He was, without a doubt, the best. There was no one in the world who could compare when it came to gaming skill. RPGs? Competitive games? Absurd difficulty? They were nothing more than a walk in the park for him. He was well known.
Host: Welcome everyone to this spectacle, where the world champion will defend his title against the challenger: the young rookie who has exceeded expectations this year.
And the championship began: a move here, another there. His hands moved quickly, with a skill many called superhuman.
???: Is that even possible?
???: He should go touch grass…
???: I expected nothing less from the champion.
He smiled at those comments. He felt how every part of his being came alive, euphoria from being watched by hundreds of people. And with that aptitude, he stood up and went to collect his prize.
Host: The champion defends his title for the third time. Is there anyone capable of defeating him?
Without saying a word, he walked out with his prize, giving an arrogant glance to his rival, who watched his dreams fall apart.
Champion: HA, better luck next time.
He walked away victorious and, as he crossed the street…
???: Watch out!!!
Crack.
He was sent flying through the air. He watched the world spinning as everything went dark. He felt death itself coming to collect him…
???: Huh?
He was in a white room. He felt disoriented. What the hell had happened to him?
He was in absolute nothingness: pure white stretching endlessly in every direction. In front of him, a blue screen appeared.
???: This pattern… I recognize it…
He had read enough manga to know.
The screen showed two options:
[1] Die. [2] Mysterious option.
???: This… is a selection menu?
He let out a small laugh.
Before he could touch anything, the screen changed.
Inactivity detected. Automatically selecting "Die" in: 10… 9… 8…
???: Wait, wait, wait!
He hurried to press the second option, desperate.
The screen lit up and a video began to play.
"Welcome to the hero system. Please enter your name."
A keyboard appeared in front of him.
???: My name? Hmm… I've got it!
He began typing.
"Excellent name. Welcome to the hero system, Green Froggy."
Another video played. On the screen appeared a knight with a shining sword facing a dragon.
"You are the chosen hero, destined to defeat the evil demon lord. Good luck on your journey to glory."
Then, another message:
"Choose your warrior weapon… Loading… Loading…"
A shop appeared before him. It felt like online shopping: thousands of weapons, all with different prices. The most expensive one cost around 9999 coins.
Green Froggy: How much is one coin worth?
A notification appeared below.
"1 coin = 10 years of memory."
Green Froggy: Pardon?
"Do you wish to continue?"
Green Froggy held his head. If he was really going to defeat a demon lord, he would need a weapon.
Green Froggy: I'll redeem one coin.
"Excellent. Auto-selecting weapon… Loading…"
Green Froggy: What? Shouldn't I be choosing it?
The system did not respond.
"Selected weapon: rusty table knife."
[1] Accept. [2] Decline.
Green Froggy: Are there no other options…?
He pressed "Decline."
"Error. Auto-selecting death in 10… 9… 8…"
Green Froggy: No, no! I get it now!
He repeatedly pressed "Accept" and the countdown stopped.
The system's voice continued:
"Assigning world. Difficulty: F… E… D… C… B… A… S… SR… SSR… UR… LR… SSSR… SSSSR… SSSSSS…
Selected: World SSSSSS [Absolute Difficulty]. Good luck… hero…"
The system glitched and the screen turned off.
Green Froggy: Uh… hello?
Suddenly, trumpets sounded and cherry blossoms fell over him. The ground collapsed beneath his feet and he began to fall. Before him appeared a hellish landscape, with rivers of magma and scorching air. In his hand, he felt a table knife. He looked down: he was wearing nothing but a pair of tighty-whities.
Green Froggy: Huh?... Huhhh?