5 SBz

The arcade was crowded in contrast to the rest of the arcades in the lane. The advancement of technology left the arcade business behind times. Most arcades were already out of business. Most.

One chain was still in business, moreover, business was flourishing. It was even more well received then the new VR games which boasted seventy percent resemblance to reality. The playing-while-sleeping feature was still an impossibility but that was not far given the current pace of the developers and researchers.

Super Brawlz was perhaps the only company left which dealt with arcades. Focusing on only one single game, Super Brawlz, they achieved something others could not. Creating a complete universe.

The game was full of choices, based on decisions. Every little action affected the end result. The controls were not complex making it easy to learn but they required a lot of skill so mastering the game was difficult.

You could be a human, an animal, a mythical creature or something out of your own fantasy. There were in game occupations of merchants, astronauts, adventurers, alchemists, and whatever else you could think of.

With such a universe, how could it not be popular?

Whole buildings were filled with SBz booths and consoles but they were still unable to meet demand.

Sproule was one of many fans but more prominent than others. He was a genius, an international champion at the young age of ten. He had not placed out of the top five in every single SBz tournament he ever participated in. He was even selected as a beta tester for numerous updates and given a SBz free pass for life. He is the perfect example of a true and successful fan.

He was currently passing his time hitting at the nearest SBz arcade store at his favorite arena booth. He was making full use of his free pass, he had already been in that seat for three days straight. The only way he had been surviving was by betting his opponents on meals. He was not worried about his family finding him. They knew where he was but were bone idle enough to let him be.

"Hai~ I'm getting bored! Is there someone else who wants to battle me?!" He shouted with his finger picking on his nose. He had already been waiting for an hour holding on this 'fort' but he still got no challengers. The attendant on shift standing nearby clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. This guy was not even paying! Why is he not leaving even after staying idle for a whole hour after not getting any challengers?! Nobody would come to challenge you! Go away already!

It must be noted that the company only paid for the cost price to the franchisers when it came to the free passes. They would not suffer a loss but could not profit either.

Just as he was thinking this, another kid similar in age to Sproule came and silently sat besides him. Taking out a coin, he inserted it into the booth. He selected his character, a cold Assassin. It was maxed out by default. In the arena, you could only choose a class suitable for fighting. Astronauts, doctors or businessmen were not on the list. Choosing the map to an empty mass of sand in between the sea, he clicked ready. Sproule had his account logged-in already. An account would be created after a victory and could be logged in anytime at the same booth without paying as long as the player remains undefeated. His favorite character, a gangster, entered the battlefield.

The new kid played cautiously as his Assassin retreated into the water. Sproule's gangster followed behind on his bike which transformed into a water scooter once it reached the water. His luck was good, the oxygen tank dropped on his first catch. He knew which fish he needed to catch.

Without the oxygen tank, the characters would have to resurface after thirty seconds of being underwater but the tanks extended it to thirteen minutes.

Sproule anticipated an ambush because that was what Assassins were for but he did not expect it to happen right after he entered the water!

That fellow was sticking to his ride from beneath!

Sproule shot a glance to the side to see the expressionless pale face of the boy. 'Too crafty!' He clicked his tongue.

He could not do anything to dodge inside the water, the water resistance was also present in the game. The deeper one went, the stronger the resistance one faced.

He was deeper inside so it was affecting his character more, added with the weight of his modern light armor and safety gear. The Assassin swiftly made his move and slashed at his throat, slitting it. Sproule's HP immediately decreased by a quarter. Assassins had low HP and Defense but the highest damage output.

Sproule countered with a rope, the assassin moved but the loop got his foot. The rope would only last thirty seconds given that it was only tied to the opponent's leg. If it was the waist, or wrist, the time would be less but if it got the neck, it would have dealt damage. Sproule hastily climbed on his water scooter and started dragging the Assassin towards the shore but the scooter suddenly stopped.

Looking down, he saw the assassin's dagger fixed on his ride's side. Black fuel was spraying out from the puncture. 'Damnit! Is this even possible?! The developers were too keen towards the details!'

A gangster was not all that suited for underwater battles. While an assassin was not made for underwater fights either, it was better off than the gangster. The assassin won in the end.

...

"Woah! Dude, you're good!" Sproule exclaimed. He was not depressed or sad on his loss. He was too lazy to start an argument. And he really did not want to anger this new friend of his. He finally found a challenge! Anyone who could beat him was automatically added to his friend list.

"Wanna play again?" He excitedly asked. The boy nodded.

The nearby attendant was secretly giving the new kid a big thumbs up. 'Now that he lost, he'd finally leave!' His spirits rose with high speeds but immediately lost the momentum to gravity when he heard Sproule call him.

"Hey! You! Come over here, I need a few coins!" He lightly waved his free pass at the attendant.