The Gaming Master

Chapter 2 – Klaus’s POV

Klaus’s POV

Pain. That was the first thing I felt when I woke up. 

A dull, throbbing ache that pulsed through my entire body, starting  from my leg and spreading up my spine like wildfire. My head felt heavy, my vision hazy as I forced my eyes open. The bright, sterile lights above me made me squint, and the sharp scent of antiseptic filled my nostrils.

I was in a hospital.

But not just any hospital.

The sheets beneath me were softer than anything I had ever slept on. The walls were pristine white, with sleek monitors displaying my vitals. The air-conditioning hummed softly, and a fresh bouquet of flowers sat on the table beside me.

I flashed my eyes open and I saw I was in a VIP ward.

My chest tightened. “ Jesus Christ!” 

There was no way—no way—I could afford this.

Panic surged through me as I sat up too fast, pain lancing through my ribs. I gritted my teeth and looked around, my heart beating against my ribs. This wasn’t a normal hospital room. It was luxurious. Exclusive. Expensive.

I clenched my fists. How the hell was I going to pay for this?

The door creaked open.

I turned my head sharply, and the sight that greeted me made my stomach drop.

Felix.

And his minions.

They walked in like they owned the place, dressed in their casual designer wear, smirking as if they had just walked into a private lounge instead of a hospital room.

"Look who's finally awake," Felix said with a smirk on his face, slipping his hands into his pockets. His perfectly styled blonde hair caught the light, and his sharp green eyes glimmered with amusement. "Had a nice nap, Klaus?"

His friends snickered behind him.

I glared at them.

"Get out," I hissed, my voice rough from disuse as my hand clinched to my side. 

Felix raised a brow, feigning surprise. "That’s not how you thank someone who saved your ass."

I frowned. "What? Saved my ass? What are you talking about?”

He pulled out a slip of paper from his jacket and tossed it onto my lap. I looked down and felt the blood drain from my face.

A hospital bill.

My hands shook as I scanned the amount. It was more than I could ever dream of making in ten years. I counted the amount of zeros at the back of the figure and my face went pale. I could not meet up with the amount I was looking at even though I burst my ass off working double shift. 

"You—" I swallowed. "You paid for this?"

Felix smirked. "You should be grateful. I could’ve let you rot in some public ward. But, being the generous guy I am, I took care of everything." He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping. "Of course, nothing in this world comes for free."

A sick feeling churned in my stomach.

Felix grinned. "You owe me now, Klaus."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut.

"I—" My throat was dry. "I can't pay this back."

Felix clicked his tongue, tilting his head. "Oh, but you will. You’re mine now, Klaus. Consider yourself officially indebted to me."

I gritted my teeth. "You're the reason I’m in here!"

Felix shrugged. "And I'm also the reason you're not lying in some back alley like a stray dog. But hey, no need to thank me."

His friends laughed.

One of them, a lanky guy named Brett, stepped forward. "Speaking of favors, Felix’s girl, Celine, has an essay due tomorrow. You’ll be handling that, right?"

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palm. I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight. But my leg—broken. My ribs—bruised. I couldn’t even stand without falling apart.

Felix must have seen the look on my face because he let out a chuckle, patting my shoulder with mock sympathy.

"Don't look so miserable, Klaus. This is just the beginning. We have a long way to go. You and me.” He said with a grin on his face as he walked out of the hospital with his jackals. 

The following week was hell.

If my life had been bad before, it is unbearable now.

Felix had made sure everyone knew I was "indebted" to him. He turned me into his personal errand boy. If I wasn’t fetching his coffee, I was carrying his books. If I wasn’t carrying his books, I was doing his assignments. And if I wasn’t doing his assignments, I was stuck doing Celine’s, his spoiled, air-headed girlfriend who treated me like a walking trash can.

"Ugh, Klaus, this paper is garbage," Celine had sneered one afternoon, flipping through the essay I had written for her. She tossed it at my chest. "Rewrite it. And make it sound intelligent this time."

I wanted to snap. But I swallowed my anger and took the papers. Because I had no choice.

Felix made sure of that.

I barely had time to attend my own classes, let alone rest. My leg aches from walking across campus with crutches, but I wasn’t allowed to complain.

Complaining would only make things worse.

And so, I suffered in silence.

Until that night.

The sky was pregnant and the entire planet was black, the  rain poured heavily, drenching the campus in sheets of water. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the streets were nearly empty, most students having taken shelter inside their dorms.

I, however, had no such luxury.

My clothes were soaked, my hair plastered to my forehead as I limped down the empty sidewalk, exhausted from another night of slaving away for Felix and his friends.

My crutches splashed against the wet pavement, my breath coming out in ragged puffs. My backpack was heavy with books and damp laundry. I was nothing more than a wet dog, dragging itself home.

Then—

Something flickered in front of me.

I stopped, blinking through the rain.

A glow. A strange, bluish light hovering in the air, barely visible through the downpour.

I squinted, rubbing my eyes. Maybe I was hallucinating from exhaustion.

But then, the glow sharpened.

A digital interface materialized in front of me, floating just inches away from my face.

Lines of code danced along the surface before transforming into words.

My breath caught.

> [SYSTEM MESSAGE: BECOME THE ALMIGHTY GAMING AVATAR WITH A CLICK.]

A sharp gust of wind blew past, but the glowing message remained steady, pulsing softly in the darkness.

I shivered. My heart pounded.

This… this wasn’t normal.

I took a hesitant step back, but the message followed.

And then—

Two options appeared.

[YES] / [NO]

I stared at them, my mind racing.

Was this some kind of prank? Some weird hallucination brought on by stress?

Or was this real?

I swallowed, the rain running down my face.