"You're going to lose, and you know it. You bastard."
Sean kept pounding the cheap, second-hand mechanical keyboard he had managed to buy after months of effort at the local flea market near his house.
Sometimes he hit the keys so hard it seemed like they were about to pop off the keyboard and stop working forever.
Marvin, his roommate at the public university where they both studied web and app design, watched him with intense focus and determination, hoping that tonight would finally be the one.
"Come on, Sean. You got this. Beat him. We need you to win. We can't lose this match—there's a $500 reward for first place. And if you keep it up, you'll make it to the finals. And you know what happens to the players who make it to the finals, right?" Marvin said, eyes locked on his lifelong best friend. His eyes gleamed with suspense, excitement, and, above all, ambition.
Sean simply nodded.
For them, that Friday night at the end of July would be the turning point in their lives. They would finally be able to decide whether to drop out of college or keep studying just to survive—or maybe, just maybe, to become someone in life.
NextGem, the biggest video game development and distribution company in Japan, had launched a new tournament that year, giving thousands of gamers from titles like League of Legends the chance to compete—not just for fun, but to start building a career as pro players.
Teenagers, young adults, and even fully grown, responsible adults signed up for the event. Every participant had been selected based on their in-game ranking and their keyboard skills.
A game like League of Legends required more than just fast reflexes, even if you were staring into another world through your computer screen. It also demanded dexterity and speed when using whatever keyboard the player had on hand.
Sean had been selected, and the day he received the confirmation email, his life filled with hope. Ever since he was a kid, he had loved video games. He dreamed of making a living from them—and if it were possible, he would've gladly lived inside one, thinking it would be the perfect life.
That night, he had been playing for over two hours almost non-stop, since the tournament organizers were live-streaming the match on social media. Thousands of video game fans from all over the world would serve as judges by casting votes for the winner.
Marvin had barely managed to help by bringing him strong, hot coffee to keep him awake all night. He was also allowed to cheer him on with motivational comments like before.
At one point, Marvin had promised Sean that if he won the tournament and made it to the finals, he would drop out of college and become his full-time manager. Sean had agreed without hesitation. After all, the only person he had in his life was his mom—and she didn't know the first thing about video games or competitive gaming. There was no way he could ask her to quit her job as a secretary just to support his career as a professional gamer.
In fact, his mother had always hated video games. There was no convincing her to quit her job and enjoy the perks of her son's new career.
So, Sean had no choice but to accept Marvin as his manager.
"God, Marvin. I'm exhausted. I can't go on. My fingers won't even respond anymore. I just want to rest," Sean complained, though he didn't stop hammering away at his old desktop keyboard from the university.
Marvin shook his head and stared at him sternly, like a teacher about to be disappointed in his top student for giving up.
On Sean's screen, the other players heard his complaint.
Mockery came quickly.
"Did you hear that? Mr. Seanxx01 already gave up. Aw, how cute. You tired, buddy? Are you really thinking of quitting? Go ahead! No one's stopping you! Actually, you'd be doing us a favor. You're wasting our time, loser. You're useless as a Support," taunted one of the players. His voice was so deep that Sean figured the guy had to be older than he.
Laughter—mean, mocking laughter—followed in the background.
Sean looked at Marvin. He had heard it too. Sean wasn't using a headset with a mic, so all the in-game chat was loud and clear in the room.
"Don't listen to them, Sean. Focus on the match. Win it. Look, there's only 13 minutes left—it's almost over. You're so close. Win this for your team and show them who you are. Let your two years of playing this game mean something," Marvin said, trying to stay calm and patient as he encouraged his best friend.
Sean nearly stopped pressing the keys. But after hearing Marvin's words, he nodded. He was fully committed to making his dream come true. He wasn't going to let a bunch of nobodies ruin everything—especially not people he'd never even meet outside a game chat.
The last thirteen minutes ticked by.
Sean saved his team from defeat.
They had won.
Sean and Marvin couldn't believe it.
Sean had the perfect stats to earn the $500 prize for first place. On top of that, he had officially made it to the tournament finals.
Now what?
"Let's go get some hookers, Sean! We deserve a night of pure pleasure and some damn good fucking!" Marvin shouted excitedly.
Sean didn't know what to say. There were no words to describe how he felt at that moment.
Sean had just won the first round of the biggest online gaming tournament in history! He had made it to the finals! Now what?
Just then, Sean got a notification on his phone. When he checked it, he saw that NextGem had fulfilled their part of the deal. They had transferred $500 into his bank account—and an extra $1000, for a total of $1500 in his virtual wallet.
Holy crap. That's a lot of money!
What was Sean supposed to do with that much money sitting in his account?
For now, he decided not to say anything to Marvin about the extra $1000. He figured it was better to keep quiet in case it turned out to be some kind of bad joke from the company. After all, the contract he signed never mentioned any bonus money just for reaching the finals.
Sean and Marvin put on their jackets to face the cold night after a rainy afternoon. Laughing, joking, and talking about the fun they'd have, they walked toward the nearest red-light district near campus.
The red-light street was well-known in the city. Anyone with enough cash could pay for the company of a woman of their choice and take her straight to bed for a night of unforgettable pleasure.
Sean and Marvin were both virgins. They were done waiting around for some pretty college girl to take pity on them and relieve them of the burning desire to know what it felt like to have sex for the first time.
"Can you imagine if I get one with huge tits? Oh my God, I swear I'd probably cum all over her boobs before I even get inside her!" Marvin said excitedly as they walked down the dark street, just a block away from their destination.
Sean smiled, though he felt a bit grossed out that his best friend was so comfortable being that explicit about his deepest sexual fantasies.
But just as they were about to cross the street and turn right, they saw a medium-sized truck speeding toward them in the distance. The driver had lost control of the brakes a block earlier and had no idea where the truck would end up.
Sean felt the impact of the truck crash into him—and everything around him turned black.