Level Down

What’s happening to this world? Why is it happening? Why does everyone have game tags and levels? And most importantly, why am I level -100?!?

My name is Saiko Kanosei, I’m attending my second year in junior high school. Except… No one comes to school anymore ever since the incident, the falling of the sky is what they call it. Even the teachers think going to school is pointless now. They’re all focused on finding out what happened, the kids believe they’re in a video game and the world as I’ve known it is gone.

I have a pretty average life, I eat, I sleep, I study and I play. Now I changed, I have something I don’t want anyone else to know. My level… is below 0. I have to be happy that you can’t see the levels of other people, or else my life would be in jeopardy.

Nowadays, I do experiments on myself. Trying to make my level rise, but no matter what I do. Nothing changes. I’m so frustrated that not even technology can keep my mind off of it. Then, when I was walking to the grocery store to buy food I overheard some kids talking about how to level up.

I listened to their conversation as I walked by, they really are treating all of this as a game. I wish I could too, I head into the store and go to the soup aisle. I got one of those oven-ready meals and head to the cashier, but before I exited my aisle I see a hooded man pointing a gun at the cashier.

A lot of things went through my mind at this moment, like where to hide and what to do. The cashier kept telling the man that the register was empty, but the man just kept threatening with his gun. I can already tell I will have heavy guilt if I just watch that person die, but what could I do?

And that’s when I see the fire extinguisher on the wall beside me, I suddenly had a strategy of what to do. For a second, I actually convinced myself it was going to work, but well you see. I’m not a fictional hero, I’m just a teenager. Meanwhile, the gunman was preparing himself for his first murder.

Then I decided, that I’d try to save that person. I mean, if I die, that means I won’t have this horrible game tag right? So I sneak towards the fire extinguisher and grabbing it by both hands I sneak towards the gunman. The gunman kept telling the cashier to hurry up and give him money and the cashier kept begging for their life.

After stealthily sneaking secretly behind the gunman, I raise the fire extinguisher above my head and readied to hit him in the head with it. Things didn’t go as planned since the shadow of the fire extinguisher was visible and he turned around as I hit him in the head. “Oops...” I said as the cashier thanks me for saving their life.