The Gaming Master

Chapter 5

I could barely hear Felix and his friends anymore. Their mocking laughter, their jeers, their taunts—it all blurred into a distant hum. My mind had shut them out completely. My breath came in sharp, shallow gasps as I stared at the glowing screen before me.

Was this really real? 

The strange system? 

The sudden cash. 

Everything felt like I was hallucinating. 

Trust me, if any of you were in my shoes, then you would definitely feel what I was feeling at the moment. The aderelaine, the shock as of course the message I had seen. Everything was happening too fast that I was beginning to lose my mind. 

A message. A system. And more money than I had ever imagined in my life.

$2,000,000.

I blinked. I swallowed hard. I opened the message again, just to be sure I wasn’t hallucinating. But there it was—clear as day, a row of zeros stretching endlessly behind the number two.

I had never seen anything like it. I had been used to barely scraping by, watching the numbers in my bank account dwindle to near nothing each month. And now… this?

This was impossible.

My mind went to what I could do with the substantial amount of money. Money that could change my life and make me roll with the big boys on campus. Many of the girls would bow at my feet and I would be able to have whatever that I wanted. 

I looked at the paper in front of me that said my scholarship had been withdrawn. With the money, I could pay my tuition fees, get myself a decent outfit and change my looks. 

My pulse pounded in my ears. My fingers trembled. Was this some kind of cruel joke? A trick to make me look even more foolish than Felix had already made me?

I had to check. I had to know for sure.

Shutting my phone, I turned on my heel and walked away.

“Hey! Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Felix’s voice rang behind me, sharp and laced with amusement. “Did you just ignore me?”

For the first time, I didn’t care. I kept walking, my pace quickening.

“Looks like our little errand boy grew a backbone,” Celine sneered. “What’s the rush, loser?”

Felix’s laughter echoed, but I didn’t stop. Something was different. I was different. They must have sensed it too because their voices wavered, confusion slipping into their tones.

I needed to confirm it. I needed to see it with my own eyes.

But first I needed to go to the Dean office and see for myself if truly my scholarship was to be withdrawn. 

I could hear the trail step of Felix and his friends right behind me. Sometimes I wonder why Felix was doing this to me. There were other students like me he could make life unbearable for. 

So why me?

“ I guess he is going to make sure the paper was legit.” 

“ Well, he might as well start packing while he is at it.” 

“ I wonder what he is going to do with his life if he is asked to officially withdraw.” 

“ Crawl back to the gutter hole he came out from. What do you expect?” 

I could hear their harsh words as I shoved open the Dean’s door. 

Am elderly man seated at the back of the mahogany desk looked to catch my gaze. “ How can I help you, Mr Klaus?” he said with his gaze fixed on me. 

“ You asked me to withdraw?why? I think this semester has only been the worst so far and that was because.” The word was stuck in my throat when I turned back to see the door opened. 

Felix walked in and immediately,the Dean stood up from his seat offering Felix his chair. 

“ You were saying,Klaus.” Felix looked up. 

I knew trying to argue, fight things out, talk things through was a waste of time. I summoned the courage to ask the Dean who ever went as far to serve Felix some wine. 

For a moment, I could see the look of surprises on both their faces. 

It dawned on me what was going on. Felix had the power here in the school. He was untouchable and he could have things his way. 

“ What if I can pay my tuition? That means I can still be a student here right?” 

Felix let out a shrieked laughter and my face went pale. 

“ Wait? Are you seriously considering paying your fees, Klaus?” He looked at me. I didn't say a word. 

I need to look weak, to show that I was the same old Klaus who had always followed instructions and done everything he asked of me. 

“ Do you even know how much that is? I bet you haven't seen so much money like them before. Tell him Mr Jason.” Felix said, sipping the wine in his hand. 

I prayed, hoping the money was not much. 

“ $1,000,000.” Mr Jason said with a smile. 

“ $1,000,000? Is that all?” I asked, staring at their faces. 

The dean nodded and walked out. 

I all but ran to the nearest ATM, my heart slamming against my ribs. My hands shook as I slid my ATM card into the slot. I punched in my PIN with unsteady fingers.

The screen blinked to life. I tapped the withdrawal option, my breath catching as I typed in the number—$10,000.

That was a safe amount, right? Not too much, not too little. Just enough to prove to myself that this wasn’t some wild fever dream.

I hit confirm.

The machine whirred, processing my request. My stomach coiled tight. This was it. This was—

[ INSUFFICIENT FUNDS ]

I felt the ground drop from beneath me.

“What?” I whispered, my throat dry.

I tried again. $5,000.

[ INSUFFICIENT FUNDS ]

No. No, no, no.

I jabbed at the buttons, checking my account balance. My heart pounded as the screen flashed once, then displayed the amount.

$2,000,000.

It was there. The money was real. And yet… I couldn’t withdraw a single cent.

My breath hitched. My hands clenched into fists.

“What the hell is this?” I muttered.

Anguish washing over me. 

Was it really over for me?

[29/03, 9:39 am] MYDAS 😄😄: GAMING MASTER