Chapter 82: Do Hunter's Dream?

My body ached like hell, I may be able to endure the worst tortures known to mankind thanks to my hyper-advanced pain tolerance but discomfort is far worse for me.

And even worse was that the effectiveness of blood vials have worn off mostly since, let's face it, they have basically replaced like 80 percent of my blood with how many I have used. So I would just have to bear with it. As I was no longer undead so I could recover naturally.

I looked at the corpse of the Cleric Beast next to me. Normally I would store something like it and cook it but I refused to do that with this one for a multitude of reasons.

First of all, that thing was not a complete animal. That thing was once a human, and as fucked as I am I would rather not commit cannibalism.

Second, that thing probably has enough diseases to make 2020 blush. I swear if you let one of these things loose on one of the bigger cities of earth it would become a wasteland in a decade. Besides, drinking and eating shit like this is how they became beasts in the first place.

Third, I don't even need sustenance anyway.

As I was contemplating in my mind, I finally paid attention to the window that had appeared in my rearview.

< Quest complete: Nostalgia >

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< Side Quest: Nostalgia - Complete>

Description: The Reaper of Lordran(Or one of the other numerous titles) is back in business baby! Well not quite yet. With your powers sealed and sent to a foreign world, you must once again resume stabbing toothpicks into giants. Just like the old times.

Requirements: Slay the {Cleric Beast}

Reward: 1x Random Skill Recovery

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<Proscessing...>

As I saw the system decided my fate I got on my knees to pray before I remembered that I had already personally killed all of the gods I could pray to and I did not remember the one from Earth. So I just stayed awkwardly on my knees without doing anything.

But before long the system had decided my fate, I just needed to get {Armageddon Blade} or {Umbra} to absolutely demolish 99 percent of this world.

<Sunlight Blade acquired!>

<Adjusting skill to world logic...>

< You have acquired the skill {Bolt Infusion lv.1} >

Thats... not bad. Granted it doesn't win me the game but it is certainly better than something like riding or cooking. I picked up my improvised spear and activated the skill, and suddenly an electric current that I couldn't really decipher flowed from my hands and into the spear. Covering it in blue lightning.

Although it was currently a very weak current and consumed a lot of stamina to maintain, I knew how this song and dance went. When I max and evolve this I could become Ornstein v0.2.

But now all I wanted to was return to the hunter's dream and rest a bit. I wasnt in a hurry, and if whatever pulled me into their service was in a hurry, then they could suck a fat one.

Normally, I absolutely despised taking any breaks in any way shape, or form. Since anxiety and uncertainty made me unable to relax in any way shape or form. the most important thing to me was getting stronger and nothing else. Relaxing felt like stagnation and I couldn't stand it.

But now relaxing was important.

One should keep in mind that the thing that beat me up in Lordran the most other than Ornstein was my own mind. I am already confident in my own strength. But the more I fight without breaks.

How well I fight after being mentally fatigued and exhausted while isn't certainly worse. My mental state can cause a multitude of problems. To put it bluntly, the worse my mental state the more of a liability and danger I am.

I would care less about how I would do things, instead, accomplishing my goal in the most efficient manner possible. And I do not want to end up like that reflection of myself that I fought. At worst, I might go apoleptic and destroy Yharmam in a systematic manner.

So I found the neatest lantern and used it to warp myself to the hunter's dream the unfamiliar sight of the beautiful garden greeted my eyes. noticing my presence the doll approached me with calm and elegant grace befitting royalty.

"Welcome back, Good Hunter." She had a thick accent but I didn't really remember what accent it was since I don't really remember a lot of things.

"Hey Doll, I am indeed back." Man, I REALLY need to learn how to socialize. Not knowing what to say to the sentient(?) living doll before me I just awkwardly averted my eyes.

Tilting her head at my admittedly strange behavior the Doll inquired.

"Do you have anything you need from me, Good Hunter?"

? I have never had someone really ask what I wanted from them like them. I mean Gwynevere sometimes did but she mostly did some stuff for me without asking. She was quite airheaded and stubborn. Regardless I couldn't help but ask, maybe for a conversation's sake.

"What do you mean?" hearing my words she looked rather confused even though her face didn't change one bit. I had long developed the ability to read the moods of people after hanging out with a guy who never takes off his helmet. And I also have a large affinity for souls so I can usually feel out emotions and intentions that way.

"I am created with the purpose of looking after the hunters of the dream. As long as it is within my power to do so I will fulfill any request or service that you desire of me. I can also channel the blood echoes you have collected into increasing your statistics."

You know for an 18-year-old young man with a functioning reproductive system, hearing those words come out of the mouth of an otherworldly beautiful girl that is willing to do anything for you with seemingly no complaint is certainly a little stimulating.

/Arent you like Twe-/

A n o t h e r w o r d a n d y o u r e a l l y w o n' t l i k e w h a t

h a p p e n s n e x t

/.../

Anyway. As I was saying, those words are rather dangerous for a young man like me. Especially since my system cockblocked me by sending me into this hellscape. But now hearing her words I found something to do.

"Then can you a little twirl?"

"?" Despite being immeasurably confused about why I asked her to do that, she did it regardless. Doing a little twirl she turned back toward me. Messing with people is always fun.

"Thank you."

"??" Thank Solaire I learned to read emotions without faces because this is just too cute. It almost makes me forget that I have butchered around a hundred people an hour ago. Ignoring her confusion I walked to an empty spot and pulled a bench out of thin air before putting it down.

Now you may ask "John you handsome devil, why did you carry a bench with you?" And to that, I say, why don't you? Under Doll's confused gaze, I laid down on the bench and patted the spot next to me, motioning the doll to sit. She complied, settling down next to me gracefully.

For a bit, neither of us spoke. I was enjoying the dream while the Doll just stared at me before I spoke.

"So... You are a doll right?"

"Indeed Good Hunter. I am the Doll made by Master Gehrman to aid the Hunters of the dream."

"Then are you alive?"

"? I do not understand what you are asking."

"Right, I should've worded it better. I meant that you obviously look like a doll, seeing your joints and stuff but... you are way more alive than most dolls I have seen."

Hearing my words she fell silent as I also silently panicked about ruining the conversation with stupid existential conversations. Those conversations are meant to be done with yourself, not with others, but before my panic could ensue she spoke.

"I am not exactly sure, I do not know either. I feel what I suppose is alive but at the same time, I do not know what being alive is supposed to feel like. I am merely a doll made to look after the hunters of the dream."

After that, I tried making idle conversation with her with all my might. I did not know whether it was because I was lonely or was just uncomfortable with silence.

...

Making idle conversation without having to worry about the world ending was quite nice. Instead, I just had a job to do. I don't know what that job was, but I know I need to do it.

But I still needed an actual weapon so I left the side of the doll for a bit to go up to the messengers. I crouched down with the friendliest smile I could muster.

"Hay little guys, I kinda broke the weapon you gave me but it really saved my life. So could you guys please give me the other weapon?"

Hearing my words the messenger sunk into the ground before coming up with the Saw something and the cane. The weapons that I hadn't chosen.

I chose to go with the came this time. For no particular reason other than that canes were fun.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." Saying that I patted their heads before making my way to an empty spot in the dream

Even though I didn't necessarily need it I could really use a nap.

I sat down and leaned against the wall before letting slumber take me to unconsciousness.

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