Chapter 6: The Deranged Hollow

'fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!'

Asylum Demon that fat bulbous retarded piece of shit! At least finish what you started you bastard, don't let me lay here in immense agony unable to even end myself. No homeward bones either, I can't even move my hands. The best part? Even if I could move my hands my weapon is in the other side of the damn room. And I can't even focus enough to summon my broken straight sword from my inventory either due to immense agonizing crippling pain.

(A few hours later)

< Your skill {Pain Tolerance lv.1} has leveled up! >

< {Pain Tolerance lv.1} -> {Pain Tolerance lv.2} >

I may have learned a horrifying fact about my undead physique over the next few hours of seemingly endless agonizing and crippling torture.

It seems like my cells don't regenerate themselves, at all. What that means is that regardless of how small the injury is, it won't heal without external stimulus. This means that I am stuck like this for the foreseeable future. And no matter how much time passes my condition won't get any better.

So yeah I'm fucked like this. And it seems like the asylum demon managed to hit just the sweet spot between landing a killing blow and a survivable one. Leaving me in a state where I am just before death's door but can't cross it. And it doesn't seem like I am dying by myself anytime soon.

And even though my pain tolerance skill leveled up I didn't get much more comfortable. Though the pain became a bit more tolerable it wasn't by much, so it still felt agonizing making me unable to properly focus on my thoughts.

(A few more hours later)

I should have slept. I should have slept. My torture became even more intolerable as I felt more and more sleepy yet unable to sleep due to the debilitating pain coming from my shattered bones and the fragments of those bones stabbing my insides. So along with my physical suffering, I also have to deal with extreme sleep deprivation. Speaking of physical suffering, any minute now...

< Your skill {Pain Tolerance lv.2} has leveled up! >

< {Pain Tolerance lv.2} -> {Pain Tolerance lv.3} >

Well on the bright side at least I am still grinding skills. And the level increase makes it a bit more tolerable, not by much mind you. But I guess the grind never stops, huh?

(Even more hours later)

< Your skill {Pain Tolerance lv.3} has leveled up! >

< {Pain Tolerance lv.3} -> {Pain Tolerance lv.4} >

Honestly? I didn't really have a proper perception of time right now. All I know is that it was sometime at night from the view of the broken ceiling of the Asylum Demons arena. So maybe a day has passed? It is very hard to focus on paying attention to the time when every moment feels like an eternity.

I was trying to distract myself from the pain and also pass time by talking to myself. I mean what else could I do here? Laying limp against the corner of the wall like a fucking bloody rag I did not have many choices of entertainment. So I just spent time giving mundane names to vases and pillars like James, Josh, Jake, Jamila, and such and imagined making conversation with my new roommates. I mean, it didn't help much but it was something, and keeping my brain active helped me from not going completely hollow.

'Aint that right Joseph the Brick?'

'...'

Don't mind him he is a bit shy around people.

(Time later)

It had been a while since I stopped trying to estimate time as it demoralized me but I finally felt like I had gathered enough strength in my body to start crawling toward the bonfire. And slowly I tipped my body over and fell forward. taking a moment to orient myself I started dragging my broken body toward heavy iron doors. The surroundings felt blurry and the ground slimy, sticky, and cold but I didn't care as I desperately made my way toward the bonfire while feeling my entire body scream in protest from exhaustion and pain.

But no matter what I didn't relent as I slowly crawled my way through. It felt so agonizingly slow and painful but I didn't give up. And eventually, I reached the doors and thankfully they were still open. I made my way through and unable to control myself I fell down the stairs. ı felt my broken ribs stab my lungs but it didn't matter as I dragged myself to the bonfire.

Finally, finally, I had reached the bonfire my s-salvation. As I plopped down next to it I waited for it to heal my wounds and cure my pain.

But nothing happened

H-huh why is the bonfire not working? Isn't it supposed to heal me it healed my wounds before so why isn't it now!?! But even in my outrage, I felt something incomparably heavy and suffocating land next to me. I shakingly turned to my side with tremendous effort and I saw It.

The terrifying gigantic figure of the asylum demon loomed over me with his great hammer raised above his head. Before I could even utter even a grunt or whimper he swung down and as the hammer made contact with my body-

I woke up.

If my hollowed body could shed tears I would have. The feeling of being so close to salvation yet so far away hit harder than anything the Asylum Demon could swing. My constant agony didn't help either.

'Julian the Third, man you should have woken me up. Didn't you see me having nightmares? Man, you're an asshole.'

'...'

I wish I could grind my inspect skill here but unfortunately, I can't focus enough to use it. And a thought crossed my mind. Will I be stuck here until I hollow? It was definitely possible, but I must not think that I already lack optimism enough and pessimism ain't helping.

< Your skill {Pain Tolerance lv.4} has leveled up! >

< {Pain Tolerance lv.4} -> {Pain Tolerance lv.5} >

That's nice. The more it levels up the less I suffer. It already feels noticeably more tolerable than before.

(Time passed)

As more and more time passed I decided it was enough. my pain tolerance already reached a high enough level to be able to focus and grit my teeth enough to move. Exerting an inhuman amount of effort I crawled my way to the straight sword handle on the other side of the room.

It felt agonizing yes. But it felt worse just laying there like a sack of flour. Every step felt tremendous my stamina bottomed with even the slightest movement but if I gave up nothing but the position would change so I didn't stop. The more I moved the more I felt like I could do it. And finally, I reached my blade.

Grabbing it, it felt like it weighed a ton and my arms felt like noodles but I knew I could lift it. With all my effort I lifted the blade and using all my remaining strength I plunged the blade into my neck-

And I once again woke up.

False hope is the worst form of torture to exist. I would rather go hollow than wake from these delirious dreams. My mind couldn't take it any longer.

But my sleep-deprived self couldn't stop my involuntary dreams of false hope from torturing me further and further. The only times where I knew I was actually in reality and not in a delirious dream were the too few notifications of pain tolerance leveling up. Even when I knew for certain I was awake I was still paranoid. I tried everything to not sleep but it didn't work, my broken, bruised, and exhausted body couldn't resist sleep.

<You have acquired the trait {Deranged} >

the notification didn't faze me in the slightest, I knew I was losing my mind and the system only confirmed it for me. But now knowing that from the notification that I was awake for certain. I finally made my move, I used literally every fiber of my being to force myself to move. My pain tolerance was finally high enough for me to force myself to move.

With dead focus, I ignored the searing pain coming from my mangled corpse of a body. I felt my crushed bones stab my insides but I didn't stop. And finally, I felt my body respond after so long my body listened to my commands and started crawling.

The pain was indescribable but I didn't stop I wouldn't let myself give up.

I was lucid for once and I wasn't wasting it. I moved slowly toward the broken straight sword. Each centimeter covered spending tremendous effort and pain. But I never stopped and I finally reached my blade.

I grasped it and lifted it up. And without hesitation, I plunged the broken blade into my throat.

/*splurch*/

[YOU DIED]

<{Curse of Undeath} has activated>

.

.

.

And finally, finally, I felt myself die and my corpse crumble to dust. And I felt myself wake back at the bonfire without the pain and sleepiness.

''LETTTTTTTTTTS FUCKIN GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!''

But what if this is a dream?

Shut the fuck up, I deserve to celebrate without you ruining my mood okay!?

But juuust in case let's pull up my status. I'm kinda curious about the changes too.

___

|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)

[ Pain Tolerance lv.7 ](Passive)

[ Boxing lv.1 ](Passive)

[Traits]

<Curse of Undeath>, <Deranged>

___

By Gwyn's scorched beard! When the hell did <pain tolerance>'s level rise to 7!? Just how long did I spend there!? Fuck it, I don't wanna know. But now let's check the deranged trait and see what it does.

___

<Deranged>

Your mind is twisted and irregular.

Effect:

-Increases your mental resistances

___

Well, at least it's positive. Yeah, let's think of it like that. Now though, I think I have little debt I have to pay back to the asylum demon, don't I?

After all, it is his fault that I ended up like that. But first, I marked another tally mark, making it 7. Now let's pay my buddy ole pal Asy a visit shall we?

With that, I strode toward his arena and pushed open the doors, then sprinted forward. And alike the ole song and dance the fat motherfuxer jumped down to greet me. I stood still anticipating his move. He went for his iconic right horizontal swing. I was without the fear of his hammer any longer and instead of jumping backward I instead sprinted forward and as he swung and I ducked under the gigantic hammer's handle.

As soon as the hammer passed over my head I resumed my sprint. I soon arrived in front of him but knowing my past mistake. I instead ran behind him narrowly dodging a hammer scoop by rolling as I arrived at his ginormous behind I knew what I had to do.

'I am going to be a pain in your as until you keel over and die you, fuxking bastard'

And with all of my strength, I plunged my broken straight sword deep into the demon's asshole.

/*RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*/

The Demon's Scream of pain was music to my ears as I pulled out my broken straight sword from deep inside his ass. Along with plenty of blood. As I went for another ass stab, he suddenly jumped into the air and slammed down. Knocking me down, as I was down he turned around with his hammer raised in the air. Knowing what was coming I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing my face filled with fear as I gave him the finger.

/*SPLAT*/

[YOU DIED]

<{Curse of Undeath} has activated>

'Argh fuck that hurts. Looks like I got a bit too eager huh?'

Whelp what's done is done. I went to the wall to put another tally mark making it 8. And immediately after that I turned on my heel and went to his arena to challenge him once again.

'Time for round seven Asy.'