Sri Angkasa Secondary School —the name was boldly displayed in the middle of the school building, signifying the institution's identity.
Inside a classroom, a teenage boy sat by the window, lost in thought as he stared outside, oblivious to his surroundings.
Suddenly—
"Sayda! What are you daydreaming about by the window? Pay attention while I'm teaching!"
Sayda snapped out of his thoughts. The teacher standing at the front of the class had called him out for not paying attention to the lesson.
"I'm sorry, teacher."
Sayda quickly apologized.
"Alright then. Let's continue our lesson... As I mentioned earlier, our solar system consists of several planets besides Earth. So..."
The teacher resumed the lesson as usual.
---
As you all know, I'm Sayda. I don't have many friends and rarely socialize with others. Maybe I'm an introvert? Who knows... I also tend to daydream in class for no apparent reason.
My life is the same every day. Wake up, have breakfast, get ready for school, go to school, come home, and repeat it all again the next day. A boring routine.
But...
There's one thing I never get tired of, no matter how many times I do it—playing games!
It doesn't matter what kind of game it is. As long as it's a video game that I can play, I will definitely enjoy it. For me, playing games feels like escaping to another world. It also helps me forget about all the troubles at school.
I often wish... How amazing would it be if I could enter a game, even just for a little while...
"RING! RING!"
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.
"Yeah, time to go home!"
"Let's go!"
"Finally, home time!"
Students cheered excitedly, eager to return home.
As I was walking out of class, a voice called my name from behind.
"Sayda! Wait up!"
I turned around.
"Oh, Zayyan!"
"Yeah, let's go home together."
This is Zayyan, my one and only close friend. He shares the same hobby as me—playing games. Every time we talk, our conversations never stray far from gaming.
"Hey Zayyan, guess what? That game we played the other day, Battle Shadow Force—I finally reached level 100!"
"Whoa, seriously? That was fast!"
"But I still can't beat the boss alone. How about you come over to my house after school, and we take him down together?"
"Hmm... Sorry, Sayda. I can't come today. I have to help my dad all day. But don't worry, I'll definitely come over tomorrow, and we'll defeat that boss together!"
"Oh, really? Alright then."
We both hopped onto our bicycles and rode home. At the intersection, I took the right path, while Zayyan went left.
"I'm heading home! Don't forget, tomorrow we'll beat that boss together!"
"Of course!"
---
On my way home, I talked to myself while riding my bike.
I just remembered—I've finished all the games I own, except for this one. The last CD I bought was a month ago. Maybe it's time to get a new game while waiting for Zayyan tomorrow.
What genre should I buy? Fantasy? Story-driven? Adventure?
Maybe a story-driven game, since they usually take longer to complete.
Ah, no need to overthink. I'll decide when I get to the store.
I kept pedaling. But as soon as I turned a corner—
"Meoww!"
A cat suddenly dashed right in front of me!
"Ah, crap!"
Panicked, I instinctively slammed both brakes hard.
Screeech!
I lost control and swerved—
"THUD!"
Crashing straight into a trash bin!
Garbage spilled everywhere, scattering across the road... and I fell right into the mess.
"Ouch... Damn cat! Now I've fallen for no reason... Ugh, this hurts!"
I groaned as I got up.
"At least my bike isn't damaged..."
I looked around. Trash was scattered all over the place.
"Great... Now I have to clean this up. Sigh... Maybe this is karma for daydreaming in class earlier... Just my luck..."
Reluctantly, I started picking up the garbage one by one and tossing them back into the bin. After a few minutes, only one piece of trash remained.
"Phew... Just one more, and I'm done!"
I took a few steps forward. But then, I noticed something else lying on the ground.
I bent down and picked it up. It looked like an old, dusty case.
I blew the dust off.
"Fusshh..."
And it turned out—
"This... is a game CD?!"
I examined the CD closely.
"INTO THE GAME?"
The title was printed clearly on the disc.
I read the label.
Story... Fantasy... Adventure... Survival... Tragedy...?
"Whoa! It has all my favorite genres!"
But... why was this CD thrown away?
I looked at the cover design. It was very simple and dull.
There were only two trees on the left and right, with a broken log in the middle. A knife was embedded in the wood. Sunlight illuminated the background, and in the center, the words were clearly written:
"INTO THE GAME"
I stared at it for a moment.
"Hmm... The cover looks so unappealing... But for some reason, I feel like trying this game..."
Without much thought, I slipped the CD into my bag and continued pedaling home.
I had no idea... that this decision would change my life forever...