When I finally came to, I was once again in the strange sludge room, accompanied by the man.

I thought I saw him moving his mouth, trying to tell me something, but at the moment I couldn’t care less.

Images of what I had just seen began coming back to me. A giant… thing, so large that I couldn’t see where it began or ended. Made up of tentacles, sludge, and an infinite amount of other things I couldn’t even begin to identify them.

All that I could bring myself to do was curl up into a ball, trembling as I relived that moment again and again.

I’m not sure how much time passed while I was in that state, but the trembling slowly grew less and less until it stopped all together. I worked up the courage to open my eyes, and the moment the cold air touched them, images flashed across my vision.

Terrified, I quickly sprung up off the ground, only to find that my legs crumpled underneath me. I glanced down at my legs and saw that they had been reduced to mere twigs.

In that moment I realized that my hair had grown down to my shoulders. My stomach felt as if it was devouring my insides and my throat was completely devoid of any moisture.

Starting to panic, I finally focused on the things clouding my sight. They were murky red boxes with bright white writing in them. Now that I was focusing on them, they were completely blocking my vision, unlike before when they were just small blurs.

Welcome, your starting class is Accursed. Remember, if power is what you desire, then your sole path is blood.

You have gained the main class, Accursed: The blood of Azathoth flows through your veins, granting you access to chaos energy. Harnessing the power of chaos provides great strength, but caution is advised, as delving too deep into it shall result in madness. Gained skills: Madness, Comprehension, Tear in Reality, Blessing of the Outer Gods, and Arcane Strength.

Madness: The realm of chaos beckons you with its power. Temporarily trade sanity for increased Mana strength. As you delve deeper into madness, your physical form suffers from increasing transformation into a Fallen God. Automatically activates if emotions are thrown out of control.

Comprehension: You have seen the being that is Chaos, and lived through it. Your mind is now able to comprehend anything, resisting madness. (Status effects and emotions not included).

Tear in Reality: In possession of dimensional power, you are able to tear the very fabric of reality, creating a hole in which a portion of Outer Gods' power may be summoned.

Blessing of the Outer Gods: You are blessed with the power of the outer gods, imbue weapons or yourself with the power of chaos.

Arcane Blood: Your blood is strengthened with the arcane. You have no need of Strength or Endurance, for your arcane blood imbues your body with power. You are unable to gain points in strength or endurance, and have no access to stamina or stamina related skills.

I carefully read over everything, stunned.

It’s almost as if these are notifications, like from a video game.

“Exactly!” I jumped, surprised to hear another voice. I saw the man from before, looking at me with a satisfied smile on his face.

“Can you read my mind?” I asked, somewhat angry at the thought of it. “Heh, you're not nearly strong enough to shield your mind from me yet.” The man said arrogantly.

“But still, being able to recover from an experience like the one you just had, in the time you did, is quite impressive. I won’t ask about the skills you obtained, for every moment is precious. I merely wish to give you one more parting gift, to help you on your journey.”

He reached out to me, and much like the woman, whom the man had called Sebana earlier, he placed his index finger on my head. My vision went a bit blurry, but quickly recovered as I realized that I had gotten yet another notification. But before I had time to look at it, I was transported for the third time.

The grueling pain enveloped me once again, but this time it was taking a while. The edges of my vision started to get dark, and before I knew it I had lost consciousness.

----------

Bryan was ecstatic. He had just received his class as well as knowledge imparted to him by the woman. When the woman had given him a class, she had also given him a basic understanding of the way this new world worked.

Brian had immediately recognized the resemblance this world had to a video game. He looked over to the person who would be going next and saw his best friend Wade. Brian smiled as he thought about all the time the two had spent playing games together, and couldn't wait for Wade to get his class and realize the type of world they were in.

Brian had gotten the Dragon Knight class, and couldn't help but think about how its name and starting skills seemed dope as shit. He watched expectantly as the woman gave Wade a class.

Wade's eyes closed like everyone else, but instead of opening his eyes, he fell to the floor. Everyone, including the woman, stared shocked at Wade's convulsing body on the floor. His skin started to boil and rot, while his veins bulged and turned into a black, writhing sludge.

His entire person quickly began to turn into something you would see in a nightmare as black tendrils crept into his eyes. His eyes began to bleed and the convulsing got worse, but suddenly he went completely still.

The woman recovered from her shock and reached down to feel Wade's pulse. “He’s dead.” She said, sounding shocked and confused.

The moment the words left her mouth, Bryan froze. Unable to wrap his brain around what had just happened, Bryan just stood there. Emotions flooded his mind, but unable to shout or cry he could only grit his teeth as tears formed in his eyes.

The woman turned to him, “You knew this boy?” Bryan nodded, rage and sorrow clear in his eyes. “When we are finished here, you may take him with you. That way he shall receive a proper burial.” Bryan stared at her, the anger in his eyes lessened, but tears still began to run down his face.

With no other choice but to accept it, he merely stared blankly ahead, waiting for the woman to finish.

She continued on, with not many people left in the line. Once she had finished she once again turned to face the line. “I have nothing more to say to you all, other than good luck. For the future of this world depends on it.” And with that, the group was transported.

When they had come to, they found themselves in a small village, surrounded by rather simple looking townsfolk. An older man dressed in robes stepped forward. “Greetings, it's been a long time since Travelers appeared here in our town. Come with me, you have much to learn.”

The confused group followed the man into what looked like a temple, where a statue of the woman who they soon learned to be the Elder God, Sebana, stood erected out in front of the temple.

Bryan walked at the very back of the group, carrying Wade's limp body with him. Inside the temple the older man organized the group and saw Bryan. He gave Bryan a look of pity and motioned for another robed man. He whispered something to the robed man, who then walked over to Bryan, motioned for him to follow, then left without speaking a word.

Bryan followed him into what looked like a garden, filled with beautiful trees and flowers. The man walked over to an open patch of grass with a large stone. He placed his hand on the ground, and all of a sudden the ground started to move, compressing itself until a small pit had been created.

The man walked away, still not having said a word, yet Bryan knew exactly what to do. He laid Wade's body into the hole, then pushed the stone over it. Grabbing the chisel that was placed nearby, he engraved his final message to his best friend