1 Prologue

"Hey, hey, hey, you know..."

"Why?"

"I got an Epic item last night."

"Wow. What's the item?"

"I got a teleport item. I can teleport once to wherever I marked."

"It was awesome. You have to keep the item, or you can sell it to exchange it for something else. It's expensive, even if it's just one piece."

"I know..."

Very noisy.

TOK! TOK! TOK!

I can't focus on my work. My fingers knocked on my office desk because I heard their conversation. I probably wouldn't be like this if they weren't talking beside me.

"You want to know too?"

Someone suddenly stood up and caught my eye. She was five office desks in front of me.

"Why?"

"Yesterday, I got an adorable pet."

"Really? Will you show it to me?"

"Sure. You'll see how cute my pet is later. I'll show it to you. His name is Jojo."

"Hee~ it just makes me jealous." Someone else interfered in their conversation. "I also want to have a cute pet like yours."

"You have to work hard for it."

Work hard for what? What's working hard? You guys are supposed to be working hard here, you bastards.

TOK! TOK! TOK!

I kept tapping on my office desk using my fingers without stopping. In other words, I'm nervous right now.

Can you guys stop and focus on advancing this ass*ole office now!?

I wish they could save their conversation later when they got home or keep it in their pockets, but it doesn't seem to be happening. After all, they were too hyper on the game, which was only two weeks out.

I probably never would have been this curious if the game didn't release. If the game didn't release, I would never be uncomfortable. If the game is never released...

Damn it!

"Where are you going, Anton?" Someone asked me while I was standing.

"I want to smoke for a moment."

"Oh… it seems you're having a hard time right now. I can understand that. You have a lot of work to do."

You're the one who got me into trouble. You're the one who has more work than me. Better shut your mouth and go back to staring at that damn monitor screen of yours.

I've never been this emotional. I'm always calm and can handle the situation I'm in. If the company is in trouble, I will find the best solution to advance the company. If the boss asks me to choose a new employee candidate, I am ready to look for the best for the company. But since there's that game... Ah, to hell with the game. I can't be a calm person now.

Arriving at the smoking area, I burned a cigarette and began to calm my mind.

At first, I thought the place would be cozy, but it turns out it's the same here.

"Ah damn it, my guild lost again on the Guild Wars last night. How can it be like this?"

"Umm… I can't help you with that."

"But you can join my guild. You can help me."

"Sorry, my leader won't allow me to leave the guild. You know the trouble in my guild, right?"

"Yeah, I know that. If only your leader weren't selfish, you would never have experienced this. You and the others… might be able to join my guild if your leader allowed you."

"Yeah. My friends and I were afraid that she would call us traitors. She would put up wanted posters everywhere, and at that moment, assassins would kill and plunder us. I was afraid to experience that."

"Just hearing it already scared me. Keep it up there!"

"Thank you."

They have finished talking, so I can enjoy my time here. But when three people entered the place, the talk about the game started again.

"Oh…" One was surprised to see someone not far from me. "Aren't you the one who lost last night? Your guild lost to me during the Guild War last night, didn't it?"

"Fu*king..."

He was upset, but his friend tried to calm him down.

"Enough. Whatever the outcome, at least you can still respect him. You and he were both gamers. Show him your respect! After all, you and he are company partners, right?"

"Respect him? Hahaha. He and his friends can't even reach my guild Palace."

Okay, I'm sick of this. Five people in the same room talked about what happened at the game last night. I'm the only one who doesn't understand. It is because I don't play the game.

I decided to get out. I didn't care about the noises coming from behind me, in the smoking area. They were fighting there, I think. I decided to go and find a really "comfortable" place that didn't talk about the game.

"Do you know how to top-up? I'm getting paid soon, so I want to spend my paycheck to buy skins for my avatar. You know how to do it?"

"It's easy. You need to..."

Even in the elevator was talking about the game. I can go crazy in the office.

I decided to have lunch before the other employees, so I headed to the office canteen. But when the cafeteria keeper gave me lunch, she smiled and talked about the game.

"How are you? Have you completed your daily quests? You know, there's an Exp Booster event right now? You should quickly finish your daily quests before the day changes."

I responded by nodding, and she smiled even more broadly; it looked like she was getting rewarded for telling me that. Then, I took my lunch and left.

After leaving, I raised my eyebrows and was annoyed that I didn't get the game.

Damn it!

When the game was first released two weeks ago, I couldn't get my hands on the game. I was looking forward to the game for some reason and even ordered the game on an online shop, but until now, I never got the game. The game's stock is always sold out, even though it's been two weeks.

I'm baffled by their enthusiasm for the game, thus making it always sold out. I thought I was too unlucky to get the game. Also, I thought maybe the game only sells with limited stock, so it's always sold out.

This is too crazy for me, who can't play the game. I became curious about why the game could be popular around me. I also want to share my story like theirs. I also want to share my experience playing the game with them. I also want...

"Ah… life is short, but I can't get what I want."

***

I am free now. It's already 4 pm; I can get out of this fu*king office. I am free. Hurray.

Well, I can be happy now before I walk and hear them talk about the game in the bustling city. At least for a while, I didn't hear about the game. At least I'm free from it. At least...

Oops, I went too fast. I'm too happy to think I'm free from it. As a result of my walking too fast, I reached the bustle of this city and heard people talking about the game.

"My level still hasn't reached that. I can't join."

"Oh, I see. You can't come into the dungeon with us?"

"That's how it is. I will try to raise my level to play with you guys."

I walked over and covered my ears. I tried not to hear what they were talking about and didn't turn to look at the giant television showing the game commercially. Either way, I can't hear and see about the game anymore. I'm tired of knowing about the game.

"Ow..."

A woman fell in front of me. I accidentally bumped into her and dropped her there.

"Sorry..."

Even if my face doesn't look like I'm apologizing to her, I do apologize to her for bumping and dropping her.

"Can you stand up?" I helped her up. "Sorry, I didn't see you."

"It is okay. Besides, I didn't realize you were in front of me."

No, she lied. She noticed me as she walked 15 meters from me. She saw me before I finally bumped into her. I accidentally bumped into her because I thought she would pass me, but she just walked straight. It was as if no one was in front of her.

Judging by her attire, she looks like an office slave—I mean, an office worker. She wore an office uniform with a slightly shorter skirt and stockings on her feet. Even with her straight black hair and beautiful eyes, she was just an office slave—I mean, an office worker.

Judging from her white face and body, she was probably in her 20s. And judging by the bag, which didn't look like an office enslaved person's bag—I mean, an office worker's bag—which looked expensive because it was probably natural animal skin, she was a rich woman.

"Um… why?"

She kept looking at me like I was a banana. I was disturbed by her gaze.

"I'm Vivi..."

Even then, she still managed to say her name to me. Is she trying to get to know me?

"Oh..."

"Why are you so cold to a woman you just ran into?"

"I'm Tony..."

Of course, I gave her a fake name. After all, she was a foreign woman.

"You lie!"

Somehow she could realize it.

"Not really. My name-"

"You lie. What's your real name? Anton Pasaribu, right?"

I was surprised she knew my name. It made me suspect her and made me a little annoyed.

"How do you know my name? I will report to the police."

"You're the one who didn't get the EVO game, right?"

"…How did you know that?"

"Of course, I know that. How can I know? It is because..."

I grew suspicious of her, but she didn't intrigue me. I decided to leave her. But then, she stopped me and held my hand.

"Let go of your hand, bi*ch!"

I got out of control and said something terrible to her. I even glared at her. Today, I can't control my emotions well, so bad words come out of my mouth.

Maybe because I was bullying her, she let go of my hand, and her face was a little sluggish; maybe because of my inadequate words.

"Sorry..."

After apologizing to her for calling her bi*ch, I walked away from her. But after that, she stopped me again.

"Wait! You want to play the EVO game, don't you? I have it."

I stopped when I heard that. I turned and walked over to her.

"Give it to me. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you."

"Wait a moment! I don't need your money."

"So what? What do you want what?"

"How about we make a deal?"

"Deal? What's that?"

"Umm… I'll give the game to you as long as you can reach the top."

"What do you mean?"

"Simply put, you stand in the middle of the world, becoming the ruler of the game's world. How? Good deal, right? You got this game and showed me that you are the ruler of the game's world."

That's how I can get the game. The game EVO, which is currently very popular, I got it from a strange woman who told me to become the ruler of the game's world.

Back then, when I got the game from her, I didn't realize she was...