Without hesitation, he clicked Download. The price tag read $43, and he paid it without a second thought.
Minutes later, the game installed. Its intro screen flickered with retro-style pixel graphics, complete with chiptune music that had an oddly addictive charm.
The premise was simple: earn achievement points, and grow stronger. That was it. No complicated plot, no convoluted systems. Just pure progression. The more you accomplished, the more powerful you became.
"Sounds easy enough," Zig muttered, leaning closer to the screen.
He quickly created an account. His avatar's design appeared before him: a creature clad in white samurai armor, its arms unnaturally long—reaching all the way to its legs. Instead of human hands, it had crab-like claws, sharp and metallic. Zig stared for a moment, then chuckled. "Weird… but kind of badass."
The moment he entered the game, however—
"GRRRR!"
Six wolf-like monsters lunged at him from the shadows of the pixel forest. Their bodies were inky black, with glowing purple veins coursing across their fur. Tentacle-like appendages of shadow writhed from their backs, giving them a horrifying, otherworldly presence. Even in pixel form, their appearance made Zig flinch.
"What the hell?!" He panicked, slamming random keys. His avatar swung its long arms, sending out shockwaves that barely scratched the monsters. They lunged again, tearing into his health bar.
"Damn it! This character is useless!" Zig yelled, eyes widening as the health dropped rapidly. "I spent ten bucks on this character's armor and he can't even fight back?!"
The wolves closed in, surrounding his avatar. His health bar blinked red—one more hit and it was over.
But then—
[ Looks like someone is in trouble! Time to show off some skills! ]
A voice echoed from Zig's speakers, crisp and energetic, as though the game itself had shifted tones. Suddenly, the screen lit up with roaring flames.
"WHOOSH!"
Pillars of fire burst forth, engulfing the shadow wolves in a spectacular blaze. Though the game was pixelated, the animation suddenly changed. The retro graphics morphed into a beautifully smooth cutscene, the flames rendered with surprising detail. It was no longer blocky pixels, but vivid 2D art—like a high-budget anime sequence hidden inside an old-school game.
The wolves screeched, their pixelated bodies breaking apart into ashes before vanishing completely.
Zig's jaw dropped. "What… the hell was that?!"
Even with the pixel filter, that attack looked real. More real than anything he'd ever seen in an indie retro game.
"Damn… they must've spent a fortune on these cutscenes." He leaned closer to the screen, eyes sparkling. His heartbeat quickened—not from fear this time, but from excitement. "But wait… who was that guy that helped me?"
The flames cleared, and another avatar stepped forward through the pixel smoke.
This person wore deep crimson samurai armor, gleaming with pixelated polish that stood out even in the retro graphics. The armor was designed with intricate golden etchings that made it look regal—clearly a rare set not meant for average players. His avatar was human, tall and imposing, with a presence that screamed veteran. His hair was long enough to brush against his eyes, jet-black strands shifting slightly whenever his character moved. Covering half of his face was a stylized demon mask, obscuring his expression and giving him an aura of mystery.
But what really left Zig stunned wasn't the armor or the mask—it was the weapons hanging at the man's side.
Two katana sheaths, each adorned with glowing runic inscriptions, rested on the man's waist. The design was unmistakable. Zig's eyes went wide, his breath catching in his throat.
"No way… that's the same sheath I saw in the store before I logged in!"
Before entering the game earlier, Zig had browsed through the in-game shop to familiarize himself with weapons and cosmetics. Among the endless list of overpriced items, one thing had caught his attention—the very sheath this stranger now carried. It wasn't just cosmetic; the store page boasted that these sheaths enhanced attack speed and sword damage significantly, making them some of the most valuable equipment available.
The cost? $160 each.
And this guy had two.
Zig's jaw practically hit the keyboard.
"Holy crap… that's already $320 on just swords!" Zig muttered, completely bewildered. His gaze trailed back to the red armor. A memory flashed in his mind—he had also seen that particular set in the store. It was listed as 'Scarlet Ronin Armor – Mythic Tier', and it had cost a staggering $250.
Doing quick math in his head, Zig almost choked on his own spit.
"That's… that's $570. $570 on a retro pixel game! That's nearly my monthly salary!" His voice cracked, half awe, half despair. "Who the hell has that kind of money to burn on pixels?! Is this guy some oil prince? Or maybe the son of a billionaire?"
He leaned back, clutching his head. For a moment, Zig felt like a beggar in front of royalty. His own avatar, with its awkward crab-claw hands and cheap $10 white samurai set, looked like a clown compared to this mysterious warrior's elegant, terrifying presence.
Then—
"You okay, newbie?!"
The armored samurai typed suddenly, his words flashing in Zig's chat box.
Zig nearly jumped out of his chair. He had been so lost in mental calculations and existential dread about his life choices that he forgot this was still a multiplayer game.
Scrambling for composure, he quickly typed back:
"Yeah, I'm fine… thank you. Really."
His fingers hesitated for a second before typing again.
"But, why'd you help me? I mean… you don't even know me."
There was a pause. Then, the samurai's reply came, bold and simple:
"Isn't it obvious? It's because you're a newbie."
Zig stared at the screen, blinking.
Zig leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the glowing text.
"…Because I'm a newbie?" he muttered under his breath, rereading the message as if it might suddenly change into something else.
On one hand, it was the most obvious and straightforward answer. On the other hand, it made no sense to him at all. Most veteran players he had encountered in other games either ignored newbies, mocked them, or, at best, used them as cannon fodder. But helping them? Spending time on them? That was practically unheard of.
Suspicion flickered in his chest.
' No way this guy's just being nice. Not in an online game.'
Still, his curiosity pushed him to type back.
"…So you just… go around helping random new players?"