The old key turned with a click, and Ethan Reeves pushed open the glass door of Level Up Arcade for the first time as its new owner. The familiar chime above the entrance barely made a sound, its tiny bell dulled by dust and time. He stepped inside, letting the door swing shut behind him.
The air smelled of old electronics, spilled soda, and something stale he couldn't quite place. Rows of arcade cabinets stood like forgotten sentinels, their screens dark, their joysticks stiff with years of disuse. The neon "OPEN" sign on the window flickered weakly, as if struggling to remember its purpose.
Ethan had spent summers here as a kid, mashing buttons, chasing high scores, and listening to his grandfather's stories about the golden age of arcades. But those days were gone. His grandfather, Arthur Reeves, had passed away a month ago, and now the arcade—his legacy—was Ethan's responsibility.
Ethan sighed, rubbing his temple. He had just turned eighteen. He was supposed to be figuring out college or a job, not trying to revive a relic of the past.
Then, out of nowhere, something pinged in his head.
Not a sound from the arcade.
Not from his phone.
It was inside his mind.
[System Initialization Complete.]
Ethan's eyes widened as a faint blue screen flickered in his vision. It hovered there, translucent and pixelated like something straight out of an old video game menu.
[Welcome, Ethan Reeves. You have inherited the Level Up Arcade System.]
His heart pounded. A system? Like in the LitRPG novels he read? His pulse quickened as more text scrolled down.
[As the new owner, your goal is to restore Level Up Arcade to its former glory. This system will provide guidance, knowledge, and abilities to help you repair, upgrade, and manage the arcade.]
Then, another message popped up.
[New Quest: Reboot the Arcade]
Objective: Restore power and assess the condition of the machines.Reward: Unlock Basic Repair Knowledge.
Ethan stared at the glowing words. A quest system—for running an arcade? It was ridiculous. Impossible. And yet, the screen was still there, waiting for him to act.
He let out a slow breath. Alright, let's play.
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The breaker was in the back room, behind a maze of old boxes, tangled extension cords, and faded posters of classic games. Ethan carefully stepped over a pile of tangled controller cables and found the rusted metal panel mounted on the wall.
He hesitated for a moment before gripping the lever and pulling it down.
With a heavy clunk, the arcade hummed to life.
The ceiling lights flickered, struggling to adjust after years of neglect. A few arcade cabinets let out electronic beeps, their screens flashing the logos of long-forgotten game developers. The neon glow of the OPEN sign outside buzzed louder, as if suddenly reminded of its purpose.
Ethan exhaled. The arcade was breathing again.
[Quest Complete: Reboot the Arcade!]
[New Skill Unlocked: Basic Repair Knowledge]
As the notification appeared, a strange sensation swept over him—not painful, but intense. Like a rush of information being downloaded straight into his brain. His mind flooded with details: circuit diagrams, common arcade machine failures, the inner workings of coin mechanisms. He suddenly understood how these machines worked.
It wasn't magic. It was knowledge.
And it was his.
Ethan stepped back into the main room, scanning the darkened machines. Some still flickered weakly, struggling to boot up. Others remained lifeless, waiting for attention.
His eyes landed on a Pac-Man cabinet near the front. He remembered playing it for hours when he was younger, back when the arcade had been filled with players and laughter.
He knelt down and opened the service panel. A mess of wires greeted him, some frayed, others disconnected. Before today, this would have been overwhelming, but now? His newly unlocked knowledge guided his hands.
"Alright… let's see."
He carefully reconnected the loose power wire and checked the circuit board for damage. A blown fuse. Easy enough. He found a replacement in the nearby parts drawer and swapped it out.
The screen blinked to life.
A cheerful waka-waka sound filled the air as Pac-Man's iconic start-up screen appeared. Ethan grinned, feeling an unexpected rush of accomplishment.
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Encouraged, he moved to the next machine: Street Fighter II. This one was trickier—the joystick was jammed, and the screen was displaying nothing but static. He pried open the control panel and found that the joystick's microswitches were clogged with years of dust and grime.
"Guess no one's cleaned you in a while," Ethan muttered, grabbing a small brush and cleaning out the debris. Once the buttons and switches were clear, he tested the stick—it moved smoothly now.
Next was the screen. A loose video connection. He reseated the cable, secured it, and hit the power button.
The Capcom logo flashed.
A triumphant KO! sound effect blared from the speakers.
Another one down.
Over the next few hours, Ethan moved from machine to machine, fixing what he could. Some required simple wire reconnections, others needed serious cleaning. By the time he had repaired four cabinets, the arcade was starting to look alive again.
[Arcade Progress: 10% Restored.]
[New Ability Unlocked: Business Basics.]
Ethan wiped his forehead, taking a step back.
The place still needed a ton of work. The carpets were sticky, the air smelled stale, and half the machines were still out of order. But it was a start.
Ethan's stomach twisted. The idea of running an actual business was way scarier than fixing machines.
But then he looked around. The blinking screens, the soft hum of the powered-up cabinets, the flickering glow of the neon sign.
For the first time since he had stepped inside, Level Up Arcade didn't feel abandoned anymore