The championship had begun.
The crowd buzzed with excitement as competitors entered the arena, ready to give everything they had against the countless challenges standing between them and the finals, all for a chance to claim what they believed they deserved.
And while the challengers fought tooth and nail...
The champion awoke with a yawn.
He scratched his leg before stretching until his joints cracked.
His house was a complete mess, with clothes and video games scattered all over the floor.
The champion stepped over everything without a second glance.
He pulled the curtains open just enough to keep the room from being completely dark. His phone vibrated while he ate breakfast.
"You're awake?"
A message from someone he knew.
He didn't bother replying.
The phone vibrated again.
"You're seriously not going to answer me!? You know what... I'm sick of your attitude! This is the end for us!"
...
As the glow of the screen illuminated his face, a vague thought drifted through his mind.
"Oh... today's the tournament," he muttered lazily.
The announcer raised his voice to a thunderous roar.
"Ladies and gentlemen, everyone in attendance! Welcome... to the championship that will change everything! The one and only tournament recognized by the World Gaming Association as the most important in history!" He thrust one hand toward the sky as anticipation swept through the crowd. "And against all odds, emerging victorious from one of the most intense matches ever witnessed... the young challenger James William! A player who has exceeded our expectations time and time again... climbing from the very bottom all the way to the top!"
A spotlight shone down on James, forcing him to shield his eyes with one hand from the intensity of the light. Every gaze in the arena settled on the challenger.
He greeted them with a smile.
The crowd erupted with excitement, rising from their seats with the adrenaline of the previous matches still coursing through their veins.
And while the audience was still celebrating...
Every light in the stadium went out at once, plunging everything into darkness.
The announcer's tone shifted, becoming solemn.
"The time has come for us mortals to witness him... Can you feel that presence? The G.O.A.T. has arrived!" His voice rose higher and higher. "The one and only undisputed champion! The greatest player humanity has ever produced! Four-time conqueror of the most hellish and impossible challenges ever created! His collection of titles knows no end! The reason we're all gathered here today! The one who calls himself..."
The champion opened his mouth arrogantly.
"Green Froggy has arrived!"
Spotlights instantly converged on him as hundreds of petals rained from above—mostly green, though mixed with countless other colors that drifted down over the crowd.
He strode forward wearing a hoodie with the face of a small frog on the hood, concealing his identity.
As he walked, a loud musical theme blasted through the stadium.
It was his own song.
A song dedicated entirely to praising his greatness.
A red carpet was rolled out before him by staff members as he advanced, raising both hands to greet the crowd.
At last, he sat down on a golden chair that appeared to be partially crafted from solid gold. The moment he settled into it, he felt the almost divine comfort of the seat where his battle would take place.
The audience rose from their seats in an attempt to get a closer look as the match between the champion and the young challenger was about to begin.
A brief description of the challenge appeared before them.
"Right here and now!" the announcer shouted. "They will face one of the most monstrous games ever created by mankind!"
A giant title appeared across the massive screen.
Infinity Difficulty.
"Regarded by its creators as the hardest game in existence! Its gameplay is the ultimate nightmare for players! It tests not only your reflexes, memory, and concentration... but your luck as well! With near-total immersion, it's packed with bugs around every corner, countless enemies, and absurd platforming sections capable of erasing your progress in mere seconds!"
A chill ran through parts of the audience.
Was something like that even humanly possible to beat?
"And I should mention that even the combined efforts of today's greatest technological models were powerless against such difficulty! With only two hours to complete it... victory will belong to whoever survives until the very end!"
The support teams stepped away, leaving both competitors alone before their screens.
"If you're ready... we'll begin in 3... 2... 1... Start!"
The battle began.
The character appearances had been customized beforehand according to each player's request. The challenger wore an elegant outfit complete with an old-fashioned hat, while the champion's avatar was simply a frog standing on two legs.
The game started.
And so did the first defeat.
The challenger died within seconds.
"Damn it..."
He slammed his fist against the desk in frustration before starting over.
The game was unbelievably complex, filled with mechanics and controls that used practically every key on the keyboard. Enemies burst from the ground every second, while bosses with infinite health appeared one after another without end.
Not to mention the pop-up ads that appeared at the worst possible moments.
After one hour of gameplay, the champion was already nearing the end, astonishing everyone as he handled even the worst horrors with apparent ease.
"Is he even human?"
Yet with forty minutes remaining, he suddenly let go of the keyboard and stood up.
"Anyone got some water?"
His team watched in horror as his character was overwhelmed by a horde of enemies and died, resetting all of his progress.
"Has the champion lost his mind!?" the announcer cried.
But after taking a drink and with the clock working against him, he resumed playing at a completely different pace than before.
His movements became faster, sharper, more precise than before.
The speed and skill in his hands seemed almost superhuman.
"That's impossible..."
"He should really go touch grass..."
"That's our champion!"
The pressure of the entire stadium settled onto his shoulders.
The world seemed to slow down.
The crowd screamed, his opponent desperately fought to maintain his lead, and even the sweat running down the announcer's forehead seemed frozen in time.
He felt his heart beat faster with every passing second, everything converging on him at once, filling him with exhilaration as he stood at the center of attention.
The outcome had been inevitable from the very beginning.
"The champion is victorious once again!" The announcer stepped between them and raised the champion's hand in triumph. "Does anyone exist who can match his power? No one!"
The crowd applauded in admiration while cameramen scrambled to secure an exclusive interview.
Meanwhile, James watched years of effort crumble before his eyes.
Years spent studying.
Countless sacrifices.
All for failure.
All for a dream left unrealized.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
And with them came his family.
"Mom..."
"You did well. You'll always be the best to us."
The audience was deeply moved by such a heartfelt display of humanity.
Which was precisely when the champion approached.
Smiling arrogantly.
"GG. Looks like you've got some skill issues. Better luck next time!"
Raising his trophy for everyone to see, he walked away dragging it behind him.
Ignoring the chorus of boos that followed him wherever he went.
He exited through a discreet side passage, now dressed in more casual clothes, and headed toward the main avenue.
"Another easy tournament... Maybe I should try sports. That might actually be more entertaining..." he muttered.
Lost in thought as he considered what sport to take up, he crossed the street without paying attention.
Then someone shouted.
"Watch out!"
Crack.
A single sound was enough to send him flying through the air along with his trophy.
The world spun endlessly.
An overwhelming pain consumed him.
Death had come to claim him.
"Huh? Where am I?"
He awoke in confusion.
He was sitting in a completely white space that seemed to stretch infinitely beyond the limits of sight.
In front of him floated a single blue screen, standing out against the endless whiteness.
"What the hell?"
The situation was impossible not to recognize.
It was a classic RPG setup.
A staple of games and pop culture.
The kind of content he consumed every day.
How many sleepless nights had he spent binging stories exactly like this?
There was no doubt about it.
"What kind of world am I going to save?" he declared as he rose to his feet with dramatic seriousness.
The screen changed.
Letters formed across it, creating a familiar interface.
One he knew very well from gaming.
The display showed only two options.
[1] Die
[2] Mysterious Option
Both options looked equally terrible.
Still, he didn't hesitate.
After all, he didn't want to die.
Although...
Wasn't he already dead?
Looking down at his hands, they appeared exactly the same as before, though they didn't quite feel the same.
[Welcome to the Hero System]
[Please enter your name]
"A name?"
This would be the decision that determined the entire course of his adventure.
He smiled.
The answer was obvious.
"It'll be Green Froggy."
[Hero System]
[Excellent choice, Green Froggy]
The screen displayed a simple animation.
A knight wielding a radiant sword entered a cave where a giant serpent lay coiled atop mountains of gold.
[You are the chosen hero, the only one destined to save humanity from the evil Demon Lord.]
The knight struck the serpent on the head, causing it to collapse.
Behind it sat a princess imprisoned inside a cage.
The knight rescued her.
The two joined hands and walked toward a peaceful horizon.
The animation abruptly ended.
Loading...
[Select Your Weapon]
[Opening Catalog]
A massive catalog appeared on the screen.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Perhaps millions of weapons.
Every type imaginable.
It felt almost like online shopping, browsing through endless products.
"Destroyer of Evil Sword? Universe Breaker? Eternal Flame of Freedom?"
The weapons had absurdly long names, and each looked exactly as glorious and legendary as one would expect.
Every single one seemed like a perfect choice.
Until he saw the prices.
[This item costs 99,999,999,999,999 coins.]
"How do I get coins?"
[1 coin = 10 years of memories]
That was absurdly expensive.
"You don't take cash?"
[Error...]
The screen trembled.
[Inactivity detected. Death in 10... 9... 8...]
"Wait!" he shouted as he repeatedly slammed the cancel button.
Then he cautiously touched the catalog.
"I'll exchange for just one coin. Alright?"
[Are you sure you want to exchange 10 years of memories for 1 coin?]
[Accept]
[Decline]
He selected Accept.
The interface wasn't exactly leaving him another option.
He searched through the catalog for something within his budget so his investment wouldn't go to waste.
The cheapest weapon he found still cost 9,999 coins.
"This is a scam!"
Then he spotted one that caught his interest.
"The Evolved Common Sword..."
[Evolved Common Sword: A legendary blade that grows alongside its wielder. It possesses its own consciousness and wisdom, capable of assisting its owner throughout their adventure.]
"Price?"
[The Evolved Common Sword costs 1 coin.]
"I'll take it."
He pressed Purchase.
[Excellent decision]
[Error. Evolved Common Sword has already been purchased.]
[Automatically selecting a similar weapon...]
"Wait!"
Loading...
[Selected Weapon: Rusty Table Knife]
[Accept]
[Decline]
He pressed Decline.
[Error]
[Selecting death in 10... 9... 8...]
"No, no, no! Fine! I get it!" he shouted desperately, trying to stop the countdown before it reached zero.
When it finally stopped, he let out a relieved sigh.
[Analyzing the world to which you are being summoned...]
[World Difficulty: F... E... D... C... B... A... S... SR... SSR... UR... LR... SSSR... SSSSR... SSSSSS...]
[World selection complete.]
[You have been summoned to save World SSSSSS.]
[Absolute Difficulty]
[Good luck... Hero...]
The system glitched violently.
Dozens of errors flooded the screen, distorting the text, the interface, and even the earlier animation.
Then the interface vanished completely.
The moment it disappeared, trumpets blared at maximum volume while cherry blossom petals rained down over his head.
One flew straight into his mouth.
"Blegh... Where's all this music coming from?" he wondered.
Then the white floor beneath him cracked.
And shattered.
He began plummeting into the void.
Until suddenly—
"AAAAAHHH! IT'S BURNING!" he screamed as he jumped to his feet, hopping around until his legs adjusted.
He looked up.
The landscape before him was straight out of hell.
Rivers of magma cascaded from colossal waterfalls of molten rock, while the scorching air made breathing difficult.
[The hero has been properly calibrated to his reality.]
"What does that even—"
He suddenly noticed something gripping his foot.
Looking down, he saw a skeletal hand.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
He kicked it away, panic surging through him as the strangeness of his surroundings finally hit him.
After regaining his composure, he looked at his hands.
In his right hand was a rusty table knife.
He glanced down.
He was wearing nothing but a pair of white underwear.
"Huh...?"
"HUHH!?"