"Epic Showdown."
One of the most hyped and popular VR games in the world, boasting a massive player base of over 2 billion. Since its release in 20XX, the game skyrocketed in popularity, dominating the gaming industry within two years. Now, nearly a decade later, Epic Showdown is a household name.
In Epic Showdown, each player receives a random playable character through a one-time draw. That character is permanently linked to the player's biometric data, meaning you can't trade, reset, or own more than one. No one knows the total number of characters in the game—just one of many mysteries buried inside this virtual world.
Despite being an MMO, the game has a main storyline—a narrative thread that's been stuck for over seven years. The developers, CMX Productions, continue releasing weekly content updates... but not a single one has advanced the main plot.
Why?
Because a crucial character is missing.
And no one knows who it is.
Some play for fun.
Some for money—since in-game currency (IGC) can be exchanged for real cash.
Others chase fame, fortune, and glory in the world of e-sports.
But soon... everything would change.
---
Shoosh...
The wind blew softly through the open classroom window.
"Okay, that's it for today's class. See you all next time!" said the teacher.
"Thank you, sir," the students echoed.
"Yo, Steve! Wanna hit the mall?"
"Sorry, I've got something to do," Steve replied flatly.
He stood, slung his bag over his shoulder, slid open the classroom door, and walked out.
"Man, what's up with him?" Crick muttered. "He just runs home every day."
"Doesn't even talk to anyone. Cool face, but cold as ice," Josh added.
"I bet he just goes home to play that game again."
"Epic Showdown?"
"Yup. We all play it, but that guy's obsessed."
"He probably got stuck with some trash-tier character and now he's grinding nonstop just to make it usable."
"Whatever. Let him be."
---
Back home...
"Sweetie, come eat!" his mom called.
"Later, Mom!" Steve replied, not even breaking stride.
"See? He's going straight to his room again," his little sister Chloe said from the sofa.
"He enjoys playing. Let him enjoy," their mom replied gently.
"Yeah, whatever."
Steve entered his room, locked the door, and sat down in his immersion capsule—the gateway to the world of Epic Showdown.
---
[LOGIN: STEVE / CHARACTER: APPRAISER - LEVEL 100]
"Finally... level 100," Steve muttered. "What a joke of a class. I'm literally an Appraiser. All I can do is identify items... No combat skills. No fame. Just garbage."
Suddenly, the screen glitched.
Glitch... glitch...
"Huh...?"
A system message popped up:
[WARNING: YOUR CHARACTER HAS BEEN BANNED]
"What?! Why?!" Steve shouted.
"I just hit second advancement and they ban me?! What kind of BS is this?!"
"System! Give me the reason for the ban!"
[REASON: UNIDENTIFIED]
"What the actual..."
Steve slammed his hand against the side of the capsule.
I can't create a new character, can I? My biometrics are already locked...
Then another message appeared:
[CREATE NEW CHARACTER?]
"…Wait, what? I can? But how? This shouldn't be possible…"
Despite his confusion, he clicked yes.
Suddenly, dozens of character cards began floating in front of him.
"Please... just give me something decent. At least a Rare character..."
---
In Epic Showdown, there are five character tiers:
Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Named.
Only Legendary and Named characters have dedicated storylines.
There are only five known Legendary characters in the game, each believed to be disciples of the elusive Named class.
As for Named characters—most players think they're extinct... or never existed at all.
But then...
"Wait... a Farmer?!"
"What kind of joke is this?! There's no rank at the bottom...!"
He looked closer.
"Wait... it has a name? 'Terix'...?"
"Terix? That's... weird. This doesn't feel like a normal NPC. But there's no rank, no class info…"
"Ugh, what crap luck."
---
Steve exited the capsule and went downstairs.
"What's for dinner, Mom?"
"Rice and curry, dear."
"Cool. Just serve it."
What kind of character is this? There's no class type... no rarity... could it actually be a Named? No way...
"What are you thinking about, honey?" his mom asked.
"Nothing," he replied quickly.
After dinner, Steve returned to his room and collapsed on the bed, arms stretched out.
"What a trash day... I should've just gone to the mall with those two."
He turned off the lights and shut his eyes.
---
Somewhere... deep within a dream...
Haa...
Haa...
"How... how did this happen?!"
Noel...
Xavic...
Crisof...
I'm sorry...
Argh...
Sob... sob...
I failed to save you all.
All because of that damned dragon.
The Emerald Dragon—one of the most powerful beasts of this era.
Usually calm, until two months ago when it suddenly went berserk.
Party after party tried to stop it.
All of them died.
Then... we were sent in.
We fought.
We won.
But the price...
(He sat silently on the massive, lifeless corpse of the dragon.)
"Now what? I've lost everyone I cared about..."
Sob...
Sob...
"Why does this always happen to me?"
Cough... cough...
Ha...
"Is this the end?"
"Clarie... I'm sorry. I was too late to tell you how I felt..."
"I'm sorry... everyone..."
(His eyes slowly began to close...)
But suddenly—
A massive magic circle formed beneath his body.
What's happening...? I'm dying... right...?
Ugh... ugh...
(Eyes snap open)
"What—what happened?! I thought I died!"
Nngh... ngh...
"Is this... a dream?"
"Whose memories... are these?"
Ugh...
"Wait... I'm Terix... No—I'm Steve?!"
"If these memories are real... then..."
(He shot up from bed, rushed to his desk, and opened his PC)
"This... this can't be real!!
I'm Terix—a game character?!"
"So who's Steve?
No... who's Terix?!"
"What the hell is going on?!!"
---
TO BE CONTINUED...