“Alright, everyone. It’s been an intense evening of competition, but all good things must come to an end!” the announcer proclaimed. “Now, let’s get on with our final event!”

The crowd roared.

John still couldn’t believe he was at the final stage of the Kingdoms & Valor World Championship. The fantasy-based game had been played at a professional level since its release and already had become the highest-grossing game ever! Though John had never been good enough at VR games to get paid, this one was different. A twenty-five-year-old janitor, he’d become one of the top players in the world in only two months! He’d spent his days cleaning up vomit at his local middle school and his nights cleaning up his enemies in a fantasy world with spells and spears. Then it had only taken another couple of months to find a professional team and sponsors. The Straight As focused on Death Magic and Undead effects, an unorthodox style as Life Magic was long assumed to be the top magic discipline, and it had taken them very far.

The team’s charitable nature, being part of something bigger than themselves, also really hit a chord with John. They had been donating half of all profits to St. Baldrick’s Foundation for kids with cancer, and the nonprofit organization had directly helped a child named Becky with her treatments. With their help and contributions, she had made a full recovery. She had even become the team’s number one fan. He’d never really had friends or a worthwhile purpose before. Now he had a job he loved and was helping children in need. He had found his calling. Once this tournament was over, he planned to continue trying to make a difference with his life by being a full-time professional gamer.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Now, to bring out our first contenders. First, we have the Straight As with their captain, Ace!” the announcer said.

Hearing his avatar name called, John snapped out of his daze and looked toward the curtain separating them from the stadium.

He and his team walked out from the stadium entrance and headed toward the right side of the raised stage with the table where their six computerized headsets waited. John couldn’t hear anything over the thousands of fans cheering all around him. State-of-the-art gaming chairs were neatly lined up in front of each player’s station. The team sat down, put on their headsets, and adjusted their settings. The headsets were made from a gel-like substance that surrounded the players’ eyes and engaged their nervous systems.

John heard the familiar hum of his equipment as he lost sensation with his real body and aligned with his avatar, Ace.

An advantage of putting on their headsets first was that they could not hear the cheering for the home crowd favorite team, In 4 Life. John had met them once before. They were rather overconfident and had an obnoxious team captain who was ridiculously muscle-bound both in real life and in the game. He was the gold-standard definition of a sore loser and was well known for getting in fights with both teammates and opponents alike post-match. Once the Straight As saw their opponents’ avatars fully load, the countdown started.

John’s avatar looked at his team as they nodded. He smiled, excitement causing his heart to beat rapidly in his chest, and said, “Let’s do this.”

The audience counted down with the timer, “Three, two, one, fight!”