The neon blue light of Leo's monitor cast shadows across his unmade bed. The room reeked of instant noodles, sweat, and sleep deprivation. The only movement was the silent breathing of someone who had stopped caring.
But not for long.
Leo watched as Echoes of Recoil finished downloading. He sat back, heart thudding softly—part nervousness, part addiction returning from the grave.
Just one match, he told himself.
He wasn't expecting to stay. He never did.
"Welcome, Gunslinger."
The screen flickered—deep red and black. The main menu loaded in with cinematic flair: storm clouds, falling embers, thunder cracking in the distance. The title burned across the screen in white serif letters:
ECHOES OF RECOIL"The past never dies."
A single playable character stood in the middle of the screen:
LEONARDO – The Forgotten Legend
His appearance made Leo sit up straighter.
He wore a traditional white Barong, pressed and sharp, the embroidered front glowing slightly with golden trim. A classic boater hat with a black ribbon shaded half of his face. His weapons were old-model revolvers—heavy, antique, gleaming.
This isn't a reskin, Leo thought. This is a whole new beast.
Under Leonardo's name was a timer.
Unlock: 9,999 Recoinsor complete Mission Path: "Baptism by Dust"
Leo blinked. That was absurd. The game had premium Recoins, of course. He checked the store:
$0.99 = 100 Recoins
$99.99 = 10,000 Recoins + bonus skin
💀 Of course.
He chuckled bitterly. "Nine thousand for the main character, huh? Classic."
He clicked "Start as Trial" anyway.
First Match
The loading screen blurred into color, then suddenly 💥
A gunshot.
Leo ducked instinctively as the sound actually echoed across his headphones. The environment around him loaded in real time: old saloon walls, broken piano keys, dust floating through golden sunlight. The game wasn't photorealistic—it was more. It felt… alive.
He looked down.
He was in the character's body. No third person. No HUD. Just his hands, the gun holsters, the soft embroidered texture of the barong under his fingers.
A voice whispered in his right ear.
"This place remembers you, chico..."
He spun around. No one.
Footsteps behind. Whispers. The map itself creaked like it had a soul.
Then, as if summoned, a mirror appeared, shattered and half-buried in the dust.
He leaned down.
Leonardo stared back.
His reflection moved slightly out of sync… and then smirked.
Log Out Attempt: Failed
Leo panicked. He opened the menu.
LOG OUT – [Error: Action Disabled During Tutorial]
"Okay, tutorial. Sure. Just breathe."
Gunshots rang out in the distance. He turned.
Three silhouettes sprinted past him. One turned her head mid-run—and Leo's heart skipped.
A female gunslinger—with a red scarf, glowing rifle, and twin pistols strapped across her back. Her player name flashed above briefly:
@MFERNANDEZxLATAM
No f**ing way.*
María Fernandez.The queen of LATAM FPS leaderboards. 3 million subs on stream. Full sponsorship. Known for sniping stream snipers and teabagging e-bros live on cam.
She was also, allegedly, a student at his university.He'd never had the guts to talk to her.
"Nice barong."
Leo turned—suddenly, she was standing beside him, casually reloading a silver rifle.
Voice chat was active. He froze.
"That's a Filipino thing, right?" she asked, inspecting his barong."Clean. Haven't seen it since the global beta leak."
"Wait… are you new?"
"...No," Leo muttered.
"You've got that 'first blood' face. Don't worry, I'll carry."
Before he could speak, she vanished into the chaos—flipping off a rooftop and landing a perfect headshot mid-air.
This is insane, Leo thought. Is this still a tutorial?
His screen glitched.
Everything went dark.
Then came a whisper:
"You've returned, Leonardo."