Chapter 0. Prologue

Emperor of Solo Play

I’ve been called trash my whole life.

I wasn’t born with any special talent, nor was I better at something than others. So I couldn’t say anything whenever I was called trash. That isn’t to say I never struggled to become better. But at the end of the day, I fell asleep kicking the bed sheets in anger.

This goddamned life.

But for the first time, I found something I was better at than others.

Virtual reality (VR) games!

In real life, I was at the bottom of the food chain. But in the virtual world, I was at the top. Even the so called professional-gamers were mere preys in my eyes.

To top it off, you could gain unimaginable wealth and prestige just by being good at gaming. This was the era of VR games.

I had no hesitation.

To succeed through gaming, I was prepared to give my life. I did anything to accomplish my goals. Everything was fair in the name of success.

In the end, the goal I’ve been striving for was within my reach, just a hair’s breadth away.

Just a bit more, just a bit!

I could have reached my goal in just a bit more…

“Fuckers.”

I never thought my comrades would betray me. The ones I thought would stay by my side until the end.

“Fuck.”

My comrades betrayed me, and in an instant, four years of hard work disappeared into the void.

I tried to fight back, but I was powerless. A hole had been pierced through my stomach, and I even developed sociophobia.

“See if I trust anyone ever again.”

When I was given a chance to start over, I knew what path to take.

“Whatever the outcome, I’ll do it alone… I’ll show you that I can do it alone.”

The Solo Path!

This is how I’ve come to tread this road.