Chapter 5: Nightmare

It was dark. The whole world dyed in pitch black. I didn't know where I was but I didn't like it. The floor was cold and damp, searching for a light source I felt around the floor for anything, but nothing came. I stood up and started wandering around for something anything. And after god knows how long I finally felt myself bump into something that felt like a cold iron door.

But before committing to opening the door I tried to wander around some more but it felt like the whole world shrunk down to just me and the ominous door. Not knowing what to do I finally decided to open the tremendously heavy set of doors with much effort.

/*Creak...*/

But even after opening the door, the world was still black. I felt like a blind infant wandering through the unknown. Reluctantly passing through the door I felt the floor change slightly. Before it was cold and damp. Now it was warm and sticky over a brick-like texture.

/SLAM/

I felt my whole body tremble as the giant heavy set of doors slammed shut behind me. I did not know why but I felt a sense of unparalleled horror inside me. Seeing no other choice but to continue I forged on forward. Trying to ignore the disgusting texture on the floor. After walking for a bit I was struck with terror but didn't know why. But as if to not make my terror unfound I felt something gigantic land in front of me. Shaking my whole world.

/*BOOOOOOM!!!*/

The moment the thing landed the room lit up with torches and the sight horrified me. The floor was covered, no, completely soaked in blood. Around me were 5 corpses so badly mangled it was hard to believe that these once held humanoid shapes. But that wasn't even remotely the worst part.

/*GROWL*/

In front of me were a 10-meter-tall Demonic creature with bulbous flesh and bonelike protrusions towering over me, letting out a bone-chilling ferocious growl. It glared at me with his blood-red eyes and a maw full of giant jagged teeth twisted in endless rage and malice. And he held a monstrously gigantic hammer dripping with blood.

The fear I felt was incomparable as I sat there frozen in sheer terror.

I wanted to run away but I could put any strength into my legs as I fell on my ass. The demon seeing my fear gave me a mocking glare as it raised its gigantic hammer above his head and swung down.

It felt like time had slowed down. As the great hammer descended down on my unmoving body in slow motion. Every centimeter of distance işt covered sent crippling fear and terror through me. And finally, after a few long suffocating moments, the great hammer made contact with my body.

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH'

Even as the hammer made contact with my body I still felt time as if it were slowed down. As the great hammer touched my body I felt indescribable pain. It felt like every second my body was both being burnt and broken like glass at the same time. Every moment felt like an eternity of torture as I bore witness to the Monstrous hammer slowly dig into my flesh mangling it and slowly turning my body alike the other corpses in the room.

/*CRUNCH*/

After what felt like an eternity of torture the hammer finally mangled my body completely as the world faded to black

/*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*/

''Whelp, I guess sleep is a no then? haaah...''

Fuck, that was a nightmare and a half. It seems that tormenting me in real life just wasn't enough for the Asylum Demon huh? Now he is also living rent-free in my head. Well, guess what!? I ain't gonna give you the satisfaction ya fat bastard, from now I ain't sleeping.

Now though I have some skills to grind for and I have an idea of what skills will be useful in the immediate future and how to get them. Although it may be a bit difficult to get some of them due to my lack of information on the topic.

And Gwyn knows I desperately need something to distract me from that nightmare.

Alright, the first skill I'm going to try and acquire is acrobatics. Why you may ask? Well because if it isn't obvious by now I am not the most athletically talented person out there. I mean was barely able to dodge an incredibly telegraphed swing from the big bloke. So I really need something to give me a leg up to be able to move with enough grace and balance to dodge the Asylum Demons' attacks reliably

Now, I may know jack-shit about acrobatics and have never done a flip in my life even underwater. But I know that with enough effort and persistence I can get the skill. Though, my lack of experience and knowledge on the subject will make getting the skill quite rough, to say the least. After all the only reason I got the boxing skill so quickly was because I was already experienced with boxing.

But I'm not really starved for time, am I? The Asylum Demon can wait. Well, I don't really remember much from acrobatics but I guess ill try whatever is considered athletic. So for the next few hours, I tried doing backflips. Tried is the keyword as I wasn't really successful. I did nearly manage to kill myself by landing on my neck and nearly breaking it though.

Bless my skinny and light hollow physique for preventing me from a very humiliating death.

My ineptitude aside it really is hard to practice for something when you have basically zero information about the subject. And I can't just use Gogle to search up 'Acrobatics for Dummies'. Do you know why? Because I'm in the fucking Northern Undead Asylum. And there is nothing here.

Except for a very big and angry demon whose favorite hobby is giving me PTSD and nightmares.

I'm getting off-topic. Focus, John, Focus. You need this skill, badly. So I did not stop practicing I kept trying to do leaps, flips, and rolls for hours and hours only taking breaks when my stamina is at its bottom. It eventually became night. But because of my previous experience with sleep in the Northern Undead Asylum, I decided to keep practicing even at night. The only thing different from practicing at night was the fact that I had to practice closer to the bonfire to actually see what I'm doing.

Though while practicing acrobatics at night something very mortifying and humiliating happened.

[YOU DIED]

<{Curse of Undeath} has activated.>

That's right. I managed to mess up a backflip attempt so badly that my neck landed right on the pommel of the bonfire sword. Breaking it, and killing me. While it was funny thinking back on it. The neck pain I had after reviving wasn't so pleasant. Nor was the embarrassment I felt when I had to go up to the wall and add the 6th tally mark.

Though that death wasn't really that successful at discouraging my grindset. But I certainly stopped doing my flips toward the bonfire and instead did them exclusively in the opposite direction. What little pride I have left would not be able to take it if I died that way again.

Something to note is that I have noticed that the bodies of hollows are comparably weaker than their human counterpart. If not obvious from the unnatural skinniness. Also, something I have noticed something after coming to this world is that my body has changed somewhat. I feel that my body is stronger than back on earth as it would be significantly harder for my body back on earth to be able to open the asylum demon's doors.

But the strange thing is that my body doesn't feel that different from back on earth. Well other than the hollow physique and all. But my height and such are exactly the same as from earth. What I suspect is that my body simply transformed from that of a human from earth to that of a human from Lordran. And then my ''stats'' were transformed to that of a deprived.

Not like I can prove it but it's something I spend time thinking about to break up the monotony of my life in the Northern Undead Asylum. Anyway back to backflipping for you, boy.

.

.

.

After a day or two of practicing acrobatics, I was finally able to successfully execute a backflip and keep my balance after the fact. And this has helped me realize the fact that I really suck at acrobatics. After successfully executing the backflip, forward flip, and the combat roll for the first time. I received a notification and immediately felt something inside me change. Knowing this i immediately brought up the notification

< Acquired the skill {Acrobatics lv.1} >

___

< Acrobatics lv.1 > (Passive)

Represents and enhances your ability to perform acrobatic feats and your proficiency with them.

___

Wow. That is way better than how I expected it to be. And the difference between having the skill and not having it is very obvious. Trying to do some flips and rolls I noticed that doing them felt noticeably more natural and I instinctively knew how to do them more efficiently. I was even able to do two dodge rolls in a row without losing balance.

But now for the real test. I want to see the difference between my performance with and without the acrobatics skill. Although the nightmare did make me a bit reluctant to confront the Asylum Demon again I knew I had to do it. I can't afford to fear him. And while one might think that the fact that I haven't slept for 2 days would be problematic. but no resting at the campfire actually helped stave off sleepiness, though it didn't get rid of it completely.

Ready, I push open the doors to the Asylum Demons' hollow tenderization chamber. After entering and walking forward for a bit he jumped down to greet me with his great hammer. But this time I focused and kept myself calm, anticipating his next move. I watched as he moved his hammer to his left meaning he is going to do a horizontal swing to the right.

And the moment he swung I jumped back and landed on my feet without losing my balance, showing the effect of my skill and practice. As I still had distance on him his next swing to the left missed also. Seeing an opportunity, for the first time, I advanced toward him. Running at him as he threw the hammer over his head for a vertical slam. Knowing this, when he brought the hammer down I spun on my feet and rolled toward the side barely avoiding his blow and keeping most of my balance.

Taking advantage of the fact that hitting the ground so hard stunned him momentarily, I rushed him with my straight sword handle in hand. And when I arrived at his side I stabbed clumsily into his thigh with my straight sword handle.

And surprise, surprise the Straight sword handle did fuck all as it just semi-harmlessly poked him in the thigh. Doing nothing but further piss off the already perpetually pissed demon. I mean what did I expect? I basically stabbed him with the equivalent of a midget stabbing my thigh with a butter knife. Sure it will hurt a bit but it won't do any damage.

But do you know what will do damage? That great hammer heading my way at this moment.

/*SLAM* *CRUNCH*/

Due to my reckless charge at the demon, I received a searingly painful bone-crunching swing that launched me against the corner of the room and put me in a state where nearly every single bone in my body below the neck was broken rendering me unable to move. But something interesting and horrifying happened.

Even in my agonized state, I was able to see that instead of finishing me off like every time the Asylum Demon just assumed I was dead and went back to his perch. Leaving me here, unable to move or speak only able to limply lay against the wall while silently suffering in immense agony.