front of my cell. Kneeling I put my hand on the message with the intent to inspect it and to my surprise, it actually works.

'Hell'

Well doesn't that just inspire confidence? Trying to ignore the grim message I start looking around. Peeking into the cells, the sight I'm greeted with is just some hollows sitting in the prayer pose for some reason. Oh, and by the way, the hollows actually look pretty scary up close.

It's something about those empty eyes with glowing pupils hungering for souls and their emaciated bodies with the disgusting veiny patch on the side of their chest. And the smell, oh god the smell is so horrible. It's like someone filled a dumpster with decaying corpses and set it on fire. And if I remember correctly the majority of hollows smell like this. Which is just another one of the dozens of pains in my ass.

Continuing on, I found several windows on the walls, and looking out them only provided me with a sight that gave me a feeling of pure dread. Because the view from the window was an arena-like chamber filled with numerous corpses. And inside it?

A giant monstrous 7-meter-tall demon with a hulking massive body. And a face that can probably make any grown man piss himself with a glare. Each one of its steps caused a shiver to go through my spine. The gigantic staff it held did nothing to lessen its intimidation factor whatsoever.

While I knew the Stray Demon would be outside these windows I was not prepared for the difference between seeing him in a game made in 2011 and seeing him in reality. The difference wasn't just night and day. It was comparing a fucking candle to the sun itself.

And you are telling me that it is my responsibility to fight that thing someday? That thing looks like it eats intercontinental ballistic missiles for breakfast. And that thing isn't even that high up in the food chain of Lordran. Immortality or not I'm capital F fucked, aren't I?

You know what? Moping around isn't gonna improve my chances any bit. Let's just move on and try to forget about the blood-thirsty giant demon within eyeshot. Walking further while trying to ignore the demon I finally came across my first hollow face-to-face.

He was cowering while facing away from the windows. And having seen the stray demon myself I can honestly say; same. But all the same, I have something I need to do. This is the world of dark souls.

A world where everything wants to kill me. And I need souls to survive. So I must be prepared to take lives if I want to survive. I must quickly get used to taking lives. And so I plunged the dull blade into the hollow's chest.

/*Squelch*/

The dull blade stabbing into the hollow's chest felt disgusting. The feeling of forcing the dull sword handle into the chest, breaking the jerky-like skin, and crushing through the ribs. Reaching the disgusting rotten organ underneath. Pulling out the dull sword handle caused some of the blood to splash onto my face and chest. But the hollow was still standing. Wounded but unperturbed. So I kept stabbing until the body went limp.

After the third stab, the hollow went limp and I felt a meager 20 souls enter my body. Along with a notification.

<You have killed 1x Hollow (+20 souls)>

Whelp, that felt absolutely disgusting. Thankfully I don't have anything in my stomach that I can throw up. Though my first murder doesn't really feel as impactful as I thought it would. But I was prepared and knew the consequences so it isn't very surprising.

Continuing forth, I walked up to the next hollow cowering against the wall and I once again stabbed it to death while it stood still. And while it still did feel disgusting it was significantly less so than the one before. Bone with the hollow I walked up the stairs and arrived at the room filled with filthy water along with a hollow crouched and cowering in the shallow pool.

I walked up to the hollow and stabbed it to the second death. Confirming it was dead I shook off the slight disgust and headed toward the ladder.

<You have killed 2x Hollow (+40 souls)>

I climbed up the ladder up to an octagonal room leading to what I presume is the yard area of the asylum. Finally walking toward the unlit bonfire I instinctually knew what to do.

I held my hand out to the bonfire and focused on the faint connection between my nature as an undead and the bonfire and I willed it to light. And so it did. Burning with a warm and cozy flame, inviting me to rest.

And so, feeling tired and mentally exhausted I decide to rest my weary body and mind by just sitting by the bonfire and enjoying the warmth it provides to this cold and hostile world.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed a slight break from this horrifying world.