Chapter 1
"Ahhh! I'm dying!"
"Stop being overdramatic, you fool!"
"Dumbass, I really am dying. Help me."
"Yeah, I will try and help. Number 4, cover me. I'm going in to help Number 2."
"Roger that."
One might think that these conversations were happening on a battlefield of some kind. Although technically, or technologically, it was indeed a battlefield.
In a dimly lit room that only had a single night light on, a young guy of about eighteen years old could be seen seated in front of a computer screen.
Its pale blue light reflected on his face. His hazel green eyes were fixated on the screen in front of him as his hands moved rapidly on the keyboard.
A headset was mounted on his head, resting over his long, wavy black hair that shifted every time he moved.
The headset had a long mouthpiece attached, through which he barked out orders without hesitation.
The room he was in was a gaming sanctuary, with dark gray walls adorned with neon-lit posters of his favorite games and anime series.
The focal point of the room was a sleek gaming desk with a powerful gaming PC, surrounded by tangled wires and glowing LED strips.
A large gaming monitor sat atop the desk, displaying vibrant graphics and fast-paced action.
To the side, a comfortable gaming chair was positioned, covered in gaming-themed throw pillows and blankets. The teenage guy sat in it, his gaze moving rapidly across the screen, eyes wide with alertness.
The floor was littered with gaming controllers, headsets, and scattered game boxes. Shelves lined the walls, filled with gaming collectibles, figurines, and trophies from tournaments past.
The soft glow of blue and purple LED lights gave the room an immersive and moody atmosphere, perfect for long gaming sessions that stretched into the early hours.
Posters and artwork featuring his favorite characters and iconic games added a personal touch, making the space feel like his own little gaming paradise.
Every inch of the room screamed dedication, obsession, and escape.
---
Yep, that's me. Sitting and idly wasting my time playing a game with immense focus, a kind of focus I never had during school.
You might be wondering how I got myself into this position. How I ended up wasting my time gaming day and night.
It all started a few years ago. I lost my parents when I was fifteen. The only things they left me with were a small house, a few dollars to my name, and whatnot.
My dad was a big businessman. The richest there was. Among the top five wealthiest men in the country. If his name wasn't mentioned in any list, then that list was simply messed up.
But when he and my mum died in a plane crash, his family came in, swooped everything away, and only left me this house and the little money in my account.
I cried. I fell into depression and tried everything to get my head straight, but nothing worked. Nothing clicked.
Until I discovered a passion. A drive that brought me back to life.
Gaming.
I played all sorts of games until I found my calling. Online games that involved military combat, zombie invasions, and end-of-the-world chaos.
Those quickly became my favorites. I played so well that I managed to make a name for myself in the gaming world. A name that echoed across servers. A name both feared and respected.
And what was that name?
---
"Number 1, what are you doing?" someone shouted through the teenage guy's headset.
"I'm waiting for Zen the Destroyer to attack. Are you done helping him? He mustn't die before Zen destroys the enemy. Otherwise, we lose."
"Zen, where are you?"
"Right where I'm supposed to be," the teenage guy replied, and in the next moment, his fingers blurred across his keyboard. Right on cue, enemies began falling and dropping as if they were flies under a bug zapper.
One by one, the enemies were gunned down as he sprayed them with bullets, eliminating a full squad of about six men all by himself without losing a single teammate.
{Game over: Team B wins!}
"Woah! Now I can finally climb up the rankings!"
"Thanks, Zen!"
"No mention," Zen replied, and with that, he logged out.
Pulling off his gaming headset, he tossed it to the side, letting out a long yawn and a satisfying stretch. Unlike in the gaming world where everyone respected and feared Zen, in the real world, he was actually nothing.
No friends. No family. No love interest. Just a normal teenager obsessed with gaming and racking up kills in the virtual world.
When he wasn't gaming, his next best interest was anime. It wasn't just entertainment to him—it was tactical training. He studied attack patterns, timing, combos, and even reactions from fights. Between games and anime, he barely had room for anything else.
"Tsk! That didn't even serve as a warm-up," Zen muttered as he stood up from his chair, grabbed his phone, and started scrolling through it.
Click, click, click.
His fingers danced across the screen while his eyes darted, scanning the waves of notifications lighting up his device.
"Just ten more minutes left," Zen muttered again. He sighed and walked away from his gaming setup, heading toward the corner of the room where a small refrigerator stood. It was stocked with snacks and drinks—his fuel for long gaming marathons.
As he pulled open the fridge, cold air brushed against his face, and a few strands of his brown hair fluttered slightly. He scanned the contents quickly, grabbed a snack and a chilled energy drink, then walked back toward his gaming chair.
"Just ten more minutes till the full launch of that new game these people keep hyping up," Zen mumbled as he sat back down in front of his PC. "I've played a lot of games over the years, but this one... this one's got these people so hyped up that they reached out to me."
He set the drink on his desk, grabbed the snack's paper bag, and tore it open. Without hesitation, he began devouring it, chewing rapidly while occasionally gulping down sips of the drink.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed to life with a loud ring.
Ring, ring!
His eyes snapped to the phone. He glanced at the caller ID, and his eyes widened slightly. Without wasting a second, he picked it up and answered.
"Am I onto Zen?" a voice asked from the other end of the line.
"Yes," Zen replied, swallowing the last bit of snack that was still in his mouth.
"We've been seeing your work online. You're a hard and respected player in the gaming world, so we decided to strike a deal with you, remember?" the caller said.
"Of course I do. I've been waiting since morning," Zen nodded, a small smile creeping onto his face.
A few days ago, a new gaming corporation had contacted Zen after noticing how respected and feared he was in the gaming world. Impressed by his reputation, they offered him the exclusive opportunity to be the first player to test their newest and most ambitious game yet.
This was the very game he had been waiting for since morning, counting the minutes, holding back his excitement with barely contained patience. The catch was simple. After playing the game for a few minutes or hours, Zen was to leave an honest but favorable review.
And that was no small thing.
Zen's words held weight in the gaming community. If he posted a review, the gaming corporation was confident that players would swarm the game like ants drawn to sugar. A few sentences from Zen could launch their title to the top of every trending chart.
"Good. We're glad you remembered and are still open to this deal. We'll be launching in a few seconds, and the link will be sent directly to you. Do we have your consent?" the caller asked.
"Sure. I'll be waiting," Zen replied with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Great. Get ready to play the game of your life in ten seconds."
The line went dead.
Zen leaned back into his chair, sipping casually from his drink as he stared at his PC screen, waiting for the moment to arrive.
"This better be worth my time. Or else, this corporation will pay for wasting it," Zen muttered, tapping his desk rhythmically with his index finger.
Then, almost like clockwork, the screen in front of him glowed a bright, unnatural blue.
{A link has been received from an unknown sender}
{Would you like to check it out?}
{Yes / No}
Zen didn't hesitate. He clicked "Yes" without a second thought, and instantly, the screen changed.
{Game resources downloading...}
{20% downloaded...}
His heart began thumping in his chest as he leaned forward, eyes locked on the loading bar.
{50% downloaded...}
"Come on," Zen said under his breath, continuing to tap impatiently with his finger.
{80% downloaded...}
"Almost there," he muttered, a smirk forming on his lips.
{100% downloaded...}
{Game resources downloaded successfully.}
"Finally!" Zen exclaimed, excitement buzzing in his voice as he grabbed his gaming headset and mounted it securely over his head. "Let's check this game out!"
---
{A/N}
I've tested so many genres over the past few months, experimented with different ideas, and honestly, I wasn't satisfied with the results.
So here I am, diving into the gaming genre to test my luck and ride the waves.
To my current and future reader(s), please stick around and help me ride this wave hard.
Let's make this book a masterpiece and give it the support it deserves in every way possible.
Thank you 😊 ✌️