1 Welcome to the Nasty Arcadia

Do you want to roll over 10 cards again?

Robin narrowed his eyes over and over reading the sentence behind his phone screen. Really? What he got over the ten cards was eight 'R' cards, and two 'SR' cards which the limit break was already full. For example you have level sixty of the specific SR card, then you combined with another same card, it will break the limit into level sixty-five. In simple term, Robin has to summon four more cards to get a complete limit break and combine it with the one he had. Robin throws his phone aside towards his bed and covers his eyes with his right hand.

Upset.

After a moment, he evokes a snicker. Funny, he thought. Since when he cares about a game? He wasn't like that before. Usually, he would download a game and played it for a while. But then, a week later he will delete the game. Maybe it was his trait that he is easily bored. Nothing lasts forever for him. The longest duration of one game that he had before was only one month. This time, it was different.

Robin doesn't have any friends except his childhood friend, Zyra. It all started out with her. If he was to describe her, he would call her a game maniac…or maybe a nerd? He doesn't know. But what he does know is that two weeks ago, the girl had forcefully installed a game into his phone.

It is a school-based game.

A type of game that Robin would never played. At once, Robin uninstalled the game, but Zyra came back furiously and this time programmatically rooted the game system, so Robin couldn't delete the game. Robin, of course, turned on Zyra like an enraged panther. Well, who wouldn't? You've been forced into something you don't like, sure thing you'd be furious. He had been searching on networks how to unravel the program for few days but he failed. It's been two weeks since he shuts in his room and didn't see Zyra. His childhood friend had come over many times probably wanted to mend things but Robin didn't let her. Although she cried her eyes out in front of his door, she was totally ignored by Robin. It's her punishment. He's going to make her suffer a bit until he feels satisfied before talking back to her.

And two days after his anger, the curiosity get better on him as he tried to play the game. First, he was trying but now you could say he is totally hooked on the game. The game is much more to school life than academics. Students have to balance their social life with school and dorm life while also battling through emotions and discovering who they are as an individual. Not to mention, they also have to deal with monsters and other students too.

Robin plays the game about ten hours a day. The remaining hours were for him to eat, sleep, taking a bath and doing his summer homework. Screw that, he never touch his homework. Homework, who? They were there on his desk just for show. Robin glances back toward his phone with his tired, puffy eyes. He's got this thick dark circle around his eyes. He's been clearing the event mission for five days in a row just to receive gems in order to summon his favourite character. Yes, he does have a favourite character in the game.

The name is Robin Hunt.

The reason he loves the character, not because 'it' has the same name with him as Robin, but because the character was the least favourite among community. The character has blonde bob haircut that reaches to his neck, a lean body -rather than what you called good-looking guy, Robin would say that he's beautiful. He knows, he's weird. It's just that, despite his appearance, Robin Hunt was so energetic and honest, the brightest spark in any crowd. He shines like a diamond. Unlike the real 'Robin' – dull and boring person. Living the life of a student is something everyone can relate to, and that's probably why he likes the game.

Yet, Robin didn't get any single SSR cards with Robin Hunt on the card, even though it was supposed to be his favourite character's event week. Just to make sure he understands the game, Robin read back the guideline of the game. SSR is an acronym for Specially Super Rare. It is an item that can't be obtained by normal methods. Every once in a while, there are special events inside the game that once completed, the game will drop an SSR item or 'legendary' card. Basically, when one is summoning the most common 'hero' one will get an R class. The trade off is that their skill set is severely underpowered compared to an Super Rare (SR) hero. SR heroes are the basic hero unit. Still pretty common to get however, their purpose mainly fill in the gaps that SSRs leave on one's team when you haven't summon all of the SSRs.

That being said, the summons rate for SSRs card were a troll. It only increases over by two percent. Are you kidding, developers? He could see how twisted the developers were. They were trying to make him uses his money in buying more gems. Not today, developers. Unfortunately, it wasn't working, ha! He's not going to stoop that low. He had decided to save the gems with his own effort. No cheating and plays with willpower. Well, that is how his story goes, how he spent his time summoning his favourite character in five days, after the whole tantrums that he did toward Zyra. Strangely enough, he never felt guilty.

"I don't have any motivation anymore, " muttered Robin in his raspy voice. "It's difficult to obtain more gems for summoning 10 more cards, the deadline was only two more days." He began to close his eyes slowly. The game music that plays Robin to dreamland is a song he's heard and hundred times before and never enough. The melody is like a well-worn path, one that his brain follows so willingly. In moments he is asleep, body relaxed, breathing steadily.

The grand clock that resides outside his room, near the hall strikes twelve in the midnight.

Dong! Dong! Dong! The clock sung as its pendulum swinging left and right repeatedly.

But Robin didn't bother with it one bit. Everything was the same and different. The silence pressed in, it was eerie. The melody that puts him sleep already in slumber with him. A cool breeze swept the alienated street. Owls swept silently over the tree. Even shadows were swallowed by the encroaching darkness.

Robin's phone screen suddenly lit up, illuminating his room. The buzzer vibrates off like an annoyed rattlesnake.

A notification has come in.

Unknown Sender

- Enrolled to the school as Robin Hunt?

There are two options button given; yes or no. Disturbed by the bright light and the vibration, Robin opens one of his eyes and sneaks a peek toward his phone. "Who the heck send….nnhh…this late…night? I'm to sleepy for a read…."

Eventually he scooped his phone up and smashed the black button before he went back to sleep. After a moment, another notification came in by saying; Thank you for your response!

The phone starting to reboot automatically. In the middle of the screen, a phrase comes in sight with a man's low honeyed voice -Welcome to the Nasty Arcadia.