ch1. The Graveyard

Jeremy blinked. The world around him was shrouded in thick fog, and the ground beneath his feet was cold and damp. The air smelled of wet earth… and something else, something far less reassuring. Rotten?

"Okay… I'm definitely not home anymore."

He rubbed his head, trying to piece things together. The last thing he remembered was that weird guy grabbing his wrist in the middle of the street. The guy had said something absurd, like, "Time flows differently for those who see beyond," and then—boom, blackout.

Now he was in the middle of a graveyard. The atmosphere wasn't exactly welcoming: cracked tombstones, statues of angels eroded by time, and everywhere he looked, skeletal trees with gnarled branches that seemed to reach for him.

"Maybe this is just a dream… one of those really, really detailed ones."

He pinched himself. Nothing.

"Fantastic."

With no other options, he started walking among the tombstones, trying to gauge the size of the place. The ground was littered with bones—human bones, probably?—and strange inscriptions on the graves referenced names he had never heard before.

After a while, the fog thinned just enough to reveal something in the distance: a stone structure, resembling a small mausoleum.

"Well, better than nothing."

He approached cautiously. The rusted iron door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open slowly, the creaking sound filling the air like the wail of a lost soul. Inside, it was dark but spacious enough to be more than just a simple crypt. The floor was scattered with melted candles and a few skulls here and there. Nice decor.

Then, he saw it: an old book resting on a stone altar.

Jeremy stepped forward and, without much hesitation, picked it up.

[You have obtained: "Necromancer's Tome"]

"Wait… what?"

A floating message appeared before his eyes, like a video game interface.

[Do you want to learn the unique class: Necromancer?]

[Accept] - [Decline]

"Oh, wow. Yeah, this is a tough decision."

Considering he had no idea what was happening and no better plan, Jeremy raised an eyebrow and mentally selected Accept.

[Congratulations! You are now a Necromancer.]

A wave of cold energy surged through his body, making the hairs on his arms stand on end. A shiver ran down his spine, as if something inside him had changed.

"Okay… That was intense."

He checked his hands, half-expecting to see something different. Skeletal fingers? Decaying flesh? But everything looked normal.

Another message appeared before him.

[Skill acquired: Summon Skeleton Lv.1]

Jeremy scratched his head. "So… I can summon skeletons now? Perfect. Always wanted my own personal army of walking bones."

He looked around. Only one way to find out.

"Let's see if this works… Summon Skeleton!"

The ground in front of him began to tremble. A crack opened in the earth, and with a sinister sound, a skull emerged, followed by bones that assembled themselves piece by piece. Within moments, a fully formed skeleton stood before him.

"Oh… my… God."

The skeleton stared at him, its skull tilted slightly, like a confused dog.

Jeremy crossed his arms. "Look, I know you just came back from the afterlife, but please tell me you can do something useful."

The skeleton raised a hand and gave an awkward salute.

Jeremy sighed. "Okay, at least you're polite."

It was official: he was in another world, he had become a necromancer, and he now had a skeleton as a companion.

He still wasn't sure if this was a dream, some crazy scientist's experiment, or the universe's worst joke.

But one thing was certain—this story was getting weirder by the minute.