Chapter 14

All my beta testers loved the game-everyone had good things to say, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Alex did mention it was a bit "addictive," but not in a bad way-just that it was cutting into her study time, which honestly feels like a badge of honor for a mobile game. We ironed out a few minor bugs, mostly tablet-related, and Leonard deserves most of the credit there since I was deep into chess and wrangling the nightmare that is app store paperwork.

Registering the game wasn't cheap, especially on Apple's side. Google Play was a one-time $25 fee, but Apple's $99 per year subscription felt like daylight robbery-seriously, Apple always has to be extra with everything. Still, Leonard and I split the costs and got everything set up. I filled in all the details, uploaded the builds, and sent the game for review on both platforms Saturday. If all goes well, it'll be live by Sunday.

That night before sleeping. Lying in bed after all that, I thought about how much my life had changed since getting 'The Gamer' three months ago. 

There was no tutorial for this game and I am not some almighty god with this ability and my powers are nowhere near Han Jee Han's level. No inventory, no XP for killing things (trust me, I checked with mice and ants-nothing), and stats are slow to improve, though I'm already above average for my age. But I am satisfied with what I have. I still haven't figured out everything but there are something's I did figure like MP is calculated as (sum of all stats) × 2, and HP is based on END and is calculated as HP = x^2+10x where x is END. I still don't know what happens if HP hits zero, and I'm not eager to test it.

Another level up is still far as the XP bar is only half filled. I opened the status which haven't changed.

[Lucas Reed]

LVL: 20

HP: 75

MP: 60

STR: 5

AGI: 5

END: 5

INT: 10

WIS: 4

LUK: 5

SP: 0

There is a skill panel just below this and when I open it. My whole vision is blocked from screen panels.

The skill system makes sense now: some skills level up, others are just knowledge. Cooking, for example, has sub-skills like temperature control and knife skills that level, while recipe knowledge just sits there. Some skills overlap- time management from chess and basketball are the same. Best part? Skills never decay, even if I don't use them for a while.

It's complicated, but it all fits together. I drifted off to sleep, mind buzzing with everything I'd learned and built. Tomorrow, if all goes well, my game goes live.

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Sunday morning started with me in the kitchen, prepping a special lunch for everyone-something to mark the occasion. As I was slicing chicken for shawarma wraps, my phone buzzed: the approval email had landed. My game was officially ready to be published.

First, I called Leonard. He picked up on the first ring, and I didn't even have to finish my sentence before he started whooping. We'd both poured our own money into the Play Store and App Store registrations-$25 for Google, a painful $99 per year for Apple. I ranted about Apple's greed, as usual, but today even that didn't bother me. We were about to go live.

I gathered my parents in the living room, unable to suppress my grin. "Mom, Dad, I want to share some news."

Dad, never missing a chance to embarrass me, smirked. "So, did you finally get a girlfriend? Thank God, I almost thought you were gay."

I groaned. "No, Dad! I'm straight. That's not the news." Mom just gave him the look and waved for me to continue.

I explained the whole process-how I'd built the game, beta tested it, fixed bugs (with Leonard's help), and now it was ready for the world. Their faces went from surprised to proud in seconds.

We all huddled around my computer as I hit "Publish" on both platforms. Immediately, they downloaded the game and started playing, laughing at their own terrible scores. Dad gave me that proud smile every kid wants, and Mom started sharing the link with every relative and coworker she could think of. We celebrated with the best shawarma wraps I've ever made.

I sent the game link to all my friends-except Alex. For her, I wanted to do it right. I shot her a message:

[Alex POV]

When my phone buzzed with Lucas's message, I couldn't help but smile. He'd just released his game and I was one of the first people he told-maybe the very first. That had to mean something, right? I opened our chat and replied instantly, barely stopping to think.

Alex: "Really! I'm happy for you 😊"

Of course, I was already downloading it. My heart was racing, but I tried to keep my reply casual. Lucas didn't waste a second before following up.

Lucas: "So, now that you can play the "official" version, I want a full review personally."

I grinned, tucking my legs up on my bed. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. Was he just being friendly, or was there something more? I tried to sound clever, not too eager:

Alex: "Don't blame me if it's not stellar if I miss homework because of it."

I tried to sound clever, not too eager:

Lucas: "That's how you know it's a good game-when it's dangerously distracting."

He fired back right away, and I could almost hear his voice in my head.

I laughed quietly, glancing at my door to make sure no one was listening. Haley had a sixth sense for this kind of thing.

Alex: "That's true."

Then he thanked me for my beta feedback, and I was about to type something back when, out of nowhere, Haley swooped in like a hawk. She snatched my phone from my hands before I could react. She shouted " You will never get a boyfriend. Let me help you sister! " and ran with my phone while reading my private texts.

"Haley! Give it back!" I hissed, chasing her down the hallway. She cackled and started typing, and I panicked. By the time I tackled her and got my phone back, she'd sent a message to Lucas-something about whether I was only going to get a "thanks" for all my help. My cheeks burned as I read it. I wanted to melt into the floor. I wanted to kill Haley.

But before I could do that, Lucas replied:

Lucas: "How about an ice cream then."

My heart skipped a beat. Was he… asking me out? I stared at the screen, totally frozen. I almost typed "yes, I do" like a lovesick idiot, but caught myself and just sent a simple:

Alex: "Yes"

Haley replied 'Welcome' and went away with a flair in her steps. But I ignored her. 

I watched the little "typing…" bubble on his side, knowing he was probably just as nervous as I was. Neither of us seemed to know what to say next.

Lucas: "I will see you tomorrow at school, bye"

I set my phone down, hands shaking, and tried to process what just happened. My mind was spinning. Did I just agree to go on a date with my crush? Was this actually real?

For the rest of the evening, I couldn't stop smiling at my phone. Even Mom noticed and started asking if I was talking to a boyfriend. I rolled my eyes and told her to let me live my life, but honestly, I didn't care what she thought. For once, I was too happy to let anything bother me.

I kept replaying the conversation in my head, nervous and excited all at once. We hadn't even figured out the details for our ice cream date, but it didn't matter. Lucas had asked, and I'd said yes. That was enough for now.

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