Dark Souls 2 - Day 2 - Keep on talkin'

So after 2 hours of dying, I couldn't figure out how to level up. Frustrated, I went to the net to find my answer and read that you have to not only talk to the green cloaked NPC at the starting hub town, but you have to continue to talk to her until she opens up a menu to allow you to level up. This game is hard on so many levels....