"YAAAAAAA!"
"Finally… Finally… I have done it… Did you see this, you bastard? I have finally achieved perfection."
"Now watch, fucker…This is my peak."
William's voice rang through the classroom as he yelled at the top of his lungs, demanding everyone's attention. "Told you, there is nothing one can't do if he or she sets his mind on it."
His declaration carried both triumph and a note of challenge.
After basking in envious gazes from his classmates, he turned to the score before him.
A perfect 1000 out of 1000 across ten subjects.
Feeling euphoric, he shot a triumphant look at a dark-haired, gloomy kid sitting in the corner. With a smug grin playing on his lips, he approached the boy and slammed the report card on the desk.
"Now, what do you have to say?" William shouted, his voice dripping with arrogance.
"Now we are the same…"
"TSK!"
The boy, who seemed utterly uninterested, slowly raised his head to meet William's gaze. His dark eyes carried a calm intensity as he slowly opened his lips to speak.
"Listen here, William…"
"You are misunderstanding something…"
William's brows furrowed and his confident expression faltered as a premonition welled up in his heart.
"You got this because that's the best you can achieve," the boy said, his tone measured and unyielding. "Whereas I got full marks because that's all there was to get."
"We aren't the same…"
"WHAT?"
The smile on William's face crackled as disbelief washed over him. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, the boy got up and was already on his way, ignoring the murmurs of his classmates as if the commotion had nothing to do with him.
_____
Grades… I was always at the top of the class and always scored full marks.
Sports…
Whether it was running, swimming, fencing, kendo, karate, taekwondo, or team sports like basketball, football, baseball, and many more, I was first and excelled in all of them, going up straight to the regional championship and even earning recommendation for the nationals, but…
I refused since I was feeling bored.
I achieved everything I could… I pushed myself to the edge, to the point where I sacrificed my sleep, forgot to eat, and even the lure of my smartphone.
I practiced and exercised until my body couldn't bear any more…
I did everything, leaving no stone unturned to improve myself…
The reason?
I wanted her to be happy. To smile at me.
Whenever she watched over me, I wanted to meet her gaze and proudly tell her that I tried my best.
_____
TAP! TAP! TAP!
CREAK!
"Mom… I am back," I called out, my voice light and joyful.
After carefully placing the shoes at the entrance, I stepped into the living room and started narrating my day.
"It was another eventful day. As always, I got full in every subject, played football, scored some goals, and talked with the teacher about what I plan to do in the future."
"Certainly, it was boring, but it wasn't that bad."
"Oh, and you know that guy William, right? That idiot took me as a competitor. Huh?"
"No Mom, I am not mocking him. I just think he shouldn't be obsessed with me and push himself so much just to measure up to me. Instead, he should focus on his aspirations…"
"Am I not right?"
"Hahaha! I knew you would say that."
After that, I changed my clothes while keeping up with Mom before getting into the kitchen and grabbing a loaf of bread, peanut butter, and some fruits.
Once I had finished preparing a meal, I entered Mom's room.
The room was clean, and pristine without a single layer of dust but it was hard to say that it was neatly organized. On one side of the wall behind my gaming PC, there were heaps of paper attached to the wall.
It was an important note consisting of designating routes and info on the recent game I had been playing.
On side, there was a dairy stacked with scarps of paper.
It was one of my most precious objects on which I had put my heart and soul to create.
[Deathborne Gaming Manual]
I then switched on the computer and turned around before going near the bed and placing the plate on the table.
"Mom, here is food… Uh?" I paused and then quickly bent down to observe the picture of my mom.
There was a faint strain of dust on it.
I immediately took the frame and cleaned it on my shirt before smiling at the picture.
"Ohh! Mom, your frame had caught some dust. I should buy a new frame for you. So, what kind of design should I get for you?"
My eyes glimpsed at the brown-haired caucasian woman smiling brightly behind the frame. It was such a warm and tender smile that was enough to melt one heart. Alas…
The smile that used to grace me with energy every morning was no more.
"Hahh!"
A weary sigh escaped from my lips as I put back the frame after wiping the stains.
My father, a Commando, had sadly died on a mission shortly a few days after my birth. As for my mother, she followed him when I was ten.
My mother had always wanted me to follow in my father's footsteps and I had promised her that I would. My mother rarely smiled after my father's death, so I did everything I could to ease her heart and make her proud.
I can even remember the last time she asked me to do my best in everything. And I always did.
No matter the job, I always finished it to perfection.
Sadly, she wasn't present to see it. As for being in the army, I too was fascinated by them.
The world… The world around me seemed too ordinary and my heart yearned for the thrill of something more—adrenaline-pumping action.
Perhaps it was an effect of being influenced by manga and anime—an otaku.
While contemplating about my life, I peeled the banana but before I could take a bite, I heard a beeping sound.
Upon turning my head toward the source of the sound, I was greeted by an unexpected sight: the computer screen was flashing a vivid, blood-red colour, emitting eerie, ghostly noises.
"Now what is this bullshit?"
I squinted my eyes wondering how the fuck had the screen turned on when I hadn't even touched the monitor switch or powered on the CPU.
Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to investigate.
But before I could take more than a few steps, an unsettling sensation coursed through my body. A sudden wave of dizziness washed over me, causing my steps to falter. As my vision blurred and my balance wavered, panic gripped me and I struggled to regain control.
"Kurgh!" I choked, my voice barely audible. Struggling to stay upright, I gasped for air. But no matter how much I tried, the disorienting whirl of my surroundings made it impossible to think straight.
It felt as though I was slowly losing my mind, my sensation and perception of the world as if my very soul was disengaging from this world but just then, an intuition honed after reading thousands of demonic scriptures with the godly intuition of an otaku, I shouted:
"I don't know which fucking god you are, but if this is some prank to throw me into some shitty fucking isekai world, I ask you to reconsider. I will commit suicide and bring down all of your fucking plans!"
SWOOSH!
The dizziness disappeared immediately and my vision started to clear as if all that happened to be a moment ago was nothing but an illusion.
"Haaa…Haa…"
Once the effect subsided, I clutched my chest and gasped heavily for breath and sucked it voraciously. My entire body trembled, drenched in sweat and for a fleeting moment I felt as if I was collapsing as my knees gave up.
Fortunately, I managed to hold myself by gripping the edge of the table and supporting myself. That was when I noticed something new—a message being reflected in my eyes.
[Congratulations, player Mr. Per781 for clearing all hidden conditions. Now, you are eligible to play the hidden route, as deemed by the game developer.]
[Do you want to proceed?]
[Yes] [No]
"What the hell is going on? Are you really a God from another world?" I murmured.
"And seriously, don't you think this bullshit way of reincarnation is a bit too overused and bland? Instead, use truck kun or taxi chan or kill me…"
BANM!
KYA!
A blood-curdling scream erupted from the screen and before I could react, a blackened hand shot out and grabbed my face. Following that, an overwhelming, dark aura enveloped me, turning my vision crimson.
With a sickening gurgle, the hand yanked me with it.
"Wha—AH!"
My voice was cut short as my face smashed against the screen and soon, the world around me dissolved into a red haze.