PROLOGUE

Still Stronger

I don't remember exactly when it started. But as long as I can remember, I have always been enthralled by the concept of "The Strongest."

Be it anime, manga, or movies. I always loved it when I caught a glimpse of "The Strongest."

I admired "The Strongest." I wanted to be "The Strongest."

So the 7-year-old me deluded myself into thinking that I am "The Strongest." And thus began the most chuunibyou chapter of my life.

It lasted three years.

During that time, I went through:

• 20 upper body fractures

• 32 lower body fractures

• 19 dislocations

• 4 torn ligaments

• 2 ruptured tendons

But I don't regret anything. Because it was very fun.

..........

Even though it was fun while it lasted, I realized something with the end of my chuunibyou days.

I am not "The Strongest."

I lived in a slump for a while.

But I still wanted to be "The Strongest." So I decided that I would be "The Strongest" regardless of my limits.

And I was talented enough to just barely keep it up. Even with human limits, I never encountered anything too far beyond them. I could fight a dozen older delinquents and win easily. Even when it came to academics, I was pretty good.

..........

Some time passed like that. This and that happened. My parents got divorced. I changed schools.

..........

When I was 12, they discovered I had a heart disease.

I went through a heart transplant surgery. It went wrong. I somehow survived. A second surgery fixed it.

After that, I was bedridden for six months. My muscles atrophied.

I didn't notice anything wrong at first. But then I got into a fight with some punks.

I lost. So miserably that I couldn't even put up resistance.

It was such a foreign feeling. My brain just stopped working.

When I came to my senses, I was lying in a puddle. It didn't hurt much—probably because I have hard bones.

That's when I realized: I am not "The Strongest." And I can no longer force myself to be.

..........

But even so.

EVEN SO.

I refused to admit it.

Then I remembered what "The Strongest" means to me.

"The Strongest" is not some invincible hero.

"The Strongest" is not someone who never loses.

And it's not some motivational idiot who gets up again and again no matter how many times they lose either.

The strongest is the one who makes you forget they ever lost.

When they step onto the screen, I don't think, "I hope they win." I think, "How will they win this time?"

Even after a loss. Even at their worst. That belief never wavers.

Even if they are restrained or at their limit. Even against an army of 100,000, a stronger opponent, or a god. No matter the odds, they are still stronger.

I can't think of anything cooler than that.

And there exists such a cool thing in this world—but I can't be the one to have it.

That's unfair.

..........

During the six months I was bedridden, I had already finished the entire pre-college curriculum. So I stopped going to school.

I got into gaming. I'd never played video games before—except the ones that came pre-installed on a button phone.

I downloaded my first game. It asked for a username.

I tried "The Strongest."

Already taken.

"The Strongest One."

Taken.

"The Stronger One."

Taken.

"The Unrivaled One."

Taken.

I almost punched the monitor in frustration. It felt like the world was refusing to let me be "The Strongest."

If it were the me before I got beaten up on that rainy day, I would have either tracked down whoever owned "The Strongest" or not play the game at all.

But the me now was the one who had lost.

So I tried one last time.

Still Stronger.

That became my gaming username for life.

..........

After that, I spent a lot of time gaming.

I think I was pretty good at it.

Unlike in real life, I had many chances to play out the character of "The Strongest" in games. So I used every opportunity. I always took on the most impossible challenges. Most of the time, compared to other players, I played with a 150% debuff—no armor, or fighting a level 99 boss at level 2.

And somehow, I became famous in gaming communities as 'Still Stronger.'

Even though it was overly exaggerated.

It went something like this.

 "The Strongest" = "Still Stronger" 

It felt as if even if I lost, I was still stronger. And that matched my definition of "The Strongest" very well.

So I started to take pride in the name 'Still Stronger'.

And that is the story of how I became the the legendary gamer named 'Still Stronger'.