CHAPTER 1: A GAME INVITE
Anon slouched at his desk, his gaze unfocused as the teacher's words flowed over him, more like background noise than instruction.
"Alright, students. That will be all for today. Don't forget to do your assignments over the weekend, understood? I'll see you all next week."
With a rustle of chairs and shuffling feet, the students leapt to their feet almost in unison. "Goodbye, Sir! Thank you for teaching us!" they chorused, their voices overlapping in the rush to pack up.
The teacher gave a brief wave, already turning toward the door. As it clicked shut behind him, the room burst into a cacophony of voices. Groups gathered in small clusters, the air thick with chatter and laughter, as students made weekend plans.
Anon stayed at his desk, his hands still on his books, watching the ebb and flow of activity with a quiet detachment. He wasn't among the ones who lingered to chat; any relationships he'd formed with his peers here were passing at most—a series of polite exchanges that meant very little. He could sense the noise surrounding him, but none of it truly reached him.
After a final, distant glance around the room, he picked up his bag and moved toward the exit. Staying here any longer felt pointless.
"Heading home already, Anon?"
The soft voice stopped him mid-step. Turning, he saw Angelina smiling at him, her expression as warm and open as always.
"Hey, Angelina. Is something the matter? Did you need anything?"
Standing before him was a sweet-looking girl with long, straight brown hair, large, expressive eyes, a dainty nose, and round, cherubic cheeks—Angelina Cortes. Known as the class's "Number One Friend," she was by far the most popular girl of their year, someone everyone seemed drawn to. Her blend of genuine kindness, sweet innocence, and adorable charm made her practically irresistible, so much so that no one could imagine disliking her one small bit.
"Why don't you come hang out with us for a bit?" Angelina asked, gesturing toward her group of friends waiting a short distance away. "We're going to the mall to catch a new movie. What do you say, Anon?"
Anon blinked, momentarily caught off guard. What's with the sudden invitation? Well, it's not like he and Angelina were complete strangers; with her warm and friendly personality, anyone would have a good impression of her, him included. They've helped each other once or twice during classes, but that was it—their connection did not extend outside of school activities. He also didn't have much in common with her or her friends, so why would she go out of her way to invite him to their personal gathering? Nonetheless, he gave her a polite, measured smile as he considered the offer.
"Thank you Angelina, but I'll have to pass," Anon said, his tone cool and placid. "I don't have the spare cash to spend for that right now."
Angelina's smile didn't falter. Tilting her head, she replied brightly, "Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Anon! Since I'm the one inviting you, I'll cover your movie ticket—no problem, free of charge!"
"Are you serious?" Anon asked, raising an eyebrow, though his voice stayed even.
"Yeah, positive!" she replied with unwavering enthusiasm.
Watching Angelina eagerly nodding, her smile bright and inviting, Anon felt a flicker of temptation to accept her offer. She almost looked like a cheerful puppy cutely wagging its tail at him; her liveliness truly was contagious. But then his gaze shifted to her friends. They were chatting among themselves, yet their voices carried clearly enough for him to catch parts of the conversation.
"Hey, is Anon actually coming with us?"
"It looks like it. Angelina just invited him."
"Really? Wouldn't it be a little… weird for him to just join our group out of nowhere?"
"Yeah, I bet he feels the same way. I wonder what he'll do?"
"I'm not trying to say that he's a bad guy or anything. Still… having someone around who's not close to us might feel off, you know?"
"You think it'll be awkward? I'm just curious what he's really like. He usually keeps to himself and only talks when it's about schoolwork."
The words stung, but not in the way one might expect. They weren't meant to be cruel—far from it. Yet, hearing his classmates talk so openly about the awkwardness of his presence made it painfully clear how well they understood him, even from a distance.
Anon could already foresee the discomfort. Joining them would mean pushing himself into a space where he didn't quite belong. He knew from experience that forced connections rarely led anywhere good.
With a quiet sigh, he turned back to Angelina, a conflicted look on his face. She was still waiting, her gaze hopeful.
"Thank you for the offer, Angelina. Really. But I don't feel comfortable putting you in that position. Maybe next time."
"You don't have to feel uncomfortable, Anon. If you want, you can just pay me back later. I don't mind." Her smile remained, though it softened with a hint of disappointment as her eyes became somewhat pitiful.
"I'm sorry, but I really can't today, Angelina. I actually have something else I need to do."
"Oh… I didn't know. Sorry for taking up your time."
"No, no, it's fine. Thanks again for the invite, Angelina. I'll see you around."
"Okay. Take care, Anon."
"You too."
As Anon stepped out of the classroom, he glanced back one last time. Angelina's shoulders were slightly slumped as she went back to her group of friends. She didn't look upset, but the faint disappointment was unmistakable.
"He didn't want to come, Angelina?" one of her friends asked.
She shook her head. "No, he said he had something else he needed to do."
"That's a shame. I was actually kinda curious to know the guy."
Anon paused for a moment outside in the hallway, his hand still on the doorknob as he was in the process of closing it. He muttered under his breath, "Were you, now…?"
With a slight shake of his head, he walked away, leaving their voices behind him. He wasn't part of that world, and he had no intention of trying to be.
***
It didn't take long for Anon to leave the school. Now, he stood under the small shelter of the bus stop, scrolling absentmindedly through his phone.
He paused on a news story about a mysterious phenomenon—a growing number of deaths linked to unknown causes, with human corpses inexplicably turning up in random locations. The phenomenon, first reported two years ago, had since become a global concern. The United Nations—and the entire world—had been scrambling to make sense of it.
Anon felt a flicker of curiosity about the strange events, enough to check in occasionally for updates. But to him, it was just another headline, something distant and impersonal. His reaction was the same as to the wars raging in Asia: detached, passive. As long as it didn't touch his life directly, he felt no need to care about the outcome.
His indifference was almost automatic. Part of him knew that if something didn't affect him personally, there was little reason to invest in it. The world was just… there, existing in the background, while he moved through it, detached and uninvolved.
The unmistakable sound of a bus rolling up snapped him out of his reverie. Anon looked up from his phone, watching as it came to a stop before him. Without any hurry, he boarded and found a seat, resuming his doom-scrolling as the vehicle rumbled toward his destination.
When his stop arrived, he stepped off and started the walk home, his eyes still fixed on his phone. Midway through, he let out a slow, lethargic sigh, glancing up at the dimming sky. His eyes, weary from the screen's glare, blinked a few times to refocus.
"I'm so bored…" he muttered to himself, the words barely audible.
Normally, he'd get home and escape into his usual distractions: video games, light novels, anime. But today, none of those seemed to hold any appeal. He didn't have the energy, the mental drive, or even the faint spark of excitement for any of it. Today felt different—dull, empty, as if he were just going through the motions, existing without a purpose.
"What am I gonna do…?"
He exhaled another heavy sigh and turned his attention back to his phone—only to stop when he noticed something strange.
"Huh?"
A message had appeared on his screen.
[GREETINGS, PROSPECTIVE PLAYER AND WELCOME! WELCOME TO THE SINGLE MOST GREATEST, MOST EXCITING, MOST EXHILARATING GAME EVER CONCEIVED IN THE ENTIRE WORLD - WELCOME TO 'HEAVENSENT BATTLE ROYALE!']
Anon blinked at the text, his mind struggling to make sense of it. "What in the hell…?"
He squinted at the bizarre message, half-expecting it to vanish. But instead, the text seemed to glow brighter, as if mocking his confusion, before a new line appeared.
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCEPT THE INVITATION AND BECOME A PLAYER IN THIS AWESOME GAME? YES/NO]
"Seriously…?" Anon muttered, scratching the side of his head in disbelief.
He immediately decided he didn't want to have anything to do with whatever this was. He tapped the screen outside of the message window, expecting it to disappear like any other pop-up.
"Hmm?"
No luck. He tapped again, more urgently this time. The message stubbornly remained. Anon pressed the home screen button in frustration.
"What the…?"
Still, nothing. His phone wasn't responding. Maybe it had frozen? As a last resort, he tried to turn the phone off, but the screen remained stubbornly lit.
"Bro, what is going on with my phone?"
He stared at it, bewildered. What was he supposed to do now? No matter what he tried, his phone stubbornly refused to cooperate. He stood there for a moment, reading the message again, as if expecting it to change.
"Accept the invitation and become a player in the game…" he whispered, the words tasting strange on his tongue.
He looked around, scanning his surroundings for anything out of place. But aside from a couple of people nearby, absorbed in their own business and completely oblivious to him, nothing seemed off. No one appeared to be suspiciously eyeing him.
"Seriously…"
With a deep breath, he walked over to a nearby wall and leaned against it, his mind racing. Truthfully, part of him was tempted to select 'Yes' and accept the mysterious invitation. Why? Because he was bored.
When he got home, he knew exactly what awaited him: another dull afternoon spent doing nothing of consequence. Probably just lounging around, mindlessly passing time. But that alone was too tedious to bear. That's why the idea of accepting the invitation had its appeal—he had no idea what the hell it was, but it promised something different. Something to break the monotony.
His mind itched with curiosity, and the urge to click 'Yes' grew stronger. What if he did? What would happen? It wasn't like he had anything to lose.
A simple trickle of curiosity that refused to be ignored.
If it turned out to be a phone virus, well, what could he do? His phone was already useless anyway. The next best thing would be to take it to an electronics repair shop and see what they could do.
With all of that in mind, Anon slowly but surely pressed the 'Yes' option on the message window.
[THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ANSWERING POSITIVELY TO THE INVITE, DEAR PLAYER! NOW, GET READY AS YOU WILL SOON BE TRANSPORTED TO THE GAME WORLD IN 5 MINUTES.]
[TIME REMAINING - 4:59]
A timer appeared on his screen, ticking away in slow, deliberate seconds.
"Huh?"
Anon's eyes widened as the countdown began. His pulse quickened, a strange thrill creeping up his spine. What was this? A virus? A prank? Each passing second seemed to pull him deeper into the unknown, the mystery of it all tightening around him like a trap.
He glanced at the phone again, almost instinctively tapping at the screen, trying to force some sort of response. But nothing. The phone remained completely unresponsive to his commands.
With a sigh, he resigned himself to the situation. He leaned back against the wall again, the seconds continuing their relentless march downward.
'I wonder what's going to happen when this hits zero?' he thought, a strange mix of excitement and apprehension twisting in his stomach.
[TIME REMAINING - 0:03]
[TIME REMAINING - 0:02]
[TIME REMAINING - 0:01]
TING!
[TIME IS UP PLAYER! I HOPE YOU'RE READY TO FACE DEATH RIGHT IN THE FACE BECAUSE IT'S TIME TO COMMENCE A HEAVENSENT BATTLE ROYALE! VANQUISH YOUR FIRST ENEMY AND CLAIM VICTORY AS A WINNER IN THE TUTORIAL STAGE OF THE GAME! GOD WISHES YOU LUCK, HUMAN.]
The last message boomed in his mind with a grand voice, louder than he expected, sending a shockwave of disbelief through him.
Before Anon could even process it, he vanished from his spot, leaving behind only the quiet hum of the street. Whether anyone had witnessed his sudden disappearance was a mystery—he was gone from the world just like that, without a trace, like a ghost.