"You're the best talent I've seen in years."
"How can you be so good at everything?"
"Why is he always the best?"
I heard things like that all my life. And they weren't just empty words meant to stroke my ego. They were the truth.
I was the best.
Top of my class.
MVP in every sport.
Unbeatable in any game I touched.
But being the best at everything has a downside. It makes life… dull.
At first, winning felt good. No, it felt amazing. But after a while, when victory became a guarantee, the excitement disappeared. There was nothing left to chase.
And so, on my 18th birthday, I found myself wondering:
What the hell am I supposed to do with my life?
Work a boring job for years with no real challenge? No thanks.
Sit at home playing games with no real competition? Yawn.
Honestly, I felt lost. The only time I felt even a flicker of excitement was when I imagined being in another world—a place where swords and magic existed. A place where raw talent alone wasn't enough.
But that was just a fantasy.
At least, that's what I thought.
Until the day everything changed.
It was supposed to be a normal school day. I got on the bus, greeted a few friends, cracked a few jokes. Just another morning.
Then—it happened.
A violent shudder ran through the bus. Metal groaned. Seats rattled. Students gasped.
An earthquake?
No. It was something much worse.
In the blink of an eye, the bus was no longer on the road. It was in the middle of a massive white room.
The screaming started immediately.
"What the hell?!"
"Where are we?!"
"This—this has to be a dream, right?!"
Panic spread like wildfire. Students stumbled out of their seats, eyes wide with fear. I wasn't much different—I was stunned at first. But then—
A translucent blue screen appeared before me.
[Greetings, Players from Planet AB-2194.]
[You have been chosen by the Universal System to take part in the Universal Games.]
[In one hour, you will enter your Placement Game.]
[Win, and you will awaken and be sent to the Universal World, gaining powers beyond imagination.]
[Lose… and you die.]
The room went silent.
Then—
"DIE?! We're going to die?!"
"NO! NO, THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE!"
"HELP! GET US OUT OF HERE!"
Screams, sobs, panic. Everyone was losing their minds.
Everyone except me.
As I read those words again, a slow smirk crept across my lips.
This was it.
This was what I had been waiting for.
A real challenge. A world where strength mattered. A world where I could finally push myself beyond my limits.
[Time Remaining Until First Placement Game: 1 Hour.]
As the countdown began, my blood raced.
The rest of the story?
That's history.