Chapter 1
I am lightning amid the raindrops, and the dark, misty clouds
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
I feel like I've been hearing this question a lot lately. How should I put it? Personally, I think it's a good question, even if the person asking ends up trying to sell me some life-changing mindset course or drag me into a pyramid scheme. Either way, it's still an interesting question.
This question makes you suddenly think about what you are right now, what you'll do in the future, and what will happen to you.
It's like indirect psychology, encouraging you to live your best life now so that the future you imagine will come true.
But when I tried to think of an answer to this question, I felt so depressed that my spirits sank completely. Because I could see and understand the image of hopelessness in my future with perfect clarity.
Getting slapped around by the protagonist from the first meeting. Getting overshadowed by some bald guy competing for the deuteragonist position until I became a long-suffering side character whose only job is to deliver comic relief. Getting my leg broken mercilessly by enemies. Being used as a punching bag by the first arc's boss while waiting for the protagonist to come finish the job. When the new arc starts, getting blown up by some demon spawn in a suicide attack. Getting my guts pierced by a cyborg. Having my love life sabotaged by popular villains. Entering the dark side to level up my power, but ultimately losing to the protagonists anyway.
All of that is what will happen to 'Assarun,' a character from the game G.O.A.T TRICKS.
Why is the fate of a character who was once the story's first villain so pathetically miserable? It sounds pitiful, but I honestly can't help but laugh. What kind of crazy person could be that unlucky?
This character's patheticness spawned the meme "Assarun the Great Divine Punching Bag," giving people everywhere a good laugh. I was one of those people who cracked up every time I saw memes of this character.
Wait, I'm not going off-topic here. I'm not being delusional about my own life becoming like a game character. Who would want to become a punching bag character like that? But that's exactly what's happening. All of that is what will happen to me in the next five years.
Why? Because I have now become that very character.
I've become 'Assarun'!
I don't remember what happened or how it happened.
I just woke up in an unfamiliar room with a headache, and when I saw my face in the mirror, I immediately remembered everything.
I still can't remember much about my previous life or identity, but I vaguely recall being a vocational student. I can't remember all of Assarun's memories either. It's like the two sets of memories are clashing, making everything confusing. I barely know which is my true identity anymore.
But I'm certain that I am now Assarun, and the world I'm in now is the game G.O.A.T TRICKS.
This is seriously screwed up.
Of all the game characters to become, why did I have to become this punching bag?
Damn it, I can see the fate of getting beaten up coming from miles away. I'd rather be a background extra who just walks back and forth, or a villain who appears once and disappears forever.
Assarun might be a main character in G.O.A.T TRICKS, but in reality, his only job is to provide slapstick comedy and serve as a punching bag for villains to show off their cruelty.
G.O.A.T TRICKS.
That's the name of a supernatural football game that became such a legendary hit in my previous world.
In a world where football is so popular it can determine the fate of the world, the story begins with a protagonist who loves football setting out on a journey to train and chase his dream of becoming the strongest footballer.
Of course, along the way, whether good or bad, our protagonist gets involved in many adventures. The first obstacle or enemy the protagonist faces is a delinquent with a bad attitude from an old football club - Assarun, who is now me.
It follows the formula: the protagonist will easily defeat punks like me. But after that, we don't become allies. Assarun continues to hold a grudge against the protagonist, but then circumstances force them to cooperate to overcome all obstacles.
(Don't call it cooperation. Assarun's job is just to get hit by finishing moves until he's rolling on the ground.)
In the end, the protagonist gathers his companions to deal with all the villains and successfully becomes the world's strongest football team.
It sounds fun and simple enough.
But don't forget! This is a supernatural football game!
In other words, the level of absurdity in this story's football reaches miraculous proportions. The power scale breaks through space itself. Every kick could shatter the world. Everyone in this story has a special power with universe-dominating bragging rights called NEX. Characters in the story develop, train, and use this special power to create skills or finishing moves for playing football.
Of course, when a game sets up power scaling like this, it has to go completely over the top with mountain-exploding, hut-burning explosions.
The protagonist's first finishing move is called "Shooting Fire." Just the name sounds intimidating, right? If you saw the protagonist actually use it, you'd feel even more so.
It starts by channeling power into a flame aura covering the entire body. Then he jumps into the sky to a height of about eight meters. The protagonist then performs a spinning volley kick on the ball in mid-air.
When the ball flies toward the goal, the flame aura covering the ball explodes outward, striking everyone in its path. People hit by that aura feel like they're being burned by flames and collapse face-down on the ground. According to the story, when Assarun and his minions get hit by this move, they all go tumbling and sliding to the ground.
Which means that someday, I'll have to face that damn Shooting Fire ball.
I know getting hit won't kill me, but still...