Grmmhh
...Bzzzzt!
"Leo!""Leo!" "Leo!" A voice, distant and urgent, called his name over and over, pulling him from the depths of sleep. His eyes snapped open, and a single, frantic word escaped his lips: "Mom!"
He sat up in bed, his chest heaving, and began to pant, trying to catch his breath as the lingering terror of the dream clung to him.
"BAM!"
He slammed his palm down on the alarm clock, the sharp clack echoing through the quiet room.
He forcefully woke up and reached for his mobile phone, only to see that it was already evening. As he stood, the sound of his legs clacking against each other echoed in the silence. He dragged himself to the bathroom and, upon looking into the mirror, failed to recognize the person staring back. Dark circles clung beneath his eyes, his long greyish-white hair had grown down to his waist, and his unshaven face made him look even more worn-out. He looked visibly exhausted, like a stranger in his own skin.
He walked out of the bathroom, took an apple from the dining table, and sat down at his computer table
The chair groaned a long, metallic squeal as he leaned back, the sound of rust scraping against itself . Damn, I hate this chair. I need a new one, but my part-time job isn't enough for that
i had a job mopping and cleaning the floor at a kindergarten late at night. Since he didn't like going out during the day, it was a perfect job for him one he enjoyed doing while playing games on his mobile. But then he got caught playing in the middle of work, and he was fired
...and this incident happened just two weeks ago. I'm too lazy to get up and try finding a new job. I only have enough money to survive three more years without work, left to me by my father in my name
And even if I try to look for more jobs, I doubt I'll get any of them because of the history of incidents on my record they've probably already blacklisted me as a possible candidate.
Sigh... The sound of it seemed to deflate him as he leaned back in his chair, his hands coming up to grip his head. He squeezed his temples, a silent effort to corral his scattered thoughts into a single, coherent line
He opened his eyes, the weariness of his struggle etched on his face. "Fuck it," he muttered, the words heavy with defeat. "I'll just play some games
"I don't even have that good of a PC what can I even play on this? I'll just try finding some low-end indie games that I can enjoy," he said
He hit the power button. The fans whirred to life with a rusty groan, but the screen stayed dark. He watched the seconds tick into minutes, his patience wearing thin. After ten long minutes of waiting, he threw his hands up in the air. "Start already!" he yelled, slamming his hand against the side of the PC tower
After what felt like an eternity, a familiar chime rang out as the computer finally sprang to life. A weary smile touched his lips. "Finally," he murmured, leaning forward to begin his search. He spent the next half-hour scrolling through endless lists of indie games, but nothing held his interest. A familiar wave of annoyance washed over him, and he stood up with a frustrated sigh, deciding that a bowl of ramen was a more pressing concern.
he stood up and brought both hands to his face, a quick, slapping motion that seemed to shake him free of his funk. His eyes lit up with a newfound purpose as he marched toward the kitchen. Ramen.
He walked back to his chair, savoring the delicious smell of the ramen. He breathed in the hot steam, a smile of pure contentment on his face. As he lowered the bowl to the desk, his eyes caught on something on the screen. A single, blinking red link screamed for his attention, a jarring note in his peaceful moment.
Boredom was a powerful motivator. Without a second thought, he clicked the flashy red link. A download window immediately popped up on his screen, with the title "Galactic Conquest."
"Galactic Conquest?" he mumbled, the name ringing a distant bell. He quickly typed the title into a search engine. Nothing. He searched again, using different keywords, but the game seemed to exist only on this one mysterious link.
This must be some kind of early, pirated copy, he thought, his curiosity piqued. He hesitated. Hmm, should I download it? He glanced at the download window for the system requirements, but there were none listed only a blank space where the specifications should have been
A shrug settled his internal debate. "I should download it. I don't have anything interesting to do anyway, and this isn't too big." He squinted at the file size. "Huh? It's only 50 megabytes. Is it even a game? Or is it a virus?"
A second shrug, this one carrying more of a weary resignation, answered the question. Whatever. We'll see what happens later on. With that thought, he clicked "download."
A new window appeared, this one with a progress bar
1%
10%
50%
70%
100%
The download finished. An installation window didn't pop up; there was no confirmation, no icon on the desktop. Instead, the game opened automatically, taking over his entire screen in a silent, seamless transition
His eyes widened, and his hands, which were still holding the ramen bowl, instinctively tightened their grip. The game had launched without a single prompt, a silent and seamless takeover of his entire screen.....