After working a long second shift at McDonald's, my legs felt as if they had been through a boot camp, and my arms felt as if I had been working out for an entire day. My eyes were closing the moment I got home, but I knew that feeling would go away the moment I laid my head on my bed's pillow. After working for so many hours, my body was drenched in sweat. I guess it's not easy being forced to cook up to 1500 hamburgers in just a single day; it can drain your energy from your body.

I went to take a shower. When I got there, I decided to go with a hot one. Usually, I like to have cold showers as they do wonders for the stress life throws at me, plus they cool me down since it's summer. But this time, I wanted to have a hot one. I luxuriated in the sensation as the steaming cascade of hot water caressed and enveloped my weary muscles. Every stiff joint in my body felt released from the pressure of my job. After I was done, I no longer felt exhausted nor sore.

I put on a black pair of boxer briefs and checked myself in the mirror. I flexed my abs, admiring my well-built physique. I go to the gym at least four times a week, and every time I'm there, I try to push my limits. With my defined muscles on my chest, stomach, back, hands, and legs, together with my sharp jawline and perfect nose, you'd think I'd be surrounded by people who like me. But that was far from the case. So many girls have approached me and tried to talk to me, but my shy persona has prevented me from building a connection with anybody. They're usually the ones who speak more, and since I usually don't talk a lot, they get the impression that I'm just not interested, which is far from the truth. The guys don't like me either, as I can only assume they're jealous because of my appearance. So many of them have thrown me death glares, which I always try to ignore. It's not my fault genetics have blessed me, and I'm not lazy to work out.

Still, being early, I decided to turn on my computer to play some video games. I'm a skilled gamer. I pour my sweat and tears into perfecting my shooting skills. I strive to be the best of the best when it comes to shooter games. It inflates my big ego and fills me up with dopamine and serotonin. It makes me feel good knowing that I'm good at something, even if that something brings no value to anything whatsoever. Who doesn't love to play some FSP games after a long day working at McDonald's?

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

I decided to join a co-op server, as there aren't many players in the FFA ones, and I didn't have the nerves today to wait ten whole minutes for them to start. Most people are cautious. I suppose nobody wants to be the first one to die and feel shame afterward.

The game consisted of five players against another five. There was the option to voice-chat with the other participants, but usually, nobody used that. However, with luck working on my side, there was one player who had his microphone turned on. Being the lonely guy I am, I gladly joined him. It felt good to talk to somebody for once, even if it was just online. Actually, when it comes to online conversations, I'm not as nervous because I know that even if I embarrass myself or say something stupid or weird, I can just ghost the person I was talking to and never have to face them again. That's not the case in real life.

"Hey there," I said with a friendly tone. The other players wouldn't be able to hear our conversation, which was a great thing, as to do that, they needed to have their microphones on too. The fewer people I had to talk to, the better.

"Hello," replied a deep voice through the speakers of my headset. It's fascinating how thanks to geniuses, we're now able to talk to people who may be on the other side of the world just through a cable. "Are you geared up to rack up those frags?"

It's not every day you hear somebody use a line like that. You need to have been in the gaming community for a while to understand what that means.

"Yea, I am," I replied back.

"Great. Good luck and have fun!" the deep voice said.

~

Author's Note: Hey there, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. As I've written in the synopsis, the fanart that's on the cover of this book was created by ASH's Whiz and can be found here!