I woke up feeling like burnt rubber. Sticky burnt rubber. 

“Ughh.” 

I opened my eyes, feeling disgusting. I was covered in something. What on earth had I been- 

Gods. Gameshow. Chocolate rain. 

I shot up, heart beating, my eyes looking around. I was on the floor of a gas station, an empty gas station. The lights weren’t on and it was… morning? It was darker than yesterday but I remembered it slowly going from ‘dark’ to ‘Pitch Black’. I was pretty sure this damn world didn’t do bright. 

This world…

A shaky laugh broke out of me. 

“This is… crazy.” 

It was still too big, too much. It was like trying to understand the universe. But if yesterday had taught me anything, it was that my friends were in danger. That I was in danger. I could barely think the word ‘Zombie’. 

“Gah.” 

It was, it was like all my higher functions shut off around it. Like I’d become a cornered rat seeing a cat, but with all the higher capabilities of a human, used just to tell me how absolutely horrifying what I was seeing was. It was ‘just’ a Zombie but… but it was like I was seeing the source of all fear in the universe. The most terrible, horrible thing possible. 

“If I freeze up like that again…” 

I shook that thought off. There was too much. I needed to level up if I wanted to save myself and my friends and survive whatever else this world has in it. Actually, speaking of…

“Status.” 

[Name: Matt

Level: 0 

Free stat points: 0

Qi points: 1

Qi Rank: Qi Condensation Rank 1

Achievements: [Welcome to The Gameshow] [The Royal Road] [Humanity’s First Fear] [Creative Care]

Titles: N/A

Strength: 6

Speed: 6

Endurance: 6 

Magic: 3

Mind: 8] 

A lot of things popped out to me at once. For starters… I was getting way too used to this way too quickly. I knew myself well enough. I should be a nervous wreck. I probably had the +3 in mind to thank for that. It had helped me yesterday and it would continue to help me it seemed. Something messing with my mind was… Well, there was no use worrying about that right now. 

Next was my damn level. It hadn’t gone up even once. I needed 100 likes for it but… 

“How many likes do I even have?” 

At that, a number appeared in front of me, startling me. 

[76 Likes] 

My jaw dropped at that number. On one hand that was… not enough for a level. On the other though… it had just been a day right? At this rate… I’d probably have my first level by tomorrow. I needed 20 for Rick. So, if it took me 2 days per level… I grimaced. Over a month. Jessica… spot…

It would take over a month just for Rick… 

That brought me up short. I had something else awaiting me in a month. 

“At certain points in time, those being: Every month, three months, six months, and year (Which for my fellow Gods and Goddesses is actual, real, time) you will face a challenge.”

A challenge… fuck. Right. Right, this was a Gameshow. A show. But there was a system and levels. So it was almost like a video game as well. So there’d be challenges. How strong would I need to be… for the first challenge? The first ‘Boss’. Well… if it was anything like a game, you’d probably need to be like level 10- 

“Milestones.” I said immediately. 

[Milestones: 

10th level: Class Selection

20th level: Best friend teleported to you.

30th level: Sub-Class unlocked

40th level: Soul Weapon System Unlocked

50th level: Race Evolution

60th level: Class Evolution

70th level: Sub Class Evolution

80th level: Childhood crush teleported to you.

90th level: Puppy set free and teleported to you.  

100th level: Final Boss Option] 

“A Class…” 

I had a horrible feeling… that if I didn’t reach level 10 within a month, I would fail the challenge. But that was relying on the Gods. I couldn’t do anything about that. But I could do something else. I had already seen it when I’d opened my status. I had a Qi point. 

Suddenly I heard a loud bang and nearly jumped a foot into the air. Turning around, fists at the ready, breath shaky, heart pumping, I saw… a box. A familiar looking box. 

“Oh. Oh it’s just the care package.” 

Wait, just the care package? I eyed the box with suspicion. The Gods just saw me as entertainment. Which wasn’t… great. But the first box hadn’t been too bad either. They’d seen me deal with the zombie right? And how I felt about their prank. So… would they make things better or worse? Send something to help or hurt me? I had food and water… but that was it. And that wasn’t a plan. 

I shook my head, I’d deal with that later. 

I had a Qi point, but there was something else I could do with it. 

“Store.” 

[Store: 

Supplies - 1 Qi

Basic Weapon and Armor - 3 Qi

+3 to all stats - 5 Qi

Unlock a Skill - 10 Qi

Rare Magical Item (Consumable OR Weapon OR Item) - 50 Qi

+1 Extra Life - 500 Qi]

I frowned. The +3 to all stats didn’t make sense. If I spent 5 points just raising my, my rank? If I just raised my rank or realm or whatever, I’d have +5 to all stats. That must mean… diminishing returns. At some point the Qi would stop raising my stats as much… it might even be now. There was no way to know. 

I could also get some supplies. It’d be better than trying to make some way to carry this food and water without anything but that seemed like a waste. 

Basic weapons and armor… It would take me 3 days but the part I was most interested in was the word ‘And’. A set of armor and a sword or a spear… that would be amazing. 

Then there was the big stuff. A skill. I didn’t know what a skill was but if I had to guess, I’d get my first or probably ‘only’ skills from my Classes. Getting an ‘extra’ or early one, would probably be amazing. It’d have to be if it cost that much. But I had no basis for what the skills were or did. I’d rather have the, maybe, +10 stats to everything. At the very least, I could definitely get +6 to everything. Did 10 strength mean I was twice as strong? Was the stats weighted? There were no answers to be found and I didn’t feel any stronger, despite going from 5 to 6. That was a 20% increase in strength. Would I notice that? Honestly, I probably wouldn’t… 

Then there was the last two things but there was no way I’d ever be able to afford them. That was 50 and 500 days. Unless I found one of those challenges, they were off the table. 

So… do I use it or save up for something? That was the question. Which was better? No matter what… I was going to be fighting more things. It wouldn’t be a very ‘entertaining’ gameshow without it. And if I didn’t fight more things… the ratings of the show would probably drop. Less ratings, less reviews, less people watching… meant no more likes. No more levels. And then I’d die. 

“So be entertaining for your lords above eh?”

I resisted the urge to collapse right then and there. Fighting. I was going to have to do… a lot of it. That meant I needed a weapon. 

I eyed the crate. Well, a better weapon. 

I’d save the points then. Try to make it 3 days to buy the armor and weapon set. I wasn’t going to be punching zombies to death with my fists, regardless of how high my strength was. That was just asking to get bit or scratched and then- 

My body shuddered. It didn’t even occur to me till right now that I could get infected. That armor was looking better and better by the moment. 

Alright. I’d gone over my status. I had to do it. 

I turned to the Care Package. 

“Gods… please don’t screw me over.” I said a small prayer, one that was less a prayer and more just a direct request at this point. 

I went over to the care package. It was still the same yellow and grey as it was before. Putting it on the gas station counter, I firmed my nerves. I had no idea what this could be. Last time, they played a prank. But I doubted that was all they could do. 

My fingers grasped the edges… and I opened it. 

Then my eyes widened. 

Unlike last time, the box wasn’t empty. No, it wasn’t nearly empty. Instead, 3… things? Rose from it. Floated right out of it. 

The first was… everything. It was like a random box in Rario kart. There was a weapon, then armor, then a monster, then weird shapes and images, constantly cycling over and over. Hadn’t the Host mentioned a Gacha? Was that what I was seeing? The Gods had voted for random? 

The second option was empty. A blank. But there was a small transparent blue around that nothing, as if it was ‘something’. That didn’t fill me with ease. The last nothing had been chocolate rain. For all I knew, this could be a hail storm of gummy bears. 

The third option… I grimaced. It was a miniature flood, showing the town I was in being swept away in a tide of brown. I could see a miniature version of my gas station being completely covered. A natural disaster. A chocolate flood. 

That wasn’t just a prank… that was an actual danger to me. I could literally drown or be swept away. People died in floods all the time and that was before they were made of chocolate. Can you even swim in chocolate? Were the gods really… trying to kill me? 

No, no they didn’t care about ‘me’ one way or another. They didn’t care about anyone. As long as it was interesting they were with anything. 

Suddenly, above the three different things, words appeared. 

‘A Tie!’ 

“A tie?” 

These three choices were equal in votes? What did that mean for me? 

Suddenly, a small sphere appeared, with a number on it. A number that immediately began to rapidly change between 1, 2, and 3. 

I gulped. I understood now. They were rolling for which one of the three choices I got. The first could be anything, the second was unknown, and the third was a natural disaster that might kill me. No matter what I got… my heart felt like it was going to explode. I began to sweat as the roll seemed to slow down. I looked at it… and didn’t feel any relief. 

‘2’ 

The empty sphere. The other two choices seemed to melt away into particles, before disappearing altogether. Soon, the care package did the same. I waited, glancing out the windows. The ground was still covered in chocolate… and not an insect in sight. Or any creature. Disturbing. 

I was waiting for whatever had happened to… well… happen. Minutes kept passing but… everything was silent and dead, just like when I’d arrived. I took a step to see out a few other windows and- 

And nearly launched myself through it. 

“What the fuck?!” 

I stopped just before and looked down at my feet. Slowly, carefully, I took a few more steps and watched with wide eyes as I practically glide through the air. It was… strange. It just felt like I was walking normally but I was just so… 

“Fast.” A light bulb went off in my head. “Status.” 

“[Name: Matt

Level: 0 

Free stat points: 0

Qi points: 1

Qi Rank: Qi Condensation Rank 1

Achievements: [Welcome to The Gameshow] [The Royal Road] [Humanity’s First Fear] [Creative Care]

Titles: N/A

Strength: 6

Speed: 6 (18) (x3 Care Package Buff. Lasts 24 hours)

Endurance: 6 

Magic: 3

Mind: 8] 

The effect this time was a buff? A buff that made me faster? That was… pretty good? 

“Thank you?” 

I felt… strange. After I’d seen the three options, especially that last one, I’d started to feel that the Gods were… well, assholes. But… but the gods were just people. Some might be assholes but not all of them. If I was watching a show… a real show with a real person… I’d want to help them out. 

And I already knew plenty of people wouldn’t. 

I hadn’t been thinking like that. I’d barely accepted that Gods existed, let alone the fact they watch TV. That I was being watched all the time. That I’d become entertainment when I’d been kidnapped and shoved into this horrible place. 

I looked to the ceiling. 

“Uh. Gods. Thank you for the buff. If you could help me gain levels, I’d appreciate it. My friends… they don’t have any kind of help. They’re in danger. I don’t know what you can do but… thank you again.” 

It felt so… strange. I could ‘pray’ and I knew it’d be heard. It felt awkward. 

I shook that away. The Gods weren’t my enemies… not all of them. I’d just have to hope they didn’t fuck me over. Actually, wait a minute! 

“Gods! Uh, for tomorrow! Please get me a weapon and some armor!” 

No one said I couldn’t make requests! If I do that, then I could spend my Qi points on raising my stats instead of saving them. I could even ask that they just teleport Rick or Jessica to me but… this was still a show. I doubt, wow, did Gods have producers? I doubt the producers of the show would let me just skip leveling. That would be ‘bad for ratings’. 

Alright, so, now what? I needed a plan. I was in a random town, in a random country side. I need a weapon and a vehicle. I could explore the buildings… I guess. 

Carefully, cautiously, I left the gas station. I immediately froze. 

Something was wrong. I didn’t know what, but something was wrong. I looked all around, panic beginning to build, when I finally spotted what it was. I gulped. 

The body was gone.

The dead zombie body was gone. 

It had either got up and walked away without a head. Or… something had taken it away. Neither of those two thoughts were comforting. Something had been out here, not 20 feet from me. I’d barricaded the doors but would that have been enough? 

I didn’t feel safe. 

There was a road across from me, and on the other side of that, buildings. Clearly apartment buildings. Old, but, it could have been anywhere on earth. The hostess had said that hadn’t she? “The Greatest Gameshow on Earth! Well, your Earth.” Guess the multiverse is real then… 

I walked across the road, stupidly looking both ways before doing so. There wasn’t a car in sight. I really hoped this wasn’t the Earth where cars went out of fashion or something. There seemed to be a parking garage, so that was promising. But I had no way to get inside. I’d have to start with the buildings.

…The buildings that could have multiple zombies, or worse, in them. 

A quick trip back to the gas station and I was now… armed. 

I had a mop. It was the best I could find. 

It was so strange walking around. There was brown sludge everywhere. Despite knowing it was chocolate… it just didn’t look it. Hell, it didn’t look like shit either. The sun had dried it out and the generally dark lighting made it just look like, well, dark sludge. Like the world had been coated in grime. It was almost amusing at how chocolate of all things could make the world look more scary.

Almost. 

I tried to keep myself alert as I traveled to the apartment buildings. I didn’t see… anything. No doors opened, no people, no animals, nothing. I went to the first door I saw and… locked. Fuck. I didn’t want to make too much noise by trying to break the door down. That seemed like a terrible idea. 

I’d just have to keep trying doors till I found one unlocked. It shouldn’t take that long… 

I felt ridiculous and sadly, that didn’t make me feel much better. I was trudging through dried chocolate, still sticky and gross, with a mop by my side trying to break into someone’s apartment. Sadly, there was zombies and probably more out there and the last thing I wanted was to be attacked without seeing the- 

I turned. Something had caught my eye. I thought I saw movement for a second. I could feel a lump in my throat. My hands were shaking. What I was looking at… was an open door. Just slightly. Somehow that made everything worse. It felt like at any moment, a monster was going to come running from the door, ready to murder me. As if every window and behind every door was someone or something watching me. The Gods were one thing… but they were distant and clearly human-like. I had no idea about anything else here. 

I approached the door, my mop out. I felt like I was in a horror movie. I grimaced. That was definitely by design. I’d been sent to this world because it was scary. I got closer and closer to the door, my heart rate rising by the moment. It felt like the whole world was holding it’s breath. 

I pushed on it with the stick of the mop, cringing at the sound. My eyes were stuck on the inside. There was nothing there. Heart beating like a drum, I headed inside. There was nothing behind the door, thank god. It seemed like a small place. There was a hallway leading into a living room, it seemed like. I took slow, cautious steps forward. For once, I cursed my speed boost, as it seemed like I was in the living room way, way too fast. I glanced to my right quickly, just seeing a somewhat old TV of all thin- 

My breathing froze, sweat began to stain my clothes, fear and terror swam through my brain, and my heartbeat sped up faster and faster and faster. My eyes widened, my pupils shook, a strangled scream threatened to tear itself out my throat but I held it in. My body was as still as a statue. 

Because I saw something, in that black mirror of a screen. Something was behind me. To my left. And it was missing a head. It was sitting there, on the sofa, as if it had been enjoying watching a show. As my eyes stared at the image I was seeing, my terror only grew to new heights. 

It was torn apart. Methodically. Slowly. The zombie from before I mean. It’s flesh had been peeled off and the bones had been removed from it’s right arm. It looked like… it looked like someone was slowly trying to remove every single bone, as carefully as possible, but they couldn’t. Whatever had torn it apart seemed to have done so methodically… but as if they had razor blades for hands. It was more like claws than a scalpel. 

Teeth grit hard, mind screaming, adrenaline pounding, I turned. Slowly, steadily, facing the zombie. It was just sitting there. It wasn’t a threat. No. Whatever could take [Humanity’s First Fear] and do this to it, was. 

I heard a sound and- 

Fear, adrenaline, and the Buff saved my life. I didn’t hesitate or freeze for more than a moment. Just a moment. That was already almost too long. The thing that had just walked in from another room was already almost on top of me. In that moment, I got a frozen look at it, as my life flashed before my eyes. 

A skeleton. A Black Skeleton, unlike anything I’d seen before. There was a mass between its bones… but it just seemed to be more, smaller bones connecting the pieces. Its skull was elongated and its mouth was open as if in the middle of a violent scream or screech, despite the dead silence. 

And it was fast. So fast. 

Claw-like fingers were inches from my face, edging closer, as time continued to march on. It wasn’t a dodge. It was a flinch from pure and utter terror. I moved and the skeleton barreled past, going through the TV and through the wall. The sound like an explosion in the quiet of the day.

Fast, strong, durable, my mind screamed at me. I dropped the useless mop and ran for my life. 

It made no sound, it made no noise, no screams or screeches, and yet I knew it was behind me. 

I ran out the door, hearing the wood shatter not half a second later. My mind went into overdrive as my legs pumped forward, as I slammed my body into asphalt, death right behind me. 

‘It was catching up’

The thought flashed past my mind and I slammed a thought into my head. 

[W-] 

‘YES!’ 

Suddenly, I felt my whole body change, but the only important one was that I got faster. I could already taste iron in my mouth, feel the heat building in my legs, feel my heart beat a million miles a minute. I’d never run so fast as I sped forward, only forward. 

In less than the blink of an eye, the gas station was in front of me again. Turning meant death, I’d lose speed. I couldn’t slow down. I couldn’t stop. My mind blanked but my body kept moving. Right before I slammed into the door, I slid on the dried chocolate. I wish I could say it was planned. It wasn’t. 

I fell forward before I felt a searing pain in my back, and what seemed like the same moment like two loud crashes, with glass breaking. I quickly got up, feeling blood flow down my back. I caught a glimpse in front of me, the Skeleton having barreled through the gas station doors and then straight through the wall and glass window in the back. It stood back up, no worse for wear, turning to me. Empty black sockets stared at me, but it was like a machine, never stopping. There was no space between its rise and it moving towards me. It was all one seamless, horrifying motion. 

I turned and ran and ran and ran. The road was eaten underneath my legs, terror fueling my movement, and I saw things. Horrible things. In the distance I saw something massive lumbering across the fields, saw things with too many eyes and teeth and mass curling across the ground, black vines seeming to shoot up out of sewers, more skeletons. It was only at that that my panicked mind realized I was running deeper into town and there existed far, far more horrors here. This was no zombie apocalypse. This… this… this was some kind of horribly fucked up horror world! 

I knew there had to be worst things than zombies out there but I never imagined this! 

And all the while, the skeleton chased me. Hunting me down. It was going to kill me. It was going to kill me and tear off my flesh and use my bones in its body. Rick and Jessica and Spot were going to die. I had nothing. I had no levels, no qi, no weapon, no armor, no plan. 

“You can die. I want to impress upon you this. You, 100%, absolutely can die. There is no plot armor this time, no saving you.”

I had to do something. I had to do something or I was going to die. 

I was passing buildings, so many buildings, so many things fighting and hunting and lurking in the dark. I ran into one, doors open, dodging what looked like a mix between an ant, a scorpion, and a pair of shears. I leapt over vines as I passed through what looked like a cafeteria, ones that shot out like spears. I ran up stairs, kicking off walls to go upwards faster, and nearly getting caught by what seemed like a sentient pile of black slime with teeth and hundreds of eyes. 

And the skeleton never stopped. I couldn’t hear it, but I could hear anything it came in contact with. A sharp bang, the sounds of tearing, a sloshing. It was a miracle I’d made it this far but I’d need to produce another. I shoulder rammed a door and was shocked to find myself on top of a roof. But I couldn’t stop, that was suicide. My brain didn’t think, my body just kept going. In seconds, I was at the edge, foot on the ledge. 

And then I was off it.

I had jumped. 

I turned, as if slow motion, seeing the Skeleton. It was just as horrifying and relentless as it had been when I’d first seen it. Worse now, even. Bits of black goop, blood, and a single vine were on it. Its claws were extended, reaching out to me, aiming to kill me. My mind spasmed, seeing my end. It felt like an eternity, just watching those claws slowly descend, having run out of area to run, falling through the air. 

Something snapped. No. I refuse. I don’t want to die, not like. Not like this. I don’t want to die like this. I don’t want to die like this. 

I twisted my body, holding back a scream as the claws tore into my side, and another as we both slammed into the ground and rolled, yanking them out. My arm felt loose and it felt like jagged lines of hell were radiating in my side. My head felt light and by the time I stopped rolling, bruised. 

But terror and determination hadn’t left me for a moment. I was already rising the moment my body was able but it was too late. The Skeleton tackled me and that was only a byproduct. It’s claws once more sank into my flesh, screams filling the air, as it tore out a chunk of me. It was in the same side as before and my terror reached a new peak as I realized it was trying to remove my bones. 

I had been wrong. I had not snapped before. Now I definitely did. 

“AHHHHH!!!” 

The Black Skeleton was strong, durable, and so freaking fast. But it was also light. My survival instincts went insane as I flipped it onto its back and beat down onto its skull. There was no effect. The claws continued to dig inside my body, scratching across my torso, pain nearly overwhelming me even through the adrenaline. I punched and punched and punched, only getting closer to death, only bleeding out more and more. 

“DIE!” 

I felt something, something deep within my body flicker, a strange feeling inside as I punched. I saw my own hand, coated in a green aura, as it connected with the skeleton. It’s skull, hard as a rock, finally cracked. 

But it wasn’t enough. It’s claws still dug into me and I was getting tired. So tired. My fists didn’t stop. Again. Again and again. I punched forward, even as my vision seemed to be going black… but this time was different. The skull… broke apart. 

The claws that were practically touching my ribs, stopped and the skeleton fell limp. 

I stood up, feeling woozy, seeing my blood drain onto the dead grass and black bones. I held a hand to my side but I doubted it would be enough. I heard something and spun around, still high on adrenaline. 

I nearly breathed out a breath of relief, as I realized it was just a zombie. A young man this time. In this town of horrors, there was worse things than a- 

The zombie began to run. 

I once again fled for my life.

*******

Tired. Tired tired tired tired tired tired. I was damp and cold and sticky and cold. I… couldn’t move.

Today… had been so long. 

“Status.” I let out as a whisper. 

[Achievements unlocked!] 

[Boned: Defeat a Black Skeleton! Wow, those guys are quick! +1 Speed] 

[Anti-Deus Ex: You fought what you believed, in your heart of hearts, was certain death… and survived! +3 Mind] 

[Legs for days: You ran for over an hour straight while chased! +1 speed]

[Bleed to bleed another day: You ran and fled for a whole day while suffering heavy blood loss! +2 Endurance] 

I felt the stats wash over me and was more than happy to feel my wounds close a little. I really thought… I was going to die… 

The mind was almost more helpful. I tore off what was left of my shirt, bandaging my wounds somewhat. I couldn’t believe I’d survived. The Skeleton had only been the first of so many things to chase me. It was by far the fastest… but there had been so many. 

A fast zombie, giant insect, something I couldn’t actually look at directly, more black slime… today had been so, so shit. 

I was in the sewers. I’d finally gotten a minute out of the line of sight of any monsters and managed to squeeze my way down here. And now I was tired. Tired, cold, hungry, thirsty. I hadn’t drank or eaten anything all day. My side was still bleeding but the endurance had closed enough that I’d probably live. I refreshed my status real fast, feeling like I deserved to see my newest achievements on it. 

“[Name: Matt

Level: 0 

Free stat points: 0

Qi points: 0

Qi Rank: Qi Condensation Rank 2

Achievements: [Welcome to The Gameshow] [The Royal Road] [Humanity’s First Fear] [Creative Care] [Boned] [Anti-Dues Ex] [Legs For Days] [Bleed To Bleed Another Day]

Titles: N/A

Strength: 7

Speed: 9 (27) (x3 Care Package Buff. Lasts 24 hours)

Endurance: 9 

Magic: 4

Mind: 12] 

“W-Who needs levels? A-Achiev-m-ments are j-just fine.” 

Soo…. cold. So…. tired. I think… it’s time to sleep.