Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

"Is being good at a game considered a life achievement?"

This is a phrase often heard when someone gets into a fight during a match.

It's usually said when you beat your opponent, and even if it's meant as an insult, it doesn't really sting.

For Nether Magus, it was more than just a game.

"Is being good at a game considered a life achievement?"

For him, the answer was a resounding "yes."

Nether Magus was playing a game called "World Breaker." It was a game about raising a character in a destroyed world, building a nation, and conquering the world.

Over time, the game's popularity had declined, but it was once a masterpiece with over a million players connected simultaneously across the world.

The game was notorious for its difficulty at the start, with the rankings changing every month due to the fierce competition. But Nether Magus had managed to maintain the number one spot for six consecutive years.

Was that an achievement? To him, it certainly was, though things had changed.

"Now, it may not be as impressive as it used to be," he thought.

The million players who once logged in simultaneously were now just a part of an old glory, as the number of players had significantly dropped over the years.

Currently, there were only about 20,000 players left in the entire world.

In the US alone, the player count might barely reach a thousand.

Despite this disastrous decline, maintaining the top rank was still a huge personal achievement for Nether Magus.

At least, it had been until last week.

"Please, let an opponent appear... please!"

Nether Magus muttered to himself as he stared at the screen, pleading for an opponent to show up.

On the screen, a spinning circle appeared alongside a message that read:

"Searching for an opponent. Please wait... [1 hour 17 minutes]."

He let out a deep sigh as he saw the time.

He had already been waiting for over an hour, and still, no opponent had appeared.

Yesterday, it took 50 minutes to find an opponent, but today, the situation was worse.

Just looking at that spinning circle was starting to frustrate him.

"Could it be that my score is too high to find an opponent?"

In all competitive games, there was a ranking system.

When a player started, everyone began with the same score, which would increase or decrease based on wins and losses.

The system aimed to match players with similar scores to prevent experienced players from preying on beginners.

But his current problem was that his score was too high.

"The third-ranked player has 18,490 points, the second has 18,920 points, and I have 22,380 points..."

The difference was staggering.

Because of his unbeaten streak, his score had risen abnormally high.

Until last week, he hadn't been worried about finding an opponent despite his high ranking.

After 15 minutes, the system would automatically match him with the closest-ranked player.

But that system had been changed due to complaints from other top-ranked players who had lost to him repeatedly.

- "Change the system that forces an opponent after 15 minutes!"

- "If all the similarly ranked players are in a match, we'll get destroyed by the top players!"

- "It's a game that takes at least two hours per match. We can't afford to lose every time!"

While these arguments might seem reasonable, the truth was that they just didn't want to face Nether Magus.

The game developer accepted the complaints.

"The system that forces an opponent after 15 minutes has been removed. Now, the longer the wait time, the wider the range of players that can be matched based on ranking points."

For other players, this update was a blessing.

But for Nether Magus, it was the worst update ever.

Even to fight the second-ranked player, he had to wait a long time.

His eyes were still glued to the game screen, where the loading circle continued to spin, increasing his frustration.

"I'll wait another 30 minutes. If no opponent shows up, I'll turn it off and do something else."

But Nether Magus knew the truth.

Even after 30 minutes, he would still be sitting there, waiting for an opponent to appear.

He didn't want to waste the time he had already spent waiting.

At the moment he was about to stand up, a message appeared on the screen:

"An opponent has been found. World is being generated. You will enter a new world."

"Your opponent is [Mamaita]."

Finally! Nether Magus sat back down in his chair like lightning.

After a long wait, his character appeared on the screen.

Just as he was about to move his character and enjoy the game, a message popped up from his opponent in the global chat.

-[Mamaita]: Nether Magus? Is that really you, Nether Magus?

-[Mamaita]: Why is the #1 ranked player here?

-[Mamaita]: This has to be a matchmaking mistake.

A scream erupted from Nether Magus's mouth. The previous day, after barely finding three opponents, each of them had quit the game as soon as they recognized his name. Despite waiting for four hours, he hadn't been able to play a single match. Determined not to let this happen again, he quickly started thinking of a plan. If the situation continued like this, his opponent would likely quit as well.

He needed to spark their competitive spirit before they logged off. Begging to play wouldn't work, as it would just highlight his skill, which would only scare the opponent away. What was required now was a calculated provocation.

-[Nether Magus]: Yeah, the matchmaking system seems broken.

-[Nether Magus]: I looked you up, and you're ranked 42nd. You're not even close to my level.

-[Nether Magus]: Stay down there and play with the others instead of hanging around up here.

After sending the taunt, Nether Magus waited nervously for a response. The plan had to work. If it did, he wouldn't mind dealing with backlash on the forums later as long as the match didn't get canceled.

-[Mamaita]: ??? You're talking like an a**hole.

-[Mamaita]: You talk big, huh?

-[Mamaita]: Let's see if your skills match your mouth.

With excitement rushing through him, Nether Magus clenched his fists. Finally, after two long days, he had a proper match. But he didn't plan to win this one. Lowering his score had become a necessity; otherwise, finding matches would become impossible. For him, maintaining the top rank and enjoying the game had become mutually exclusive.

It was better to let go of the achievement than live without playing a single enjoyable match.

The game progressed smoothly. Mamaita's skills weren't anything special, and the strategy was predictable. Nether Magus could think of dozens of ways to win. However, this was a match he had intended to lose from the start. The key was not to make the loss too obvious. If the defeat was too easy, Mamaita might suspect something and quit the game.

Nether Magus had to make it seem like Mamaita had won by their own efforts.

Letting his opponent believe the fight was balanced wasn't difficult for someone with his experience. Mamaita's intentions were clear in every move. Nether Magus kept the fight balanced, allowing for narrow victories and losses on both sides, making it seem like a real, even contest.

-[Mamaita]: You're not bad, I'll give you that. Your trash talk matches your skills.

-[Mamaita]: I'm going all out now. Get ready.

As the game continued, Nether Magus knew it was time to start losing. Even if he started to throw the match at this point, Mamaita wouldn't notice. With each turn, the odds tilted more and more in Mamaita's favor. The game was naturally heading toward Nether Magus's defeat.

-[Mamaita]: Where's your trash talk now? LOL

-[Mamaita]: Stay down there, right? This is hilarious, LOL.

Mamaita's attitude was becoming an issue. It seemed the earlier taunt had struck a nerve, and Mamaita was constantly mocking him. Though this was all part of Nether Magus's plan, and the insults didn't bother him much, it was starting to get irritating.

-[Mamaita]: You know I'm recording this, right?

-[Mamaita]: The forums are going to explode tomorrow, LOL.

-[Mamaita]: #1 ranked player getting wrecked, LOL.

The messages continued, pushing Nether Magus further. He reminded himself that all the top players knew his real skill, and even if this was recorded, it would be clear he had lost on purpose. Reacting to the provocation would only put him in a worse position. He was about to close the chat window when the next messages appeared.

-[Mamaita]: Be honest, you're not the one playing, right?

-[Mamaita]: You must've hired someone. No way this is your actual skill.

-[Mamaita]: I feel bad for the idiots who think you're good, LOL.

At this point, Nether Magus's frustration reached its peak. The match was practically lost, with a 10-to-1 advantage against him. But in a swift decision, he grabbed his mouse again. Winning points no longer mattered. What mattered now was teaching Mamaita a lesson.

Without hesitation, his hands moved furiously over the keyboard and mouse.

The match shifted dramatically in an instant. The overwhelming gap between their strengths gradually shrank, and soon, what had been a 10-to-1 advantage in Mamaita's favor flipped to a 1-to-10 situation in favor of Nether Magus. As soon as the tides turned, the chat window fell silent. At some point, Mamaita had given up and stopped controlling their character entirely.

Without a second thought, Nether Magus finished the game, obliterating the now-motionless character.

"Nether Magus has defeated Mamaita."

"Nether Magus's score has increased to 23,790 points."

"Mamaita has left the world."

As soon as the match ended, Mamaita exited the game. Though the victory felt satisfying, it didn't take long for Nether Magus to recall his original goal, and he slumped back in his chair, frustrated.

His plan to lower his ranking had failed, and instead, his score had increased. Finding another match might now take more than two hours. Letting out a long sigh, he turned off his computer.

The next day, Nether Magus logged into the game's website, intending to file a complaint with the developers. But as soon as he accessed the page, he froze in disbelief at what he saw.

"Dear players, we would like to thank you for your love and support of World Breaker. As of today, World Breaker will cease service. We apologize for the sudden notice and hope to see you soon in our next project."

The sudden closure shocked him. It seemed unfathomable that the game would shut down without at least a month's warning. Yet, here it was, the game he had invested so much time in, gone overnight.

Logging into the community forums, he found chaos, with complaints flooding the pages. Titles like "No heads-up? Are you guys insane?" and "This is absurd!" filled the space, reflecting the frustrations of players who, like him, felt blindsided.

Just as he was about to join the outcry, a strange post caught his eye: "Check your inbox now."

According to the post, the developers had sent out messages to select players, inviting them to test a new game. Supposedly, to join, players had to say, "Open the Dimensional Gate." What was more bizarre was that some claimed that a portal had actually appeared when they followed the instructions.

Though it seemed like a far-fetched joke, the post had garnered enough attention to make it worth investigating. Out of curiosity, Nether Magus checked his inbox. To his surprise, there was indeed a message waiting for him.

"Congratulations. You have been selected as a beta tester for our next project."

The message thanked him for his dedication to World Breaker and explained that he could join the beta test for the new game by saying the words, "Open the Dimensional Gate." The instructions seemed too absurd to believe.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided to test it. Quietly, he muttered, "Open the Dimensional Gate."

At first, nothing happened. He felt ridiculous for even trying. But then, a sound like tearing paper echoed through the air. Before his very eyes, a glowing, blue oval began to form, its appearance strikingly similar to the dimensional gates he had seen in the game World Breaker.

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