GODGAME

PROLOGUE

"Warrior. Tell me something. Can you go against a god?"

"A god?"

Ren remained silent for a moment.

"I don't know. It depends."

"Depends on what, Warrior?"

Ren answered, "On whether you are willing to fight."

A pause.

"Warrior. Tell me something else. Can you save humanity?"

"Humanity?" Ren laughed weakly. "I... I don't know."

"Why, Warrior?"

"First, I have to save myself."

"Then? What next, Warrior?"

"Then maybe... Maybe I'll be able to save humanity."

_______

CHAPTER 1

DIVERSE CITY.

Jintan High School.

The bright afternoon sun reflected sharply through the window.

Crack!

A bloody punch shattered a senior's tooth.

The boy crashed violently into a row of lockers before slumping to the ground, joining seven others who lay groaning in a heap.

The observing students pressed flat against the walls. Some clutched their textbooks like shields; others trembled violently.

"Did he just take out the seniors?"

"What kind of human has strength like that?"

"I never knew our school had a monster like him."

The whispers of the hallway were all directed at a single person.

Standing in the center of the fallen bodies was a slender boy with wavy black hair, standing a towering 6'0". He casually held a school bag over his shoulder.

"Tch!" The boy—Ren Zumaki—let out an irritated scowl, looking down at the beaten upperclassmen. "At least have some actual strength if you're going to try bullying someone."

Turning toward a terrified junior wearing tinted glasses, Ren's harsh expression softened.

He handed the bag over with a small smile. "Hey, about the seniors... sometimes people let a little seniority go to their heads. Sorry, dude."

The junior nodded rapidly. "T-thank you," he stammered. It was hard to tell if he was shivering from the trauma of the bullies or from being saved by a guy who had just shattered their jaws and ego.

"Hey, don't mention it. Just go to the infirmary and get checked for bruises."

'Checked for bruises?' the junior thought, staring blankly. 'I'm not the one whose fists are literally dripping with blood from using human punching bags.'

Despite his internal panic, the junior just nodded submissively.

Before Ren could walk away, the hallway speaker blared:

"REN ZUMAKI! REPORT TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY!"

Ren straightened up, shoved his blood-flecked hands into his pockets, and dragged his feet forward.

As he walked, the crowd of students parted like the Red Sea, giving him a wide berth.

No one dared to whisper, or look twice.

Frowning, Ren walked down the silent corridors until he reached the principal's office. He heaved a deep sigh and knocked.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes."

Ren pushed the door open. Inside the simple, corporate office sat a middle-aged man in a sharp corporate suit.

"Ren" He gestured heavily to the seat opposite him.

"Afternoon, Principal Dashi," Ren said, sinking into the chair.

Dashi pinched the bridge of his nose, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. "Ren... Ren... Ren!!!"

"Pri—"

"Hush!" Dashi snapped. "Let me calm myself down before I deal with your issues. Ren, you are the only student in this entire school whose acts of violence reach my desk before they even finish happening! Now you've sent seven seniors to the infirmary. Tell me: WHY?"

"Principal Dashi," Ren said calmly, "those seniors were cornering a junior."

"And you wanted to play the hero? In the worst way possible!" Dashi exhaled a tired breath, finally dropping his hands to fix Ren with a piercing stare. "The boy bullied could have reported it to—"

"Yeah, and you guys would have responded in seven business days," Ren countered, leaning forward. "The innocent get trampled here while you turn a blind eye."

"Ren, we do not turn a blind eye to bullying! There are strict rules, and those seniors will absolutely face consequences," Dashi argued, slamming a hand down. "But as for you... Ren, you're suspended!"

"WHAT!" Ren surged to his feet so fast his chair crashed backward onto the floor. "You can't suspend me!"

"Of course I can, I'm the principal, and also it's part of the punishment for openly disobeying the school ethics and rules." Dashi calmly pulled a thick file from his desk drawer. "And let's see... this would be your seventh suspension, correct?"

Ren ground his teeth, his jaw tightening in annoyance. "I know that, but—"

"Your first suspension," Dashi read aloud, tracking the paper with his finger, "was because you threw a teacher into the school fish pond because he 'didn't properly maintain the filtration requirements.'"

"That man tripped and fell! Why does nobody believe me?!"

Dashi looked up from the folder, his expression deadpan. "We'll believe you, Ren, when the sky turns purple and starts raining acid."

Ren scowled, crossing his arms.

"Oh, and your second suspension was because you 'saved' a boy from losing his lunchbox by breaking the nose of the senior holding it." Dashi snapped the folder shut and rubbed his temples again. "Ren... if this behavior continues, I am going to have to permanently expel you."

Bang!

Ren slammed his fist onto the wooden desk, making Dashi flinch as the wood groaned under the force. "I don't want to be expelled! Don't even say that word!"

"Break my desk and those unwanted words will become a reality very quickly," Dashi warned, adjusting his lapels to regain his composure. "You are suspended for a week."

"You old bas—"

"Make it two weeks!" Dashi interrupted, flashing a superior, authoritative look. "Unless you'd like to make it three and miss your midterm exams entirely?"

Ren snapped his gaze away, letting out a harsh, bitter tch. "Whatever, old man."

He turned on his heel and strode toward the exit.

"Oh, and Ren? I'm going to need to speak with your parents."

Ren's hand froze directly on the doorknob. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"My parents?" Ren asked, his voice suddenly dropping into a flat tone.

"Yes."

"My dad is dead," Ren stated, staring blankly at the door. "And my mom is in a vegetative coma."

A suffocating silence settled over the office.

Dashi blinked, his throat going dry as he tried to process the information. "Then... who is your legal guardian?"

"Principal Dashi, I'm nineteen. I am my own guardian," Ren said, refusing to turn around. "I take care of myself. I work some night hustle just to pay rent and make ends meet. And my Mom had some savings, so.... Yeah."

Dashi stared at the boy's rigid back. The realization hit him like a physical blow. No adult figure... no guidance. That explains everything. A whole lot.

Before the principal could offer condolences or a way to help, Ren turned the knob, stepped out into the hallway, and shut the door behind him with a soft, definitive click.

Standing alone in the corridor, Ren let out a long, ragged breath. He looked down at his right hand. The knuckles were split and bruising fast.

"Jeez!"

A chubby boy with bright red hair and a face full of freckles leaned on the wall beside him. "You seriously need to see the school nurse to get those knuckles patched up, man."

"Mac, I'm fine," Ren muttered, shoving his hands deep back into his pockets.

"Definitely not fine," Mac replied, matching his stride as Ren began to walk.

"What are you even doing here? And how did you know I'd be in there?" Ren asked.

"Well, if you aren't in class, you're either with the nurse or the principal," Mac said with a mocking chuckle. "Plus, the announcement blared right after you took down seven seniors in what... under a minute?"

Mac threw a playful, uncoordinated punch into the air, grinning. "Don't worry, I grabbed your bag from the classroom."

He tossed a heavy backpack toward Ren, who caught it effortlessly by the strap and swung it over his shoulder. "Thanks, man."

"So, let me guess... suspension?" Mac asked.

Ren glanced at him. "How did you know?"

"Did you completely skip the student orientation manual when we enrolled here? Actually, don't answer that, I have to remind you every semester that you never read the rules." Mac shook his head in a mock disappointment.

"Look, Mac, you don't need to stress yourself over me. I can handle my own life."

"Oh, zip it." Mac stepped sharply in front of Ren, completely blocking his path. "That's exactly what friends are for."

Ren rubbed the back of his neck. For a brief second, the hardened expression vanished, replaced by a rare, softer expression. "You're literally the only guy in this entire building who doesn't look at me like I'm about to snap someone's neck."

Mac stepped aside, his grin returning. "Just try to dial back the violence, alright? I don't want my only friend getting permanently expelled into the streets."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Ren replied, a faint smile touching his lips.

"Hey, speaking of your ridiculous punching power..." Mac pulled out his smartphone, flipping it around to showcase a video. On the screen, it showed a massive boxing ring. Two fighters were trading blows so fast they left actual motion zaps of blurs. "You could totally enter the ZZE!"

"The ZZE?" Ren repeated, casting a skeptical eye at the screen.

"Yeah, the ZZE! The Zen-Zone Evolution!" Mac's eyes shone with hype. "It's the biggest international combat championship of all time. The greatest tournament ever built. You get to see absolute powerhouses beating down the odds. For a second, you'd swear it's pure CGI or special effects because no human should move that fast—but it's a hundred percent real!"

Ren gently pushed the phone away. "The ZZE isn't for a guy like me, Mac. I'm just street-strong against normal punks. Getting into a global tournament like that takes a miracle. Besides, I'm just a high schooler. It's never going to happen."

They pushed through the double doors toward the exit, Mac still staring down at the glowing screen.

"Bro," Mac whispered, his voice dropping into a breathless, awe-struck tone. "The winning prize money ranges from ten to thirty million dollars..."

"Be realistic, Mac. To win something like that, you'd need all the luck the heavens can spare," Ren said, pushing open the heavy glass exit doors. "See you in two weeks. And do me a favor—try to drop by with your class notes later? I'd really appreciate it."

"Got you, dude," Mac nodded, his hyped energy softening into genuine support. "Are you heading straight to your part-time job now?"

"Nah, today's my off day," Ren said, his voice dropping low, losing its usual sharp edge. "I'm going to go check on my mom."

"Oh... okay."

"Bye, Mac."

Ren gave a small wave to his friend before stepping out into the open air.

The afternoon sun hit his face, warming his tired, aching muscles.

"Two weeks of suspension means I've got time to pick up extra shifts," He muttered to himself.

He pushed past the heavy iron gates of Jintan High, stepping directly onto the bustling city street.

"That equals a few extra hundred dollars. Just enough for the hospital bills, rent, and groceries. I can make this work."

He blended with the pedestrians, focused entirely on calculating his budget. He didn't notice the sudden change in the traffic behind him.

A few blocks away, a sleek, pitch-black SUV idled quietly by the curb.

Slowly, the rear tinted window rolled down just a fraction, revealing a man with glasses which was adjusted immediately.

"Ren Zumaki," The man murmured from the darkness of the backseat.