In a dark room, a young man could be seen glued to the screen. His hands moved swiftly across the glowing keyboard, his eyes laser-focused on the task. Bright flashes of color illuminated the dark room—it wasn't large, barely enough to hold a bed, a cupboard, and his $24,000 gaming setup.
Cans of energy drinks—Monster, Red Bull—pizza boxes, papers, manga, tissues… all littered the floor. Cockroaches crawled along the ground, but the boy didn't seem to care. He gamed without a care in the world; after all, no one ever visited him.
"YES, YES, YES, YES!" screamed Ethan.
The illuminating lights flashed across the room with increased intensity, lighting up his whole face. Ethan was a gaunt figure—his cheekbones hollowed out, his eyes so large they nearly popped out of their sockets. His black hair was rugged and unkempt.
He hunched over the chair, bringing his face even closer to the screen. The speed at which he typed on his keyboard increased. He was about to finish the game he had spent a quarter of his life on. This would be the biggest achievement in his miserable life.
"Come on, come on, come on, PLEASE, PLEASE!" he pleaded, his fingers moving in a blur.
Suddenly, he stood up as his screen went black.
He was quite tall, standing around 6'3", but that was where everything good about him ended. His figure left much to be desired—he was frail, his bones visible. His clothes, which had once fit him, now appeared far too baggy. But he couldn't care less as he gazed at the screen, his eyes flickering in anticipation.
The screen then turned on, displaying a single message:
"Congratulations."
"YEEEESSSSSSSSS! FUCKING FINALLY!" he screamed, dropping to his knees as tears streamed from his eyes.
He had done it. He had finally completed—and achieved a flawless victory in—Apocalypse, the game he had been trying to conquer for nearly two years.
After a while of crying, he got up and sat back in his chair, eager to check the rewards for completing the game. He clicked on it as the congratulatory message faded. What followed was a string of dialogue:
"Congratulations, player 'xxslyxx.' You are the first player to ever complete Apocalypse on the hardest difficulty while simultaneously achieving a score of 99, otherwise known as a flawless victory. Your efforts have been recognized, and this achievement shall be placed in the Hall of Legends. For your reward… you will receive it when the expansion pack for Apocalypse is released. Thank you once again for playing."
The screen then went dark, returning to the game's login screen. Ethan sat there, his eyes widening.
No. This couldn't be it. There had to be something else. There had to be. He refused to believe that after playing this game for six bloody years, there was nothing. He refreshed the game, hoping that would fix it, but nothing changed.
He sank deeper into his chair, regretting ever getting this game. He had bought it over five years ago from a shady store when he began university, and ever since, he had been obsessed with it.
Apocalypse was an action-survival game set in a future Earth where a zombie outbreak had occurred. The goal was to survive by building bases, recruiting heroes, and fighting the endless horde. What set it apart was its integration of fantasy elements—mana had also awakened in the world, increasing the zombies' power while granting everyone unique quirks. There were no respawns; once dead, players had to restart with a new character and a different ability, making each playthrough unique.
With a sigh, he got up. He had lectures today, and he had already missed too many. Skip another one, and he might be expelled from the university.