Ascent of the Confectioner

A young man with short black hair and ordinary features could be seen driving in his car, he had just failed his finals in culinary this morning, and would have to retake the class. Despite having decent baking and pastry skills, that wasn't enough, as he had failed the written portion of the test completely.

'F*ck it, I'll open my own boutique or sell my confections to a restaurant or cafe. I don't need a specialized Confectioner degree or anything like that.' His eyes brightened as he thought of his future as a Confectioner, a profession that he has always aspired to be, as well as all of the other possibilities that this decision could bring about.

As he drove past the intersection, he didn't notice a truck rapidly approaching him, until it was too late.

VROOOM!

"What the hel-"

BOOM!

He died, but as for his dreams and aspirations...

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A pair of eyelashes trembled, as Rowan slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry and he felt sluggish.

"...Where am I?" he groaned as he tried to get up, only to fall down.

He tried feeling around, to regain his bearings. The floor felt hard and cold to the touch, and there was a foul odor lingering in the air. A draft could be felt passing through the small holes all around the room. The walls were dark, cracked, and had all types of gunk and smudges on it.

It was dark and quiet, he could now look around by now, and he noticed that the room was dirty and aged, an indicator that it hasn't be maintained for a long time. There were spider webs littered across the room, with the occasional sound of rats and mice scampering about. At the corner of the room, there was a lone table covered in filth and webs with a broken mirror on it. Next to the table was a broken window, also stained in foul matter.

He could stand now, albeit shakily, and trudged towards the table slowly.

The reflection in the mirror showed a dirty young man in rags, presumably in his early 20s. His eyes and hair were dark, and there was nothing remarkable about the facial features. Although, what stood out most was the sandy beige skin color, despite all the dirt and grime covering it. This body looked like a younger version of himself, eerily so. He had no recollection of anything whatsoever, except for his past life.

'Holy sh*t, did I... reincarnate?' he concluded, while looking at himself.

RUMBLE

Followed by the rumbling, he could now hear yelling and other noises outside. Looking through the window, he saw people in rags like him conversing about something. The dozens and dozens of buildings appeared endless, and spanned quite a distance up to the imposing wall made of stone that appeared to surround the outer perimeter, of what Rowan assumed to be a city due to the shear size and amount of buildings.

A carriage drawn by two horses on a dirty road full of cracks and rubbish was stopped by the coachmen as he was drawn to the noise, the person inside it looked appeared to be peering through the carriage's spotless windows.

Many people were seen kneeling down and praying with absolute fervor, they had a hysterical look in their eyes as they prayed.

RUMBLE

He heard the loud noise again, and seeing people pointing and looking up at the sky, he directed his attention upwards and saw dark clouds covering the skies. Then, he- no, every single being throughout the myriad of worlds heard the voice.

[Initiating selection...]

A cold, emotionless robotic voice resounding in their heads.

[You will be given a class, and then be able to choose from a limited selection of traits, weapon types, and attunements. Abilities and traits can be gained as you level up, but the only way to do so is by killing other entities. Think or say "status" to view your information. You will have one day to choose.]