Rittus's view was overtaken by a white, shiny marble room. It was some sort of study, with a roaring fireplace and thick books lining opulent marble bookshelves. There were two plush red chairs in front of the fireplace. Something in his mind told him to sit down, and that it would just be a moment before he was seen. He could enjoy the fire, or peruse the books if he wanted.

  Odd feeling that was, Rittus thought as he absentmindedly made his way to sit in one of the chairs and slumped within it. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep after another horrible day. Lately, he had trouble getting out of bed, and his parents had again talked to him about getting a job. He was 25 years old, and didn't want a job. He didn't particularly want to do anything other than watch Gordon Ramsay compilations and play MMOs. As soon as he was out of here, he would be back in his cozy room; it was Saturday and he was going to spend all day gaming out. Rittus was going over what he was going to play, when a kind-looking old woman appeared in front of him. She had white, flowing hair and was wearing a gown of white.

  Sitting relaxed in the plush chair across from him, a sad smile crept on her face as they took each other in. Why was Rittus so calm? This woman had just appeared out of nowhere. Before he could ask her anything, she spoke.

  "Hello, Rittus. You must be quite confused. You are dead, my dear. Well, your vessel has perished and your soul was captured on its route to the Divine Infinite, but that is neither here nor there." She straightened up in her seat, looking Rittus in his eyes. "You have been chosen as someone who did not live up to their full potential in their naturally given life, and thus are being given another chance to experience greatness. Your mind has been scanned, and you have been given the tools to succeed. A world has been identified which can bring out your greatest potential."

  He shuddered as she continued staring at him, "Wait...my mind was scanned? The tools to succeed? What do you mean I'm dead? Who are you, and where am I? I was just asleep, why are you talking about another world?" Rittus's mouth hung open at the prospect of what she was saying.

  "Rittus, to put this in a way you'll understand, you're being put in another world that will bring out your truest potential. You'll be given tools to bring yourself into line with the rest of the inhabitants of this world. Walk into the fire when you are ready."

  Just like that, she disappeared as quickly and mysteriously as she came, leaving Rittus alone in the marble room. The fire had been roaring this whole time, but now its presence overtook the room. If Rittus understood correctly, this was the stuff of anime and video games. He would finally be able to live to his full potential; in a world like that he knew exactly what to do to become powerful, exactly what to grind and how to merch different items in different towns. He would easily become rich and famous. For the first time in his life, Rittus was excited for his future.

  He headed straight into the fire as he began to feel his flesh burn. This was okay. This made sense. His flesh burned up, along with any sense of self he had at that moment.

  One Week Later

  Crash!

  More filthy dishes piled on top of the growing pile in front of Rittus. He let out a frustrated groan and kept scrubbing, the anger he felt at his situation bubbling up within each scrub of the quickly dirtying rag. All different languages buzzed around him within the shabby kitchen. Food, words, and sweat were flying as plates went up and servers whipped in and out the door.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Dinner rush was always a damn mess. Rittus hadn't been here long, but he could tell when tensions were high. Some of the chefs were arguing amongst each other all throughout the tense service; he didn't speak their language but heard the now very familiar swears being hurled from their tongues.

  He found himself the only human in a kitchen full of creatures with rough green skin. Generally tall and lanky with tusks of mixed black and white, they were akin to what he used to think of as Orcs back home if you put them in a fun house mirror and stretched them out a bit.

  Back home was somewhere he hadn't thought about in some time. Maybe a week now, he had been so occupied with surviving his new surroundings that he had not even let himself really think. He scrubbed the filth from the dishes in the chaos of the kitchen, reflecting on his situation. It had been the longest week of his life.

  Dropped, literally, into an unknown city where a small fraction of the people could speak the same language as him. When he fell after appearing a couple of feet in the air, no one paid him any mind as he got up and dusted himself off on the cobblestones. He was still wearing his black hoodie, grey sweatpants and socks, but no shoes. However, the cold stone on his feet barely registered. Rittus smiled for the first time in a very long time as what was unmistakably a video game User Interface popped up into his view over the bustling fantasy city in front of his very eyes.

  Congratulations! You've been given a second chance at life! Use it wisely!

  Rittus's mouth was practically salivating as he instinctually closed the notification with his mind. He looked at the box-shaped, fist-sized thing that had been in his grip since he appeared, and a UI appeared:

  Godlike Skills Box - Found in Lord level dungeons, it's said only a handful are active in the world at a time. By opening this box, a skill of yours will be put on a Godlike Track. Once a skill is put on a track it cannot be reverted or changed; only three skills may be put on a Godlike Track. This will use one of your Godlike Track spaces if opened.

  He thought back sourly at the hope and naivete he felt in that moment. He thought of sword fighting, or magic, or maybe even a speed skill. Maybe something that would make him dark and mysterious, or a master at explosives. He rushed to the only private place he could think of on short notice; he had to open the box as soon as possible and see what a Godlike Track was. If he could only have three of them, they had to be important.

  He squeezed into the dirty alleyway and found privacy hidden from the bustle of the city around him. The box was made out of crystal, and it glistened despite being in the shaded alleyway. Awkwardly, he tried prying at the edges to open it and nothing happened. He thought for a second, tapped the top of the box, and felt abject horror as he saw the skill choices light up within his UI as the box opened into a dazzling light.

  Gambling

  Gaming

  Philosophy

  Cooking

  Storytelling

  Napping

  It had just occurred to him at that moment that the loot box description mentioned it would be a skill of his that would be put on the track. No, this wasn't good! He should have waited until he had more basic skills under his belt! He felt the power beginning to settle within him on one skill.

  The UI changed in front of his eyes as he looked on in terror.

  Congratulations! Your skill: Cooking, has been put on the Godlike Track! The Path of the Ambrosial Culinarian awaits you! Scrub 10,000 dirty dishes to achieve Step 0 of the Path.

  The box clinked to the floor shattering in the dark, and dirty alleyway. Rittus slumped back against the wall and sank down to the floor.

  I am an idiot sandwich.