Ren's phone buzzed at 3 AM.
He knew what it was before he looked.
Not a text. Not a call. The landlord didn't waste time with those anymore.
Just the automated reminder:
[FINAL NOTICE: EVICTION PROCEEDINGS BEGIN IN 48 HOURS]
He laughed. Couldn't help it.
Forty-eight hours. Two days to find 140,000 yen or get thrown into the street.
He had 3,247 yen in his bank account.
The apartment smelled like old ramen and two-week-old garbage he kept forgetting to take out.
Ren's three-monitor setup glowed in the dark. Top-of-the-line. 4K. 240Hz refresh rate. He'd bought them back when he thought he'd go pro, back when sponsorships seemed inevitable.
That was two years ago.
Now they illuminated a room that looked like someone had given up mid-move. Clothes piled in corners he'd stopped seeing. Empty cup noodles stacked in the corner. Seven high. He'd counted last week when he couldn't sleep.
Fourteen days of dinner. Two weeks of the same chicken flavor because it was 108 yen at the konbini and beef was 145.
He should probably throw them out.
He wouldn't.
The only clean space was the desk.
The mousepad had no dust. The keyboard got wiped down every morning. The monitor screens were spotless.
Everything else could rot.
But the desk? The desk stayed clean.
Because what the fuck else did he have?
Twenty-five years old and professionally fucked. No job, no money, and as of three hours ago, no girlfriend either.
He grabbed another cup of ramen, realized it was empty, and threw it at the wall. It bounced off pathetically.
The café meeting replayed in his head like a bad movie he couldn't turn off.
—
Akari set down her latte without drinking it.
Ren's stomach dropped.
She never wasted 800-yen coffee. This was planned.
"My parents asked what you do," she said. Still looking at her phone. Still scrolling. "I told them you were between jobs."
"I'm not between jobs."
"I know." She finally looked up. "That's the problem."
"I make money—"
"You could make money." Her voice was flat. Tired. "But you won't sell the account. Because that would require you to actually—"
"Don't."
"—do something."
His hands clenched under the table. "I'm ranked number three in the fucking world—"
"I don't care."
Two words. Delivered like a slap.
"I don't care about your rank. I don't care about your record. I care that I have to lie to my parents because the truth sounds pathetic."
"So lie better. Tell them I'm an entrepreneur. Tell them—"
"I can't, Ren." She grabbed her bag and stood up. "Because you're not building anything. You're just playing."
She walked out.
Ren sat there until the waiter came over.
"Sir, are you going to order anything?"
He checked his phone.
Balance: ¥3,247
The latte cost ¥800.
"Water," he said. "Just water."
"Perfect."
Now, back in his apartment, Ren spun around in his gaming chair, staring at his ceiling.
His chest felt tight. His hands wouldn't unclench.
He turned back to his monitors. There it was. His baby. His masterpiece. His only real accomplishment in life.
[ASHURA.]
Level 500. Dragonscale armor glowing like liquid fire. The legendary Crimson Moon blade strapped to his back. And behind him, seven gorgeous female companions who actually appreciated him.
Ren stared at his character.
[ASHURA - LEVEL 500]
[1V1 RECORD: 2,847 - 0]
[GLOBAL RANKING: 3]
Three years.
Akari was out there crying to her friends about how he had no future.
And he was sitting on $400,000 he was too proud to touch.
He laughed. It came out bitter.
"Priorities," he muttered again. "I've got my fucking priorities straight."
But he never would. This wasn't just an account. This was proof he wasn't a complete failure.
A notification popped up.
[DUEL REQUEST: PLAYER "UNKNOWN"]
[STAKES: ACCOUNT DELETION]
A message popped up below it:
"You won't accept. You're a bitch like your—"
Ren didn't read the rest.
His vision went red at the edges.
His mouse hand twitched.
He should walk away. He knew he should walk away.
But Akari was gone.
And in 48 hours he'd be homeless.
And this asshole just said—
Ren's finger moved.
[ACCEPT DUEL REQUEST]
The arena loaded. Some dramatic-ass colosseum floating in space with purple lightning and a starry void. Way too edgy. Ren approved.
Across the arena stood his opponent.
[PLAYER: UNKNOWN]
[LEVEL: ???]
[CLASS: ???]
Everything was hidden. Black armor, no features, no visible weapon.
"Ooh, mysterious." Ren cracked his neck. "Doesn't matter. You're about to catch these hands."
The countdown started.
[3...]
Ren's fingers hovered over his controller. Dragon Warrior had seventeen combo chains. He'd perfected all of them.
[2...]
His jaw clenched.
[1...]
[BEGIN!]
Ren lunged. [Dragon's Descent]. Gap closer. Never missed.
He froze mid-air.
"What the—" He mashed buttons. Nothing. "The fuck?!"
[STATUS EFFECT: DIVINE PARALYSIS]
[DURATION: 20:00]
Ren's eyes went wide. "DIVINE PARALYSIS?! What the fuck is that???"
The voice chat crackled. Distorted. Robotic.
"Surprise."
"You're cheating! This is bullshit! I'm reporting your ass right now—"
"Lol"
The Unknown player walked slowly toward Ashura's frozen body. Ren could only watch, helpless, as his character stood there like a statue.
"Wait—" Ren's voice cracked. "Wait, we can—I have platinum. Rare drops. A full Mythic set, I'll give you everything, just—"
Unknown didn't respond.
Didn't laugh.
Didn't gloat.
Just raised his weapon.
And swung.
[CRITICAL HIT: 147,892 DAMAGE]
Ren's health bar shattered. His screen flashed red.
He couldn't breathe.
His armor was maxed. His defensive stats were—
[CRITICAL HIT: 152,447 DAMAGE]
His hands were shaking so hard he dropped the controller.
"Please—"
[CRITICAL HIT: 149,203 DAMAGE]
The begging left his mouth before he could stop it.
"Please, I'm sorry, I'll do anything, just don't—"
Unknown raised his weapon one last time.
Ren squeezed his eyes shut.
Silence.
Then:
"Thanks for the account."
The blade fell.
[FINAL HIT: 999,999 DAMAGE]
[YOUR CHARACTER HAS BEEN DELETED]
---
The world shattered.
Ashura exploded into a million pieces of light, each fragment dissolving into nothing. His seven companions vanished. The Crimson Moon blade crumbled to dust. Three years of work evaporated in seconds.
[ASHURA NO LONGER EXISTS]
[ALL ITEMS, CURRENCY, AND PROGRESS HAVE BEEN REMOVED]
[THANK YOU FOR PLAYING GENESIS ONLINE]
The screen went black.
Ren sat there, controller in his hands, staring at nothing.
"No."
His hands started shaking.
"No, no, no."
He stood up, knocking his chair backwards.
"NO NO NO NO NO!"
He grabbed his desk with both hands, shaking it, screaming at the monitors.
"THAT WAS EVERYTHING! THREE YEARS! FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS! THAT'S ALL I FUCKING HAD!"
Tears were streaming down his face now. He didn't even care.
He slumped back into his chair, burying his face in his hands.
The apartment was silent.
No game sounds. No music. No notifications.
Just his breathing. Ragged. Uneven.
And the hum of the monitors.
Still on.
Still glowing.
Waiting for a character that didn't exist anymore.
He glanced at the photo frame on his desk. The only thing besides the monitors. His mom, smiling, holding a controller.
He still couldn't look at it for too long.
"I got nothing left," he whispered. "Nothing."
Then the black screen flickered.
White text appeared.
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESTORE YOUR CHARACTER?]
[YES] [NO]
Ren's head snapped up.
"What?"
He wiped his eyes, leaning forward. Was this real? Another trick?
"Is this... can you actually...?"
His mouse hovered over [YES].
He clicked it.
[YES]
The screen exploded with light, brilliant white that flooded his entire apartment. His monitors, walls, ceiling, everything blazed with impossible brightness.
"Whoa, what the hell?!"
The light wrapped around him like chains. His body felt weird, heavy, then weightless, then like he was falling even though he was sitting down.
"Wait, WAIT! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
The apartment started spinning. Rain sounds faded. The whole world tilted sideways.
His vision went dark at the edges. He tried to grab his desk but his hands passed through it.
The last thing he saw was a message floating in the air.
[WELCOME TO GENESIS ONLINE]
[TRANSFER COMPLETE]
And for the first time in three years, Ren Yuto stopped existing.
Everything went black.
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER TWO…