ALL IN:The Rise of Ren
!!!! A dark psychological novel where mind games, risk, and human weakness collide, wrapped in a shōnen-style rise from nothing to the top !!!
Ren Takahashi is an 18-year-old high school student living in Tokyo, trapped between two crushing realities: an uncertain future and a present that is slowly collapsing. A senior in his final year of high school, unemployed and without any practical skills, Ren survives on the small amount of money left behind by his deceased father. His mother—the only person giving meaning to his struggle—is permanently hospitalized, kept alive by medical machines. Every day is a countdown of bills, limited time, and relentless pressure.
After countless failed attempts to find a job, Ren receives a mysterious invitation: a nationwide poker tournament, spanning all of Japan. This is no ordinary competition. It is a brutal selection process where only the coldest, most calculated, and most dangerous players can advance. Lose once—you’re eliminated. Make one mistake—you cease to exist.
As Ren enters the tournament, he quickly realizes that poker is no longer about cards. It is about ego, control, and psychological destruction. Each round becomes a battle of wills, every opponent a monster shaped by trauma, obsession, and ruthless methods. Here, players are not gambling for money—they are gambling for identity.
Yet with every victory, Ren drifts further away from the boy he once was. With every successful bluff, he begins to question whether he is still playing to survive… or playing to dominate.