It was well into the night when Jake Turner’s old, battered pickup truck lumbered along the winding two-lane road that led to his house. The powerful hum of the engine reverberated through the stillness of the night as the headlights carved a path through the enveloping darkness, casting dancing shadows on the overhanging branches of the trees on either side of the road.

With heavy eyelids, he fought the persistent urge to succumb to sleep. The rustle of the worn-out tires over the rough road and the hum of the engine were lulling him into a trance. Jake’s grip on the steering wheel tightened in a desperate attempt to stay awake. His shoulders slumped as he stifled another massive yawn. Even though the week had only reached its midpoint, he was already dog-tired and couldn’t wait for the weekend. He had been working very hard, determined to earn every extra penny he could to secure a better future for himself.

Despite his attempts to stay awake, he fell asleep for a moment. He was shaken awake when his pickup truck swerved into the shoulder of the road, almost sideswiping a pine tree. Cursing loudly, he spun the steering wheel to return the vehicle back onto the road. This incident jerked him back to full awareness, and for the next several minutes, he was alert and watchful. However, it wasn’t long before the tiredness began to take a toll on his body again.

It was then when he was half-asleep that a text message emerged in his vision.

Attention required! The realm known as Earth is about to be consumed by the System and integrated into the Gameverse. As a citizen of Earth, you have the right to become a player. If you want to join the Gameverse as a player, you first need to participate in a high-low game. If you win, you’ll become a player. If you lose or if you choose not to play the high-low game at all, you’ll become a monster. Initiate the game of chance: Y/N

“What the hell,” Jake muttered.

Most of the text disappeared after he read it. Only the last line remained in his vision. He kept staring at it, but it didn’t go away. Under normal circumstances, Jake would have wondered what it all meant. He might have even speculated that he had probably gone crazy. However, being at the moment exhausted and half-asleep, he didn’t question his sanity and didn’t even give the matter any thought. Instead, he simply decided to play this game. If anything, it might help him pass the time.

Well, start the game then, he thought sleepily.

However, nothing happened. The line of text hovered before his eyes without going away.

“Hey I wanna play your game,” he muttered. “Why won’t you let me play it?”

Nothing happened. The line of text was still in his vision.

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Initiate the game of chance: Y/N

Feeling stupid from lack of sleep, he simply stared at it for a few seconds, not quite understanding why nothing was happening. Then an idea came to his mind numbed with weariness, and he mentally said Yes.

As soon as the thought formed in his mind, the line of text was replaced with another.

The game of chance begins.

It is your turn now. Picking a random number from 1 to 10. Please wait a little.

…

…

…

Your number has been chosen. Your number is 8.

“Wow,” Jake muttered. “That’s not bad. Not bad at all.”

The lines of text before his eyes vanished to be replaced with others. Excited, he read them as they appeared in his vision. This is fun.

It is the System’s turn now. Picking a random number from 1 to 100. Please wait a little.

At first, Jake thought that he’d read the text wrongly. He glanced at the number again, but it was still 100 instead of 10. He thought that it could be some kind of mistake. He stared at the number for a second, hoping it would miraculously change from one hundred to ten. But it didn’t happen. It was no mistake.

Really? It’s not fair!

Nothing happened for a few seconds. Then another line of text materialized before him.

The System’s number has been chosen.

After that, there was a brief pause. Jake stared at the last line of text with fixed attention. This little game actually excited him, and he really wanted to win even though he understood that his chances of winning were slim to none. It made him want to win even more. He wasn’t sure what he would get in reward if he won, though.

Another second passed, and a new piece of text finally popped up before his eyes.

The System’s number is 7. You win.

“Look at that! Lucky me.”

He’d won, and it excited him a great deal. He’d never been so lucky in his whole life.

A new piece of text appeared before his eyes.

The process of integrating the world known as Earth into the Gameverse will begin shortly. You will be put in stasis in three seconds…

The game of chance and text messages had distracted Jake so much that he hadn’t noticed his pickup truck swerve into the oncoming lane. Only when he heard a loud honk did he focus his attention on the road ahead. He saw the glare of the headlights rushing right at him. Yelping in fear, he spun the steering wheel to the side.

Two seconds…

The upcoming car zipped past, missing his pickup truck by mere inches. Jake lost control of his vehicle, cutting through the shoulder of the road and rushing toward the tree line. When he realized the collision was inevitable, he screamed in panic as he brought his hands up to protect his head.

One second…

His pickup truck crashed into a pine tree, the hood crumpling like paper. A fraction of a second after the collision, everything went dark before his eyes. However, while all of Jake’s senses became unresponsive, he still could think.

Done. You will be brought back from stasis and will be able to start playing the Game after the process of integrating Earth into the Gameverse is finished.

After that, Jake’s consciousness shut down too.