The Adventurous Gamer Ninja - Daichi Hekima [Vol. 01]

Chapter 1 - My Second Chance

Darkness... All around me was nothing but darkness.

I couldn't see anything, hear anything or even feel anything. It was like I was floating in a dark void.

'How long has it been?

How did I even get here...??

Oh! Right... Now I remember.'

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"Ring..."

The sound of a bell ringing throughout the school could be heard.

"That will be all. Class dismissed."

"Yes!" "Whoohoo!!" "Finally!"

The sounds of a teacher eager to leave and reach home and students even more eager to enjoy their holidays came.

Almost all the students chatted amongst each other in groups. Excitedly discussing their plans to spend their vacation. Amidst all the students enthusiastically chatting, almost no one paid attention to the lone student quietly gathering his things and leaving the class.

His name was Thomas Kane. He was the son of a wealthy industrialist. Shipped off to boarding school at a young age and with two older brothers who outshined in everything they did and deemed as prodigies by everyone, Thomas didn't have the motivation to excel in anything.

Even though he was above average in IQ and could easily attain top marks in all subjects, his scores in studies were average due to his lack of motivation.

During the first few months of boarding school, he tried to make friends. He managed to make a few but after a short while he figured out they only became friends mostly due to the fact that he came from a wealthy family.

He cut ties with them and then found the task of making friends tedious and tiresome. He was smart enough to not make himself a social outcast. He made neither friends nor enemies. He maintained an average score. He had an everyday ordinary life.

But there were two things in life he loved. Chess and comics. He was very good at chess. Predicting his opponents moves from the start and outsmarting them by a wide margin was one of his favorite ways to win the game. As he played more and more he got really good at it.

He also played poker with his brothers whenever they would come to visit. He couldn't beat them but each time they played he learned a couple of his tells that would give him away. So with each game he got a little bit better at trying to control his emotions from showing on his face. He wanted to learn to make the perfect poker face.

The second thing in life he loved was comics, manga and anime. He loved them. The stories they tell. The characters they portray. It brought him endless joy reading and watching their adventures. He was a hardcore fan.

He spent his days in his apartment alone reading all kinds of comics and mangas he could get his hands on. He fell in love with them from a young age. He enjoyed reading about the different adventures and he often imagined what it would be like if he were in that world.

He left the school and reached his apartment building after about a 15 minutes walk. His apartment was situated on the third floor. The apartment was a modest one. Comfortable for a single person. He started climbing the stairs. And as he reached the second floor, he suddenly began to feel dizzy. His hands suddenly grabbed onto the side rails to steady himself. He felt like the world was spinning around him.

"Wow. What the hell?" After a few moments, the vertigo he was feeling slowly disappeared. "Oh, man.! I must be more tired and hungry than I thought." He slowly started to walk and he reached his apartment doors.