NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: The Game
Kyler stared at the empty space where Roi's double had just vanished, rubbing his chin with an amused grin.
"Huh. Now that's interesting."
Roi was still catching his breath, gripping Black Ruin tightly as if expecting another attack.
"You knew this would happen?" he demanded.
Kyler shrugged. "Knew? Nope. Expected? Not at all. But entertained? Absolutely."
Roi's brows furrowed. "Then how the hell did I end up in a trial without you knowing?"
Kyler snapped his fingers. "Ah, that's the weird part." He waved his hand, and system code materialized midair, glitching and rearranging. Strings of numbers flickered, running down an invisible screen.
His grin widened.
"Looks like the system didn't register this as an official trial. It wasn't planned. It wasn't assigned." His eyes gleamed. "You triggered something… outside the system."
Roi's stomach dropped.
"Wait. So you're telling me this just happened on its own?"
"Bingo." Kyler let out a laugh. "Which means something's either broken—" He paused, tilting his head. "—or someone doesn't want me watching."
Roi's breath hitched.
Someone else?
Kyler stretched, dismissing the code screen with a flick of his wrist. "Either way, doesn't matter. We'll find out soon enough."
Then, without warning, his expression shifted—grin widening, eyes flashing with excitement.
"But forget that. We've got something way more interesting to talk about."
Roi narrowed his eyes.
"What now?"
Kyler's smirk turned sharp.
"The Game."
Roi blinked.
"The what?"
"The Game." Kyler leaned in slightly. "It's different from the trials, and oh boy, you're going to love this one."
Roi crossed his arms. "Aren't these trials already games?"
Kyler's grin deepened.
"No, no, no." He wagged a finger. "The trials? They test you. They push you. They break you."
He paused, tilting his head.
"But The Game? That's where things really begin."
Roi's stomach twisted.
This didn't feel like a simple level-up.
This felt like a warning.
Like everything he'd been through so far—was just the tutorial.
And now, The Game was about to start.
Kyler's smirk widened, his eyes glinting with something almost… entertained.
"You really think these trials were the peak of your suffering?" He leaned back, cracking his knuckles. "No, no, no. This was just the prelude, Roi. Now, we get to the real fun part."
Roi crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. "You keep saying that, but what the hell is The Game?"
Kyler grinned. "The Game is exactly what it sounds like. A game."
"I swear to God, Kyler—"
"Okay, okay, relax." Kyler chuckled. "Let me spell it out for you. In the trials, you had your own will. Your own choices. You ran, you fought, you hesitated."
He tilted his head.
"But in The Game? You don't get that luxury."
Roi's stomach dropped.
"What do you mean?"
Kyler's smirk turned sharp.
"I mean, you're not the one playing anymore."
The air felt thick, pressing against Roi's skin.
Kyler took a step closer, his voice dropping slightly.
"Someone will control you."
Roi's breath hitched.
"Control me?"
"Exactly." Kyler spread his arms. "You're going to enter a game—a real one. One played by an actual human. And whatever they do, whatever they choose?"
His grin widened.
"You'll be the one who suffers for it."
Roi felt a cold chill run down his spine.
This wasn't just another trial.
This was something far worse.
"And what if the player sucks?" he muttered.
Kyler laughed. "Then you better hope they don't get you killed."
Roi's gut twisted.
"No." He shook his head, taking a step back. "I don't want this. I'm done. I'm not some damn puppet."
Kyler just grinned.
And then—the room changed.
The floor beneath them vanished into an endless white void. The walls folded and warped, twisting into something unfathomable.
Then—
A massive screen materialized in front of them.
Roi's breath hitched.
A gaming setup.
A sleek black chair, a desk cluttered with RGB-lit peripherals, and a floating console selection.
And in the middle of it all—a human.
Roi's heart pounded.
The player.
The one who would be controlling him.
But as the figure turned, as their small hands reached for the controller, as their face was illuminated by the soft screen glow—
Roi felt his soul leave his body.
"Wait. WAIT."
The player was a child.
A freaking kid.
He wasn't older than eight.
"You've got to be kidding me," Roi whispered, eyes wide in sheer horror.
Kyler burst out laughing.
"Hah! I was waiting for that reaction." He patted Roi on the back, nearly knocking him forward. "Yep, that's your player. Good luck!"
Roi stared in disbelief.
"MY LIFE IS IN THE HANDS OF A FREAKING CHILD?!"
Kyler just shrugged. "Could've been worse. Could've been an old man with arthritis."
Roi wasn't comforted.
But then—Kyler's smirk sharpened.
"Don't worry. Unlike the trials, where you only get a piece of an item or skill, here? Every ability you gain will be permanent."
Roi's fingers twitched.
Permanent?
That was… huge.
But—
He scowled. "I still don't want this."
Kyler snorted. "Too bad."
Before Roi could argue, the kid sat in the chair.
Their tiny hands hovered over the floating game selection, then picked one.
Roi felt a cold chill wash over him as the title flashed on the screen.
MOBILE BATTLE ARENA.
Kyler let out a low whistle.
"Oh, this is gonna be good."
Roi's stomach sank.
This was a MOBA.
A game where he'd have to rely on his team.
A game where people died all the time.
A game controlled by a literal child.
I'm so screwed.
Roi's soul left his body.
This was a nightmare. A literal nightmare.
A freaking kid was about to control his every move.
Kyler? Oh, he was having the time of his life.
"This is gold. I should've brought popcorn," Kyler snickered, leaning back as if he were in a VIP seat at a theater. "Man, I can't wait to see how badly you'll get wrecked."
Roi was hyperventilating.
The kid was scrolling through the character selection screen.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
Roi wanted to scream.
And then—
The kid clicked.
A bright character animation played. A figure twirled onto the screen.
"Elegant Rose, at your service! Let's bloom into battle, shall we?"
Roi froze.
A girl.
He looked up. He looked at the cute, pink-haired, frilly-dressed girl twirling a rapier on-screen.
He looked at the kid.
The kid nodded proudly.
"NO." Roi yelled instantly. "NO NO NO NO NO."
Kyler was dying laughing.
"Oh my god. Yes. YES." He wheezed, tears forming in his eyes. "The great Roi. The Black Ruin. The player-killer of the Dark Web. And now... a magical girl."
Roi's hands trembled.
"I swear if you don't change it—"
The kid ignored him.
Instead, they were rotating the character model.
Admiring the frills.
Zooming in on the glitter effects.
Taking their sweet, precious time.
Roi's eye twitched.
"I am going to lose my mind," he whispered.
Finally—FINALLY—the kid made a dissatisfied hum.
And then—
They switched characters.
Roi exhaled in relief.
The screen flashed again.
This time, the new character stepped forward.
A male warrior, tall and armored, with a massive broadsword on his back.
"Victory is earned, not given. Stand and fight!"
Roi sagged in relief.
"THANK YOU."
Kyler, wiping away tears of laughter, just grinned.
"Oh, this is gonna be FUN."
Roi had a very, very bad feeling about this.