Cattel sat slumped in front of his computer, eyes glued to the computer screen as sweat dripped down his forehead.

His fingers danced furiously across the keyboard and mouse, trying to dodge yet another devastating attack from the game's final boss—a towering dragon with glowing red eyes that had already wiped him out over ten times.

"Come on... come ON!" he muttered under his breath, gritting his teeth.

Every swing of his character's sword felt sluggish compared to the speed of the dragon's claws. He barely managed to block an incoming swipe, but it still sent him flying backward and knocking out half his HP. 

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Cattel!" came Joli's voice—his stepmother. She sounded impatient, her tone sharp like a blade. "Are you even listening to me? Did you send off that job application I told you about?"

Cattel froze for a moment, his heart sinking. The job application. He'd completely forgotten about it, again. Between gaming sessions and late nights grinding levels, he hadn't bothered to apply. And now, here she was, demanding answers.

"Yeah," he lied quickly, not looking away from the screen. "I sent it. They just haven't replied yet."

There was silence for a beat, followed by Joli's heavy sigh. "Three weeks, Cattel. THREE WEEKS! You've been saying the same thing for three weeks straight!"

Her voice boomed louder this time, making Cattel wince. He clenched his fists tighter around the mouse, ignoring her best he could. But her words kept coming, each one sharper than the last.

"You're wasting your life away in front of that screen! What are you going to do when you're forty years old, huh? Still playing games while the rest of us work hard to survive?" Her voice rose, filled with frustration.

"You're becoming useless, Cattel. Face it—you're never going to amount to anything if you keep living like this!"

Every word stung, but Cattel refused to let her see how much. Instead, he turned back to the game, determination burning in his chest. 'Fine,' he thought bitterly. 'If she wants me to prove myself, I'll start right here.'

With renewed focus, he charged toward the dragon, dodging its fiery breath just in time.

This time, instead of panicking, he stayed calm. Each movement was calculated, precise. He timed his attacks perfectly, striking the dragon's weak spots until finally—it roared in defeat, collapsing onto the ground.

The screen erupted into fireworks and golden text:

"Congratulations! You have defeated the Final Boss!"

Cattel stared at the screen in disbelief. He'd done it. After all those failures, after all the frustration—he'd actually beaten the impossible boss. For a split second, pride swelled inside him, pushing aside the anger and embarrassment.

But before he could celebrate, Joli started pounding on the door again.

"I DON'T APPRECIATE BEING IGNORED!" his step mother yelled, her voice echoing through the house. "Get out here and face me like a man, Cattel!"

Cattel wanted to yell back at Joli, but before he could open his mouth, something strange caught his attention.

The power socket where his computer drew its electricity started sparking—small blue and yellow sparks crackling like fireworks. He frowned, leaning closer to inspect it.

"What the...?" Cattel muttered, narrowing his eyes. 

Then, a faint smell of burning filled the room. Smoke began curling out from behind his monitor, wisps of gray rising into the air.

His heart skipped a beat as he turned toward his PC . It was overheating, even though he hadn't pushed it beyond its limits.

"Wait, what's going on?" Cattel said aloud, panic creeping into his voice. He quickly checked the game settings, lowering the graphics quality just in case. But nothing changed—the machine still hummed dangerously loud, smoke now billowing thicker.

"This isn't right!" Cattel shouted, scrambling to shut down the game. His hands hovered over the mouse, trembling slightly. As he clicked the "Exit" button, the screen froze. A sudden notification popped up, glowing brighter than anything else on the monitor.

"Ideal Candidate Found."

Cattel stared at the words, confusion turning to shock. 'What does that mean?'

Before he could process it further, the entire screen lifted off the monitor, floating mid-air like some kind of hologram. It hovered there, defying gravity, the message pulsing with an eerie light.

"Holy crap..." Cattel whispered, backing away slowly. 

Suddenly, the power socket exploded in a burst of sparks and flames. Fire erupted everywhere, licking the walls and spreading across the floor. Cattel stumbled backward, nearly tripping over his chair.

"Shit! SHIT!" he screamed, shielding his face from the heat. "JOLI!"

He heard her scream from somewhere outside the room. Fear gripped him as the fire roared louder, consuming everything in its path. Then, without warning, another explosion rocked the house, throwing Cattel off his feet.

The last thing he saw was the glowing notification suspended in the air, its light fading as darkness enveloped him.