In a luxurious complex with eight open rooms filled with unique furniture that stood out vividly in color, eight people were already present, each wearing their own distinctive style. Their auras were intensely charismatic. Everyone here was not a subordinate. They were all leaders.
In one of the open rooms dominated by white, green, and yellow tones, someone was sitting on a soft white sofa. He wore clothes that clearly reflected youth: a bomber jacket whose color matched the room, layered over a white T-shirt, and long black pants that fit perfectly along his legs. He was a man who liked wearing a silver ring on his hand. His hair was yellow with a hint of gold, and his face always carried a pleasant vibe as he spoke.
"Good grief, this Mr. Blank always makes us wait. Our time is expensive too, you know. I have hundreds of kids I need to teach every day."
Someone across the room replied.
"Shut up, Lucky. You sound like a nagging old woman. If Blank hadn't given you that book, you'd probably still be a vagrant sleeping in a train alley."
"Oh wow, just look at your body now. You're really athletic these days. I heard you're a pillar of sports now. You're super popular in magazines, you know. Hahaha."
That cheerful face, so easily capable of lifting the mood, shot back a reply at the tall man across the room. That room was decorated in black and white, filled with trophies and medals from various sports championships, making its walls feel like the life story of a true sports maniac. Boxing? Muay Thai? Running? He was famous for his actions in the world of sports.
As usual, though, that cheerful expression was a bit irritating. Not because of his face, but because of his words.
"Hey Riku, it's been a long time since I last saw you. Did you get taller at the age of 22? I'm jealous. We're only a year apart, but it looks like you're already 185 cm tall. I'm 180 cm and I feel short standing in front of you."
"Hey idiot. You're joking about 180 cm? You're only 174 cm, Lucky."
"Good grief. You can't even support your own batchmate, huh, Riku the Maverick of sports?"
"Shut up. I'm one year older than you."
"Damn you, Riku."
In the middle of that noisy exchange, someone cut in. He had a firm face, neatly styled hair, and rectangular glasses that reflected a sharp, cynical gaze. His room alone made people feel unwilling to stand there. With just his voice, the entire conversation shifted.
"Ssh. The elevator has started moving. Look."
Even with such an action that radiated leadership, Lucky, with his narcissistic and cheerful personality, was not truly affected. That was because this room was filled with leaders. Still, there was one true leader who had created them all.
"Ah, so Mr. Blank has taken the elevator. It's been a long time. A year really is long, huh. Even though his face is everywhere now, hahaha."
Yes, the eight people here were leaders or individuals who truly excelled in their respective fields. They were now called Mavericks by society, both in the media and in the real world.
Blank was the first Maverick. Let us rewind for a moment. Five years ago marked the peak of Blank's excellence. At the age of 23, he achieved wealth and popularity through business and his captivating way of influencing people. This happened in the year 2030. He emerged during a time when social media experienced a massive surge due to repeated financial crises. Alone, he taught survival through videos circulating online. In fact, similar figures had existed before, even as early as 2025, but many of them gave up because this country was filled with lazy and arrogant people in every region.
In 2030, when Blank led a new generation, he declared that it would be the Maverick generation. It would be filled with people who were hungry and thirsty, yet continued to fight against the system and the ongoing crises. The status quo was something that could truly be changed. They were stubborn, opposed the "habits" of normal people, and played life as if it were a game world. That was the Maverick that Blank declared.
And now, you are about to see the man who has been described, as the elevator doors open. You may already be curious about him.
Amid the silence surrounding the eight rooms, there was actually one more space. It was the main area itself, located at the very front and the most spacious. It contained only a single black sofa that looked plush, and bright white letters that read "Maverick," as if they were hope itself.
The elevator lights stopped, making the silence even heavier. The doors slowly opened. Footsteps, almost completely silent, emerged from the elevator. A charismatic figure usually had heavy steps and an intimidating aura, but the footsteps of this Maverick leader were nearly soundless, even though he walked like an ordinary person.
"Everyone's already here, huh. I'm a bit late because my cat dirtied the robe I was going to wear. Oh well."
Of course, Blank did not sound cold when he spoke, even though he always wore a serious expression. Perhaps his eyes were simply too sharp. Whatever the reason, his face was undeniably handsome, handsome enough to make women forget to blink for a full minute.
His footsteps continued forward. The bright expressions on the faces of those sitting in their respective rooms clearly showed how long they had been waiting. Blank was the same. His expression looked as though he was happy as well.
Five years ago, they were nobody. In fact, most of them were at the lowest point of their lives. So much had happened. The pride they now held existed because Blank had given them a book. The eight Mavericks who now stood with Blank were eight people who carried deep despair five years ago, and that single book created the Maverick era as it exists today.
That was how the Maverick era successfully began, and now we return once more to the room full of leaders. This time, Blank was seated before the eight leaders who had achieved the status of chosen Mavericks, and these were the words that came from him.
"This game. Let's begin."
With just that sentence, every Maverick in the room felt a surge of happiness. They smiled, and of course Lucky was the most excited by the words spoken from that clean and sweet sounding voice, because that very sentence was also written in the book they had received from him.
This is the beginning of the Maverick story, although in truth, this tale has already passed. I am also a Maverick. My name is Gabriel Nia, one of the Mavericks who succeeded alongside them. I was in the field of communication. Media, articles, and writing were what I loved most at the time. But this story must not stop. I will take you along with my story of the Mavericks. Do you want to hear it? Then let us continue.
The meeting in that room was the first time the Mavericks truly gathered together. Naturally, Blank's 45 minute delay became a conversation session among those who arrived earlier. That meeting was named "Mavericks Start" as the beginning of their story, perhaps the beginning of ours too. Haha, I think that sounds good. This happened in the year 2035.
In just one year, many changes occurred. The Maverick era could truly be felt. We all carried out individual missions and could ask one another for help, but because of our respective busyness and our intense focus on chasing the shared dream written in that book, if only we had met more often, perhaps this would not have happened to us.
We achieved so much. Lucky successfully founded several free schools, and within just one year, the number of students reached the thousands. He was an expert in education, but he carried his own childhood memories, so his current focus was building kindergartens and elementary schools as the foundation for their future. Where did the money come from? Mostly because he was also a film actor and part of high level entertainment circles. That allowed him to earn substantial income. Still, the most valuable thing was the true heart of Maverick.
The true heart of Maverick was a man named Darius Edith. He managed Maverick's finances, as his field was finance and investment. His abilities could be considered extremely advanced, comparable to a hedge fund manager, with eleven years of experience studying the market. He started at the age of eleven, and by the year 2036, he was already twenty two. He had a fairly tall but skinny build, always wore simple home style clothing, had long hair that nearly poked into his eyes and was slightly curly, and his eye bags were noticeably thicker than those of the other Mavericks.
Riku had also become the CEO of a combat sports company called UpperWings. His prestigious tournaments successfully attracted many young people who dreamed of becoming fighters. The gyms managed by his company were extremely crowded. Almost every social group had joined them. Indeed, all these skills had become part of our blood since birth, and Blank truly polished us until we reached this point.
On the other side was Noah Mejor. He was the Maverick who had previously interrupted Riku and Lucky during Mavericks Start. With his familiar appearance, he had now succeeded as a young and influential lawyer in the legal world. Many younger people were inspired by him, since Noah Mejor was only twenty three years old, proving that such achievements were possible. Combined with Maverick's expertise in virality and appearing on the screens people used every day, this changed many perspectives.
However, this also triggered a great deal of controversy. Many said that these young people were just showing off. Many felt offended because their lives were not as flashy as the Mavericks'. Still, there were also many supporters. In this country, Maverick would face a culture of people who believed themselves superior and were too lazy to do anything.
Even so, the worst part was the existence of an organization that opposed Maverick. The organization was called "Anti Maverick," made up of criminals with clever and cunning minds. They were truly disturbed by Maverick's desire to bring about an era of progress.
I thought a group filled with criminals was already despicable. What was even worse was when we discovered who their leader was.
At that time, we truly did not know who he was. But I can reveal it now, because this is a story from the past.
He was called "the Failed Maverick."