Chapter 0: Prologue
What is the meaning of life?
Many will answer - children.
That does indeed make sense. People must leave offspring behind, otherwise humanity will quickly become extinct.
Others - eternal self-improvement.
I am one of those. Seeing the result of training, not only physical but also mental, is always nice. While many give up and stay at the bottom, I am getting better.
** Phew ** ** Drop ** Drop ** Drop ** Drop **
- I'm gonna die! How much longer is there?!
- Five more minutes," the mechanical voice replied.
" I'm an ordinary student, ordinary-looking, standing in the bar. It's 15 now. Fucking. Minutes. Why? Because my credo is self-improvement, and whatever difficulties there are, I'll get through them!
- Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, that's it.
- Whew. One more workout behind me - I need to go to the shower, but before I do I grab some clean clothes.
Going into the bathroom I glanced at the mirror. It reflected a black-haired guy of 18, athletic build.
- What a handsome man I am! - I said, starting to play with my muscles. - Okay, that's enough.
I got in the shower and took my time washing myself.
"What should I read before I go to sleep? Maybe a manga? Or a manhwa? Maybe even an early book? Because of the coronavirus, I was hooked on anime, and subsequently on the above.
When I finished, I quickly changed my clothes and threw them in the wash.
* Grunting*
I headed straight into the kitchen in search of food.
- Yep, the huge downside of living apart from my parents is the food, or rather the lack of it.
After checking all the pots and pans, I couldn't find anything to eat.
- That just leaves you," I glanced at the fridge. - What have we got here? Just a little ramen and that's it? I guess I ate it all.
"Once a week I visit my parents and help them, as they live in the country, I can't visit them more often. But my mother always gives me a few tins of soup and stuff so I don't go hungry. That was almost enough for the whole week, so I saved a good amount.
Putting the kettle on to boil, I opened the noodles and poured out all the condiments.
" Not the healthiest meal, but nothing else. I'll have to go to the shop after uni and buy some groceries. After tomorrow, I'll have to work as a delivery boy. In the beginning, when I first moved in, my parents wanted to pay the rent, but I didn't want to burden them too much, so I insisted on 50/50.
* Whistled *
- Whistle.
* Whistled *
Putting the lid on my uncomplicated dinner, I fell back into reflection.
"Yeah, how many things I've missed out on because of my shyness and indecision. And I was always too quiet and hardly expressed any emotion. A lot of people got bored around me because of that. The amazing thing was that even the bullies would stay away from me. Was it my unemotional face that scared them off? I wasn't much of an athlete back then, so I don't think they were intimidated by my plump figure.
- I think she's ready! - With a faint smile I said as I lifted the lid.
___________
In an instant the space around me changed.
" Wha... Where am I? Am I dead?
- ALL THE ELIGIBLE PLAYERS ACCEPTED.
" What? Players? I got knocked out and got into some game?
- SO FEW PLAYERS? I HEAR THE CANDIDATES HAVE OVER 7 BILLION IN REVENUE.
" There's a huge number of people here and apparently they don't understand what's going on either.
- 7 BILLION, THAT'S WHY THERE ARE SO MANY PLAYERS.
- AH, I SEE.
" 7 billion... That's the entire population of the Earth. Is it really aliens?
- MOVE THE INSTRUCTIONS.
"The instructions... I've seen that somewhere before.
- IS THAT EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO?
- IT'S GOOD FOR MOTIVATION AND ADAPTATION. CONFIRMED BY EXISTING PLAYERS.
" is it really the ta...
- ...UNDERSTOOD, ACCEPTED, REMEMBERED. START DROPPING OFF INSTRUCTIONS.
* DIVINE SLAP
- OUCH. THERE'S A MISTAKE.
" Manhw-a-а-а-а-а-а-а-а-а-а-а-а-а...
- THERE'S BEEN AN ERROR IN THE MANUAL.
- HEY... COME ON, ONE PERSON IS STILL OKAY.
- PLAYER NUMBER 398, BEGIN MEASUREMENT TRANSFER.
[ You have been selected as "player"]