Chapter 1: The Awakening

"Ah, yes. Paleblood..."

I blinked. The weariness in my body preventing me from moving

That line..it couldn't be..I wasn't supposed to be here

My body felt numb. Under the dim light of the dark, dusty room, I could barely make out the silhouette of an old man on a wheelchair, with concealed features aside from his growing, unkempt beard that covered his one working eye

"...Well, you've come to the right place. Yharnam is the home of blood ministration. You need only unravel its mystery. But, where's an outsider like yourself to begin?" A shadow flickered, the briefest hint of a smile on his face "Easy, with a bit of Yharnam blood of your own... But first, you'll need a contract..."

Pause

And that is when I was fully awake

I calmly exhaled. My memory's gone. There are only three things I could immediately remember as of the moment

One, I'm an outsider. And I have no idea who I am or where I come from

Two, I am not supposed to be here. That's definitely a given

Three, I am inside Bloodborne. A game developed by From Software in 2015 that I've played

That's...pretty much it. How I came here was a mystery to myself

Choose your Origin

My eyes were once again drawn to the bloodstained parchment that appeared midair, hovering just inches above my face for the last few seconds. Beside me, the old man (Blood Ministrator) seemed to be frozen in time, with that same creepy smile plastered on his face

Choosing an Origin will not distribute points into your stats. Instead they will give you a skill based on the one you've chosen

- Milquetoast: Gain skill [Curiosity] (Max Insight capacity)

- Lone Survivor: Gain skill [Resourceful] (More HP regained from Rally)

- Troubled Childhood: Gain skill [Pain Resistance] (Give resistance to heavy attacks)

- Violent Past: Gain skill [Bounty Hunter] (Enemies drop more Blood Echoes upon death)

- Professional: Gain skill [Specialist] (Increased damage for bladed weapons)

- Military Veteran: Gain skill [Survialist] (Gives resistance against status effects)

- Noble Scion: Gain Skill [Duelist] (Increased damage for firearms)

- Cruel Fate: Gain skill [Tactical Retreat] (Increased speed when running away from enemies)

- Waste of Skin: N/A

- Dark Hunter: [Locked]

- Nightmare: [Locked]

So this is just me choosing my playstyle, isn't it?

Let's see, in my first time doing this I chose the Bloodtinge stat. It's easy picking off enemy with gun + visceral attacks, followed by the Chikage in later games. But obviously no such things exist here, so I'll just have to find one that suits me. A build that geared toward agressive, fast-paced combat with high risk - high reward

So, four options: [Lone Survivor], [Violent Past], [Professional] and [Noble Scion]

After a moment of thinking, I chose the last one. I  picked up the virtual knife near me and pricked my finger, letting the blood dripped onto the antique parchment, just right above the intended choice

Instinctively, knowledge started pouring into my head. It wasn't something profound or enlightening, merely on how to handle firearms and weapons alike. This was followed by a notification appearing in the form of stained ink on the bottom of the parchment

Thus, the contract was signed

Skill unlocked

[Enhanced Constitution]: The Blood transfusion gives a person major increase in their physical abilities. A necessary trait for a Hunter, amongst other things

"Good. All signed and sealed. Now let's begin the transfusion" The old man chuckled, seeing my impassive gaze"Oh, don't you worry. Whatever happens... You may think it all a mere bad dream..."

As the blood was ministered into my body, I began to relax. I've always thought it was weird but, this sensation was indeed quite addicting. One could compare it to a drug given how much the series was obsessed with it

The shadow flickered. The candles blow out, and the man faded into the silent background

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Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip

I opened my eyes

"Well that was one bad dream"

True to the game, it almost played out the same when I dozed off. A beast appeared, the Messengers warded them off by burning it, and me in a half-sleep state to witness it all

I got up from the makeshift bed, its old frame slightly cracking as I did so. The first thing I did was inspected the room. I walked around, trying to get a feel of my body. It felt light somehow, and I realized I am a lot stronger than before

At least now I know what's up ahead. If canonically the Hunter was this strong and still got curbstomped by most of the lower enemies, one can only wonder to just how strong a Boss would be like

I am still wearing the Foreigner's outfit when I got here. I noted

Another moment of scrounging around. I found the intended message left behind

"Seek Paleblood to transcend the Hunt"

I sighed. This is real. This is not an illusion. I am inside this game. As an amnesiac

Right at the start and shit's already bad. Let's hope I don't get too affected by this nightmare by the time the Hunt ended

Pushing the door open, I slowly crept forward. The sound of beastly grunting and flesh being torn from their body could be heard just up ahead. I slowly approached the room while trying my best to ignore the stench of blood inside

+ 1 [Pebble]

The shadow of a beast could be seen reflecting off the wall. I peered inside to catch a glimpse. It was taller than I expected, with its hunched form already towering over me. The beast had gray, untamed fur, which was matted with blood of whatever poor thing was caught underneath it

I took a deep breath while sneaking up behind it. The floor was made from old wooden planks and can easily creaks under force, so I have to be careful so as not to alert it with my footstep

Alright, (Y/n). You've done this once before. You can do it again. Just lean back, chillax, and CHARGED ATTACK!

My fist hit the beast by its side with tremendous force, staggering it forward. Using the chance, I reared my hand back and ripped through its flesh. The beast's innards squeezed around my hand, its blood pouring out in a shower of blood as I ripped it outward a second time

Immediately I dashed back, awaiting a second strike that came just moments later. I rushed back in, rolling forward to avoid its following paw swipe. Splinters flew as its claws tore through the wooden boxes behind me.

Spinning around, I threw the pebble at its head. The projectile hit the wolf head on and dazed it. I closed in and executed another Visceral Attack, ending it for good

With a final howl of agony, the Beast Wolf crumbled into the floor

+3 [Blood Vial]

+335 [Blood Echo]

Flicking my hand off the blood, I nodded. Good. That should be enough for now...

You have leveled up!

Huh?

Leveling up allow you to distribute points into your stats. Each unlocked stats will give you a new skill upon spending points on it

Strength (0/10): Affect your ATK Damage and Visceral damage

Dexterity (0/10): Affect your movement speed and fighting techniques

Endurance (0/10): Affect your stamina and HP

Intelligence (0/10): Affect your ability in the Arcane arts

Wisdom (0/10): Affect your connection with the Great Ones

Luck (0/10): Affect your luck on the Hunt

Available points: 1

There are three ways to level up: Killing a Boss once. Filling the Blood Gauge. Or simply unlock them using Insights

The system is vastly different from what I used to play

Again. I was forced to choose one that would suit my playstyle. There are no Bloodtinge equivalent to me, so looks like I'll be going with Dexterity and hope it carries some interesting abilities with it

Dexterity (1/10)

A new skill had been learned

[Terrain Traversal]: A Hunter stalks their prey through the night. +40% movement speed when not engaged in combat

That's...not bad. Not bad at all. I was expecting something worse considering the nature of From Software, but it seems I was wrong

I sprung on my foot, feeling my body become lighter than before.

Now, to Iosefka's clinic. But..oh wait, nevermind. I'll get to the Hunter's Dream first

And with that I was gone. My increased movement speed, along with the enhanced physiology the Hunt gave me enables me to move at speed surpassing that of a normal athlete. In mere moments I was pushing the gate to Central Yharnam open

Gravestone. 10 Quicksilver Bullets obtained

Turn to the left. 4 Blood Vials obtained

The smell of blood, rotting flesh and the pungent scent of waste permeated my nose as I tried not to empty my stomach on the pacement. Not wasting another moment I walked in the direction of the bricked path and past the carriage.

Just like in the game, I deftly avoided the villager's ambush as he swung his blade at me from the corner. I dashed back, putting some distance between us. The maddened man took the initiative and rushed me down like a rabid dog, only for me to jump up the wall and leaped behind him

So you can jump in here after all

Landing gracefully, I immediately sprinted to the far end of the road and punched the craters.

+6 [Molotov Cocktails]

Grabbing one of them, I threw it at the hunter before smashing one underneath me, shocking the two sleeping hunters who let out screams of anguish as their flesh was burned to an ashen shade

Their faces twisted in despair. Yet I could not feel a thing

I walked up and switched the lever, prompting the ladder to descend. It seems like [Terrain Traversal] also affect my climbing speed, seeing I was already at the top only after less than a second of scaling

The ability to jump + increased movement speed. There seems to be a lot of things I can do with Dexterity. Maybe I should invest in it a bit more

I arrived next to the house with the red lantern outside. I raised a hand and knocked on the door, knowing the NPC behind it should provide me some context here

"Oh you must be a hunter..." The dialogue started

"Aye, new on the Hunt. Just signed the contract recently" I sighed "And apparently I got lost"

There was a chuckle, before a cough could be heard "And not one from around here, either. I'm Gilbert, a fellow outsider..."

And it goes on just like in the game. The Paleblood. The Healing Church. The Cathedral Ward. The aqueduct that lead to it.

I didn't bother asking him more. That man will be dead soon anyway

"I thank you for your assistance" I said, tapping gently on the window to show my appreciation "I wish you a good day, sir"

"A good day in Yharnam? You must be jesting" We both let out a chuckle upon it, before my gaze flickered to the spectral figures reaching in front of the house

None can see them aside from a Hunter. They are the Messengers of the Dream, accumulating around a lamp that will lead me to the Hunter Workshop upon command

I held out my hand, to which the ghastly specters accepted. Reality faded to black around me