I am Andreas, a sixteen year old boy.

Like any teenager, I too had to go to school.

At first, everything was fine. I progressed through school and earned good grades as if it were a progression novel. However, the main character this time, did not go from weak to strong. Rather, he remained the same. No superpowers, magic or martial arts. Nothing.

Then when I entered high school, I began to falter.

Adolescence is a period where people think they can bring about a change in the world. They think of themselves as someone special. A protagonist of their own story. It wasn’t wrong to think about life like that. However, it was futile to think like that in this world. It was a boring, repetitious life.

I began to question life at this point. What was the point of this life? What was my purpose?

Around this time, I discovered web novels. I began reading them and inch by inch, I was sucked into the fascinating fantasy worlds. It was an experience that added color to my dull, colorless life.

The more I read, the more I became depressed at the realization of reality. No matter how much I may enjoy reading web novels. No matter how much it helped me to escape reality. No matter how much dopamine it gave me, it was all fake. That was the harsh truth. It was all the imagination of a person written on a screen.

The older I got, the more I realized how mundane my life was. There were no superheroes or villains.

I may be crazy but I wished for a world which had at least some level of danger. Not the kind of danger caused by infighting between humans or the kind of danger caused by natural disasters. A kind of danger, an external threat caused by an otherworldly component.

This was delusional. I knew it. Still, I had to keep thinking like this to keep my sanity. Everything felt lifeless and empty otherwise.

If I was asked to write a book about my current life, the “book” wouldn’t even be a page long. Heck, I could sum up my life in a sentence.

I wanted a turning point in my life.

This was how my days went: I went to school, came back, read web novels and went to sleep after getting my daily dose of dopamine.

One day when I least expected it, the turning point of my life arrived….

[Are you tired of the same old routine? Ready for something new?]

A message was sent to my phone by an unknown person.

I quickly replied as this was what I had been yearning for all this time.

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[You bet. What are you offering? Tell me the specifics.]

[Why don’t you click the link and find out?]

Huh? Now this was getting suspicious. Well, not that it wasn’t already suspicious but…this somehow made me feel apprehensive.

[I can’t just click on a random link sent by a stranger. How did you even get my number?]

I wanted to confirm if this person was playing a prank on me first. It might be one of my friends.

[Hmm…fair enough.]

Five minutes passed but there was no reply after this.

But then...they messaged again.

[Unfortunately, I am not allowed to give you the details. Why don’t you consider this as a program instead? Trust me, you won’t regret clicking on the link.]

Sigh…this person must be taking me for a fool. I have never seen such a polite scammer like this in my entire life. This was amusing.

I continued texting this person to waste his time and to relieve myself of my boredom.

[Why don’t you make me trust you instead? Tell me. Would you click on this link if you were in my position? If it was a virus, then it would cost me to fix my PC. Likewise, if it was a scam, then also…..either way, I am going to suffer a loss, so why bother?]

The reply was a bit unexpected.

[Good point. I wouldn’t trust a random stranger on the internet if I were you. Unfortunately, I don’t have a way to make you trust me.]

Then…I don’t know when it happened. I didn’t even feel it. But...Soon enough, we were making jokes and laughing. We even began discussing our personal lives. His life was a bit strange though. But that’s what it all the more intriguing.

[Hahaha...Please stop. My stomach hurts from laughing so much.]

I was giggling and kicking my legs like a child. It had been a long time since I felt this way.

[Sure haha. You seem like an interesting guy.]

I think after looking at their personality, I can definitely trust them.

No person would be able to maintain a fake personality for long without getting busted at some point.

Also, if my PC gets hacked, I can just fix it, but if what the unknown person said is true, then I would live to regret my current decision.

[I think I can trust you.]

[See? You have a sharp intellect. Not all people are inherently bad on the internet.]

[I guess.]

[Take care Andreas. We shall soon meet. I’ll be waiting for you.]

Huh..? What?

Then some time passed. I stared blankly at the screen.

The sun had set long ago. The room was still and dark. The light emitted by the computer screen filled the room which made it possible to perceive the surroundings.

I hesitated for a long time because of the unknown messenger’s last words.

‘We shall soon meet. I’ll be waiting for you’. Those words sounded creepy enough to send a chill down my spine.

But...after pondering over our interaction, they didn’t seem to be a bad person. I think I can trust them.

Sigh. Instead of breaking my mind over it, I should just click the damn link and find out for myself.

After getting impatient, I clicked on the link.