Chapter 1: Hopeless Reincarnation

Ren ranked fifth in the world, while Soran held the eighth position. Both were exceptionally skilled gamers, and neither had any doubts about their abilities.

"Soran, set up the game system," Ren ordered impatiently as he signed the documents handed to him by the delivery man.

Soran didn’t waste a second. The moment the delivery man left, he got to work, unpacking the equipment and connecting the necessary components.

Meanwhile, Toka watched his two friends bustling around for a few seconds before finally speaking up.

"I thought you said the bidding started at five hundred thousand dollars. How did it end up costing so much?"

Ren didn’t even spare him a glance. He was already helping Soran install the game and configure the secret level he had just spent a fortune acquiring.

After a brief silence, he finally answered.

"Turns out the current number one, two, and three were all interested in it."

He picked up a gamepad and examined the screen, his attention seemingly divided between the setup and the conversation.

"And all three of them had some pretty serious backing."

Toka raised an eyebrow.

"Serious backing? What do you mean?"

"Apparently, some wealthy businessmen and influential families were more than willing to spend a fortune to acquire the level on their behalf." Ren clicked a few buttons before adding with a frustrated sigh, "Hence... the millions I ended up spending."

"Huh?"

Toka’s eyebrows knitted together.

"Why would millionaires be so interested in buying a game?"

Ren shrugged.

"Beats me."

He continued fiddling with the settings for a moment before speaking again.

"I initially outbid those rich brats using nothing but my own money. But when the businessmen got involved, things became ridiculous. I practically had to put everything on the line just to secure it."

Toka fell silent.

Deep down, he understood why Ren was going to such ridiculous lengths.

His friend had always been obsessed with Velma, the former number-one gamer who had mysteriously disappeared. And considering the strange circumstances surrounding this particular level, it wasn’t difficult to guess what Ren was hoping to find.

Perhaps he believed the secret level would bring him one step closer to uncovering the truth behind her disappearance.

Or perhaps there was something else he wasn’t telling them.

Whatever the case, Toka couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this entire affair was suspicious.

He let out a resigned sigh and glanced around the room.

"Do you still have popcorn?"

"Yeah. Help yourself..." Ren replied absentmindedly.

Soran, who had been quietly handling the setup, finally turned around.

"Can’t you go an entire hour without stuffing your face, Fatso?"

Toka shot him a completely uninterested look.

"I’m hungry. Deal with it."

Soran shook his head in disappointment.

"Honestly, it seems you genuinely enjoy being fat."

Toka ignored the remark and reached for the popcorn.

Just then, a familiar sound rang out from the television.

Ding!

The game was ready.

Ren and Soran immediately straightened up, their attention snapping towards the screen. Both hurriedly grabbed their gamepads, their earlier conversation instantly forgotten.

"Th- The game is about to start!" Ren exclaimed excitedly. He glanced over his shoulder at Toka. "Get over here and sit behind us. We’re going to need those brains of yours!"

"I’m coming," Toka replied casually.

He wasn’t particularly interested in their excitement. Instead, he was busy adding another generous amount of sugar to his popcorn.

"Yeah... Ohhh, yeah..."

He stared at the sugary mixture with satisfaction.

"Now that’s what I call sweetness."

"Get your fat brain over here, you fat ass!" Soran suddenly barked.

Toka let out a long sigh and rolled his eyes.

’What an annoying fellow.’

Nevertheless, he picked up his popcorn and made his way over, settling into his usual position behind the two gamers.

He had barely gotten comfortable when the room fell silent.

All three pairs of eyes were fixed on the television.

A few seconds later, the screen flickered.

Then, a notification appeared.

[ W E L C O M E T O T H E F I N A L L E V E L ]

[ O N L Y T R U E C H A M P I O N S A R E A D V I S E D T O P R O C E E D ]

[ D O Y O U W I S H T O P R O C E E D ? ]

[ YES. NO. ]

Soran raised an eyebrow as he read the notification.

"Final level? I... thought this was supposed to be the secret level."

Ren nodded, his eyes practically glowing with excitement.

"That makes it even better."

"Uhmm..." Toka hesitated, leaning forward slightly. "Doesn’t that actually make it worse?"

He looked between the two gamers before continuing.

"We never even managed to reach the final level of the ordinary game. And now we’re being presented with a secret final level? That’s... that’s quite a leap above our pay grade."

Ren finally turned to give him a sideways glance.

"Exactly. That’s why it’s better."

Toka tilted his head, his expression growing even more doubtful.

He scooped another handful of popcorn into his mouth and began chewing noisily. The uncomfortable crunching sounds filled the room as he considered the situation.

Neither Ren nor Soran seemed particularly bothered. They had probably grown so accustomed to Toka’s questionable eating habits that they barely registered the noise anymore.

Still holding Toka’s gaze, Ren suddenly broke into a mischievous grin.

"It’s better because we get to skip all the levels!"

For a moment, nobody said anything.

Well, almost nobody because Toka continued chewing loudly.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The two gamers stared at the screen, seemingly contemplating the implications of Ren’s reasoning.

Then, Soran suddenly growled.

"Fuck it!"

He tightened his grip on the gamepad.

"Four and a half million dollars can’t just go down the drain. We’re playing this shit!"

He turned briefly towards the others, his expression leaving little room for argument.

Ren’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

"Now that’s the reaction I expected."

Both gamers turned towards Toka. They stared at him expectantly.

He stopped chewing.

For a few seconds, he looked at their determined expressions, then at the screen, before letting out an exaggerated sigh.

"Ahhh... When you put it that way, it actually seems stupid not to play."

Ren’s smile widened.

"Now we’re all on the same page."

Without another word, he turned back to the television and moved the cursor towards the YES option.

He pressed it.

A new notification immediately appeared.

[A R E Y O U S U R E ? D E C I S I O N S C A N N O T B E U N M A D E]

Ren’s expression twisted in irritation.

"Oh, come on!"

He leaned forward and pressed the button again.

"We’ve already decided! YES!"

The moment he confirmed his selection, something unexpected happened.

The screen flashed.

A blinding white light burst out of the television, instantly flooding the entire room.

"What the—?!"

Before any of them could react, the light expanded, swallowing everything in its path.

The gamepads slipped from their hands.

The popcorn bowl toppled over, scattering its contents across the floor.

And just like that...

Ren, Soran, and Toka lost consciousness.

The entire room fell silent.

Only the television remained on.

Its screen flickered once before displaying a final notification.

[YOUR TRIALS HAVE BEGUN]