Chapter 7: The Grind

Round 7

For this round, I didn't really change my initial tactic of trying to get into his behind and shove my sword deep in there. first, he went for a vertical swing downwards, anticipating his move I turned on my feel and rolled sideways just before getting smooshed.

Seeing him dazed from hitting the ground so hard I sprinted to his back but just as I arrived at his side, he scooped with the hammer toward me so I had to dodge backward.

After my retreat, he went for a left horizontal swing, but undeterred, unafraid and uncensored I lunged forward and rolled under the great hammer's handle. Missing, he went for a right swing right after but I was already too close to him to get hit so it naturally missed.

Taking the opportunity. I arrived at his backside and tried to stab the asshole of this asshole again. But unfortunately, I missed and only ended up poking his cheek with the dull blade.

Which, rather predictably did no damage at all. And after that absolute failure of an attack, I got knocked down by his butt slam and promptly got turned into Northern undead Asylum brand hollow paste.

[YOU DIED]

<{Curse of Undeath} has activated>

That makes 9

Round 8, FIGHT!

Despite the fact that my butt stab plan went awry once doesn't mean it's a total bust. So I tried again I rolled under his right swing then evaded his left swing after that, I managed to reach his smelly sweaty gigantic demon ass and stabbed forward. But again he shifted ever so slightly leading me to just poking him.

After my attack he flew up with his tiny wings but this time I immediately turned on my heel and rolled backwards to avoid his butt slam.

After he fell I tried slashing his behind a few times to no avail. For I did not actually know how to properly wield a sword. Let alone a broken one. After he turned around I managed to dodge a few strikes before I was hit like a baseball toward a pillar then ended.

[YOU DIED]

<{Curse of Undeath} has activated>

That makes 10

After my last attempt, I found out my current most glaring flaw. It's my lack of swordsmanship. I don't really know how to use a sword properly. I mostly just swing and stab with it and hope for the best. Though... Could my straight sword handle even be classified as a sword?

Well, that isn't really relevant, when I teach myself to use it I will most likely get the relevant skill anyways.

The problem is how to wield this thing. Do I treat it like a sword or do I treat it like a dagger? You know what, since the game classifies it a straight sword then a sword it is.

So without a good idea on how to start training, I just start swinging my broken sword in the courtyard area. And I'm 100% percent sure if anyone saw me like this would assume I was a mindless hollow.

They wouldn't be completely wrong with that assumption honestly.

After spending a good few hours slashing, stabbing, and other acts I could think of doing with a sword I realized something. I hadn't been utilizing all of my resources properly. After all what better way to train a skill than to use it in action right?

Jst like how I trained with the boxing skill I went down the ladder in the room adjacent to the courtyard and arrived at the waterlogged room to greet my old friend. James Waterlogged the 3rd.

''Sup, James how ya been buddy?''

''...''

''Wow, you sure are eager for our daily spar huh?''

''...''

I almost felt like I saw a trace of resignation in the hollows eyes but probably just my imagination. Anyway, with my sparring partner's non-verbal consent, I started practicing my swordsmanship on his unretaliating body. Though, our session did not last very long as his hollowed body couldn't really endure more than a few strikes before crumbling.

Whelp, with James Waterlogged the 3rd dead I had to go down the stairs to fetch my next victim. Joseph Wall the 2nd, after fetching Joseph I brought him back to the waterlogged room to have no witnesses in the form of the Stray Demon.

''Are you ready Joseph!?''

''.....''

''Okay, then let's do this!''

I started using basic sword moves of him like stabbing cutting and such, though I made sure to limit my strength to not have to switch hollows every few minutes. But even when I limited my strength he didn't really last more than 20 minutes.

After Jacob collapsed I went down the stairs to once again fetch my last victim for this loop. Jacob the 1st, I walked up to my hollow buddy and grabbed him like a sack of flour to bring him to my personal gym(The waterlogged room)

''Alright, Jacob let's do this!''

''....''

"I don't hear a 'no'!"

After taking his silence as confirmation I started my swordsmanship grinding. Cutting stabbing and slicing his body over and over. But I mean it's not like they mind right? If they did they would have said something.

Regardless their feelings didn't really matter, this was between me and Asy, and if killing these hollows a thousand times over meant that it would help me give a painful death to Asy then I would gladly do it.

Oops, looks like I went a bit too hard there and ripped him apart when I thought about Asy.

Alright time for run 2. With that, I went up the ladder and rested next to my bonfire. Then immediately after I went down and started practicing my swordsmanship(aka. torturing hollows) every time one died I just fetched the next one. And when that one died I took the last one. When the last one hit the ground I went back and rested to reset them.

After a few loops, I stopped holding back and instead tried to kill the hollows as efficiently as possible by aiming for their vitals as I was pretty sure I could get a skill for that if I did it enough times.

I kept grinding and grinding for hours and hours. But eventually, I got too exhausted and drowsy to continue further. And even though I knew that sleeping would not net a great result but after several days of sleeplessness, I caved in and decided to try 'n sleep.

Big mistake

I was back at his arena with my broken body slumped against the corner unmoving, something I hate about dreams and nightmares is how they convince you. No matter how improbable something may seem, in a nightmare or dream, you believe it.

The feeling that everything before this nightmare was just another delusional dream and that I hadn't escaped at all is a feeling I strongly dislike to say the least.

The around thirty minutes of unconsciousness I got from that nap wasn't worth it at all. After checking that, yes I was in fact in reality by opening my status. I decided to dedicate myself full time to grinding those hollows for skills.

Without rest except for brief stops at the bonfire to reset everything. My reasoning for doing this? Well, it is quite simple.

If I never stop grinding then my body won't have the time to sleep!

Yes, that's a brilliant idea, John.

Yea I know right?

So day in and day out I killed hollows with my blade over and over.

And finally, after going through a few hundred hollows by repeatedly experimenting on how I could take them down the fastest by hitting them at just the right spot at the right time, I finally got a skill like I expected.

< You have acquired the skill {Critical Strike lv.1} >

───

< Critical lv.1 > (Passive)

Defines your ability to deliver critical blows to your target's weak point

Effect:

-When attacking a weak point the power behind your attack is greatly increased

-The power behind the critical strike is relative to how well it is executed.

───

The moment I acquired the skill I felt something within me change. Similar to when I got the boxing and acrobatics skill yet this one felt different. Like it changed how my very being interacted with the world around me. It felt very otherworldy but after a bit, it felt normal.

Like a child wanting to play with his new toy, I skipped over to Joseph Wall the 2nd's location to test my new skill. After dragging him over to my waterlogged skill grinding chamber, I got into position and lunged toward his neck while putting all my weight into my broken straight sword.

[Critical!]

Out of the tens of times, I did this very attack toward the hollow this time it felt distinctively different, the moment the blade my contact with the hollows neck I felt an unknown energy further enhance my blow. Piercing straight through poor Joseph's neck killing him in one hit.

Wow, I really like this skill. It is just so, so satisfying to execute. But it will be a problem trying to land this in a real fight because unlike Joseph here they will not stand still completely vulnerable and wait for me to properly use the skill. But ill manage somehow, now back to grinding for the swordsmanship skill.

But while walking back to the bonfire I realized something. How about instead of walking. I roll everywhere, wouldn't that help increase my Acrobatics skills proficiency? Damm I'm a genius.

More like mentally challenged.

So I did just that I rolled everywhere I could, granted my stomach hated me it would get used to it. The only places I didn't roll to were ladders and stairs. Because I did not want to break my neck grinding for acrobatics again.

My daily routine was basically rolling to the location of the hollows, using them like training dummies, then rolling back to the bonfire. rinse and repeat.

Not long after getting my critical skill only a hundred hollows or so later I also managed to finally get the skill I wanted. though it took way longer than I initially imagined it taking, probably due to a few reasons.

The most prevalent one probably being my intense sleep deprivation. Although I may have passed out a few times, they didn't really last longer than an hour or two due to intense night terrors. And there is also the fact that I was trying to learn swordsmanship with a broken blade, which may have factored in.

< You have acquired the skill

{Broken Swordsmanship lv.1} >

───

< Broken Swordsmanship lv.1 > (Passive)

Due to the nature of how you learned your swordsmanship, with a broken blade, it is similarly broken and incomplete yet still functional.

───

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

< {Acrobatics lv.1} -> {Acrobatics lv.2} >

Hmm, while I got the swordsmanship skill I had wanted, that broken part is still unsatisfactory. But it's not like I have access to a proper sword here to fix it. And I have also noticed it's easier to level the skills up than to acquire them. Which I appreciate greatly.

Now that I was done I felt immense amounts of sleepiness assault me t once as I struggled to stay awake. But then I had an idea, while resting at a bonfire doesn't really get rid of my sleepiness as it only restores my physical condition. But when I die it's a complete a reset. So in theory...

[YOU DIED]

<{Curse of Undeath} has activated>

Thank Gwyn's ashy beard that worked or else I would have gotten myself killed myself for nothing. But unfortunately, while it does get rid of my physical need to sleep. It doesn't do the same for my mind so I still feel like shit but at least I don't have to sleep right?

Now with all these new and improved skills I have, it would be a downright shame if I didn't test them on Asy to torment him. Right?