Hugo stood in front of the hooded figure, arms crossed, his face carved somewhere between annoyance and resignation

  "I will accept the offer." The words slipped out as if he bit something sour, His eyes rolled..

  Death's cowl tilted, as though the shadows inside were analysing him with mild curiosity. A silent nod followed.

  "You accepted my proposition now I will inform you of your contract."

  Hugo raised an eyebrow in intrigue.

  Hugos eyes flickered with newfound realisation.

  “A new world…” His eyes narrowed. “I need more answers before I sign my life away. What kind of world am I being dropped into?”

  "The world that you shall be transported to is a world of swords and sorcery."

  Hugo nodded slowly, muttering to himself. “Alright, I have to stay calm, I need to listen better than last time… I need to make sure there's no loopholes...nothing that can be exploited."

  "Like...medieval fantasy?" Hugo questioned with skepticism and growing intrigue.

  "That doesn't sound too bad."

  But then the thought hit him like cold rain.

  Hugo's mood turned from an intrigued eager feeling to a mood of sourness and grimness at a gritty realisation.

  “Wait. Religious extremists. Terrible healthcare systems. No modern—”

  He grimaced.

  “There will be such issues,” Death admitted. “However, sorcery resolves many of the problems you are imagining.

  "Wait sorcery?, you mean like magic?" Hugo questioned further his eyes growing slightly more intrigued.

  Death nodded

  Magic solves healthcare?” Hugo stared harder. “That’s… new.”

  Death nodded twice

  “This world contains multiple sentient races, magic, martial arts, and monsters.”

  “That’s interesting, actually.” Hugo tapped his temple. “One question, though. How am I supposed to surv—”

  "You shall be granted a cheat ability."

  Hugo’s mood flicked upward. A smirk tugged at his mouth.

  “Alright, what’s my shiny golden ticket?”

  Death extended its hand. A blackened leather book with a skeletal hand across its cover formed out of darkness.

  "Your cheat skill shall be ancient necromancy."

  The smirk widened at the irony.

  “A murderer with corpse magic. That's oddly poetic of you.”

  Death remained unmoved by Hugos crude amusement.

  Hugos expression flattened

  "What's the catch?, What are the drawbacks?"

  “In that world, you shall not receive common necromancy, but an ancient variant. One powerful enough to threaten a deity.”

  Hugo snickered in mockery.

  "Yeah right, I didn't take you for the type to joke."

  Death simply tilted its cowl, silent.

  The snort died in Hugo’s throat.

  “…Oh. You’re serious.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Then doesn’t that mean someone could become a problem if they got strong enough?”

  Death nodded.

  “Potentially. Which is why all otherworlders summoned by deities must possess extraordinary potential.”

  “Right. Insurance policy.” Hugo ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “Fine. But necromancy is definitely illegal everywhere except the weird kingdoms I probably shouldn’t visit, right?”

  “It is illegal and considered immoral and forbidden in most nations. You would be wise to conceal it.”

  Hugo nodded

  "What about the language in this new world? I'm sure they arent gonna be speaking english I was always shit when it came to learning new languages so that might be a problem."

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "All otherworlders have a special blessing granted by their deity that allows them to converse multiple main language of that world."

  “Very convenient.” Hugo extended a hand. “Alright. Give me the book.”

  Death placed the grimoire in his palm.

  It immediately flared and slammed into his chest.

  Hugo stumbled back with a furious curse.

  “Put your haunted book on a leash!”

  “There is more. All otherworlders receive additional blessings.”

  “Such as?” Hugo snapped.

  "All otherworlders shall be granted"

  "Immense physical prowess"

  "Immense magical potential"

  "The ability to converse multiple main languages."

  "And a cheat ability that serves as a reflection of their previous life."

  Hugo froze

  “What’s the catch?” he demanded.

  "You'll be competing to slay the demon lord with other otherworlders."

  "How strong is this demon lord...guy?"

  "You must determine that yourself."

  Hugo exhaled slowly.

  Something cold brushed across his spine.

  Hugo blinked. “What the…?”

  Death’s shadow deepened it nodded.

  “Your contract is complete. Your transport begins shortly.”

  Hugo took one last breath, feeling the chill coil in his chest like a new heartbeat.

  “Fine. Drop me in. Let’s get this over with.”

  The shadows around him tightened.

  And the world tilted.

  The shadows around him all twisted and contorted.

  Hugo plummeted

  Wind screamed past him, tearing at his black coat. Below stretched a forest so massive it seemed endless, a sea of green stretching to the horizon. The height make his stomach flip like a bad amusement park ride.

  he though

  Branches blurred past as he hurtled downward. The forest canopy loomed, massive and menacing.

  he thought distantly

  Suddenly without wasn't something inside him shifted.

  It wasn't a feeling of pain nor injury.

  It was a pressure.

  A deep, spreading tension that flowed along his spine, like his vertebrae were being gently unthreaded and rewoven by unseen hands.

  His back felt much wider, much heavier almost as if his bodies outline had quietly changed without bothering to ask permission.

  Before Hugo could panic, something answered his intent.

  His bones moved.

  Four skeletal arms forced themselves into existence from his spine, tearing free without blood or rupture, assembling themselves midair with deliberate calm. They unfurled outward, impossible large, jointed weirdly, yet still perfectly functional.

  Hugo felt them, not through skin but through bone memory.

  No warmth, neither texture. Just resistance.

  Then came the absolute certainty that the hands had gasped something solid, he would not be allowed to fall and meet his demise.

  To him it felt like he was clenching a fist he couldn't see and knowing it was tight because the world stopped moving.

  The skeletal hands anchored into the surrounding trees, Hugo sensed the strain immediately.

  He couldn't feel the touch but, he could definitely make out the structure.

  The grain of the wood.

  The stress lines spreading through the bark and branch.

  Each arm sent a cold,steady signal back through his spine. Clean with exactly zero overstimulation.

  For a brief, unsettling heartbeat, Hugo felt... steadier than he ever had.

  He was held upright by something older than muscle. Stronger than flesh. As if he were no longer limited to a single frame.

  , he though.

  The branches finally gave way enough to slow him, and Hugo dropped the remaining distance, his legs twisted instinctively. He landed in a crouch amid snapped lims and thick moss, his body absorbing the impact far better than any normal human should.

  The skeletal arms retracted.

  They folded back into his spine smoothly as if they had never existed in the first place.

  the pressure vanished.

  All that remained was a hollow sensation along his back. Similar to a door quietly closing in a familiar room.

  Hugo stayed still for a moment, breathing evenly.

  His body felt.....quite narrow

  Smaller than it had moments ago.

  Like as if it remembered a large shape it was no longer allowed to wear.

  "...Okay," he muttered. "That's new,"

  Hugo stood slowly, rolling his shoulders, everything worked, he was physically unharmed, neither was he in pain.

  Still, his right hand hovered near his spine, half expecting movement.

  "Yeah," he said quietly. "I aint unpacking that right now."

  The forest stretched endlessly in every direction, ancient and watchful. Hugo speculated that beyond the trees were people. Kingdoms. Laws. Places where his newfound abilities were illegal.

  Hugo adjusted his coat and exhaled.

  Suddenly the forest answered him with a sound.

  A low, wet huff rolled through the trees. Leaves trembled. Birds vanished in a single panicked burst.

  Hugos whole body froze, and slowly he turned around.

  Something massive pushed through the trees.

  A bear with red fur came into sight.

  So familiar in association and yet so foreign in appearance.

  Its fur was a deep, blood dark red, thick and matted like it had evolved to resist the sharpest of blades rather than weather.

  Its pale, milk white eyes stared blankly at Hugo from a skull too large and angular.

  Its sharp 6 inch claws dug into the earth as it stepped forward.

  Just then Hugo noticed its back.

  Rows of red spikes protruded from its spine, layered like a porcupine's quills but thicker, longer, and jagged. They flexed slightly as the creature took heavy breathes. clicking together with a faint, dry rasp.

  Hugo's previous smile had vanished his jaw tightened.

  The creature sniffed the air, it looked into Hugos direction then came the deep growl, a grinding sound that scared the air raw. Sapling snapped as it lowered its head, spikes bristling, claws spreading wide.

  The bear took another step.

  Not toward Hugo himself, but toward where the air had been disturbed a moment earlier. Its head swayed slowly from side to side, nostrils flaring as it drew the forest into its lungs. The pale eyes didn’t focus. They drifted.

  Hugo tilted his head his expression turning into one of slight amusement and curiosity.

  The growl deepened, vibrating through the soil beneath his boots. The creature pawed at the ground, claws tearing up roots and loam as it tested the space between them. Its spikes bristled higher, clicking softly as its back muscles tensed

  Hugo stared at it, he didn't move, he didn't blink, his heart however ran a marathon.

  It inhaled again.

  Hugo shifted his weight a fraction to far.

  A leaf crunched

  Hugos expression faltered into one of alarm.

  "Oh shit."

  The creatures eyes met Hugos.

  In a sudden burst of venom the creature exploded forward with immense feral speed.

  The ground shook as it charged, massive frame crashing through brush and saplings with brutal certainty. It wasn’t aiming. It was sweeping, trusting sound and scent to correct the path.