In the year 2026, the city was split into two parts. District 1 was for the rich and powerful Alphas. District 13 was the "Trash-Pit," a place full of old metal, broken lights, and poor people. In this world, the biggest thing was a video game called *Aethelgard*. If you were good at the game, you could become a star. If you were bad, you stayed in the mud.
Inside a small, smelly internet cafe in District 13, the air was hot. Old computers made a loud buzzing sound. Many men were shouting at their screens, their faces red with anger. But in the very back corner, there was a boy who sat very still.
This was *Lin Xiao*.
He wore a big black hoodie that was too large for his thin body. A white medical mask covered half of his face, leaving only his eyes visible. His eyes were dark and sharp, like black glass. His hair was a soft silver color, and it hung over his forehead. He looked very delicate, like a pretty doll. Most people in the cafe thought he was just a weak kid.
But Lin Xiao was hiding a big secret. He was an *Omega*.
In District 13, being an Omega was dangerous. Alphas were strong and could be very mean to Omegas. To stay safe, Lin Xiao took bitter yellow pills every day. These pills hid his sweet scent and made him seem like a "Beta"—a normal person.
"Xiao-er, are you ready?" a loud voice asked.
It was Old Wei, the man who owned the cafe. He was a big, kind man, but right now he was sweating. He was worried.
"The match starts in one minute," Wei said, looking at the screen. "We are playing against a guy named IronCrusher. He is an Alpha, and he is very good. He came from a better district just to take our money. If we lose this 5,000 credit bet, I might lose my cafe."
Lin Xiao did not look away from his monitor. His pale fingers rested on the keyboard. The keyboard was old and dusty, but to him, it felt like a musical instrument.
"Don't worry, Wei-ge," Lin Xiao said. His voice was soft and cool. "I won't let him take your cafe."
The Battle Begins
On the screen, the game *Aethelgard* loaded. Lin Xiao chose a character called *The Frost Rose*.
The Frost Rose was a beautiful character. She wore white clothes and carried a thin sword. But in the game, she was very hard to play. She had very little health. If an enemy hit her once, she would die. Most players thought she was useless.
"Haha! Look at this!" IronCrusher shouted from across the room. He was a tall Alpha with a mean smile. "District 13 is so poor they have to play a girl character? I'm going to crush that rose into the dirt!"
Lin Xiao said nothing. He put on his headphones. Suddenly, the noise of the cafe disappeared. All he could see was the game.
The match started.
Lin Xiao's fingers began to move. They didn't just press keys; they danced.
*Tap. Click. Tap-tap.*
In the game, the Frost Rose moved with incredible speed. She danced between the trees and the river. Every time IronCrusher's big Berserker character tried to hit her with his axe, she was already gone. It was like trying to catch a ghost.
"Why can't I hit you?!" IronCrusher yelled. He was getting frustrated.
In the Omegaverse, Alphas have a special power called "Pressure." They can release a smell that makes other people feel scared or weak. IronCrusher started to release his scent—a sharp, burnt smell. It filled the small cafe. Other players nearby started to feel dizzy.
Lin Xiao felt it too. His heart began to beat faster. His hands wanted to shake. His body wanted to give up because he was an Omega facing an Alpha.
No, Lin Xiao thought. He bit his lip hard until he tasted blood. *I am a gamer first. I am the Rose.*
He took a deep breath. He used his mind to push back the fear. He focused only on the pixels on the screen.
300 APM (Actions Per Minute).
350 APM.
400 APM.
His speed was now faster than any human in District 13.
The Honor of Rose
Ten minutes into the game, IronCrusher was tired. He had used all his big spells, but he hadn't touched the Rose even once.
"My turn," Lin Xiao whispered.
He pressed four keys at the exact same time. On the screen, the Frost Rose did something amazing. She spun in a circle, and a *soft glowing gold light* appeared around her. Suddenly, thousands of white flower petals filled the screen.
This was the "Rose Bloom" move. It was the hardest move in the game.
Slash!
Dash!
Kill!
In three seconds, IronCrusher's character was dead.
The whole internet cafe went silent. Everyone stopped playing their own games to look at Lin Xiao's screen.
SYSTEM MESSAGE: [ROSE] HAS DEFEATED [IRONCRUSHER]!
SYSTEM MESSAGE: PENTA-KILL!
"No way..." someone whispered. "That kid... he just beat a pro-level Alpha with a Rose Bloom?"
IronCrusher stood up, his face purple with rage. "You! You're a hacker! No kid from the trash-pit can play like that!"
He marched toward Lin Xiao's corner. He wanted to start a fight. He released all of his Alpha pressure at once, trying to make Lin Xiao fall to his knees.
Lin Xiao felt a wave of heat hit him. The bitter pills in his stomach weren't enough. A tiny bit of his true scent—the smell of a cold, sweet rose—started to leak out.
"Back off," Old Wei shouted, stepping in front of Lin Xiao. "He beat you fair and square. Take your loss and leave!"
IronCrusher growled, but there were too many people watching. He threw a bag of credits on the floor and stormed out.
Lin Xiao quickly packed his keyboard into his bag. He needed to get home before his scent became too strong.
"Thanks, Wei-ge," Lin Xiao said, grabbing the credits. "I have to go."
"Wait, Xiao! You're famous now!" Wei yelled after him. "Someone recorded that match! It's all over the internet!"
But Lin Xiao was already gone, disappearing into the dark, rainy streets of the slums.
The King is Watching
Five miles away, in the middle of the beautiful District 1, there was a building made of black glass. This was the home of *Team Kingdom*, the best E-sports team in the world.
Inside the top floor, a man was sitting in a dark room. The only light came from a giant screen on the wall.
This was *Ye Shikai*.
He was the "King" of Alphas. He was tall, handsome, and very cold. He never smiled. He was the best player in the world, and he was bored. No one was good enough to be his partner.
He was watching a video. It was a shaky, low-quality video of a match in a trashy internet cafe.
He watched the Frost Rose move. He watched the gold light and the petals.
Ye Shikai's eyes widened. For the first time in years, his heart beat a little faster.
"Captain?" a voice came from the door. It was his assistant. "The new season starts next week. We still haven't found a Mid-laner for the team. All the Alphas we tested were too slow."
Ye Shikai didn't look away from the screen. He pointed at the masked boy in the video.
"Find him," Ye Shikai said. His voice was deep and powerful.
"But Captain... that's just a kid from the slums. He's probably a nobody."
"He is not a nobody," Ye Shikai said, his voice dropping low. He could almost feel the energy of the player through the screen. "He has the soul of a king. I don't care where he lives or who he is. I want him on this team by tomorrow."
Ye Shikai stood up and walked to the window. He looked out at the dark city. Somewhere out there, a "Rose" was blooming in the trash. And the King was going to find it.