GODGAME

Takeda

[CONGRATULATIONS, WARRIOR!]

[YOU HAVE UNLOCKED THE SUPREME BOXING SYSTEM.]

[YOUR TRAINING TO BECOME THE GREATEST FIGHTER BEGINS NOW.]

[EVOLVE AND GO BEYOND YOUR LIMITS!]

[GOOD LUCK, WARRIOR!]

Ren's eyes fluttered open.

He blinked, staring at the screen floating directly in front of him.

The moment he finished reading the text, the screen vanished.

His vision cleared, allowing him to take in his surroundings.

He wasn't in the dirt lot behind his house anymore.

Blinding morning sun reflected through large windows, a fresh breeze rustling white silk curtains.

Ren sat upright on a massive king-sized bed, worth what he could make in the next twenty years.

"Where am I?" he muttered.

He looked down, noticing an IV drip attached to the back of his hand.

As he shifted his weight, a sharp pain shot straight through his ribs. He winced, pausing as his free hand moved instinctively to his side.

His entire torso was tightly wrapped in thick medical bandages.

"Huh?"

He looked closer. His fingers and hands were completely bound in gauze too.

Ren closed his eyes, and the memories of the night before came rushing back.

"Za..." he whispered, the name tasting bitter on his tongue.

"So, that's who you faced?!"

Ren’s eyes snapped toward the sound. "What?!"

A tall, middle-aged man dressed in a sharp, expensive suit stood beside the bed. He calmly adjusted his glasses, keeping one hand tucked behind his back.

"Za," the man repeated, his tone deep and authoritative. "That's who you fought?"

"Yes," Ren nodded slowly, his guard immediately going up. "Who are—"

"The name is Takeda," the man interrupted flatly. "And you are Ren Zumaki."

Ren narrowed his eyes. The man’s gaze felt like it was boring straight through his soul.

"Why does everyone I don't know suddenly know my name?"

Ren pushed the heavy white sheets aside, attempting to swing his legs over the edge of the bed.

"I would advise you don't move," Takeda said. "You sustained injuries far beyond what you can imagine. Honestly, I don't know how you're still breathing. It's a genuine miracle."

Ren looked down at his bandaged hands. He remembered the organ-crushing agony of Za's Crash Punches, but right now, his body felt more like it was recovering from severe bruises than lethal internal damage.

"Yeah. A miracle," Ren muttered. He looked at Takeda, truly studying the man. "Where am I? Why did a monster attack me in my own home?"

Takeda adjusted his glasses again. "You're in my penthouse."

"Penthouse?" Ren looked toward the massive window. He could feel a breeze rolling in from a nearby ocean, a breeze which mocked his current bank savings.

If he kept quiet, he could actually hear the distant crashing of waves.

"As for why a beast attacked you," Takeda continued, "that is what I am trying to understand. We established boundaries to ensure the beasts wouldn't interfere with humans who possess the Essence. Because we didn't form an explicit rule against it, I am certain that is why you were targeted. Still, it doesn't explain everything."

Ren’s brows furrowed in deep confusion. "What the heck are you talking about?"

Takeda walked over to the glass, looking out at the horizon. "Have you heard of the ZZE?"

"Yes," Ren replied. "My friend Mac is a massive fan of the international championship. That's the only reason I know it. What about it?"

Takeda spoke without turning around. "The ZZE is a competition. A challenge against the exact thing you encountered in your living room."

He finally looked over his shoulder, his eyes locking onto Ren. "A beast. A monster."

Ren let out a short, skeptical laugh. "Yeah. Okay. We humans have been secretly fighting monsters."

But the grim, hard expression of Takeda's face instantly cut the laughter short.

"Wait. You're not joking, are you?" Ren's smile died. "An international fighting championship... against monsters?"

Takeda turned back to the window. "To the general public, the ZZE is just a worldwide combat sport to find the strongest human. The core motive remains the same, but the reality is heavily altered. Twenty years ago, something catastrophic happened here in Diverse City. Something the government successfully covered up."

Ren sat perfectly still, listening intently.

"A portal to a different world tore open," Takeda narrated. "Monsters flooded through, declaring the Earth as theirs."

Ren opened his mouth to interrupt, but thought better of it, letting the man finish.

"We knew the end was near. But mysteriously, right around the same time, we discovered a rare anomaly. There were humans whose souls produced a unique energy. We call it Essence. Those individuals became known as the Chosen."

Ren finally spoke up. "The awakening of Essence users happening at the exact same time a portal opens... that's too specific to be a coincidence. It sounds like there's a lot more to the story."

Takeda gave him a curt nod.

"You're right. We still don't know the exact origin of the Essence. We only realized its existence when the sudden breach in the balance of our world occurred."

Takeda stared out at the ocean ahead. "The monsters demanded a massive tournament to determine whether or not humans would keep their lives."

Takeda's eyes narrowed. "The world's most powerful martial arts masters stepped up, training the Chosen to unlock their latent potential. Back then, the rules were simple: it was a Mortal combat. 'A fight to the death.' Whoever won got to dictate the terms of the treaty."

He paused, letting the weight of the history settle.

"In the end, humanity won by a razor-thin thread. That win is how we established the ZZE, using the public tournament as a cover for the real battles. We banned the bloody death matches, replacing them with standard rules: Knockouts, time-outs, and forfeits."

Takeda turned around fully, facing Ren. "The treaty dictates that a major tournament must happen every five years. For the last four cycles, we have managed to win. This is the fifth tournament year, Ren. And the ZZE begins in exactly five months."

Takeda took a step forward. "And you are one of the Chosen."

Ren stared at the man for a long time, completely stunned, before shaking his head. "Look... I'm grateful for everything. Seriously. Saving my life, bringing me to this penthouse... but I'm just a high schooler. My mom is in a coma, I have bills—"

Takeda shook his head, cutting him off. "I don't think you understand the scale of what I am offering."

He adjusted his glasses, his voice dropping into a calm, matter-of-fact tone. "I will handle all of your expenses."

Ren’s eyes widened. "Say what?"

"I will cover everything. Your house was completely destroyed in the fight with Za—I will handle it. Your mother's medical bills, your high school tuition, your living expenses. Everything," Takeda said, looking Ren straight in the eyes. "Money is entirely irrelevant when the fate of the world rests on your shoulders."

Ren looked down at his bandaged fists, clearing his throat. "I thought I knew how to fight... but facing Za, I felt completely helpless. I was too weak."

"I will train you," Takeda offered simply.

Ren paused, looking up at the man's immaculate suit. "You can fight?"

"I am a two-time undefeated ZZE world champion," Takeda stated. "Of course I can fight."

"Oh... Wow. Okay," Ren nodded, the reality finally sinking in.

"So, Ren. Do we have a deal? Will you fight as a champion for humanity in the upcoming ZZE?"

Ren looked at his hands, a spark of resolve finally set in his eyes. "There's a hell of a lot I don't understand about this world, or this ZZE stuff. But... okay. We have a deal. I'll join the fight."

Takeda studied him for a long moment. "Good. You have two weeks to let your body fully heal. The moment you are cleared, your training regimen begins. For now, rest."

Turning away, Takeda kept his thoughts to himself: 'Ren is definitely isn't a normal Essence holder. There is something completely anomalous about his energy.'

Takeda’s eyes narrowed slightly as he walked toward the door. 'Especially that self-healing rate... is that a passive trait of his Essence? We will find out the moment I see his Soul Ability. Ren Zumaki...'

Ren watched him reach for the door handle, having an uncomfortable feeling,

"Erm... is there something else you're not telling me?"

Takeda's eyes relaxed almost immediately.

He dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a smartphone. "When clearing out your house, we retrieved this. A caller named Mac has been calling non-stop."

Ren's eyes widened.

He grabbed the phone from Takeda's hand and unlocked it. "Holy..."

He scrolled through dozens of missed calls.

"Ren," Takeda called out.

"Yes?"

"Do not repeat a single word of what I just told you to anyone. It is a secret that must remain hidden. Understood? Whether it's a close friend like Mac or your own mother, we cannot risk spreading public panic."

Without waiting for a verbal response, Takeda turned and exited the master bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Ren nodded silently to the empty room. "I won't."

He immediately dialed Mac's number.

The line didn't even ring twice before Mac answered, his voice bursting through the speaker in a rush.

"Ren! Holy crap! I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours! Where the hell are you?!" Mac yelled, barely taking a breath between his words. "I came over to your place last night, only to find a whole fleet of black cars and guys dressed like literal secret agents! Ren, I tried to push past them, but they blocked me. I asked where you were, and they just said you weren't inside. The house looks like it was struck by a damn missile... Are you okay?!"

A small, genuine laugh escaped Ren's lips. Hearing his friend's voice grounded him. "Mac, calm down. I'm fine."

"You're way too calm about what I just said! I don't trust that voice at all! What happened? Come on, man, talk to me! Where are you now?!"

Ren looked back out the window. "Mac, I'm seriously fine. Something crashed into the house while I was out. It's a massive, complicated story... but I'll tell you everything when I come back to school in two weeks. I promise."

The line went dead quiet for a long second before Mac let out a heavy, defeated sigh. "You promise?"

"I promise."

"Fine," Mac grumbled, his tone softening. "I'll just send the pictures of the class notes from today and text them over to you."

"Thanks, Mac. For everything."

"Yeah, whatever. Just know you owe me a massive explanation when you get back," Mac said. "Alright, bye. Take care."

The call ended.

Ren lowered the phone, finally letting his head sink back into the plush pillows. For the first time in twenty-four hours, he could breathe.

DING!

Ren sat straight back up in bed as the translucent screen flashed on right in front of his face.

[Countdown For Training Initiation:]

[311 Hours : 59 Minutes : 59 Seconds]

Ren stared blankly at the glowing numbers as the seconds began ticking downward.

"Out of everything that's happened to me... This is definitely the strangest."