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Masquerade of Madness

"YOU ARE FUCKING CRAZY!" *BANG!* The bullet pierced through the man's skull, splattering blood all over Sebastian's face. He calmly wiped away the blood using a handkerchief before replying to the corpse. "Maybe... Maybe I am crazy." "But I don't know any other way to escape this hell" He laughed some, he cried some, then did a little of both together. If despair was a face, he was wearing it now. ----------------------- Do you ever feel that you are meant for something greater? Has the real world held you back, constraining your true talents? If you just had the opportunity, could you achieve your true potential? You're not alone! Listen: this Earth just doesn't cut it. What you need is a brand new world, one full of new hopes and grand possibilities. Now that you are interested, allow me to introduce you to the wonderful world of Purgatory! In this world, "sinners" are invited to take part in regular trials. Every single trial is an uphill battle for survival, with death and deception lurking around every corner! But don't worry! Only the weak, pathetic masses need to fear all of that. For the chosen few, these trials are instead opportunities for power and supremacy. Come to Purgatory, sinner! Defeat monsters, devils, and remnants of eldritch entities as you gain glorious rewards and claim their power for your own! And, even more exciting, fight in battles of wits against other sinners! Wring every drop of potential out of your wretched, wonderful soul, because each encounter is an exciting tango between life and death, where the winner takes all! This is the story of one such sinner. Armed with nothing but the ghosts of his past, watch as Sebastian Alaister crawls his way up to the top and forges his own legend. Yet... before he can enter Purgatory, Sebastian must first clear the tutorial. [Your fatal flaw is Extreme Denial] [Trial Selected—Trauma Re-enactment] Welcome to Hell. The only escape is insanity! -------------------------- #InfinteHorrorStream #InsaneMC #Descent-to-madness #Badass #Too-Good-For-It's-Own-Good #Why-Aren't-You-Reading-It-Yet ------------------------ Author's Note: - The cover doesn't belong to me. Please contact me if it belongs to you and you want it down. --------- If you liked this story, please check out my other one, Project Salvation: Rise of the Venomous Snake

ThePotatoKing · Horror
Not enough ratings
47 Chs

Welcome to Purgatory!

[Completion Rate has reached 0%!]

[Scenario Boss has been slain!]

[Conditions met for Hidden Scenario!]

[The Hidden Boss of the Tutorial is being summoned]

[Please stand by...]

.

.

.

Sebastian looked at the familiar set of words.

Oh, how long had he waited for this!

An incredible sense of accomplishment washed over his body.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as the smile on his face grew wider and wider.

It was time.

Finally.

He would end things once and for all.

He would break through this bloody tutorial and teach purgatory that Sebastian Alaister isn't someone it could toy with.

This would just be the start.

He would make sure of it.

Once he got to purgatory, he will make it his goal to find the organizers and beat them up.

He channelized all the pain, rage and agony that he felt into himself.

Everything was for this moment.

This will be a statement.

The start of a change.

A symbolization of him breaking free of the chains Purgatory had put on him.

If before it had just been something within his thoughts, now it would be reflected with his actions.

He recalled the gruesome and bloody deaths of his classmates that he had been forced to watch again and again.

The sinister emotions he had seen in the eyes of the school shooter.

The feeling of being buried under the corpses of his classmates.

Josh slowly extending his arm toward him and uttering his last words - 'Forget Me...'

The blood of his beloved sister that stained the snow red hundreds of times.

The pain, the anguish, the insanity.

Her last words as well - "Luna loves you the most too..."

Ronnie's crying face as he shot himself in the head.

All so that Sebastian wouldn't have to carry the guilt of killing him.

Damien's pained expression as he said that no matter what happened he would have to move away.

Everything…

Sebastian remembered everything.

It was all fresh in his mind.

It haunted him every single moment.

He was barely holding it together under the disguise of going crazy.

No...

Maybe he had already gone crazy.

Maybe he... was already beyond saving.

All he knew... was that he was full of this hatred that blackened his heart to the core.

He needed to release his emotions.

But... where?

The answer was simple.

Everything... was Purgatory's fault.

Yes, he had been sick of his life.

Yes, he had been living in denial.

Yes, it was not a healthy choice.

Yes, it was a good idea for him to face his traumas and grow as a person.

Yes, he understood that he was just blaming Purgatory when it was actually all due to his own mistakes...

BUT!

BUT!!!

WHO. THE. HELL. DID. PURGATORY. THINK. IT. WAS!

WHO. WAS. IT. TO. DECIDE!

It was HIS life!

And HE was the only one who got to take the decisions.

HE HAD TO BE THE ONE IN CONTROL.

Not anybody else.

Definitely not some otherworldly entity or system whose true purpose and motives were unknown.

He refused to be a pawn.

Not now.

Not ever.

Sebastian watched with bloodshot eyes as the walls of the warehouse began to bleed.

The blood dripped down the walls, it flowed on the ground forming rivers as it all started to condense into the air ahead of Sebastian.

The blood on the ground, the blood from the limp corpses of the Bratva, the blood from … Ronnie and even that of the Charlatan.

Everything was drained dry just to give birth to the avatar of the entity referred to as the 'Hidden Boss'

Oh, Sebastian would show this fucker who was the real boss pretty soon.

The familiar and disgusting feeling of Regality and Dominance started to emanate from the being as his consciousness descended onto the tutorial realm.

However, Sebastian realized that the creature in front of him did not feel as unbearable and oppressive as before.

Compared to the Charlatan whose depths Sebastian couldn't even begin to imagine, he could clearly sense the strength flowing within the creature in front of him.

It was overpowering.

It made him feel like an ant.

Yet... it was not impossible to kill.

Today, an ant will bring an elephant to its knees.

The being finally opened its eyes full of familiar arrogance as it surveyed the scene before it.

Unlike last time, the being had decided to stay afloat mid-air as it looked down upon Sebastian's figure.

Its eyes were full of indifference and a hint of amusement.

It opened its mouth to say something but…

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

Sebastian immediately emptied three bullets into the creature.

But… they just passed through its body without causing any harm.

The entity was literally just a sentient amalgamation of blood.

"As expected… bullets don't really work on you."

Sebastian still felt relieved deep down.

He had not shrunk down in front of the pressure of the being in front of him.

He had gone against his instincts and attacked nonetheless.

No matter how futile of an action it might have been.

The creature raised an imaginary eyebrow, clearly not paying any mind to Sebastian's actions.

"Are you done with your futile resistance?"

*BANG!*

"…"

"…"

"Yes, I am done now."

The blood avatar just shook its head in exasperation.

"Now that you are done with your … whatever that was supposed to be. I must say, I am quite impressed that you managed to summon me again. "

"Geez, I am so flattered right now. I don't have any words to express my gratitude."

"Haha, I had kind of stopped paying attention to your tutorial since you took so many damned tries in just the second phase. I thought that I might finally get to witness someone get trapped in the tutorial for all of eternity. I didn't even realize what you were doing here until I felt the summon."

"So... you don't know about the preparations I have made?"

"Ho, to think that you have even made preparations for me? Let me see... oh... it's quite intricate I must say. I didn't think you could get this location surrounded by a 100-man mafia army before summoning me."

"Yet you still don't seem to be worried?"

"Of course not! No matter how many bullets you shoot at me, it is all futile! F-U-T-I-L-E! Do you hear me? I am someone on an entirely different plane of existence from mortals like you. There is nothing you can do against me. Nothing."

"Is that so... How interesting."

"Hah, you wouldn't even begin to understand. As long as your body is made of flesh and blood, I can wipe you out of exis-"

*BANG!*

"..."

"I just wanted to see whether it might work once you let down your guard."

"It won't. This incarnation of mine is made out of blood. All attacks will go right through me."

"Understandable. How about this?"

*BANG!*

"You… just shot me again."

"Yes I did."

"Was that supposed to change something?"

"Yes it was."

"And how does it do that?"

"It was the seventh bullet."

"And?"

"I had instructed Damien to go through with the operation once he hears the seventh gunshot. This is our secret signal."

The entity smirked as it looked toward the entrance of the warehouse.

"Oh... so the army of ants is going to attack me now? That sounds fun! I can play around a bit before I go."

It floated in the direction of the door before glancing back.

"Don't waste more rounds after this. Just clear the tutorial the proper way."

Sebastian pursed his lips before suddenly speaking up.

"I suddenly remembered a few words to show you my gratitude with."

The entity paused in its tracks. It looked behind once again, tilting its head in curiosity.

"What are they?"

Sebastian pointed two middle fingers at the hidden boss.

"BOOM! BOOM! MUTHERFUCKER!"

"Wait a minu-"

"Hope you like my gift! You stinky Blob of Blood!"

" … Wow, I didn't really think you would go this far-"

"3"

"It's already time? Hey liste-"

"2"

"Calm down okay… we can talk about th-"

"1"

" ... STOP! Don't you dar-"

*BOOOOOM!*

The warehouse was blown to smithereens in a massive explosion.

The heat from the explosion instantly evaporated all the blood that made up the incarnation of the blood entity, obliterating it entirely.

Of course… Sebastian was not spared from the same fate.

His body was painfully torn apart by the force of the explosion.

But despite the pain, he was smiling.

A twisted, depraved and triumphant smile.

After all, the hidden boss had died before him.

He had won!

.

.

.

[Attempt 101: Terminated]

[Completion Rate: 0%]

[Reason for Termination: Hidden Scenario has been Cleared]

[…]

[…]

[…]

[The Hidden Boss has been Slain!]

[Congratulations sinner! You have successfully cleared the tutorial!]

[Please stand by as your results are being calculated…]

------------------------

[Phase 1 Results:]

[Trait Synchronization / Completion Rate: 99%(S)]

[Combat Score: SSS]

[Sanity Retention: 75%(B)]

[Average rating: S]

[+ Killed Firing Squad] -> [Average rating: S+]

[+ Killed Revenant Hybrid] -> [Average rating: SS]

[+ Scenario Boss Killed] -> [Average rating: SS+]

[+ Summoned Hidden Boss] -> [Average rating: SSS]

[+ Did it in less than 10 attempts] -> [Average rating: SSS+]

[Final Rating: SSS+]

-------------------------

[Phase 2 Results:]

[Trait Synchronization / Completion Rate: 95%(S)]

[Willpower Score: SSS]

[Sanity Retention: 25% (F-)]

[Average rating: C+]

[+Survived 100 rounds * 9] -> [Average rating: SSS]

[+Escaped fatal infinite loop scenario] -> [Average rating: EX]

[Final Rating: EX]

----------------------------

[Phase 3 Results:]

[Trait Synchronization / Completion Rate: 0%(NULL!)]

[Willpower Score: SSS]

[Combat Score: SSS]

[Sanity Retention: 60%(C)]

[Average Rating: NULL!]

[Error! NULL value! Cannot Calculate!]

[Solution! Since the Tutorial Phase has been terminated prematurely, the completion rate will not be included in the final calculations]

[Average Rating (Revised): S]

[+ Survived 100 rounds] -> [Average Rating: S+]

[+ Wiped Bratva Squads] -> [Average Rating: SS]

[+ Seven Bullets, Eleven Kills] -> [Average Rating: SS+]

[+Uncovered the truth] -> [Average Rating: SSS]

[+Scenario Boss 'Killed'] -> [Average Rating: SSS+]

[+Summoned Hidden Boss] -> [Average Rating: EX]

[+Killed Hidden Boss] -> [Average Rating: EX+]

[+Terminated Tutorial Prematurely] -> [Average Rating: EX+++]

[+Cleared the Tutorial] -> [Average Rating: U]

[Final Rating: U]

-------------------------

[Highest Rating: U]

[Congratulations! You are the 13th sinner to ever get a rating of U in the tutorial!]

[Please stand by as your rewards are being calculated…]

[Your rewards have been calculated]

[1. One week of immunity]

{Note: Given to everyone who clears the tutorial}

[2. Free Stat Points + 25]

{Note: A: 25 stats, B: 20 stats, C: 15 stats, D: 10 stats, E: 5 stats}

[3. Trait – Severe Perseverance]

{Note: Traits are classified as follows- (No-Prefix) < (Strong) < (Severe) < (Extreme) < (Absolute)}

{Note: SSS: Severe, SS: Strong, S: No-Prefix}

[4. Artifact (aka Tertiary Core) – Eye of Artemis Lv.10]

{Note: Reward for Scoring up to EX+++}

[5. Primary Trait Rank + 1]

{Note: Exclusive Reward for Breaking the tutorial and Scoring U as your final ranking}

[Error!]

[Primary Trait (Extreme Denial) has already broken through to (Absolute Denial) by the sinner's act of 'denying' Purgatory by refusing to clear the tutorial in the standard way!]

[Primary Trait has already reached Maximum grade!]

[Cannot Apply Reward!]

[Calculating alternative solution…]

[Solution not found!]

[Calculating again…]

[Solution not found!]

[There is no solution!]

[Conclusion: Apply reward anyways!]

[Application Successful!]

[(Absolute Denial) has ranked up to (Infinite Denial (Sealed))!]

[Sending the rest of the rewards to Sinner's inventory…]

[Operation Successful!]

[Extracting Sinner's Soul from Tutorial Dream World…]

[Condensing Sinner's Soul to Create Primary Core…]

[Primary Core – Modified Colt M1911 has been created!]

[Sending the Primary Core back to the Sinner's Body…]

[Operation Successful!]

[Extracting Sinner's Body back from stasis and transporting it to Purgatory…]

[Binding The 'Purgatory System' to the Sinner]

[Assigning Starting Location: Hamlet 444]

[Sending Sinner to Hamlet 444]

[Operation Complete!]

[The tutorial is now over! You have one week of immunity before you are forced to participate in your first trial!]

[Quest issued: Please ask the senior members of your hamlet for advice!]

[Quest issued: Please check the various functions of the purgatory system!]

[Waking sinner from Coma…]

[Operation Complete!]

["Welcome to Purgatory! Enjoy your second chance at life!"]

-----------------------------------------

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Volume 1: The Birth of Tragedy

Act 1: Denial - 'A life drowned in Sin and Blood, Lots of Blood'

is now complete!

Act 2: Rage - 'Welcome to Hell, We have cookies!'

begins from the next chapter.

I hope you enjoyed the story so far! Please stay tuned for more to come!

Hey Guys! The Tutorial is finally over!

Can you believe that originally this was only supposed to be the prologue? A sneaky way for me to introduce Sebastian's backstory without making it an info-dump?

Well, it kinda still is just the prologue to the story.

There's lots more to come!

Now, can you tell me which of the 3 phases of the tutorial did you guys enjoy the most?

I will keep your feedback in mind while designing future arcs.

ThePotatoKingcreators' thoughts