Chapter 1: The Game Begins

Sehan's fingers clicked rapidly across his keyboard, his focus sharp. The glow of the screen illuminated his room, but the world outside didn’t matter. Not tonight. God’s Game was calling, and he wasn’t about to lose his chance.

He’d always been good at this—at games, at strategy. It was the one place where the rules made sense, where his skills could shine. School? A mess of numbers and people he didn’t connect with. The real world? A series of failures, disappointments, and fractured relationships. But here, in God’s Game, there was no confusion. Only victories. Only progress.

“Sehan!” His mother’s voice rang through the thin walls of the house. “What are you doing in there? You haven’t studied for the last two days!”

Her voice was distant, faded by the layers of frustration that always seemed to fill the air. He didn’t respond, not even with a quick “I’m busy.” He never did.

The screen in front of him flickered. He’d just cleared the hardest dungeon in the game, his team’s victory flashing across his eyes. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, still caught in the rush of the raid’s final moments. It was a familiar high—one he’d been chasing for years. The only place he felt in control.

Then, an alert.

SYSTEM NOTICE: YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED.

Sehan blinked, the words catching him off guard. Selected?

He clicked on the message, his fingers stiff with hesitation.

YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN GOD’S GAME. THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO PROVE YOUR WORTH.

His heart skipped. God’s Game? What was this? Some kind of event? He didn’t remember signing up for anything like this.

A quick glance at his chat window showed other players talking about it too. It seemed like a joke, like some elaborate new in-game event or challenge. God’s Game. A catchy name. Definitely something people would joke about.

He clicked on the interface.

WELCOME TO GOD’S GAME. YOUR CHALLENGE AWAITS.

Before he could fully process the message, the world around him went dark. His senses spun, and his surroundings blurred. A sense of weightlessness overcame him, and his stomach churned.

Then, without warning, the world snapped back into focus.

But it wasn’t his room anymore.

He awoke to a strange world, the ground beneath him firm and solid. The sky above was not the dark of night he was used to, but a swirling mix of colors—vibrant and otherworldly. There were no walls here, no boundaries to confine him, just the endless expanse of what seemed like an entirely new realm.

Sehan gasped as he took in his surroundings. This wasn’t a game anymore.

This was real.

The system’s voice rang out in his mind:

Welcome to God’s Game. You have been chosen to defend your world. All players are healed and given a fresh start. Prepare for your first challenge.

For the first time in his life, Sehan felt something he had never experienced before—hope.

The pain in his leg, the one that had crippled him for as long as he could remember, was gone. He was whole, restored. But his gaze quickly turned to his surroundings. Something was wrong.

Was he the only one here?

As Sehan stood, adjusting to his new reality, he noticed others appearing from thin air. One by one, players materialized around him, all looking just as confused as he was.

“What the hell is this?” someone muttered.

Before anyone could process what was happening, a monstrous creature emerged from the shadows, its claws tearing through the nearest player. Blood splattered across the grass as the lifeless body collapsed.

Panic erupted. People ran, screamed, pleaded.

But Sehan only watched, his mind sharpening.

This wasn’t a game.

This was survival.

And he wasn’t planning to lose.