"Is it time to brew the tea yet, Jugo?" said one of the students holding the door shut.
"Oh... poor Jugo. Now he won't be able to prepare his cup," Nails replied, gripping Jugo by the neck.
"Let me go, please."
Jugo was worried. Not for his life, which hung by a thread—he was used to that—but for the café's kitchen.
A few hours ago, he had been cooking pancakes with Sofia, the chef. Time flew when he was with her, not just because he loved cooking, but because he could do it by her side. Even though she was older than him, barely twenty-five, her height made her pass for just another student.
Sofia had gone to the restroom, leaving Jugo alone in the kitchen.
"I need to find more flour, but the oven is still on... well, I guess Sofia will be back soon. Nothing to worry about."
Jugo still regretted that decision, biting his lip until it bled as he clawed at Nails' arms.
"Look at the little chef-rat squirm!" the boys laughed, slamming the door shut.
"Let me out! The kitchen is going to—!"
It was useless. His voice was drowned out by the laughter fading into the hallway. Jugo slumped down, resigned. He had spent hours trying to break free. Blow after blow, the door didn't budge.
Then, a smell jolted him from his thoughts. It was smoke.
"It can't be..." Jugo stood frozen. "Those idiots really let the kitchen catch fire. But... what happened to Sofia? Why wasn't she there to put it out?"
His mind spiraled. The smoke turned into roaring flames in seconds. It was too late. Jugo hadn't just been abandoned by his classmates; his existence was so insignificant that not a single teacher noticed he was missing.
His only comfort was Sofia.
"If she's okay, that's enough... I hope we can cook more delicious things in another life. Goodbye... Sofia."
The Great Orange consumed him. He writhed in the heat until he felt nothing.
Darkness. For a second, everything went opaque.
"What happened? I thought I died," Jugo muttered, but his voice sounded ridiculous. It was high-pitched, almost a squeak.
"What are you doing lying there, Bones?" a deep voice growled.
Jugo's body stood up instinctively. Before him stood a massive beast with tusks and shaggy green skin. The creature was a giant; standing up, Jugo barely reached its knees.
"Take this to the Master," the beast growled. "And don't you dare drop it. Or you'll end up like that one."
The creature pointed to a pile of shattered bones scattered in front of the old crates. Jugo knew he was in a dangerous place. He could die. Again.
As he held the silver tray, his body trembling, he noticed something. His hands were tiny. And there was no skin. Only bone.
Jugo jumped in terror, nearly dropping the tray. He remembered the poor soul among the crates just in time.
"Go to the castle and watch out for Johan, he's back. I also saw Felicia lurking... and you know what she does to your kind."
"Yes, sir!"
Jugo's creaking steps crossed the hall toward the exit, where a sudden ping echoed in his skull. A screen rose before his eyes.
[Warning – New User Found] [Welcome User – Initializing Scan...]
User: Jugo
Level: 0
Race: Cursed Corpse
Affiliation: None
Stats: STR (100), VIT (104), DEX (107), CHA (7), INT (70)
Skills: [Inmolation]
The screen flickered off, revealing the landscape. A colossal castle stood in the distance, surrounded by an immense lake of lava. Dragons soared through the sky, followed by gargoyles and orange birds.
One of them landed in front of Jugo, the wind nearly blowing him away.
[Name: Whisper] [Level: 407] [Race: Elemental Dragon] [Affiliation: ???]
Before the screen vanished, the majestic beast transformed. Its massive size condensed into a woman with snow-white hair and a blue scaled suit.
"What are you staring at, little one?"
Jugo was hypnotized. She reminded him of Sofia.
As she disappeared and the roars of monsters made his bones vibrate, he remembered his task. He picked up his jaw from the tray and ran.
He dodged Mandragora spores and Kobold fireballs. He ran past the piles of Goblin corpses left behind by the brawls between Orcs and Minotaurs. At the end of the path stood an imposing door guarded by two Minotaurs. One looked down at him.
"Look, another one for the drain!"
The Minotaur laughed as he opened the door. Suddenly, a mountain of muscle struck the guard, slamming him to the floor.
"Lord Johan! I didn't know you were inside! Forgive me!"
The proud guard was now on the ground, right next to Jugo. Together, they stared at the Lord of Minotaurs and second-in-command of the dungeon.
[Name: Johan] [Level: 879] [Race: Minotaur] [Affiliation: Head of the Dungeon Army]