100% Completion

Pat 

Pat. Pat.

Tears fell from my eyes. I'd done it, I'd done it a hundred times. What no other gamer had done. To run the legendary fantasy game, "Hero Chronicle" to one hundred percent completion. 

Every scenario.

Every weapon.

Every spell.

Every rune.

Every scroll.

Every hidden item.

Everything.

One hundred scenarios.

One hundred percent completion. 

"Haaa. Finally." I couldn't help but exhale, relief. I couldn’t help the tears, the required happy ending for this game was always something to behold.

Although I was happy, I was also sad. 

No matter how many times I'd watched it before. 

It hurt. That was mostly because it was over.

For the past year, those characters had become a part of my daily life. Their victories felt like mine. Their failures annoyed me. Their deaths lingered in my head long after I paused the game.

Maybe that was the mark of a masterpiece.

Or maybe I'd simply spent far too many hours staring at a monitor.

Throughout the gameplay, the characters, the world in all it's beauty and rot became a part of my reality. 

With every setting pushed to its maximum, Hero Chronicle stopped looking like a game. Forests swayed naturally. Armour reflected the morning sun. Characters smiled with tiny imperfections no developer should have bothered animating.

I picked up my phone, as the credits rolled.

There was only one place this achievement belonged.

The community server.

I opened the chat and grinned.

『Rei: Yo, guys! I FREAKING did it!』

I pressed send.

I stared at the screen for a while. No response. 

I switched the screen of and forced myself off the chair. 

I stretched. Six hours per day of strict gaming was no joke. Such is the life of a pro I guess. 

Grrrrr.. my stomach went on to announce it's presence and emptiness. 

I picked up my wallet, checked inside. The money inside was an embarrassing amount, even for me. There were only three days left to payday, so shouldn't have worried about that. 

My stomach growled again, a bit too loud this time. The money was just enough for the standard 'Super Supper Order.'

I scratched my chin, would I be able to finish it? 

My phone buzzed. Pulling me out of my hunger vs finance debate.

It was a reply.