Someone who had become a true legend in the world of gaming—he was often called the Genius Player who could never be defeated. Many players tried to challenge him, yet it was useless. The legend was simply too strong.
Until that day arrived.
"Haah… this is boring. The players are too weak—it's no fun crushing them anymore."Hanemia Fujimiya [Main].
A message suddenly appeared on Hanemia's monitor.
"Hm? A message box?" Hanemia muttered, curious as he clicked on it.
Message:Yo, Legend. I've been wondering—why can't anyone defeat you when you're just a normal human? That's why I'm declaring a challenge to you. What do you say?—M
"Huh? You're human too, yet you act like some cocky player?" Hanemia replied.
Another message popped up.
Message:Hahaha! What's wrong, are you scared? My skill level is far above yours.—M
"Fine then. What game do you want to play?" Hanemia responded.
Message:Chess.—M
"Alright, sure." Hanemia typed back.
Message:Eternal Game: Chess.—M
Hanemia frowned. "Eternal… Chess? I've never heard of this one before."
He clicked the link. To his surprise, it was just an ordinary chess game.
"Yo, Legend. Are you ready to face me?" a boy's voice came from the other side.
"Yeah," Hanemia answered.
System: Game Start. Time Limit: 15 Minutes.
His opponent adjusted the timer. Seven minutes."Huh…? Seven minutes? That's quite a lot. But normally, grandmaster chess matches are just ten minutes. Is he that confident in his victory? And on top of that, I'm playing as black… meaning I'll move second," Hanemia muttered.
The match began.As usual, the opponent pushed his pawns forward. Hanemia mirrored the move.The opponent quickly deployed his queen as his trump card, while Hanemia relied on his rook to guard his king.
The game went on. With three minutes remaining, Hanemia had only three pawns left. His opponent, M, still had six pieces.
"At last… you've lost," M said smugly.
Hanemia only smirked. He moved his pawn deep into enemy territory—promoting it to a queen.
M panicked. He immediately used his bishop to strike down Hanemia's queen.
But that was exactly what Hanemia had been planning from the very beginning. He had been toying with M's emotions—making him think victory was certain. But now, M's panic led to a fatal misstep. Hanemia's queen had never been within the bishop's range in the first place.
Without hesitation, Hanemia captured M's bishop, converted two more pawns into rooks, and completely turned the tables.
One minute left. M's king was cornered.
"What are you thinking now, M? This is my flawless victory."Hanemia delivered the final blow.
System: Checkmate. Game Over.
M only gave a sly grin, then raised his right hand into the air.
"You don't belong in this world."
A blinding light engulfed Hanemia. His body was lifted and warped away.
"Whaaaaaaat—?!" Hanemia screamed as he was suddenly thrown into the sky of another world.
"Yo."
Hanemia turned his head. M was floating beside him.
"What the hell is this?! Can't accept losing, so you're trying to kill me now?"
M simply smiled. "Welcome to my world. A world of games."
He pointed toward a massive castle in the distance."That's my home. I am the God of Eternity."
"God? Another world? …I see." Hanemia grinned, almost amused.
"By the way, I haven't told you the rules yet."
"Rules?"
"Yes. In my world, there are two types of games: Death Games and Strategy Games.Death Games are where players kill each other to earn money.Strategy Games are where players use their wits to gain money.
And there are five absolute rules:
No cheating.
No killing outside of Death Games.
No accusing others of cheating without proof.
No running away from a Death Game.
Never approach my castle."
"And if those rules are broken…?"
"You die."
Hanemia's eyes widened at the warning.
"Before that, I'll grant you a blessing."
"A blessing? What kind of blessing?"
"Return from Death."
Hanemia froze. "Wait, what—?!"
He suddenly plummeted, crashing through trees before landing painfully on a mountain.
"Make this interesting for me," M said before vanishing.
Moments later—
System: Blessing 'Return from Death' granted.Checkpoint 1 recorded.
Hanemia groaned, opening his eyes. He found himself inside an old house.
"Where… am I?" he muttered.
"You're awake," a woman's voice said gently, leaning in to check his condition. But before she could touch him, a man grabbed her hand.
"Hey, careful! He's a stranger!" the man barked.
"I know. I just want to see if he's alright," the woman replied calmly.
"What if he's a bandit? We found him unconscious in the middle of the forest!"
Hanemia sighed. "And they're arguing in front of a guy who just woke up half-dead…"
System: Status —Name: Hanemia FujimiyaLevel: 1Death Loop: 0Strength: 1Endurance: 1Passive: Loved by Spirits.
Hanemia sat up, removing the cloth on his forehead."Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."
The two strangers froze.
"HEY! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" the man demanded.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" Hanemia shot back with a sly grin.
"Please, calm down," the woman interjected. "My name is Elsyia, a forest spirit. This is Lears, an elf."
"Spirit…? So that's my passive at work, huh."
"Oi, brat. What's your name?" Lears asked sharply.
Hanemia replied casually, "Hanemia Fujimiya. A man sent here from another world."
Elsyia and Lears were stunned.
"Another world? You mean… you're not from here?"
"Exactly."
Suddenly—BOOM!
An explosion shook the ground. From the smoke, a stranger emerged.
"So… here you are. Have you prepared the coins you owe me?" the man sneered.
"Kars, you bastard!" Lears snapped. "Stop being so greedy, damn it!"
"You lost the game. A debt is a debt," Kars replied coldly.
Elsyia and Lears fell silent, weighed down by their massive debt.
Hanemia stepped forward. "In that case… how about you fight me instead?"
All three turned to him in shock.
"Kid, do you have any idea who Kars is—" Lears began.
Hanemia cut him off. "In the world of games, when a challenge is issued, there are only two options: accept or run. I don't care how strong you are, Kars. If you're an opponent worth defeating… then I'm interested."
Kars smirked. "You're amusing. What's your name, boy with white hair and golden eyes?"
"Hanemia Fujimiya."
System: Private Message received.Opening Death Game: Bombs and Explosions.Game will begin in 24 hours.Countdown initiated.
Kars turned away. "See you tomorrow, fujimiya hanemia."
To be continued.