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Chapter 90: INSIGHT
🕑 Added 2023-05-02 18:18:03 +0000 UTCGoing down the stairs I felt rather... annoyed. Enough that I felt like treating this world seriously. After a bit of walking, I arrived at a... fucking graveyard. I am a 1000% sure that there are more graves in this city than people.
I saw two enemies patrolling around that saw as I saw them. They were giant humans wearing neat church clothes with white masks wielding a cane and lantern that made me very uneasy. In fact, for some reason, this place made me DEEPLY unnerved.
As soon as they noticed me they started rushing toward me. I didn't even move or respond as I held a relaxed stance with my hands in my pockets wielding no weapons other than these hands.
The first Church Servant(How do I know their name...?) swung his cane at me. But before the cane could move even halfway my leg rose up at inhuman speeds before my shin got intimate with the side of the servant's head.
'{Deadman Style}.'
Its head made a disgusting crunching sound and its head all but crumpled inwards and its large body was kicked away. Getting back in stance my eyes locked onto the second servant.
'{Deadman Style}: Vanish Step.' Moving at inhuman speeds I arrived before the servant as my hand left my pocket and entered through the servant's chest before quickly making its way out the back.
<You have slain 2x Church Servants +804 Blood Echoes>
In less than 5 seconds I have managed to eliminate two seemingly strong enemies. But that wasnt entirely the reason I was satisfied. My deadman Style was already at level 10 again. This time I was searching for a way to evolve it.
At its core, Deadman Style wasnt really an ability that could be improved. After all, how can you improve something that is already the peak of what it is supposed to be? This move was made to push the body to its limits and that is what it does.
But now, I managed to use it without straining myself severely.
I focused on the power inside my blood as I used deadman style. It needs work but it opens up a path I hadn't thought of before. But as I delved into my thoughts I noticed a shining spot indicating an item.
And I am a man that is awfully weak to items.
But just as I was about to reach the item every single single cell in my body screamed. I used deadman style to jump back as far as I possibly could. My eyes wide open.
Fear.
Fear?
I felt fear? What the fuck just happened?
<1+ Insight>
My mind ached. I felt bile rise up in my throat. My eyes bled and it felt like maggots were crawling into my brain. My eyes snapped to the location of the item. T he re i s som e thin g there.
'Inspect.'
Immediately I was filled with immense regret. It felt like someone had inserted a white-hot rod of iron into my brain. My brain burnt. It felt like reality itself was trying to fuck my brain. But it wasnt just my body that was unyielding as I forced my mind back together with INVICTUS.
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<+ 30 Insight >
< Mental Corruption has leveled up >
I felt like I had just worn a pair of glasses as the entity revealed itself to me.
A monstrous entity with a body that resembled that of an arachnid, a with a short tail, and a head that resembled the part of the brain called the Amygdala or amygdaloid body. Its head was like a cage containing a mass of bulbous flesh inside. It had six fingers each on its seven arms, and reptilian talons on its feet from what I saw. Its body looked emaciated with sickly pitch-black skin.
I felt a shiver go down my spine. My brain was overdriven by the sudden influx of insight but it couldn't break down my mind. Yet.
I broke into a smile.
'And here I thought this would be easy.'
It seems I had gotten too arrogant. Thinking I was invincible. Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer. I wasnt the strongest here.
But I welcome the challenge.
I turned away from the Eldrich abomination and started heading deeper into the Cathedral Ward.
I need to get stronger fast. I had almost forgotten how I was supposed to be. Why was I going so slow? I was called the damn Reaper of Lordran for a reason. I am feared for good reason. Time to go on a spree.
<Insight Evolution unlocked.>
Hmm?
<Using insight you can evolve max-level skills.>
Seeing the text in front of me my smile almost became manic. And here I was contemplating on how to get stronger. If I must fight eldrich abominations like that one then I must become as strong as possible. Caution can go fuck itself. Actually, I am fairly sure it actually did when I used inspect on an Eldrich entity.
Deciding to splurge some insight now rather than later I opened my status.
-----------------------------------------------
Name: John "Manus" Moore
{ Titles: None. }
{ Blood Echoes: 402 }
{ Insight: 9 }
{Level: 47}
Stats:
{Vitality: 18}(Attribute governing HP)
{Endurance: 18}(Attribute governing stamina and resistances.)
{Strenght: 15}(Attribute governing physical might.)
{Skill: 15}Attribute governing dexterity and nuance)
{Bloodtinge: 20}(Attribute governing the concentration of ??? in blood)
{Arcane: 11}(Attribute governing mystery and attunement )
Skills:
{Inspection}
{Blood Transfusion lv.4}
{Shooting lv. 5}
{Parkour lv.5}(max)
{Beast Transformation lv.4}
{Body Moulding lv.5}
{Predator's Presence lv.5}(max)
{Deadman Style lv.10}(max)
{Mad Hollow Combat lv. 10}(max)
{Bolt Infusion lv. 3}
{Multitasking lv.4}
Abilities:
<{Seed of ???}>, < Language > <{Mental Corruption lv.52(broken)}>, < Lesser Poison Resistance lv. 10(max) >
-----------------------------------------------
First I should look at parkour. It is a relatively simple skill so it should be relatively easy to evolve. I glanced at the skill and thought about evolving it with insight.
< Evolve {Parkour lv.5}(max) to {Agility lv.1}? Req: 10 insight 10,000 Blood Echoes >
Fuck my ass and call your bitch why don't you!? what the fuck is that price!? Will the other skills demand my anal virginity next!?
Ohhh, the next enemy I meet will really not appreciate this development alright.
...
As I was exploring the Cathedral Ward for loot I could plunder and desperately trying to ignore the random grotesque eyes that popped out of things at random and the maddening whispers in my ears I found an enemy.
A church giant. I knew its name because... because... ½[$i#\]{[#\]}½[{\|
It was a large humanoid towering over even me with pale skin and a vacant expression on its face. Its outfit consisted of a black hat, a white mantle, and a bell that hung from its neck like a dog. Wielding a giant bloody axe.
There was just one problem.
It was so goddam slow.
By the time it attacked once and withdrew its weapon, I could go and have lunch, pursue a higher education, read a book, sit down, have a nap, brush my teeth, and be back by the time it was done.
It was so slow that I even thought about not killing it due to sheer pity but then I was reminded of 10k Blood Echoes. After which all bets were off.
I brought out my cane blade and chopped off his legs with blitzing speed before its axe could even meet the ground. Right after I chopped off its wrists before plunging the blade into its chest and releasing all of my energy into Bolt infusion. Cooking it from the inside.
After taking care of that thing I started scouring the area for any unique item I could use to strengthen myself. Unfortunately, I found a giant and solid ass gate that even I couldn't break and I couldn't be bothered to walk around it so I started heading in a different direction. A direction in which my instincts told me led to where I needed to go.
Along the way I entered a chapel, I sensed the presence of somebody else here but in my current state, I was nothing but a threat to anybody I came across. Or at least that's what the 10 recently emptied bottles of alcohol in my inventory say.
Thank fuck poison resistance doesn't evolve with just alcohol so I can still get drunk after ingesting enough alcohol to replace all of my blood. Inside the chapel, I found my first blood gem. I should practice enchanting on my weapons soon. They need an upgrade anyway with the new blood shards I have found.
Why would they even put a staircase under an altar that can only be moved by a lever like an entire kilometer away from here I will never know. Under the altar, a werewolf thing tried to jump.
Tried being the operative word here as I split it in half rather easily. Downing my 11th bottle of hard alcohol I light up the lantern in the middle of the room under the alter before warping back to the dream.
Time to pimp my weapons.
Comments
James French
Love the darkest dungeon quote lol
Greekfirefly
Thanks for the chapter
