--
"Hey Alfred, why haven't you registered in the second part of Exodia yet, man? The third part is already out and you haven't even played the second… hurry up, man, our team is missing without you."
In one of the cafés, a young man who looked about 19 years old, wearing green clothes, said this while sitting among a group of other people. He was addressing the young man sitting across from him—Alfred, 19 years old, with messy black hair and deep black eyes, and somewhat handsome features.
Alfred said with some annoyance, "Man, I already told you I was studying for the college entrance exams. I don't want to fail just because of a game."
The young man in green replied, "You need to relax a little, man. Look at the dark circles under your eyes… putting too much pressure on yourself will only lead to negative results… download the game and let's play a bit today. I'll show you some tricks to level up quickly, hahaha."
Alfred frowned and said in a playful tone, "Taking a break from studying and playing all night… maybe only someone like you can give such a rude piece of advice, Mike."
Mike blushed in embarrassment before replying, "Alright, man, I've already downloaded the second game. Let's play a bit tonight… I just hope the second game's protagonist is better than the first."
Another voice joined in, "Alfred, you might not know this, but the protagonist of the second story is much better than the first one, even though he's still a womanizer who falls in love with every beautiful girl he sees, to the point that we still struggle to balance the girls in the romance route. But at least, man, his diverse skills make playing him better—Arthur."
Alfred said, "Really, Ryo? You said the same thing about that cheating protagonist Arthur."
Ryo replied in surprise, "Man, what's your problem with Arthur, really? Even though he's a womanizer—and I don't blame him for that if I were in his place—he's strong, and his personality is very good. It suits a hero who will save the world in the second part, and someone chosen by the world's karmic luck…"
Mike interrupted, "You might not know this, Ryo, but Alfred hates anything about protagonists who don't use their own effort to increase their strength… you know Arthur's gift, right? Copying. And Alfred hates copying, the system, and anything that makes the protagonist become stronger than others in a ridiculous way without effort."
Alfred interjected, "Man, I told you I don't hate copying and the system specifically… yes, I hate them, but having the power of copying and not using it in a world like Exodia is just stupid. But what I really hate is… how main characters act when they steal someone else's skills—skills someone worked hard for—and then act carelessly and arrogantly, and how they never stay humble after being praised by people who don't know he's just a thief of others' efforts…"
Ryo smiled at Alfred and said, "Well, I don't really care, man. Arthur has diverse skills from all classes. In the second part, he got a neutral lineage… I used the Lightning Phoenix lineage and got the lightning element, then copied the Lightning Phoenix's skills… I became almost unbeatable."
Alfred sighed at Ryo's words.
Mike said, "I understand what you're saying, man, but even if you were in Arthur's place—and he's just a pre-programmed game character… you probably wouldn't be any better than him…"
Alfred shook his head, "This is a matter of principles for me, Mike… imagine you study day and night, then someone comes and shakes your hand and suddenly has all your knowledge… that wouldn't be fair or respectful to you or to other competitors… or like someone who cheated or used connections in an exam and then boasts endlessly in front of people who worked hard to study… I would never do something like that."
Ryo said indifferently, "The result is what matters. The process doesn't really matter."
Alfred replied, "The result is important, but the process shapes you and teaches you, even if you fail… during the process, you'll see the scenery around you… if you rely on shortcuts, a day will come when those shortcuts will end."
Ryo replied mockingly, "Oh, like what happened to your favorite? That extra character—what was his name again, man? The one who only appeared a few times and died in the final exam of the first semester?"
Mike replied, "It's Ion, Ion Drakis. Man, he was a really great character. I wish they had made him a secondary playable character after finishing the first part… he was ridiculously strong in the entrance exams. Did you know that no matter what you do, you can never defeat him? I've never heard of anyone beating him, no matter which character you challenge him with in the entrance exams—even if multiple main characters team up, even if you memorize all his movement patterns… forget about something called victory, he'll completely crush you."
Alfred, who seemed excited at the mention of Ion, replied, "Yeah, man, I actually tried challenging him with a team of 5 main characters, but we barely managed to land a critical hit before he wiped us out with Aura Rocket… even if you avoid Aura Rocket and put Ion in a tight spot, he'll use Blood Burn and wipe us out with just a wave of his palm."
Ryo frowned and said, "Tch, just an extra character who can't even use mana—only aura—and the developers made him this ridiculously strong. Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
Alfred replied with the same frown, "Didn't you read the character summary, idiot? He has a fractured soul with a neutral lineage and two mysterious lineages he couldn't activate—even the academy director couldn't do it… yet he reached this level of strength purely through his own effort and talent… and it was also mentioned that when he was 13 years old, he was already fighting on the front lines of battles with other kingdoms against barbarians, and even fought sea demons… so his strength makes sense… at least he's not like someone who puts in no effort and boasts about it."
Mike said, "Unfortunately, if Ion had the power of copying, maybe his fate wouldn't have been bullying at the academy and early death."
Alfred replied, "I read that Ion is extremely arrogant and proud… maybe even if you offered him the gift of copying, he would refuse it strongly."
Ryo clicked his tongue, "Just an extra character added by developers with exaggerated traits and a vague description to make the game look flashy… even though they actually succeeded."
Mike replied, "It doesn't seem like you're a fan of Ion's character. Believe it or not, I found an entire forum praising this character."
Ryo widened his eyes in shock, then turned to Alfred, "Hahaha, if there's a forum like that, I'm sure Alfred would be its admin, hahaha."
Mike was a bit surprised, then laughed as well. It seemed that this possibility had a very high chance of being true.
Alfred blushed slightly because it was actually true, but it was impossible for him to admit that.
"Alright, guys, let's stop here. I need to go early to study, then I'll open the second part of the game so we can play a bit… I just hope the second protagonist is better…"
The three friends left the café, each heading to his home.
---
Alfred had just finished taking a shower… then hesitated whether he should study or go try the second part of the game.
In the end, his conscience won, and he went to study.
He finished studying early today and thought about what Mike said—that he needed rest—and it was completely true.
He prepared a light dinner for himself, then went to his bedroom and turned on his computer.
While his mouse cursor hovered over Exodia: The Central Continent, a notification caught his attention—it was an email. He quickly went to check it.
His heart suddenly pounded as he saw the sender.
"Damn… is this real? I didn't expect them to reply at all."
The sender was the Exodia company itself.
That morning, before leaving for high school, he had sent a message to the company's email, asking if there was any hope in the future of adding Ion as a playable character.
In Exodia, you can play as the main hero and heroines, of course—but the strange thing is that even some side characters are playable.
But Ion Drakis was just an extra character mentioned no more than five times in the game, so this possibility was very unlikely. He had only sent the email as a desperate attempt after his favorite character's death.
What surprised Alfred was that the reply came after only two minutes.
Their response was simple:
"Dear Ion87, yes, we can offer you this special exclusive experience just for you… if you agree, please send your reply confirming your acceptance."
…
Is this real?
Alfred's eyes checked to make sure the email was truly from the company and not a scam.
In the end, it really was the same one listed on the company's website.
He couldn't help but feel excited.
To give Ion the happy ending he truly deserved.
A character like Ion should see the peaks of the world—not die unknown while people who don't deserve it receive the care of the entire world.
He sent his reply:
"Yes, I agree."
He waited patiently.
30 seconds.
A minute.
Two minutes.
A notification sound rang.
"That was fast…"
He opened the message and started reading it.
"Welcome back, ***********."
Alfred was confused by the reply: "Welcome back."
Then he continued reading, but before he could finish—
He suddenly felt extremely drowsy, and his limbs grew cold. The cold spread from his fingertips to his heart until he felt his heart beginning to slow rapidly.
He tried to speak.
"..."
But nothing came out. He didn't even have the strength to move his tongue.
What Alfred thought in terror was—
"He's dying."
The last thing he heard before sinking into pitch darkness was the sound of the chair crashing to the ground—a sound that felt very distant, as if endless distances separated them