I’ve never really been one to brag—actually, who am I kidding—I do brag a lot, but it really depends on what we’re talking about. Let’s just say that I’m a selective-bragger.

‘Cause when it comes to school, I’m as humble as they get. I’ll admit it, my grades aren’t all that—granted, I don’t try that hard...let’s just roll with that excuse. I’m also not exactly popular. I can count my total number of friends on one hand. Maybe even half of a hand. And since you can’t have two and a half friends, let’s just round down.

The girls? They love me. Kinda. More on that later, but if I’m being honest, there’s only one girl that I care for. Her name is Joohyun, and she sits next to me in AP Physics. Any sane person would say without a doubt that she’s the prettiest girl in the entire school. And on top of her crazy good looks, she’s smart, popular, kind, and athletic—everything that I’m not. But you know what they say: opposites attract. If you think I sound obsessed with her, wait until you hear how she feels about me. She’s completely heads over heels, and by that I mean she hasn’t got a clue I exist.

But that’s totally fine, really, because at least I can say I’m good at sports. Maybe not all kinds of sports...maybe just e-sports. Maybe not plural...maybe just...one particular e-sport. Alright, I’ll just say it—I’m really good at a video game. But not just any video game—I’m talking about Zenitheim—the world’s first and most popular Fully Immersive Virtual Reality MMORPG to have ever been created—the only game that actually matters. Really, ask any respectable gamer.

And while you’re at it, ask them about David. Maybe at first you’ll probably get some silly responses along the lines of, “David? David who?”, but just say “The David” and I promise you’ll get a reaction. “Oh! That David.”

So there you have it. My name is David, but outside of, uh, real life, everyone knows me as something else. You see, in Zenitheim, the top 10 players are always featured in the Hall of Fame. How do you get there? By defeating the other players in a duel. But not just any duel—the game calls it a Final Bout—a fight in which the person being challenged has no choice but to accept and the loser’s character is completely erased. All their items, skills, and experience points disappear forever. Doesn’t sound that crazy right? Wrong. In Zenitheim, you can’t view another player’s stats if you’re not friends. That means you have no idea if you have any chance of beating anyone beforehand, and once the challenge is sent, there’s no turning back—for either players.

Since the stakes are so high, it’s rare to see anyone challenge the Top 10, and it’s even rarer to see anyone within the Top 10 challenge each other. There’s a balance feature that prevents players of a higher rank to challenge those below them, so needless to say, I haven’t fought anyone since I obtained my status over a year ago. Now, in case you haven’t pieced it together yet, I’m the highest ranked player in the entire world. The guys look up to me, and the girls love me.

I am Number One.

Well, I was. Up until an hour ago.

There was an early dismissal, and it was the last day before spring break. I couldn’t wait to get home; my goal for the next two weeks was to farm for the new sword that was being released and I wasn’t going to waste any time. Unfortunately for me, the trains don’t really care about the best Zenitheim player in the world, so they broke down regardless. Blasphemy, I know.

But the moment I put on the headgear and entered my virtual paradise, there was a crowd of people gathered around the announcement board. I could hear them gasping and murmuring amongst themselves as my body materialized onto the digital ground. Granted, I was used to the attention, but something felt different.

“Um—Mister David, sir, did you see the news?” a younger boy asked, covering his mouth in shock.

News? What news?

The crowd of people stepped out of the way, forming an open path for me to walk through. Sometimes I wonder what I ever did to deserve this much respect.

[55 minutes ago] Former Number 5 JOSHUA has been defeated in battle.

[41 minutes ago] Former Number 4 MICHAEL has been defeated in battle.

[30 minutes ago] Former Number 3 CECELIA has been defeated in battle.

[8 minutes ago] Former Number 2 JACOB has been defeated in battle.

What!? No way…

And then, a new notification lit up the skies. The one that changed everything for me.

[1 minute ago] Former Number 1 DAVID has been recalibrated to Number 2.

What...the...hell? How did I get sent down a rank if I never lost? Did they get that much experience from beating everyone else?

My body shook furiously as I stared at the character being featured before the crowd. It was a girl. A slender girl with long, dark hair, dressed in a white overall that hugged her body in all the right places, probably to distract you from your imminent death. Her face was covered with a silk white mask, and the only thing I could see were her sharp, dark eyes staring right at me through the screen. In her right hand was a long sword that I’d never seen before; it was jet black and curved slightly towards the tip like a katana. At the bottom of the handle were beautiful long woven strings that danced elegantly in the air. But there was something unique about the sword—with every swing she took, tiny rose petals formed out of thin air from the trail of the blade, peacefully floating around the sharp edges, just long enough for your eyes to catch them before immediately burning to ashes. 

[1 minute ago] Player IRENE has been calibrated to Number 1.

The crowd erupted into chaos, looking at me like world was ending and that it was somehow my fault.

“Irene,” I said, speaking the name of my newest enemy out loud.

I don’t know who she is or where she came from, but one thing’s for sure.

I’m getting my title back.