"This is really interesting."
Right now, I'm in a game store, buying a game.
My name is Rian Pratama. I'm an unemployed man addicted to video games. I'm a lazy person—lazier even than a beggar whose only job is to ask for money.
Back then, before I got addicted to gaming, I was actually very talented. People called me gifted for a reason—I was good at almost everything. But once I got into games, I turned into someone incredibly lazy.
My parents noticed the change, and they gave up on me. They cut off all ties with me completely.
If you looked inside my room, you'd see tons of posters of game characters and some figurines. That's pretty normal for a toy collector.
Whenever I have free time, I prefer to play online games rather than do anything else. It takes time to truly master a game character. Since I'm not someone who sticks to one thing, rather than leveling up a character, I'd rather upgrade my gear.
Okay, back to the story—so here I am at the game store. A place where you can find all kinds of games, from dating sims to RPGs and VR titles.
I was browsing the dusty and old shelves—the kind of place that sells retro games. Since I love classic games, I picked one up.
"The Tale of the Seven Ego Heroes?"
I decided to buy it. Somehow, it felt like my soul was pulled toward this game. My gamer instinct tingled when I saw it.
After buying the game, I went home. I inserted the disc into my computer and started playing.
My screen glitched as soon as I launched the game. It looked like the game was broken.
"Damn it, if it's broken, don't put it on sale," I grumbled in frustration.
That's one of the risks of being a retro game lover—you might end up with a game that no longer works.
Just as I tried to shut it off, a message appeared on my glitchy screen:
[DO YOU WISH TO PLAY THIS GAME?]
[Y/N]
A hint of relief crossed my face.
"So it still works?"
I pressed "Y" to play. I was really hoping the graphics would be great.
But what happened next was something I never expected—a blinding light shot out from my screen, hurting my eyes.
"What the hell? Why is it so bright?!"
My head began to spin. "Ugh… what's hap—"
As my confusion whispered into silence, I felt my consciousness fade away. When I opened my eyes…
"Whoa…"
I heard someone gasp in awe. I blinked again. My vision was blurry, but I looked straight ahead.
Three men stood there, staring at me in amazement, completely speechless.
"What… is this?"
I turned toward the voice and saw three men and three women standing around me. They all looked as confused as I was.
Scratching my head, I tried to make sense of the situation. And I came to a conclusion—we had been summoned to another world.
Just a moment ago, I was trying to play an old game called The Tale of the Seven Ego Heroes.
And now… why am I here? Where even is here?
I looked left and right. I was in a room made of stone. Was this really my house?
I glanced down at the floor. It was covered in glowing geometric patterns. There was even an altar in the room—it looked like something straight out of a fantasy world.
"Oh Heroes, please save us!"
Heroes? Us? What do they mean? Wait… in light novel stories, isn't this the part where the heroes are summoned to defeat the Demon King, and they always have overpowered abilities?
"WHAT?!"
All seven of us shouted in unison. Maybe I was trying to keep cool, but as an introvert, this was overwhelming.
"There's a lot of complexity to this situation," one of the robed men said, "but to put it simply, we just completed an ancient ritual and summoned the Seven Ego Heroes."
Seven Ego Heroes? Wait—that's exactly the same as the game I just bought! I wanted to ask something, but I held back when I saw him continuing to explain.
"Our world teeters on the brink of destruction. Heroes, please lend us your strength." The man bowed deeply before us.
"Well, I guess we…" I started to reply, but the others quickly cut in:
"Hold on—why should we help you?"
"He's right."
"Yeah."
"I agree."
"Why did you summon us out of nowhere?"
"I was just at the mall."
"Can we go back?"
Seriously, what are they doing? Shouldn't we at least hear them out? Or am I just too used to being an introvert?
A guy who looked like a high school student shouted at the robed people, "Don't you feel guilty summoning us here without our consent?"
"Besides," a high school girl chimed in, "even if we save your world, what if you betray us afterward?"
"Seriously?" said a man who looked like a college student.
"That's messed up," added a woman who looked the same age.
"Everyone calm down!" said the man who appeared to be the oldest among us. "We should hear what they have to say first."
We all looked at him and nodded in agreement.
"Alright then… how about we speak to the king directly?"
One of the robed men stepped in front of a large door and led us toward the king.
"Very well. Let's head to the throne room."
"Whatever."
"I don't care who we talk to."
We all walked behind the robed man with steady steps, leaving the summoning room behind.
We passed through a long stone corridor. How do I describe it? The air felt fresh… and I couldn't think of any other words. My vocabulary isn't strong enough.
We looked out the windows and saw an amazing view that left us breathless.
"This really is another world," I said in awe.
High clouds floated across the bright sky. Below us, a city stretched out from the building we were in. The homes were beautifully aligned—just like the European towns you'd see in travel brochures.
I wanted to stop and take it all in, but we didn't have time. We rushed past the windows and down the corridor. Soon, we arrived at the throne room.
"So these kids are the Seven Ego Heroes?"
An old man who looked important sat on the throne. He rested his chin on his hand, not making a great first impression. A beautiful woman stood beside him.
"Dear, try to make a good impression like a proper king," the woman said softly. She seemed to be the queen.
With a lazy expression, the king said, "My name is Desk Van Autoria, ruler of the Kingdom of Autoria. Heroes—what are your names?"
TO BE CONTINUED...