For the first time since I can remember, I feel no pain, no discomfort. The past month was pain and suffering, cold and hate, but now the pain is gone. It's a strange sensation. Oh gods, what the fuck happened to me? Am I dead? But no, if I can think then surely not.

I tug at my body, tell it to move. And it does! It feels weird though, but it moves! I open my eyes, or try to. Nothing happens. Only darkness greets my efforts. It seems... I can't see. Let's hope I'm underground. Unfortunately for me, I can feel a breeze on my skin, so it's likely that I'm not underground.

I roll my body sideways and hear a squish squish sound. I feel something wet all around me. I wonder what it is? It smells sweet, very sweet. But it's a different kind of sweetness than what I'm used to. It's hard to describe exactly, but for some reason that sweet smell makes my mouth water.

I sit up, the wet goopy slime all around me is making my bottom wet. Ever so slowly, I bring a finger up to prod at my eye. Even though I was careful, my finger goes right through my eye socket. The only reason I don't panic is because the Frank bastard spent over a month torturing me every day, otherwise I'd have freaked the fuck out.

But why are my eyes missing? It's not just that I'm blind. Both my eyes are gone and my finger feels strangely skeletal, but not in all places. My body smells sweet too by the way, just like the surroundings. However, I can clearly discern the difference in sweetness. It's strange, too strange!

Having nothing better to do, I decide to dip my finger in the sweet smelling goop and lick it. Thankfully I have a tongue to lick with, although it seems a little bit too long and quite easy to move.

The goop is maddeningly delicious and I'm hungry. I've got nothing better to do anyway, so why not indulge myself a little? It's not like I'll get fat from eating a little bit of unidentified goop, right? Besides even if I got fat, I wouldn't care since I'm blind. If people don't like my appearance, then they can just go fuck themselves, tehehe.

I lose myself to the taste of the sweet goop, sometimes scooping it up with cupped hands and sipping it like fine wine.  At other times I find myself on all fours licking the ground like an animal. I don't care though. It tastes good, and it makes me feel good and it doesn't seem like there's anyone around to yell at me that such behaviour is most unbecoming of a lady. Not that I ever was a lady, but a girl can dream, right?

I crawl forward a few feet, my eyes still in complete darkness as I continue to slurp at the saccharine ambrosia  covering everything. Then my hand touches something else. It's soft and squishy and also smells sweet, but it's not quite like the goop from before. Excitement fills me at this new culinary discovery. I can't let it go to waste. I feel like Alice in wonderland with all this tasty food around me. I'm practically bathing in it!

I sit down and resume my feast. When I dig into the melty jelly, I find that there's a hard, stick-like thing in the middle of it. Very convenient design as I can hold it in my hand while I om nom nom it. I approve! It's almost like a lolipop made especially for me, fufufu.

I grip it and lift the blubbery sweet food to my mouth and like a vacuum cleaner, suck the proverbial meat off the bone. That's how it feels anyway, like eating really soft and mushy KFC chicken, but even more delicious than KFC. How funny. But goddamn, it tastes good.

I feel giddy and let out a girly little giggle the likes of which I haven't emitted since I was a preteen. It comes out as a creepy wheeze rather than a girly giggle. Weird. Nevermind. I don't care right now. I'm still super hungry and it's not that I don't like sweet soupy goop or melty jelly on a stick, but I'm craving solids too, you know? I guess I could try eating the stick thing. So far everything I've touched has been edible, so why not the stick thing too? Truly Alice in wonderland with food all around. Yep, it's Alice in candyland! Fufufu.

Bringing the stick-thing to my mouth, I crunch crunch and sure enough it tastes nice, but not quite as nice as the goop or the jelly and it's a little dry and powdery but also somewhat rubbery and chewy. Still good though, and it has volume to it, so I consume everything. As I'm finishing with the last bit of the stick thing, something washes over me. It makes me shiver with pleasure and I purr, which becomes a menacing animalistic growl. Weird, I don't remember auditioning as lead singer for a death metal growl band.

Achievement unlocked: Rotten Corpse Eater. Through sick and perverse actions defying the natural order, you have consumed copious amounts of corpses in various states of decay. +100% to disease resistance.

Achievement unlocked: A Ghoul's first meal. A young ghoul must feed, and so you have. Unlocked trait life sense.

Call of the Grave Queen: +2 Constitution, +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +9 Intelligence, +9 Wisdom, +9 Perception, +9 Spirit

Achievement Unlocked: Fledgeling training. You take your development seriously, and instead of frivolously leveling up to gain attributes, you take your time and train the fundamentals. You've been rewarded for your actions. +1 Cons, +1 Int, +10 Charisma +1 Karma.

Achievement Unlocked: Scholar. Through years of education, you have prevailed in raising your mental stats in spite of your low level. You came out the other end a changed woman, with a mind as sharp as any sword. +5% to all elemental affinities, +3 Int. Title gained: Scholar.

"What. The. Fuck!?" I shout to no one in particular. Doesn't really matter though, since it came out as three loud gurgling growls that sounded more like someone puking than someone speaking. Truthfully, I did want to puke right now.

Memories flood me and I remember. I remember those last few seconds of my life. I remember my death. I remember those strange messages of soul transference, blessings and curses and more blessings and what have you. Uguu, my head hurts.

Shit. I can't get over the fact that I've just merrily feasted on a bunch of rotting corpses. And I'm still surrounded by that sweet smell. Delicious, mouth watering... No stop it. I am NOT going to eat another gods damned corpse, you hear me, me?

But still, what the fuck were those strange pop-up boxes about? I got achievements and stats like in a game. But I died. I used to play World of Warcraft when I was younger. I was even an avid raider and no, I never ERP'd in goldshire for money. Never, you hear me? Goddamn it!

Bah I don't care anymore. I'm alive, sort of. The sweet smelling stuff tastes good, even if it's rotting corpse. I escaped from Frank. I'm happy enough with that. I think I'm beginning to understand the sweet release of death.

I reach my hand out to try and grab another piece of jelly on a stick. Yup, let's think of it as jelly on a stick, not decaying flesh on a bone. Jelly on a stick sounds much more appetizing. Tehehe.

But I stop myself before I can give in to my instincts. Oh. My. God. What if I actually say the forbidden word in my mind. I won't say it now. I refuse to. Actually. I'm scared to say that word in my mind. What if... what if it was actually like a game and my status- Shit!

Name: None

Titles ??? ??? ??? ??? Monster Rank: ??? Basic Information Race: Undead (Ghoul) Gender: Female Age: 10 Level: 1 Character Status Health: 185 Mana: 853 Stamina: 161 Class: None Strength: 10 Intelligence: 18 Charisma: -59 Sub-Class: None Dexterity: 9 Wisdom: 12 Spirit: 13 Sub-Class: None Constitution: 11 Perception: 14 Karma: -99 Sub-Class: None Affinities Holy: -100% Light: 0% Death: 100% Darkness: 100% Water: 5% Earth: 5% Fire: 5% Air: 5% Resistances Holy: 100% Light: 100% Death: 100% Darkness: 100% Water: 5% Earth: 5% Fire: 5% Air: 5% Traits Untiring (Undead) 99% decreased stamina drain at night. 33% increased Stamina drain in daylight. Life Sense (Undead, Ghoul) You can detect the pulse of life all around you. Radius is twice your perception. Current radius: 28 Meters. Status Effects Rotting Corpse (Condition) -100 Charisma. Who likes rotting corpses? Blind (Condition) You can't see without eyes, can you? Curses Eian's Condemnation (Curse) -100% to all attribute gains. Hurry up and perish. Titon's Judgement (Curse) When exposed to the sun and when outside in daytime, -50% to all attributes. Blessings Darkness of the Demon Monarch (Blessing) 100% resistance to holy and light magic acquired. 100% affinity to Darkness acquired. Call of the Grave Queen (Blessing) By consuming the flesh of the fallen (dead), you will absorb a small part of their stats. 100% death affinity. 100% increase to all death related skills. 100% immunity to poison and mundane (non-divine) curses. Odin the All-Father's Retribution (Blessing) 1000% increase to all mana related skills. 1000% increase to growth of all mana related attributes (doesn't apply to achievement bonuses). Skill acquired: Summon Raven Familiar(s). Title acquired: Lady of Ravens. Earthmother Gaia's Compassion (Blessing) 200% increased growth to all health related attributes (doesn't apply to achievement bonuses). Skill acquired: Flesh Manipulation. Skills Summoning Magick 1 (Active) Capable of contracting and summoning creatures. Strength depends on character attributes. Higher proficiency allows for more and higher leveled summons. Flesh manipulation 1 (Active) Through excruciating effort and pain, the user can manipulate their own biomass. Eating flesh will add to available biomass. Spells Summon Raven Familiar 1 (Active) Summon a raven familiar to do your bidding.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Uuuuuuhhh... Okay then? Either I somehow survived Frank's horrible tortures and ended up in a hallucinating coma in the hospital after an unlikely rescue operation... or I reincarnated into a game-like world. Both of those scenarios are rather improbable and seriously fucked up. One of them is fucked up in a good way though. I've always wanted to be in a game and here I am! Tehehe.

I look over the massive character status that popped into my mind. Thankfully it doesn't obscure my vision, it just sort of exists in my awareness. Choose a name? Hey, why am I classified as a monster? I shake an invisible fist in rage at the audacity of this system or whatever it is. How dare it call me a monster, I am but a girl with an appetite goddamn it!

I guess the previous owner of this body suffered a premature departure. Just like me then. Although in my case, I'd wanted death to come for me faster.

I was right about my current self, sort of. I'm kinda dead, an undead ghoul apparently. Is that some sort of zombie? I must look horrible, -59 Charisma haha. Okay focus. This body is 10 years old? Fuck. Some poor kid got killed along with... wait why are there so many corpses around here anyway. All that goop, all those melty jellies on sticks. Is this an all you can eat buffét-- I mean battlefield?

Humm. My stats are pretty absurd, aren't they? Not that I have anything to reference them against, but I get the feeling that a level 1 shouldn't have these stats. I'm pretty pissed that some Gods decided to curse me, but on the other hand I'm grateful for the help I got, even if said help originates from some rather dubious sources. Hey ya'll, I'm hanging out with the the God of Revenge and Goddess of Death. Happy times ahead for sure.

I shed a mental tear when I see the last two blessings. Parting gifts from my old world. I will forever treasure your memory, Earth. Wait, why am I accepting that this is real and not a dream? I guess... I guess I can feel it. I know it in my bones. I'm half bones now, so trust my perception more, will you? I've become like those old women that say oya oya, I can feel a storm coming in my knee, you better take shelter.

Besides, I don't have any desire to return to my old, mangled corpse of a body. If I were hard pressed to choose, I might even choose to inhabit this rotting child corpse over my old body. The heavily mutilated and mangled body of a 33 year old woman and all the bad memories to go along with it. Yup, not appetizing in the least. I wonder if Frank chopped me up and ate me after I died?

Ugh, I suddenly don't feel like eating any more of the sweet, delicious... no mouth, stop watering! Gyuuh. I shake my head and try to brush off the rush of insanity prompted by the huge status screen. I sure hope I can sort that into smaller bits. I don't want to pull up that huge monstrosity every time I need to check my stats or skills. Let me try.

I picture the status screen in my mind, but only showing Basic info and character stats.

Name: None

Titles ??? ??? ??? ??? Monster Rank: ??? Basic Information Race: Undead (Ghoul) Gender: Female Age: 10 Level: 1 Character Status Health: 185 Mana: 853 Stamina: 161 Class: None Strength: 10 Intelligence: 18 Charisma: -59 Sub-Class: None Dexterity: 9 Wisdom: 12 Spirit: 13 Sub-Class: None Constitution: 11 Perception: 14 Karma: -99 Sub-Class: None

Yes, it worked! Woohoo! Unsurprisingly, I don't have a class. I don't have a name either, maybe I should choose one. I don't want to be just another random, nameless monster roaming the wilds to be struck down by the first stray soldier with a sword or whatever. I resent this fact! I am unique, goddamn it!

Just as I begin to dig through my memory banks for an appropriately epic name for myself, I hear growling off in the distance. Growling and groaning and other grotesque, inhuman sounds. Even if I can't see, my hearing seems to be extremely acute.

Good good. Let's go towards the growling.

It's not a dumb idea, okay? I'm a monster too, you know? I have to go mingle with my fellow corpse homies and see what's what yo. Maybe they'll even talk to me so I don't have to talk to myself like a madwoman even though I'm definitely not mad, okay? Goddamn it!

I probably shouldn't call myself mad too often lest I risk acquiring a title and accompanying trait. I shudder at the thought of being permanently branded insane by the system, although it already arbitrarily branded me a monster! The nerve.

I get up and walk on surprisingly steady legs towards the growling and groaning and sloshing and munching and crunching. From the sound alone, I'm guessing there are at least 5 monsters over there eating the hell out of some scrumptious decaying flesh... no, silence! I nearly slip and slide a number of times. Sweet baby jesus there's a lot of goop on the ground around here.

I heard tales from the old days of battlefields flooded with blood, but this is pretty crazy stuff. Jankies is it slippery. But I somehow manage to proceed without falling on my tooshie too many times. As I near the growling monsters, they grow quiet. I can somehow feel them with my mind now.

I take a look at life sense. If these monsters are anything like me, aka dead, then it's not Life Sense at work here but something else. An innate connection with my kin maybe? I focus on the connection and nearly jump out of my skin when purple mist starts swirling around me, forming into 5 vaguely humanoid shapes. All 5 of them are larger than I, adult sized in fact.

One of them approaches me, a low growl emanating from it. Ah, of course. This bastard doesn't want to share the sweet goop and melty jelly. Come to think of it, I don't really feel like sharing either.

Although the purple mist is nearly twice my height, I don't care since I'm fun-sized and that's clearly better! Some strange animal instinct in me awakens and I lunge forward, driving my fist into the undefined purple swirlie mass before me. My small fist passes through a wall of soft, rotting meat and brittle bones with a wet squishy crunch, coming out the other side. It almost felt like punching water. Appropriate I think, considering that to my vision these creatures are made of purple humanoid shaped mist.

I retract my hand and hear the thud of a body falling to the ground before me, the purple mist slowly dissipating from the fallen shape. Now there are only four.

"Fuck off!" I snarl. My throat produces only vaguely recognizable sounds, not the words I intended. Regardless, the four remaining creatures got the message and scattered before the mighty rotting corpse-loli. Tehehe. No stop it me, or I really will get that madwoman title.

A terrible hunger overcomes me and I fall to my knees, the goop splashing. Come to mommy, sweet delicious goopy goop. Loop zoop. That's right, come to mommy. Fufufu.

I slurp and drink and eat, my instincts taking over as my body devours the food before me. I let myself totally go, giving in to the monster. I would rather do that, than contemplate my current situation and what I'm doing. Yup, better to think of myself as Alice in wonderland enjoying a world made of candy.

Do you wish to name yourself Alice, Y/N?

No, no. Let me think. Alice is a nice name. But if this is a game and I'm a monster, I better become a real badass. Whoever heard of a last boss called Alice? I should be like the bloody countess or something, o ho ho.

I plop my tooshie to the ground and cross my arms, my skeletal hand accidentally passing over my ribcage. Exposed bones. Play them like an instrument, lalala. No stop it and focus. Use the remaining meat as a drum and play my ribcage like a harp! lala, haha. NO!

Name. My name. I think... I think I should give myself a name soon. Some strange madness tugs at my consciousness. I don't want to become just another monster, another mob character, a cannon-fodder NPC. I am more! I'm not one of many, I'm unique! Damned if I will be a simple low level pushover mob for some random 15 year old harem toting red-haired manga protagonist to slay. No, this one shall become a legendary class last boss, oh ho ho ho!

Confirm request: Name: Alyce Katheryn Francisca McDowell. Y/N

That's more like it. But where did those two middle names come from? I picked Alyce because I can't escape from the alice in wonderland delusion and I picked McDowell because I like negima, okay? It's my guilty pleasure. Maybe Katheryn Francisca came from the one previously inhabiting this body. Yes, that seems right. Nodding my head, I mentally acquiesce.

As soon as I decide to accept this name, something changes. I can feel the world vibrating all around me as though I am a pebble thrown into a lake. A strange sensation floods my head and I feel dizzy. Even though I'm sitting down, I fall backwards. Oh dear, it seems I'm gonna faint. Fainting corpse-loli, tehe--- zzz.