Chapter 10: A Plan Forms
The inn was crowded. Almost every table was full of players eating, talking, making plans. The NPCs behind the counter were working overtime serving food and drinks.
Emma and I found a small table in the corner. She ordered the dragon steak again. I ordered something cheaper—roasted chicken and bread. Even in a death game, I still had instincts about saving money.
"You don't have to be cheap anymore," Emma said, watching me. "You have like 8,000 gold. That's more than anyone else in the game right now probably."
"Probably," I said.
"So why not enjoy it?"
"Because gold is going to matter. A lot. Once people figure out the economy, prices will skyrocket. Better to save now."
She took a bite of her steak. "You really do think about everything, don't you?"
"Someone has to."
We ate in silence for a bit. Around us, conversations drifted over. Most of it was people panicking about being trapped, wondering if anyone in the real world was trying to help them, speculating about how long it would take to beat the game.
One guy at the next table was crying. His friend was trying to comfort him.
"My daughter's third birthday is in two weeks," the crying guy said. "I'm supposed to be there. I promised her. She's going to think I abandoned her."
"We'll get out before then," his friend said, not sounding convinced. "We'll beat this game and get home."
Emma looked away from them, her expression uncomfortable.
"Do you think we will?" she asked quietly. "Get out, I mean. Really?"
"Yes," I said without hesitation.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm not going to accept any other outcome."
She smiled a little at that. "I like that about you. You're confident. Not cocky, just... sure of yourself. It's comforting."
I didn't respond to that. Just kept eating.
After a few more bites, she spoke again. "Jake, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Earlier today, before all this happened... what we did in the room upstairs..." She looked down at her plate. "Did that mean anything to you? Or was it just... you know, game stuff?"
I looked at her. She was trying to gauge my feelings again. Trying to figure out where she stood.
In my previous timeline, I would've immediately said yes, it meant everything, I have feelings for you. Would've locked myself in emotionally and given her all the power.
This time, I knew better.
"It meant something," I said carefully. "But right now, I'm focused on keeping us alive. Romance can wait until we're not in a death game."
She nodded slowly. "That makes sense. Survival first."
"Survival first," I agreed.
She seemed satisfied with that answer. Went back to eating.
I watched her for a moment. She was good at this. The way she asked questions, the way she positioned herself as vulnerable and in need of reassurance. It was all calculated. Even now, even in a death game, she was working angles.
But so was I.
The food arrived and we ate mostly in silence. When we finished, Emma yawned.
"I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to rent a room here and sleep."
"Good idea. I'll do the same."
She looked at me hopefully. "We could share a room again. Save gold."
"Rooms are 20 gold each. I think we can both afford separate ones."
Her face fell slightly, but she recovered fast. "Right. Yeah. Of course. I just thought... never mind."
We got separate rooms on the second floor. Mine was small—just a bed, a window, and a chair. But it was private and quiet.
I sat on the bed and opened my menu. Checked my stats, my inventory, my quest log. Everything looked good. Level 15, Epic weapon, 8,247 gold after buying dinner and the room.
Then I opened the friends list.
It was empty. In my previous timeline, I'd had three friends on this list by day one. Emma, and two random players I met grinding wolves. Both of those players quit by week two because they couldn't handle being stuck at low levels.
This time, I only had Emma. And I wasn't sure I even wanted her on there.
I closed the menu and laid back on the bed. Stared at the ceiling.
The problem was Ryan Foster.
In my old timeline, he formed his guild—Apex Legends—on day three. By week one, they had fifty members. By week two, they were the dominant guild on the server. They controlled the best grinding spots, the best dungeons, all the rare spawn locations.
And Ryan himself hit level 50 by week three. The highest level player in the game at the time.
That's when Emma left me for him. Saw someone stronger, richer, better. Made her move.
This timeline, I was ahead. Level 15 on day one versus Ryan's level 7 or 8 probably. But Ryan had resources. Real world money that he'd convert to gold. Connections to other rich players who'd flock to his guild.
He'd catch up. Maybe not to me, but he'd get close enough that Emma would notice.
Unless I did something about it.
I sat up. Pulled out the map I'd gotten from the guild hall earlier. Spread it across the bed.
The game world was huge. Ten major regions, each with multiple zones, dozens of dungeons, hundreds of quests. Most players would spend months just exploring the starter regions.
But I knew where everything was.
I knew where Ryan would grind. Knew which dungeons he'd target first. Knew which rare spawns he'd camp for loot.
What if I got there first?
What if I took every resource, every advantage, every piece of gear that he was supposed to get?
I could cripple his progression. Make sure he stayed mediocre. Make sure he never became the power player he was in my old timeline.
And when Emma saw that Ryan Foster was nothing special, when she realized I was the strongest player in the game, she'd have no reason to leave.
Then I could reject her. Just like she rejected me.
I smiled to myself. Yeah. That could work.
But I needed more information first. Needed to know where Ryan was, what level he was, who he was partying with.
I opened the guild chat.
[Jake_Miller]: Anyone know if there's a guild called Apex Legends forming?
A few seconds later, Marcus responded.
[Marcus_Tank]: Yeah, I heard about them. Some rich guy named Ryan something. They're recruiting near the main plaza. Why?
[Jake_Miller]: Just curious. Want to know who the competition is.
[Marcus_Tank]: Fair. From what I heard, they're paying players to join. Like actual gold. Trying to buy the best talent.
Of course he was. That was Ryan's strategy. Buy power instead of earning it.
[Marcus_Tank]: But they're all still low level. Highest person in their guild is like level 9. We're ahead of them.
Good. I was ahead of Ryan. Way ahead.
I needed to keep it that way.
[Jake_Miller]: Got it. Thanks.
I closed the chat and looked back at the map.
Tomorrow I'd run three dungeon clears with different parties. Get more people to level 10. Strengthen the guild.
But after that, I had a different mission.
I was going to hunt down every advantage Ryan Foster would've gotten in my old timeline.
And I was going to take it all for myself.
My revenge wasn't just about Emma anymore.
It was about making sure Ryan Foster stayed exactly where he belonged.
At the bottom.