6 am.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

A bedside alarm clock rang ten times before a thick hand violently shut it off. The man’s obese body was covered with his blanket except his hand. He began feeling odd, as if something was not right. Still remembering the pending assignments he had to complete, he shook off any lingering thoughts and got up.

‘Whatever. It was a good dream. I must say, I don’t dislike this change. At least it’s better than that nightmare that always repeats.’

The man got up, wore his slippers, and mechanically walked towards the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, bathed, wore office clothes, ate a jam sandwich, and left for work. He had followed the same routine since leaving high school and could now do it with his eyes closed.

One hour later, a 50-story building entered his eyes. But he didn’t bother looking up at its grandeur. The lift was waiting for him, and bundles of papers were also waiting on his desk in his cubicle. His lunch was spent watching the latest anime shows and eating the cheapest meal from the canteen. Nobody talked to him, and he liked it that way.

Evening came, and he clocked off from work. He took the same subway back home and refreshed himself. His shoulders were sore from constantly working, and his back hurt from the bad posture. But his eyes brightened at the thought of his remaining activities for the day.

He turned on the only expensive item in his small one-bedroom rented apartment—a gaming computer. The first email notification after his computer opened attracted his attention.

‘Hey, Jacob!

I hope you’re having a good time. We’ve been playing the same game for years, and I didn’t know you lived in the same city as me!

I was looking forward to meeting you in person and getting to know you better.

Are you up for it?

Don’t be in a hurry to say no!

I look much better in real life than my game avatar, and my temper is better too.

Your gaming buddy,

Karen'

“Huh?” Jacob opened his mouth by reflex and then used a hand to close it. “That girl from my guild lives in my city? Karen? Really?”

His shock knew no bounds. He was not surprised that this girl from his guild contacted him, the guild leader. But to think she was from his city and wanted to meet him! He was having a panic attack!

‘C-calm down. S-she hasn’t seen me in real life yet. The situation is salvageable. The most outstanding guild leader in the game will not be mocked for his real-life body! Yes! Let’s delay the meeting!’

Jacob sighed at his reluctance. He was also eager to meet his gaming friend. But he shuddered when he remembered his persona in the game and his current body.

“Nope, not going now.”

But then he wondered.

“Do I always have to stay away from my gaming friends since I look like this?”

He went to the vertical mirror attached to his wardrobe, removed his shirt, and looked at his body from top to bottom.

"Man boobs, love handles, a dad bod... Urgh!"

Jacob held his forehead at the realization of his body's current state. He never expected that his lack of concern over his physical health, coupled with two years of corporate slavery, turned the slim him into a typical middle-aged otaku.

All along, all his attention was consumed with his 6-day-a-week job. Then his religious anime addiction and he would end the day playing online MMORPG games. His source of real human interaction was in the guild he built in the game.

'But to think it would come to affect me in real life….'

Jacob ruefully smiled. But he thought it was high time he fixed his life. After all, like everyone else, he only had one chance at life.

He had thought of changing his life many times while he bathed. But there was no sense of urgency, and he would easily get distracted by the routine he was in. He also had no family to interrupt his hazardous lifestyle.

"Hmm… Let's set the meeting for four months later. And in the meantime, I'll work on getting fit."

Just as he decided, he began trying to change his life. The start was especially tough. But whenever he looked at Karen's email, he would begin feeling sorry for himself and how he was living an unhealthy life that would bless him with diabetes in his thirties.

Within a week, he got into a routine of drinking water first thing in the morning. Then he would walk for 15 mins. His breakfast now consisted of oatmeal while he clenched his teeth and restrained his tears to purchase a healthy meal set from his canteen.

He snacked on nuts in the evening and then did the bodyweight exercises he could perform for 30 minutes. For dinner, he ate the cheapest protein-rich meal he could afford.

'But this way, there's no way to buy my figurines!'

Jacob wept after two weeks. But as he began to feel his gains and stopped sweating after the walk from the subway to his office, he persisted.

Another two weeks later, he tearfully looked at the online store selling the figurines he wanted to buy but then looked at his bank balance. The double digits seemed to glare at him in mockery.

"How am I to buy my figurines and afford my rent at the same time?"

Jacob looked at the date.

31st March.

Now he had a rather tough choice to make. Should he choose his basic need–shelter? Or should he give in to his obsession and pick up his favorite figurine that had just been released?

His fingers trembled as they went towards the screen onward to the ‘buy’ button while his rational mind told him otherwise.

‘Stop! You dimwit! If you purchase this figurine, where will you sleep? Where will you get protection from the weather? Where will you…’

After giving a dozen reasons, his trembling fingers had not stopped inching toward the ‘buy’ button. A lightbulb lit in his rational mind.

‘If you lose the house, where will you keep your current figurines?’

The pause button seemed to have been clicked on the scene. Jacob’s trembling fingers abruptly stopped 1 centimeter away from the ‘buy’ button. He was this close to being f*cked up!

Jacob looked at his collection of figurines standing proudly on his shelves. Then he looked at the one he wanted to buy. What should he choose between the collection he had been hoarding for years and one figurine that would remain in the market for a few months?

The choice was clear.

But this kind of situation irked him to no end. He switched off his phone and threw it on the bed in rage. He wanted more! He wanted to earn more! He wanted a bigger house! He wanted moar!

Jacob went toward his wardrobe’s mirror and took off his shirt. After nearly a month of consistent workouts and a good diet, his figure was much better. His muscles were barely visible, but the biggest changes were seen in the areas of his body filled with fat.

They were way less chubby, and he could almost imagine himself getting that v-cut six-pack ab soon.

‘All I have to do is continue this for two to three months and my dream body is just round the corner!’

The same night, he received a letter from his friend once again.

‘Hey Jacob,

Is this the right email? I sent you a message a month ago and didn’t get a reply till now.

I haven’t been able to find you in the game for the past few weeks. The guild members are already worried that you’re dead. Did you see the messages they sent you?

I just wanted to know if everything’s okay.

By the way, I just joined this new company. It’s got an amazing 50-story building all to itself! An entire floor reserved for its canteen! A floor for music and even a spa!

I can’t wait to share photos of this place after meeting you.

I also saw a weirdo in the company. I’ve heard that he’s an intern, and he got this job because of backdoor connections.

Can you imagine the rage I felt when I heard that?

Why should shit like this be given preferential treatment when we commoners have to struggle and work up the hard way.

Anyways, enough of the negativity.

Just let me know if you’re still alive.

Otherwise…

Your loyal guild member who is doubtful of your survival,

Karen’

The initial part of the email made Jacob feel guilty because he had forgotten to reply to her after becoming determined to face his online friend in the best physical shape of his life. But a frown covered his face as he read about her joining a new company and read its description. He liked to keep his online life and real life strictly separate.

But the next description he read about someone he could very well understand pissed him off.

“That’s not preferential treatment! I taught the director’s son for 3 years and helped him do all his dirty work online when he came to know of my hacking skills while I was still a highschool student! That was the reason for his ‘preferential treatment’!”

But his roar did nothing but invite curses from the neighbors, and he looked left and right, then quietened down. His source of enthusiasm, his shining beacon of motivation, Karen, was badmouthing him. His motivation drained, and he fell flat on his bed, feeling empty and dull. It felt like life lost meaning after he was robbed of something that motivated him after two years of living a dull, monotonous life.

Jacob slept the night just like that while his desktop still showed Karen’s email. The next day, he woke up to the sun's rays and wiped his eyes. A night of rest had given his mind some clarity. He sat on the side of his bed and looked at his gaming laptop on the opposite side on his table. He walked up to it very calmly and put down the laptop that had done an all-nighter.

“I did it for me, to show her that I’m also a real life hero. That my glory is not limited to the game I play.”

He then looked outside the window at the city that was coming to life. He imagined the people who were the cogs of society that were starting to turn to keep everything functioning.

“All this while, I’ve quietly played a role as a cog in the system. But now I wish to go above and beyond what I thought was possible! I want to do it for myself! To prove to myself that I can accomplish the impossible!”

Jacob clenched his fist and then started his day with a determined mind. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months. Three months later, he once again woke up to the sun's rays, wiped his eyes, and sat on the side of his bed. His next move was to glance at his calendar hanging on the wall, and he looked at the big ‘X’ marked on the date today.