Memory end Part 1
I had to cut this chapter into two pieces because Webnovel has a 20K word count limit... Yeah...
Enjoy this part!
Part 2 will be released shortly!
All images will be posted shortly after. (Definitely)
All images for part 1 are already available on Discord!
I'll do images in two ways: Post them whenever there's a chance here, and if I feel it needs to, add more later on Discord.
There may be some grammatical errors since I wrote over 20K words and Grammarly breaks with so many characters, please understand...
Thanks for your support.
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—
/Pun~...Kun~.../
They looked around warily for the source of the sound. But as they looked at the windows, they realized that the strange sound was nothing more than the wind passing through the church's broken windows, with a few twigs striking across an old string instrument.
"It was just the wind…" Philip mumbled out loud as he sighed in relief
"So… What are we expecting to find here?" He asked as he went after them
"People. If we don't find any, we will leave immediately, no need to risk looking for supplies, we can barely carry what we already have." Reggie replied as his eyes narrowed
"Reggie is right. What we are doing is already too dangerous…"
/THUD!/
"Arg!"
Because of the darkness and the fact he was occupied looking around, Philip tripped on the ground, falling face first into a puddle of clear… Blood.
There, he saw his reflection, that of a tired man with sunken eyes.
(Image)
'I'm not that different from how I actually look, but it's not the same.'
'Maybe he's a parallel me from another dimension. How unlucky do you have to be to be born in a universe such as this?...'
He turned back to look at what he tripped, and his heart sunk.
"..."
Kyu had also stopped talking, not because Philip fell but because of what he saw:
It was the gory sight of a man trapped inside a white cocoon with red streaks across its exterior, his head still outside.
(Image)
/G-Gasp…/
He was breathing, but barely. His condition was deplorable to say the least.
He had likely broken through the cocoon's shell with his teeth, but alas, he wasn't fast enough to escape and seek help.
… His eyes… Were not there anymore.
"Hunter? Can you tell us what happened?" Reggie asked as he kneeled next to the man
/Shake…/
Kyu shaked his head on the side, already knowing the man's fate.
"Urg… B-B-b...e…"
"... We will take you out of here, hold on."
"..."
'I don't like where this is going… Which creature leaves a cocoon in the middle of a church? Not like beasts can differentiate a church from anything else but…'
'Whatever's the answer, I don't think we're finding anything here.'
'Call me a coward, but I think it's time we go. I can't respawn like the Hunter, and even I could, I'd rather not go through the process.'
'It's about time someone said something.'
"This is strange. Why is there a single cocoon in the middle of the church?" Philip said as he tried to stir the conversation
/Creeak/
""!""
But the moment I finished saying this, both Kyu and Reggie jumped back, leaving Philip frozen next to the cocoon.
/Jump!/
/Thud!/
Not even looking back, he jumped after them, hitting his head on the ground as his foot was momentarily stuck to the webs on the ground.
'URG! I should've just…'
"Guard up everyone!" Kyu said as he readied his weapon
/Gulp…/
'What's going on?'
…
/Meanwhile…/
"Huff…"
A man slowly woke up from the stupor of synchronization, his body numb as he felt a strange sensation all over his skin.
As if it had been smeared over it. A feeling of impurity, of strangeness… As if he did not belong to his own body.
'Arg… An illusion… It has to be. Like those games I played in my spare time, something's messing with my head…'
'Get out… Get out… I said, GET…'
{I heard you}
[Disclaimer!]
[Assimilation rate is increasing. Detecting presence of *****, Prometheus sub-routine being forcibly terminated…]
[Skill, Horoscope Sign Lv0 has activated]
[Skill, *****'s precognition Lv??? has activated]
"?!"
'ARG!'
His eyes began to burn as symbols and images flashed before them.
Far too many to count and comprehend, the man felt himself fall before infinity…
/Stop…/
When it all came to an end.
"Huff… Huff…"
[Interference corrected, resuming Prometheus sub-routine…]
[Assimilation already completed through outside sources]
[Processing…]
[Assimilation ended… Looking for a proper display method...]
The light around his body dissipated and the world returned to its usual glister. But a few things were different this time.
[Open Status?]
"Huff…"
'What the… Fuck is going on?'
Getting up from the ground, the blond man looked around in distress, confused and worn out.
'What are those things? Why is everyone glowing so much?'
[That's due to your Skill, Horoscope Sign, it reads the Fate of those born under the Stars and displays it in a manner you can comprehend, but as its level is low, it cannot convey meaning through language]
"Wh-What?..."
'Did I just hear a voice?...'
[An introduction is underway]
[The mechanical voice you listen to now belongs to the basic information guide. I am a temporary creation of the Hephaestus Subroutine here to guide you through the Assimilation process]
[From the assortment of information given to me and your preferences, you may call me, Beginner Help Info]
'... Do I have to believe the strange voice in my head?'
[It is highly recommended]
"..."
The man looked around, gazing at the burning flames surrounding everyone's body.
'What is all of this?...'
[Assimilation, the process of inheriting a Role. Through Horoscope Sign, you may peer into the near future and devine their potential abilities]
'I… Don't get it…'
He looked at someone next to him, they burned brightly. How come they weren't in pain?
He then looked at someone else, their fires weak, as if about to extinguish.
'Strange… If the fire represents one's future… Then why are some about to extinguish?'
[There may be many reasons. It is impossible to tell what your Skill is trying to tell you without properly mastering it]
[But shortly speaking. It could infer Death]
"W-What?..."
The blond man paled, was he looking at a dead man?
He took a step back, inadvertently hitting his head against the invisible barrier surrounding the circular machine at the center of the area.
'What's that big thing?'
[Beginner Help Info does not possess the necessary archive to reply to your question]
"Right… Hm?"
At that moment, he inadvertently saw a man crouched on the ground, his eyes closed.
'Hey, why does that guy has no fire? It can't be that…'
[All have Fate regardless of their condition, as death alone can be taken as their destiny]
[Possessing no fire thus indicates another idea]
'And that would be?...'
[That man is most likely what one may determine as "Fateless". One who does not possess a Role, one who is born outside of norm]
[Zero Fate]
"Zero… What?"
The blond man looked at the sleeping man, and his eyes began flaring…
[Skill, *****'s precognition Lv0 has activated]
"?!"
/BURN!/
A massive dark flame rose from below him, rising to the ceiling, it threatened to burn it and open a hole leading to the stars above.
'What's going on?!'
[Beginner Help Info does not possess the necessary archive to reply to your question]
"D-Dammit…"
/BURN!/
"?!"
Just as he took a deep breath, getting used to the fire beside him… Another massive pillar of fire exploded beside him.
A boy with seemingly no special features scratched the back of his head as he sighed out loud, something was wrong, how could such an ordinary person exude such great presence?
/BAAM!!/
"!!!"
'I'm going to have a heart attack!!'
If that wasn't enough, another fire, this time, like a volcano eruption exploded beside him.
A young man with sharp black hair and a kind expression released a fire so great it made the other two seem like fireflies before a bonfire.
"D-Dae?..."
'W-What's going on man? Why is everything so… Odd?'
From within the flames, he saw faint images, but they were far too thin for him to make sense of, as if they were but tricks of his imagination.
"Hm? Roy? You okay man?" The boy asked as he approached him
The light… Was dazzling.
"I… I'm fine…"
'Just… What are you?'
…
/Meanwhile…/
In complete silence, Philip stood behind the two of them, but even as the seconds turned into a minute, nothing happened.
"... What happened?"
"...Shut up kid. Just keep your eyes open." Kyu mumbled in a low tone as his grip over his cleaver tightened
"..."
'He is serious, overly so… I don't like this.'
/Grab…/
Not wanting to remain in such a passive position, Philip picked one of the pebbles from his inventory and threw it towards the back of the church where the light of his lantern did not reach.
/KNOCK!/
The rock crashed against something, creating a loud echo, but nothing out of the ordinary.
'Where is it? What is it?! These two Hunters wouldn't be on edge if…'
/Creaaak...CRACK!/
Then… Something began moving.
'Something's on its way to us… It's heavy enough to break the wood on the ground just by walking…'
'Shit.'
/Crawl…/
/Shine…/
From the darkness, a large spider-like creature appeared.
"..."
But it was no spider, it's arms and limbs were like elongated Human arms, it's torso was like a bloated patch of skin…
It had a grotesque, distorted face covered in dark hair, one could notice a Human face sticking out of its neck.
"Isn't that?! Master Hunter Silva?!" Reggie asked out loud as he prepared himself for a brutal fight
"... So it wasn't a monster that escaped… A Hunter became one… No wonder they were ambushed, it came from within." Kyu muttered as he sighed
"..."
'AHHHHHHHHHHH.'
Philip screamed internally as he looked at the gargantuan monster above his head.
(Image)
/Clang!/
Kyu morphed his cleaver into a strange long fork.
/Glug glug glug/
/Step… Crunk!/
The creature made gurgling sounds as it went towards the body on the ground.
Each of its steps pierced deep into the church's old floorboards, cracking them unceremoniously.
Yet, as it approached the body, it grew graceful, slow, gentle… ,Making sure there were no issues with the body before moving in their direction.
Now, they could better see its body.
It looks like a large spider but very "meaty". It didn't have an exoskeleton. There are several long arms on its back that seem to be holding onto something.
"Hm?... There is something on the ceiling! Look at its arms!" Philip exclaimed as he pointed above
"... Shit… We are in its environment! We need to retreat!" Kyu exclaimed after looking up for a split second
But it was too late.
/Plink!/
/Crong!/
/CLANG!!/
The creature used its back arms to pull several blood-red silk lines from the ceiling, causing a chain reaction to occur.
The silk trembled, items moved, and several big wooden doors and items fell. Blocking all exits and windows, casting them in darkness.
/Light!/
Philip immediately dilled the lantern to its maximum, trying to give them as much light as possible.
"Tsk! We're trapped!"
"I'm not blind, Reggie!"
"..."
'The creature is smart enough to arm a trap… We need light! Even more light!' Philip thought as he looked around
He immediately had an idea.
/Grab…/
He pulled a molotov from his inventory, already burning in his hand.
'Thankfully they come ready… Let's hope I don't miss.'
/THROW!/
/CRACK!/
/BOOM!/
The oil ignited, lighting the room and the beast.
Philip could now see everything more clearly as the beast burned like a bonfire, including the ceiling…
/KUHHHHHHH!/
The creature released a deep scream that shook even Philip's bones, making him quake for a moment before he calmed himself.
/Look up…/
"Oh God…"
[Mind Fort Lv 6 -> Lv7]
Finally, his mind tipped over, and Mind Fort pulled it back.
Body parts, guts, eyes, bones, and all sorts of things were hanging from the ceiling, some tingling down now that they had been disturbed.
/Splaf…/
He had to hold it in otherwise he would vomit…
"So this is what happened to everyone… Reggie, time for plan B."
"Right."
"Urg…"
'Why is this world so fucked up?'
/DASH!/
While he thought about this, Reggie and Kyu jumped into the fight!
/BITE!/
They each gulped down a Beast Blood Pellet and ignited a fire paper on their respective weapons, rushing straight into the fray!
Kyuu to the left and Reggie to the right. They aimed at the creature's legs as it jumped around due to the fire!
"HAA!"
Reggie made a horizontal cut, completely severing one of the legs.
"Hup!"
/C-Crack!/
Kyu aimed at a joint, penetrating it with his fork. He twisted the spear causing a "Cracking" sound.
There were several more pairs of legs though… One down…
/KUOHHHHH!/
The creature opened its mouth to scream…
"ARRG!!"
/BANG!/
But Philip took this chance to shoot!
/BLAST!/
/PLOFT!/
The creature got disoriented and fell to the ground as the pallets hit its face.
"Huff…"
'It was my first time shooting for real though… Beginner's luck?'
'But how was that enough to bring it down?...'
/Dash!/
While Philip suspected something was wrong, the two didn't miss the chance.
They ran towards the creature's head and struck down!
/SPLURGE!/
/PULL!/
/BOOM!/
Reggie and Kyu penetrated its face with their bare hands, disfiguring it as they pulled bits and pieces of flesh from within.
/ROAAARRR!/
The creature flinched in pain as it crashed against the church back wall.
/Tremble!/
The impact was so strong that some of the things hanging on the ceiling broke from the web and fell.
Multiple bodies and things fell from the roof. Some of them… Still clearly alive.
"Be careful with the ceiling!"
Hearing Philip's warning, both of them turned into mist and disappeared from his vision, leaving him confused as the world rained around him.
/Hoooum… CLANG!/
"AHH!!"
A piano fell right before him, startling him so much he turned into smoke instinctively, only for him to trip at a mount of flesh behind him.
/THUD!/
"Arg!..."
'This is hell…'
/Growl…/
"Huh?..."
As he turned around, he heard a strange growling sound…
/OPEN!/
"..."
Time seemed to stop.
Before him was a disfigured mouth full of teeth, threatening to bite his face off!
/DUCK!/
He immediately ducked, but rather then protecting himself, he shoved his right arm upward!
/Clack…/
/BANG!/
His body moved out of its own accord, evading the strike while also placing the blunderbuss directly under its jaw.
Blood gushed everywhere as the creature's large body fell onto him.
"Haaa… Haaa…"
'I'm alive…'
[Hunter's combat sense Lv2 -> Lv3]
Unfortunately, there was no time to rejoice.
/BITE!/
"?!"
Pain, horrifying pain.
Something was tearing his leg apart!
"FUUUCK!!!"
/Point!/
/BANG!/
Philip moved his head to the side, seeing a dismembered lycanthrope biting his ankle. He raised his blunderbuss and shot!
/SPLATTER!/
It didn't matter if some of the bullets hit his leg as long as that beast let go of him!
/Crackle/
Meanwhile, the fire on the beast's body started to spread to the rest of the church like embers in a dry forest.
/Crunk…/
Wood began to creak as the webs ignited.
"!"
Injecting a blood vial with great difficulty, especially since the syringe was rusty, Philip bit his lips in distress as he looked around in fear.
'If we stay here any longer this place might collapse!'
'Where are those two?!'
His eyes darted around, and he soon found Reggie and Kyu fighting off a small group of beasts on the other side of the church.
Luckily for Philip, the chaos attracted the beasts to them, giving him time to breath and think.
Hunters often did not think, they only acted.
But if they did not think here…
/Grab…/
Philip picked another oil urn from his inventory, clutching it tightly. He didn't have many left.
'Well… Shit. I'm too far away… Screw it!'
"Huff huff…"
Philip ran with all his might while avoiding the debris on the ground.
/Roar!/
As the spider screamed to wipe the fire from itself…
"Watch out!"
He threw the urn at the monster.
/Cra…/
/BOOM!/
/KUOHHHH!/
It screamed in pain as the urn covered it in melting wax!
/BANG BANG!/
Two shots were fired in quick succession at its head, Reggie and Kyu were more than ready to reply to his initiative!
"Good work kid!" Reggie said as he rushed at him
/Cold…/
But suddenly, Philip felt dread coming from behind him.
His hairs stood on their end, something was…
'Behind me!'
Instinctively, he used Quickening and evaded to the side.
/Fwush/
Within the distorted world, he heard the air being ripped apart by a large pillar.
/CUT!/
A large blade cut the area where he used to be, carving a long trench on the ground.
"W-What?..."
/Fall…/
All around them. Several of the broken limbs and bodies tied together with strings suddenly began to move.
"..."
/SWIPE!/
While Philip evaded another strike from the large scythe, Reggie said:
"It is controlling the objects through its strings?"
"We just have to cut them." Kyu added as he morphed his fork back to a cleaver
/SWIPE!/
"Urg… Huff…"
'I can do this, the movements are slow and methodical.'
"I guess this is phase two…"
…
/SWOOSH!/
"Huff…"
/FWOOSH!/
"Huff…"
/Clang!/
/Clong!/
/Fwoosh…/
/Clink!/
"Fucking hell! Leave me alone!"
Philip used everything he had to evade and parry the multiple attacks made by the controlled weapons and limbs.
But he was still very clunky. It was his very first real fight at the end of the day… Of his whole life even!
It wasn't like Philip had never gotten his blood pumping, but this was a REAL fight!
One where your life is at stake!
/Fwoosh!/
/Tremble…/
'My darned legs…'
/INJECT!/
To keep himself moving, Philip had to use Quickening every so often to evade. Yet the more he moved, the worse his legs became.
As such, he kept injecting himself with the cursed blood. All in the hopes he could extend his miserable life a little longer.
'If it wasn't for my trait. I would have probably already collapsed on the ground from fear…'
/BURST!/
A cadaver burst into pieces next to him, sending dozens of giant spiders after him!
/BOOOM!/
He immediately threw a molotov in their direction before turning into a wisp of smoke!
He was slowly but surely getting the hang of this.
"Hupp!"
/Shaaa…/
/CUT!/
Every time he evaded, Philip would also try to cut down one of the strings, yet they were endless.
[Hunter's combat sense Lv3 -> Lv4]
/PIERCE!/
"?!?!"
A spear punctured his chest.
[Mind Fort balances your emotions]
/CUT!/
Biting his pain through his teeth, Philip pulled the spear onto him, cutting the string before pushing it out of his chest and injecting a vial into his bloodstream.
While Hunters did possess otherworldly physical traits, it was clear Philip was an irregular case in itself.
"Huff… Are you two alright?!"
"Arg!... Worry about yourself kid!" Kyu screamed back as he fought the large spider, evading its burning legs amidst the raining chaos
Even with their collective effort, the number of strings remains terrific.
/BAM!/
"?!"
While Philip ran around the place, Kyu was hit by one of its arms and sent flying across the church!
"KYU!"
/Jump!/
Reggie tried to save his companion but he was tied down by the many attacks of the beast.
Even as he jumped away, the beast followed, somewhat familiar with the movements of a Hunter!
"..."
'I have to think of something, else we aren't getting out of here alive.'
'There must be something…'
He perused his inventory for a solution:
[... Pungent blood cocktail]
'That's it!'
/Throw!/
"Look out uncle!!"
/Splash!/
The bottle containing the blood was thrown to the side of the beast.
/Growl…/
Smelling the pungent blood, the creature stopped and turned its attention to the pool of blood seeping through the wooden cracks.
However, it was evident its gaze wasn't very strong as it had something more important to protect.
Still, this gave Kyu and Reggie time to recompose and recover a little of their stamina.
'Good.'
/ROAR!/
"Fuck me!"
'Cursed preserved food!'
As more beasts tried to devour him whole, Philip kept running around shooting his gun and evading the strikes from weapons in the ceiling.
The fight continued…
…
/BANG!/
/BANG!/
[Hunter Ballistics Lv6 -> Lv7]
"Huff… My bullets…"
/Dash!/
/CUT/
/SPLAT!/
/SCREECH!/
While Philip gunned down at the remaining abominations which were once people, Reggie and Kyu cut another pair of legs down.
Although both of them were doing well. He could see they were tired, very tired.
Even a Hunter would grow tired, no matter how excellent they were or how inhuman their bodies were.
With nothing to imbibe and fuel their bodies, they could only fight with whatever they had left.
To easen their load, Philip tried throwing more Oil Urns and Molotovs on the monster to prolong the fire. But he already ran out of items to use.
"Huff…"
'If I can reach the backpack…'
There were still several Urns and Molotovs inside their supply pack, but with how hectic things are, he'd have to just use it without grabbing what he wanted.
This would mean sacrificing everything inside. Leaving them without emergency supplies.
"Fuck it! I can deal with this later."
*Art of Quickening!*
Using everything he had even as his legs screamed. Philip ran across the church like a bullet cutting through his smoke, although in this case, he was the smoke.
[Art of Quickening Lv3-> Lv4]
/Grab…/
With difficulty, he picked the backpack hunched against the entrance…
"Huff…"
'Was it always so heavy?'
/Clang!/
The moment he grabbed it, he rolled to the side, evading a large axe falling from the ceiling. And before it could unlodge itself from the ground, Philip ran to the center of the room.
"Huff… GET DOWN, NOW!"
""!""
/Throw!/
Philip threw the backpack to the monster, pulling his Blunderbuss in the process.
Time seemed to slow down as his pupils contracted.
The backpack in the sky and the Hunter pulling his pistol.
Blood and sweat running down his forehead, Philip pulled the trigger.
'Please…'
/BANG!/
/BOOOM!/
"?!"
This time, the odds were in his favor and the oil urns ignited.
A massive explosion hit him, sending him flying to the front of the church, bursting through the rubble and outside.
With the screams of the monster and the world falling to pieces…
He lost consciousness.
…
/Whispers Whispers.../
/GASP!/
Philip opened his eyes while gasping for air. Clutching onto his chest as he looked for his gun.
"Shh… It's okay kid, everything is fine now." Reggie said as he pushed him down
"Fine?... I feel like crap."
"It's because you are." Kyu added as he took off a bloody bandage from Philip's head
"Your body was punctured in six different places and cut many more times…"
"You weren't lucky with your fall either, falling right on top of a pile of broken glass next to those sharp fences."
"Your lungs were pierced, your stomach was almost spilling from your chest, and…"
"Thankfully it isn't anything permanent." Reggie said as he laughed lightly on the side
"..."
'I'm not finding this funny.'
"... And the monster?"
"Dead. Buried under half of the church." Kyu said out loud as he inspected his weapon
/Puff/
Philip's head fell back towards the cloth on the ground.
He took a deep breath and cheered mentally. He had survived, but for how long?
"Take a rest now kid, you will need it."
"We will continue on our way in half an hour, luckily, the rain will stop until then."
"Huff…"
'Do I even have time to rest?'
"... Rain?"
Reggie got up from the ground, moving to a small table with a candle lit atop it.
"It started raining soon after you lost consciousness, it extinguished most of the fire on the Church. But some parts are still burning. The rest collapsed onto the creature due to the explosion."
"Where are we right now?"
"In a small cottage right outside of the church."
"Understood... I will… Rest for now…"
"Go on, we will take care of things on this side."
"... Wait. How are you two even alive? I thought you took those pills?"
"It'll take much more than that to make me retire, kid. Although that certainly took a few years off my belt." Kyu replied as he cleaned his gun
"I'm still a little iffy, but I won't turn on you yet, so rest while you can."
"..."
Somehow, he felt reassured.
Philip closed his eyes, but what greeted him wasn't darkness, it was a window instead.
'It's time… Show me everything that happened after I was knocked out.'
[Opening notifications]
{Prey slaughtered}
[You gained 20K Blood Echoes]
{+1 Insight}
{Key to the Church's basement}
[DING!]
[You have slain a powerful beast!]
[You have completed the Hidden quest, Death Road!]
[You have gained the Ability, Riposte]
[All of your Class stats rise by 1!]
[All of your Hunter Skills have gained a Great amount of proficiency!]
[Hunter Ballistics Lv7 -> Lv8]
[Art of Quickening Lv4 -> Lv5]
[Old Hunter's combat techniques Lv5 -> Lv6]
[Hunter's combat sense Lv4 -> Lv6]
[Riposte Lv0 -> Lv3]
[You have achieved the minimum requirements to complete your Subclass]
[Military veteran (Incomplete) has changed into Military veteran (Recruit)]
[Readjusting Status...]
[You may leave the Memory at any given moment. May you choose to stay, the Host will experience harder and harder challenges the longer he prolongs his stay]
[Congratulations on surviving a Hunter's rite of passage]
"..."
'Congratulations my ass… Harder challenges… This can't be good, but… I will remain as long as I can.'
'I'm a little concerned about the outside world, but I'll worry about those things later. If it was dangerous, Beginner Help Info would've told me so.'
'Sharpen my Skills as much as I can.'
'Until then… I just want to rest a little, I am truly tired…'
'Show Status.'
[
Name: Philip Vinten
Class: Old Hunter
Subclass: Military veteran
Caryll Runes: None
Insight: 1
Blood echoes: 26920
Level 1
Vitality: 12
Endurance: 12
Strength: 16
Skill: 15
Bloodtinge: 9
Arcane: 8
Abilities:
Hunter Ballistics Lv8 (9) (Passive)
Art of Quickening Lv5 (6)(Active)
Old Hunter's combat techniques Lv6 (7)(Passive)
Hunter's combat sense Lv6 (7)(Passive)
Riposte Lv3 (4) (Active)
Skills:
Summon messenger Shop Lv0 (Active)
Traits:
Old blood infusion
Inventory(+)
]
'I see now… These are the basic Stats as the in-game archetype of the Military Veteran, but with the addition of the Stat points I've acquired so far.'
'My Level also changed from 0 to 1, and while I didn't gain a Stat point, it doesn't really matter.'
'It was just a marker anyway. Not like I could Level Up before even if I wanted to. As long as this doesn't repeat, I don't care.'
'Anyhow, I wonder how strong I've become. I never felt weak with my previous Stats, so if they increased this far… I've either become a monster, or…'
'My Stats were just altered to reflect what they should've been from the start. If that's the case, I guess the System was more merciful than I thought.'
'... Anyhow, progress is progress. That's what I like to see.'
'Next step, get the chance to summon the messenger shop.'
"ZZZzzz…"
As his thoughts ran wild, exhaustion took over and he lost himself in his dreams.
…
/Shake… Shake…/
Time passed and half an hour later, Kyu woke up Philip.
"It's time to go recruit."
"Just… Five more minutes…"
"..."
/Grab…/
Kyu picked a smelly sock and put it on his face, covering his nose.
/Sniff.../
/GASP!/
"Cough cough!.. What the fuck is this shit?!"
"Get up, recruit, we are leaving."
"Eh?... Ah, yes… Phew."
Philip got up from bed, checking himself as he put on the dirty clothes they took off before.
'My body is still rather stiff… But it's mostly healed.'
'Do all Hunters have such a fast rate of regeneration or is it just me? Neither of them are saying anything so maybe this is standard?'
'Speaking of that, how are they doing?'
The other two still seemed rather weak. With many bandages still strapped around different parts of their bodies.
'Perhaps it's just me… But why aren't they asking? Is it because Hunters don't care about anything that isn't their mission?'
'Still, we can't leave like this, not when my rewards are waiting for me…'
"Can we go to the Church for a moment? I want to see something."
"... I guess we owe you one for following us into danger."
"Let's make it quick though, we don't want to remain here any longer than we already have." Reggie said as he strapped his gun to his waist
"Let's go."
…
They crossed the street and into the Church…
The place looked like a warzone. Everything was somewhat broken and scorched.
Flames still hung in the sky and embers would often blow in the wind to them, like a dying bonfire in a summer camp.
The faint smell of smoke would often mix in with the smell of flesh and blood…
"Did you guys…"
"Yes, we already scouted this place and looted for items. It's on Reggie's backpack." Kyu replied as he looked around
/Crackle!/
Some parts of the Church were still burning, but not as strongly as before.
"Let's get out of here before this entire place falls apart." Reggie said as he looked at the creaking church
"..."
'Strange, there aren't any "White flames" on the ground… In fact, it was like this the entire fight. None of the bodies the spider monster ate had the white flames floating around.'
'And none of the crippled beasts I took down dropped anything either. Aside from their Blood Echoes… I need to find a chance to test that Skill.'
"Ur-Urg…"
"Hum?"
Just as they were about to leave the Main Hall, Philip heard faint grunts coming from the rubble.
Carefully removing the wooden boards, he once again saw the man trapped in the cocoon.
'He's still alive? Say a level of tenacity… No, he was made to be like this.'
'The large spider was protecting him. I can already imagine what happened, given how gruesome this world is…'
'Hunter Silva was likely pregnant, either by someone else or… Like many others looked upon by the Great Ones.'
'She either lost control while pregnant, becoming a monster, or her baby corrupted her, although I don't think that'd be possible in this scenario.'
'She likely lost control, became a spider, and her fetus changed with her. So as a spider would, she injected her "eggs" on this poor sod. Worst… Maybe this man was her husband.'
'Such a horrific tale would be tame in this world.'
"It's no use, he is a goner." Kyu said out loud as he stopped next to Philip
"I am sure there are many of that creature's eggs inside of him. We found many of its offspring in some of the Church's rooms... There isn't anything we can do to help him."
"..."
Hearing this, the man looked at Philip with an empty stare.
Was he still there, or was the man inside long gone?
"..."
Philip lifted his gun.
[Mind Fort balances your emotions]
One thing was to kill a beast, another was to kill a man.
[Mind Fort balances your emotions]
It might seem the same, but for a University student until one/two days ago… No matter how many times his Skill activated.
[Mind Fort balances your emotions]
"... AAHH!"
His eyes reddening, his vision growing turbine, his breathing destabilizing, Philip screamed to boost his confidence…
And pulled the trigger.
/BANG!/
/SPLAT!/
"Hurf… Hurf…"
Both Reggie and Kyu patted his back, trying to comfort him a little.
[Mind Fort balances your emotions]
[Mind Fort Lv 7 -> Lv9]
All of his pent up emotions were balanced, and the weight of everything he experienced crashed down on him…
He took a deep breath.
"Le-Let 's continue…"
But before he left, his eyebrows narrowed.
There was a white light above the cocoon:
{Bloody spinneret}
'What? It actually… Haaa…'
His eyes sharpened.
'Open details.'
[Bloody spinneret-Hunter tool
Description: Remnants of a growing embryo. It continually spills silk.
"My greatest creation, my daughter"
When activated, it shoots forward a net of strong and durable red silk.
]
'A Hunter tool? How unexpected…'
'But… Eww. No wonder all Hunters eventually grow made… Who would use a half dead embryo as a weapon?... This accursed land…'
'People drink blood instead of wine because it's more intoxicating than pure alcohol, no wonder they're all mad.'
Scoffing as a way to try and put his thoughts elsewhere, Philip went to the Church's back.
"There isn't anything of value left, kid. We cleaned everything…"
/Stop…/
Philip stopped before a large stone coffin, the main altar of this decayed Church.
There was a large stone lock carved in its middle, in normal times, it would've been taken as a prop, but now…
Philip picked the key from his inventory and opened the lock.
/Crunk… Twist…/
/Clang/
The rock lock surprisingly fell on the ground as mechanisms clicked inside the coffin.
/Crunck.../
""!""
The ground below Kyu and Reggie started to move.
Startled, they quickly moved to the side. Watching the scene with perplexed eyes.
"What did you do this time?" Kyu asked as he looked at Philip with a frown
"What? Why are you two looking at me like that?... During the fight, I found a key so…"
But instead of a scold, he only heard frustration:
"Sigh… I think I know what this is."
"The armory right?" Reggie added as he sighed out loud
"OH? So what are we waiting for?" Philip asked as he turned to the coffin
"Stop right there…"
"..."
"Sigh, of course you don't know. Kid, it's against the law to steal equipment. Especially if they belong to the Healing Church."
"They all have seals on them for identification. I guess we can use them until we reach the gate, but they will most likely be confiscated afterward. And if we're lucky, we'll only come out with a scolding. Let's leave the rest for when it happens."
"..."
'Not like that matters to me since I don't belong here. Although I imagine I should keep with formalities if I want to remain here for long…'
'Wait, can I even bring items from this place back? Technically speaking I am wearing the rewards from the reward box, so it should be applicable if I can bring them here.'
'But… Shouldn't this place be a memory? Well, there was a Universe out there so uh…'
'Thinking this place exists somewhere in the vast Cosmos is making me shiver again…'
"Let's go either way. Better items are still better than nothing." Philip said after he shook his shivers away
'Better than our scrapped gear at the very least.'
...
They went downstairs where darkness awaited.
There was no light in the path. But they still had their lanterns.
'I'm glad they found some for themselves, I was fearful of me being the only one with a light and was too much of a target, now the chances of me being ambushed are divided equally between the three of us.'
/Step step…/
After a minute, they found themselves inside a large basement.
There were many weapons and armors hanging and stashed everywhere.
"Loot!"
"#!! It isn't "loot" Recruit!"
"..."
/Rolls eyes…/
'Yeah yeah.'
Without hesitation, Philip went to the wall at the far end of the entrance where a glorious sword hung in a display.
He checked its info without hesitation:
{Ludwig's Holy Blade +3
Description: "A trick weapon typically used by Healing Church hunters. It is said that the silver sword was employed by Ludwig, the first hunter of the church. When transformed, it combines with its sheath to form a greatsword.
It exhibits several departures from the workshop's design, suggesting that the Church anticipated much larger inhuman beasts."
…
}
(Image)
'Jackpot.'
'Wait a minute... Does this mean I'm a Healing Church Hunter?... Those lunatics?'
'I don't remember much but in short, the world of bloodborne is plagued with an incurable disease, and here, a group of people "figured out" this cure.'
'They found ruins underneath Yharnam containing an ancient blood, the Old Blood.'
'And from their experiments came the Blood Ministration, which uses the Old Blood to produce something which can be injected into a Human, treating them from the disease and much more.'
'However, from their misuse of the Blood…'
'Well, that doesn't matter right now.'
/Look…/
Philip looked to the sides to see if anyone was watching, and upon confirming they weren't…
He failed miserably…
'Shit, I forgot I cant stash the item in my fucking inventory…'
/Grab/
But he still picked it up.
He let go of the old and rusty Hunter's axe and strapped the sword to his back.
It was heavy and bulky, but it wasn't stupid. He could feel it's design from mere touch.
These weapons were engineering marvels made to resist impact against the vilest of foes, if it was heavy, it only meant he wasn't ready for it.
'There are no stats to the weapon. It's better this way.'
'I don't think things would've worked well if they had.'
With his main prize in hand, Philip scouted his surroundings.
'Hum… There are several closed chests around the place. Perhaps if I open them, I will receive an inventory item?'
And so he did, making way to the first chest.
/Creek/
/Shine…/
A notification popped up in front of him, confirming his doubts:
{Sword Hunter Badge}
'A badge? Well, if the description of my Skill is right, then this is… Useless?'
'No no… If I give the badge to the summoners, wouldn't their stock improve just like in-game?'
Either way, the chest had many extra items, but given he couldn't store them in his inventory, he decided to move to the next chest.
'Second chest.'
/Creak…/
{Sword Hunter Badge}
'… No fucking way…'
The contents of the chest were the same as the previous one, although what it actually had inside wasn't the same.
'It's just a coincidence, I'm sure of it.'
From the second came the third chest… Fourth… Fifth…
"..."
'I am depressed…'
'The same shit, multiple times… You can't even do that in-game.'
"..."
While everyone was distracted, Philip decided to try something new:
'Summon… Messenger shop.' He thought as he looked at a small space behind a few large boxes
/Blop!/
Like a stone falling in water, the ground trembled as a small fountain slowly rose until it stopped around his waist.
/Beheumheum…/
A bunch of strange creatures rose from the depths of the fountain, spreading mist everywhere.
"!"
They moved their tiny limbs around, as if looking for something, and the moment they touched Philip's hand, they stopped struggling, as if relieved.
All of this can be interpreted as a rather cute behavior, but they all looked like a bunch of mummified corpses…
/Beheumheum…/
They mumbled incomprehensible words as they moved their hands around the place. As if trying to convey something to him, alas, there was no way Philip could understand them.
If they meant anything at all.
(Image)
'This is creepy… But it doesn't look like they carry ill intent…'
'What do I do with them though?'
/Din…/
"..."
'I see.'
A message window appeared before him, like a blue scroll unfurling, displaying information for him to read:
{Acquire items}
{Channel Blood Echoes}
'If I open the first tap… Right. A shop, it couldn't be any simpler.' Philip thought as he scrolled down the system interface
'Hum… There are a few changes here. Items I've never seen before… Also, what's this?'
{Expand Inventory - 50000}
'This… It's expensive, I barely have half of that… But if I'm not mistaken, this should be the way to Level this Skill Up.'
'If I invest money to increase their stock of items, it should only benefit me in the long run.'
'Meanwhile, the second one… This is a great find.'
'I thought I wouldn't be able to Level Up until I found a way to enter the world of Nightmares, but with this, I can channel the echoes right here.'
'Given I'm Level 1… And have around twenty thousand echoes… Alright. I know what to do.'
'Vitality is useless right now, it doesn't matter how much health I have, if a beast cuts my head I'm a goner.'
'Meanwhile, with enough Endurance, I'd be able to fight longer and maybe grow more resilient, and while the other Stats are great, what matters the most to me is...'
'Strength!'
'I'll pour everything I have there!'
[
Name: Philip Vinten
Class: Old Hunter
Subclass: Military veteran
Caryll Runes: None
Insight: 1
Blood echoes: 6309
Level 20
Vitality: 12
Endurance: 12
Strength: 35
Skill: 15
Bloodtinge: 9
Arcane: 8
Abilities:
Hunter Ballistics Lv8 (9) (Passive)
Art of Quickening Lv5 (6)(Active)
Old Hunter's combat techniques Lv6 (7)(Passive)
Hunter's combat sense Lv6 (7)(Passive)
Riposte Lv3 (4) (Active)
Skills:
Summon messenger Shop Lv0 (Active)
Traits:
Old blood infusion
Inventory(+)
]
'Hell yeah.'
"Hey kid."
"!"
Philip quickly unsummoned the messengers, and while they seemed distressed to part ways, Philip just shoved them down onto the ground moments before he was busted.
"Use this."
Seeing Philip on the corner, Kyu appeared next to him, giving him a set of clothes rather similar to his, but cleaner.
Maybe even a bit… "better". It even seemed to have metal plates under the robes, and the cloth looked more durable...
{Old Hunter set +6}
(Image)
'D-Damn!'
Without hesitation, he threw his previous bloody clothes away and put the new, shiny clothes on.
"Woah… They feel incredible. I even feel bad for dirtying it."
"Leave these problems for the people of the administration."
"Reggie, did we get everything?"
"I've grabbed a bag for each of us and filled them up to the brim, administration shouldn't bother if we "retrieve" these resources for them."
"Then let's get a move on, before the night deepens…"
"Wait." Philip said as he spotted something glistering in the dark
{Ludwig's Rifle +3}
(Image)
"I'm ready."
"You took two pretty heavy things... Do you think you can handle them?" Kyu asked as he shook his head
"It's pretty heavy but... I think I can make ends meet."
It was evident Philip was pretty pleased with his current arsenal. Especially as he ate a bag of dried cookies he found inside one of the chests.
Even if they were cold and hard, to him, they were the most delicious treats he had ever eaten…
""...""
Both of them rolled their eyes...
With their bags filled and their stamina's recovered as they finally ate something decent, they went on their way to the edge of the District.
...
/Step step…/
'This was quite the lucrative venture.'
'I didn't expect to find "+" gear in here, but I also didn't expect to find… Nothing.'
'There was also the Hunter tool. And although I'm far too unskilled to use it. Yet since I will need them eventually, I even expected to find some more, but…'
'One can dream.'
…
/SPLAT/
"... Do we need to do this? I don't want to throw up my cookies…"
"We need proof for the reports. So stop bickering, otherwise I'll have you carry it."
"Carry on, don't mind me."
"..."
After taking the head of the beast from the ground, they made our way out of the district.
And despite everything they encountered on their way, they were far too strong for anything on their way.
…
/SWING!/
"Huff…"
"Put your feet on the ground, recruit. With your strength, you need to use that waist to build momentum if you want to have a chance against that farmer." Reggie said as he watched Philip fight against a zombie with his newest blade
/SLASH!/
/CLANG!/
"Huff… Goddammit… How is it…"
/FWOOSH!/
/Growl…/
"... So damn fast…"
"That's what happens when the common folk abuse their thirst." Kyu said as he looked somewhere else
"Come on, recruit, focus, one foot before the other, try not to have your face punctured by his fork."
"Huff… Easier said…"
/FWOOSH!/
/SLASH!/
/CUT!/
"... then done…"
"You did it. Now take those six down." Reggie said as he pointed at a group of ragged zombies walking in their direction
"Huff…"
/Clang…/
"Don't even think about it, you can't handle the weight of the sheathe so stick to the blade."
"And if you pick your gun I'll shoot your hand."
"... Huff…"
/Growl!/
'Everything… For my survival…'
"Are you even trying? I've seen children fight harder."
"..."
'I hate this place.'
Philip held his blade tightly, listening to the teachings of the veteran Hunter.
…
Amidst their many hurdles, it took around two hours for them to reach the gate.
And they weren't the only ones there.
Hunters were everywhere, moving items around as standing guard like any organized military force.
"We are here, recruit."
"Yeah… I guess I owe you, two months of dinner? May today be the first." Reggie added as he put his hand on Philip's shoulder
"... Can we take a bath first?"
'Well… I hope people take baths here. They are based on English people so…'
"We do smell worse than most." Kyu said out loud as he walked before him
"..."
Philip rolled his eyes at the unnecessary comment, following after him as he hunched his back at the weight of the backpack.
/Chatter…/
Meanwhile, the surrounding Hunters looked at them carrying the beast's head, whispering and discussing something beyond their hearing.
They also noticed their numbers. But so did they.
Many had lost someone today.
"It seems the words for evacuation were relayed on time. I can see several teams here." Kyu said as he looked around
"I imagine that when Hunter Silva lost control, surrounding outposts soon realized the mess and rallied, sending teams to take it down, only to fail."
"After they realized the beast couldn't be taken, given they couldn't continue the operation with such danger, they pulled out after sending messages to all surrounding outposts."
"I'm surprised the headquarters didn't send anyone to take it down yet. But I imagine there hasn't been enough time for it yet."
/Slap!/
Reggie slapped Philip's back, saying:
"All thanks to you, kid! Here, let's go eat something decent. I will show you a good bar."
"... Do they serve water?"
"Tche! Whatever fits your fancy. I already imagined it'd be like this given you're not from here."
"..."
'I just don't want to drink blood as alcohol…'
"That'll have to wait. Let's get this over with first, I'm tired of holding it." Kyu said as he tapped the bloodied sac in his waist
…
/Later…/
After passing through a rigorous check, the three of them were escorted to a waiting house where they took baths and fed themselves.
They then met with a representative of the higher ups, handing the beast head in the process and relaying their report.
Although their story was rather… Unconventional. He took it pretty well. Likely having heard worse over the years.
Three Hunters… No. Two Hunters and one recruit, getting from a despairing situation to killing the beast. It was hard to believe but by far not the worse that man had heard.
Philip could tell from his worn out expression, the atrocities he had heard and seen were likely countless…
Following this event, Kyu and Reggie were promoted while Philip was immediately promoted to an Honorary Captain. A rank reserved for those on trial.
While some may be happy, Philip just felt the weight of his annoyances increase.
"..."
'If I do well then I might immediately become a Captain and gain a small team… This will be tough.'
But when it came for his trials, Philip chose to remain under Reggie's wing since Kyu was going into a temporary retirement where he'ill stay at HQ to train new recruits like Philip.
Maybe his display today had sparked an interest in the old Hunter. Alas, this was but a temporary job as a Hunter's blade's home was inside a beast's belly, tearing its insides apart.
As for their items, for their actions, Philip was allowed to keep his new clothes, weapon, and pistol.
They may be too good for him to use, but he vowed to prove his worth… Otherwise he would be forced to grab that axe again, and regardless of how well made it was, this one was much better overall.
He just needed to train a little more…
Some may disagree with Philip, saying there was beauty and efficiency in one of the first few weapons made to the Hunters, and while he agreed with the feeling, it took a beast to use such an inefficient weapon.
A weapon to tear and rip and make even the toughest beasts bleed… For him, a purifying silver blade was better for not only the eye, but also the soul.
Seeing his reflection in its edge made him remember that at the end of the day, even as he stood upon corpses of corrupted monsters, that he was also, even if partly, Human.
At the same time, since he wanted to bring them with him to the other side, Philip had to do well otherwise, they may take them back any time…
'And although I may find something better later… I would rather not rely on chances.'
'Still… Since I can't store them in my inventory, how do I bring them back?'
"Even if I can't bring anything with me… I'll just train as much as I can."
'Experiencing War changes a man, but I'll put faith in myself.'
'I'll persevere, somehow…'
'Before I turn into a blood drinking monster.'
With those ideas inside his head, Philip took a deep breath and began his journey in this world.
…
/Time passed…/
"... Left, right. One, two…"
/FWOOSH!/
"Hupp!"
"One, two, one two. Quicken your pace, recruit!"
"I'm trying my hardest! This is… Huff…"
Inside an old warehouse, Philip kept doing pushups with a large slab of stone and several smaller sacks of sand on his back.
"Good, then I'll add three more weights, if you can still move then I'll shove this cane up your arse!"
"ARG! I'LL GET FASTER!"
"Humph."
Day after day for the next two weeks, Philip kept training under Reggie's and Kyu's tutelage.
'Huff… I should've… Huff… Put some points into fucking Endurance…'
For as long as he could, he trained with all resources available to him. From the training grounds to the small monsters surrounding the safe districts, he fought and trained whenever he could, barely sleeping in this sunless world.
'Huff… I've been wondering… Where I am…'
'Am I in the world of Nightmares? The reflection of the real world, or am I in the real world?'
'I haven't seen the sun rise… So I imagine we are inside the dream.'
'To hunt until our time is over. And once everything ends… Be thrown back to reality, forgetting everything we experienced, as if everything… Was just a dream.'
'Given I can leave anytime, if it comes between me losing my memories and keeping my powers… I'd rather leave with my powers. Not like I was a resident of this world…'
/SNAP!/
"ARRR?!"
"If you can think, it means you can still pull some more weight." Kyu said out loud as he slapped a piece of old wood onto Philip's right arm, making him tremble
"Huff…"
'I'll kill this fucking old man one day…'
…
As time passed, Philip learned many things, such as how to control Quickening, Rituals, Common knowledge, Techniques, Biology, Philosophy, and much more.
He tried diving down into more exoteric knowledge like Spells and the Cosmos but failed every time. After a while, he stopped trying, fearing the Church may try to silence him for poking around too much, or worse, be tagged by a madman.
If there was one thing he knew about this nightmare, it was that things were far from as shitty as they were in-game. At least now, the Hunters seemed connected and working as a group instead of the rag-tags they were while projected on his screen.
This made things simpler in some ways but deadlier in others, because while now they could always move in groups or had each other for support, if he committed any mistakes… Dozens of Hunters would go after him.
He definitely didn't want that.
Amidst his many trials, Philip also learned how to properly condense his blood into bullets, including other forms of Blood manipulation and its meaning.
Unfortunately, even after training this ability over and over, Philip didn't quite gained a "skill" for it. Meaning it might be too insignificant to be classified as one. Or that it needs some kind of special trigger to manifest.
What kinds of knowledge and actions, when put together, could be considered a Skill? Hard to say, but Philip was willing to go after the answer even if it meant braving his fear of the dark…
But compared to before, could the previous and current him even be compared?...
/BANG!/
/CLANG!/
"... Good shot."
"... Thanks."
"We're done for today, clean everything and let's meet at the usual place tomorrow." Kyu said as he put his hands behind his back, leaving the shooting range
"Yes, sir."
[You have completed a round of training under the tutelage of...]
[Hunter Ballistics Lv16 -> Lv17]
[...]
"It's almost time… To join them."
Philip looked at the side through a window.
The pale moon shone in the dark skies, casting red shadows throughout the entire city.
'The Hunt… Goes on. It has to.'
/Fwoosh…/
Philip left the shooting range, pulling his cloak behind him.
…
/The first month after killing the beast…/
"HUPP!"
/SPLAT/
{Prey slaughtered}
[You gained 48K Blood Echoes]
{+1 Insight}
{...}
[Old Hunter's combat techniques Lv14 -> Lv15]
"... Huff… I did it."
"Yeah, excellent work. Let's move on to the next sector."
"There's more?!"
"Of course, these pests are everywhere."
"..."
'It never ends… This fucking place.'
'Even after a month hacking and slashing, losing count of how many creatures I've slain… They never end.'
'Every day something happens. It's as if the whole world wanted us to keep working and suffering… Maybe that's how it is.'
'Maybe up there in the Cosmos beyond the feeble mind of man, a Great One waits in silence, pushing Humanity to the brink of extinction, one beast at a time.'
'But… None of that matters to me as I'll be leaving this place… One day…'
'Honestly, I've lasted enough already. I'm satisfied with my progress… But…'
"I can do more…"
"Rested? The others are waiting for us."
"... I am. Let's go."
His first two weeks as a Hunter were spent on a multitude of missions throughout the city and its surroundings with Reggie as they moved around cleaning all beasts in their past.
Thanks to his ever increasing Stats, power, and resourcefulness as he gathered more and more equipment and tools. Philip was able to deal with all kinds of horrific creatures, leading to his fame quickly rising among the Hunters.
And as such, his military rank as a Captain became pretty solid under his perfect mission record, which soon began pushing it higher than before.
Even then, Philip still preferred to work mostly alone or with Reggie's new team.
There was safety in numbers, but it was not physical safety he needed… It was Mental.
Even now, albeit little, Philip began showing signs of paranoia as his Mind slowly corroded by the madness of the world.
Even with his mental fortress, one nick at a time, its walls began to crack…
…
/Second Month…/
After much trial and error, Philip's rank rose substantially, granting him access to greater secrets.
Although fast, in a world where Hunters came and went like sands in a dune, Military ranks meant what they signified, capability.
No one tried to contest his fast growth at least.
With his rank came information about things he overlooked, and with enough preparations, together with the Healing Church and other groups, Philip started to delve inside the Chalice Dungeons.
Raids and Excursions in search of ancient secrets, knowledge, and forbidden texts lost ot time.
Ruins underneath the city, the source of their Scourge… Ahhh… The greed of man.
While getting inside the ruins was easier than he expected, exploring them proved the contrary.
The enemies there were too… Mystical in a sense.
Fading and reappearing, distant echoes in the dark halls, ruins of palaces and dancing halls…
Farms, dungeons, bodies, some fresh, others nothing but bones, it was as if he was trapped in both the past and the future, trespassing into both with every step.
Philip felt as if he was being constantly watched there. The feeling can sometimes be… Tangible.
But he managed to progress nonetheless, one step at a time.
Unfortunately, due to his lackluster equipment, Philip soon began losing ground to the beasts in the Dungeon.
This isn't like the game where monsters had health bars. Here, if he cut at a monster's head it would be up to his technique if it would fall or not.
Power may make up for it, which was easy to get as his Level increased, but if his weapon shattered on impact… Then he would have to move on with his fist. Which wasn't ideal.
What he needed was a weapon of great power, a marvel of engineering… Or the Arcane arts.
Philip needed to find better weapons or to improve those he already had, yet, with barely two months of practical knowledge, Philip's tinkering Skills were barely up to par.
'I'm already stronger than most Hunters. What I need is practical knowledge.'
'I'd say it's time for me to retire from raiding the Dungeons, they're boring anyway, only dust and madness prowls their halls now.'
'It's not like I'll open a chest and find a +6 weapon inside or better…'
'I need to sit down and study. Explore and Hunt to raise my Levels and collect materials. I can't keep moving around with a simple +3 weapon, it's sharp, but not sharp enough.'
'And that's not even talking about Blood Gems… And Caryll runes.'
'There's much to learn… Or so I would say if I had the time to study it all!'
'I've already grown used to the stench of this place, I imagine its what London smelled like in the past… And somehow, I've grown used to the food.'
'I'm growing mad, I can feel it… At this rate, forget growing stronger, I won't be able to sleep well once I'm out of here.'
Philip raised his head to look at the moon, it was quite dark today…
"... I don't think I can sleep without a gun in my hand anymore…"
…
/Later…/
"Hurf… Huff… Fucking Hell. I did it. This one… Huff. Was quite hard."
{Prey slaughtered}
[You gained 62K Blood Echoes]
{+1 Insight}
{...}
Below his feet was a rather big monkey-like creature, its body was furry and instead of hands, it had massive blade-like appendages.
It didn't look like much, but that was until it slashed an entire house in half.
[Hunter's combat sense Lv 19 -> LvMax]
[...]
"Another Max skill?..."
'During these two months, I gathered quite the amount of "skill" Levels, maxing several skills in the process.'
'I tried my best to gather as many Abilities as I could, but they were harder to gather than I thought. Very hard in fact, but I kept all of the skills since I know I will probably receive some assistance from the Beginner help info when I leave.'
'Beginner Skill Fusion on the other hand never activated… The chance is truly minuscule, or it doesn't work here.'
'Still, after many tries, I actually managed to evolve one of the Skills into a higher version. Or at least I think it is higher.'
'With these Skills, I managed to survive the second month.'
"But this place… I'm sick of it!"
/SPLAT!
"Sigh… Hunting beasts in the middle of sewers and facing off against living nightmares takes quite the toll on your mind." He muttered out loud as he casually shoved his hand inside the beast's heart, looking for stones
"... Oh? AHA! Lucky me, a bloodstone!"
The scene of a man holding a blood-red stone under the moon with a sickly smile was quite… Harrowing.
Even so… Without the proper Workshop, these stones were useless.
They were usually collected by the higher ups, but with his inventory, it was easy enough to store them.
Most materials he encountered were able to be stored inside his inventory, which certainly made things easier for him, nonetheless, they were nothing but decorations.
To solve his issue, he'd been trying to access the sole place he knew could help him outside of politics and ranks… The Hunter's Dream.
Most Hunters seemed aware of it, the Dimension of Nightmares that connects all Hunters. Yet despite his ability to manage the Messengers, he's been utterly unable to enter it.
All of his attempts without fail proved to be a futile endeavor.
'I looked everywhere but couldn't find a way to access it… I guess this is a sign for me to just go back to grinding my skills and hunting monsters…'
…
/The third month…/
A breakthrough!
After many days of hunting and killing beasts without a goal. Philip was finally given the chance to enter the Hunter's Dream!... Could that be even called a grace?
It was strange, one day he went to sleep and when he woke up, he was there.
Called by fate, the Hunter's achievements had been recognized… Or had him?
For a thin moment as he stepped inside this unknown realm, Philip wondered… Wasn't this a place for the dead? To help those entrapped by the Beast Hunt?
Yet, as weak as those thoughts were, they passed as nothing but whispers to the goal-driven man, being thrown away at the sight of a "brighter" future…
Philip was ecstatic, more so than he should… But for him, it meant the start of a new beginning.
But strangely, the very person he needed… Gehrman, the first Hunter and his assistant doll were nowhere to be seen.
So without a guide, he went towards the Workshop.
It wasn't just any workshop, it was a Hunter workshop fully equipped with all sorts of tools.
A legendary workshop, a reflection of the very first workshop
"Phew… For a moment I thought I would have to explore the whole world for these tools…"
'I can finally spend my hundreds of materials on enhancing my equipment.'
'There were several workshops back in reality, but I couldn't use them because of some diplomatic bullcrap.'
'Every time I wanted to use it I would have to submit a request to the HQ and wait for a craftsman to get in contact with me… And most of them were not capable enough to enhance some of my shit to higher levels. And it was pricey!'
'I got tired of it! As long as I could use the System, enhancing them myself wouldn't be an issue, especially since my Skill Level was rising rather quickly…'
'Anyhow, with this workshop, the equipment problem was resolved.'
/Creak… Crack…/
"Oh? I didn't notice we had a visitor… How rude of me…"
"!"
An old man's voice followed by light steps…
A man in a wheelchair being pushed by a rather beautiful woman…
Too beautiful even, unworldly perfect… But didn't her "skin" look rather… Fragile?
Haaa… Philip soon understood it… The allure of the doll.
A living doll? Cyborg?... What even was she?...
He didn't know nor care to explain what she was.
/Creak…/
"Welcome, young Hunter."
"Welcome to the Hunter's Dream. This will be your home, for now. I am... Gehrman, friend to you hunters."
"Gerhman? The first?..."
'It's him, the first Hunter…'
"Oh? You know of me?... Haa…"
He took a deep breath as he raised his head to look at the ceiling, as if seeing something.
"So you are more knowledgeable than the others… Sometimes I wonder if they've forgotten about me… I'm glad that isn't the case."
He looked at Philip up and down with his worn eyes, stopping at his face.
"Not bad, you'll last longer than most…"
"..."
"You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this… Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good."
"Before that. Can I ask for some help?"
'Please accept… If you don't, I don't know who to ask…'
"Of course, of course… Cough… Let this old me be of some help…"
Although Gehrman never smiled or showed any emotion in either his speech or tone, Philip felt he was… Happy.
No, happy was far too great of a word to use on him… Would "glad" be better?
Maybe there was no way to put into words how this old man felt at the end of the day.
"..."
'Yes!'
…
And that was how Philip came to go under Gehrman's tutelage. With his teachings, he came to learn far more than he ever could outside, boosting his growth greatly.
But after training for who knew how long… He realized there was no way to go back!
"... Looks like I'm now a member of the Hunter's nightmare… Sigh…"
Sitting down at a rock overlooking the emptiness of the Dream, Philip pondered over his reality.
(Image)
'But this is all so strange… If I was stuck… AHA! I see!!'
"The Yharnam I was stuck in before, it was the dream world, but not the "main" one…"
'It was the world that belonged to the memories of the Hunter whose body I've taken over. After all, those were his memories, not anything else.'
'I imagine that once the conditions were met, I was thrown outside of his memories into the "main" dream.'
'And now… Here I am, inside the actual Hunter's Dream, that was why all Hunters seemed aware of the Dream but I was unable to interact with it.'
'So this means… Goodbye, Reggie, Kyu, and the others… May we meet again if you two all still remember me by then.'
'They're likely around… But it's hard to say how far in the future I am now or if they're even alive out there.'
'I finally understand.'
"But why do I feel… Empty?"
'... Sigh, this is what I get for getting attached to nothing but memories. It's no wonder I'm growing mad.'
'But if I hadn't grown attached to them, wouldn't I be worse?'
'Thank you friends. At least now I have a chance in this cruel place.'
/Rise…/
Philip got up from his seat, and like that, he went back to training.
Beyond the Hunter's Dream, the only thing you can do is Hunt and Hunt and Hunt… Forever stuck in this perpetual cycle. Until you either went mad or finished your duties.
It wasn't anything different from what he was used to.
Philip trained with German in the Hunter's dream and hunted for resources in the Nightmare beyond.
The first thing he learned was that in this dream… He could stuff everything inside his inventory! As long as it was considered an item that is…
So with great determination, Philip collected everything he could.
And as he would later realize, as most items aren't sold in the Messenger Shop despite leveling it up multiple times, like some Hunters tools, it meant that if he couldn't get his hands on them, then there would be no way to make up for it once he left this place.
He had to gather as much as he could if he wished to develop himself further once he went outside. Back to the real, "real" world…
Unfortunately for the Messenger shop, the price to Level it up got so out of hand that Philip was eventually forced to stop, unable to see what would happen once he leveled it up to max.
So until then, he could only get those special items in the wild or by doing special missions.
In the meantime, Philip grew close to Gehrman by sharing his tales with him, as a way to liven up his mood and to learn more things. Or at least, he felt that it did.
The old man barely ever showed any reaction to anything, but from time to time he laughed a little, even if drily…
Gehrman was very knowledgeable and his expertise in tinkering and craft allowed Philip to create several Unique Hunter tools and equipment.
It was evident that regardless of what he did or told him, Gehrman would never truly appreciate it as his Depression wasn't something that could be cured.
He, like all, was trapped in the dream. But unlike the others, could not escape it, no matter what he did.
Cursed to see all come and go, to save or mourn them forever, unable to end it all by his own hands…
Living with the specter of his actions to haunt him for all eternity.
…
/SPLATER!!/
{Prey slaughtered}
[You gained 88K Blood Echoes]
{+1 Insight}
{...}
/Whispers whispers.../
"..."
'Again?'
After killing many monsters, Philip had gathered an unhealthy amount of insight.
In time, this allowed him to see and hear the Great ones and the many maddening secrets of the world.
It was hard to define what Insight was, Philip deemed it to be a form of thinking, and the main reason behind his slow but constant loss of reason.
It wasn't like he saw things or had visions whenever he got it. In simple terms, Insight was knowledge that went beyond Human understanding.
Manifesting through him in the forms of imagery, sounds, visions, and more whenever he went to sleep, plaguing him with insomnia and paranoia, forcing him to wake up early every day.
He tried to make it stop, but even as he spent it. Decreasing it did little but provide momentary respite. Oftentimes, Philip felt his brain gave him nightmares merely because it could not envision the world without them anymore.
Which, at the end of the day, was just another source of madness for him…
A normal Human shouldn't be allowed to be in contact with such eldritch knowledge. And no matter what the voices told him, Philip would've preferred to throw it all away if he could.
Even so, these whispers did not only serve to torment him.
"Phew…"
'Hearing them allowed me to slowly understand their language… But the toll on my mind… No wonder my Trait is already maxed.'
'My Trait is certainly the reason I was able to keep myself afloat all this time, but if it doesn't progress from here… I'm afraid I'll succumb sooner or later.'
'How do the Hunters around even manage to keep themselves sane? Is their Will that strong, or am I so feeble minded?'
'Both? Or is this from the fact I don't belong to this world?'
'... I don't know what will happen first, me getting mad, or me dying to some nightmarish beast.'
'I should try hunting a Great one… Once my stats are higher.'
Training…
Hunting…
Studying…
The fourth month passed in the blink of an eye.
…
.
.
.
Notes