A searing pain, as if his brain were being split in two, was the first thing he registered.
"Agh! It hurts!"
Leo collapsed in his dorm room, clutching his head and crying out.
Five years. It had been five years since he'd been reborn into this world. On the surface, it was nearly identical to his old one. But he'd quickly learned that trying to make a living through the same old hustles—writing songs for pennies, betting on sports—was a dead end.
There was one crucial difference in this world: the video game industry was hopelessly stagnant. He'd pull up the top gaming charts and scoff. It was 2025, but the top-sellers looked like they were from fifteen years ago.
This gaping void in the market was a golden opportunity. But making games required real skill, real knowledge.
Determined to build his own gaming empire, Leo had subjected himself to a personal hell. After high school, he'd spent five agonizing years grinding through community college courses and dead-end jobs, all for a single shot at a real degree. He'd finally succeeded, earning a place at Northwood University—the top-ranked school for game design in the country.
And now, tonight, as he was pulling an all-nighter cramming design theory, a voice echoed in his mind.
[ DING! CONGRATULATIONS, HOST! THE GOD-TIER GAME DESIGNER SYSTEM IS ACTIVATING… LOADING… ]
Leo went still, the pain in his head replaced by a bitter, hollow feeling.
"Five years… Hey, System," he muttered to the empty room, "do you have any idea what I've been through these past five years?"
While he was clawing his way into Northwood, his old high school classmates were already succeeding. His deskmate was driving a Bentley. The girl he'd had a secret crush on was already married.
Though, he had to admit, that last part was probably for the best.
[ DING! SYSTEM HAS FINISHED LOADING! ]
[ THE HOST CAN COLLECT EMOTIONAL ENERGY (TILT POINTS) FROM OTHERS' FRUSTRATION, SHOCK, AND ANGER TO UNLOCK SYSTEM FEATURES. ]
The system's voice was crisp and clear in his mind. The games it could help him create were described as "ultra-high difficulty," masterpieces designed to be the ultimate rage-inducers.
"Unlock super-difficult games?" Leo's interest was piqued. A new concept began to form in his mind. "Use a game to tilt a player, then use the Tilt Points they generate to unlock a new game, and then use that game to tilt even more players…"
"Holy crap," he breathed. "I've just stumbled upon a whole new business model."
[ HOST HAS RECEIVED A STARTER PACK. OPEN IT? ]
"Open it!" Leo said without hesitation.
[ DING! HOST HAS ACQUIRED THE 'BUSYWORLD' PLATFORM. ]
Details flooded his mind. [ The platform has a powerful anti-piracy protocol. ][ It will not experience lag, stuttering, or crashes. ][ The platform's firewall is fortified. No hacker can attack it, and games cannot be cracked. ]
Leo's eyes widened. He knew exactly how valuable this was. In the modern gaming world, server crashes, piracy, and cheaters were plagues that even the biggest companies couldn't solve.
"To do a job well, you must first sharpen your tools," he murmured, a grin spreading across his face.
He pulled up his own status panel in his mind's eye.
[ Name: Leo ][ Age: 24 ][ Platform: BusyWorld (Downloads: 0) ][ Unlocked Games: None ][ Tilt Points: 0 ]
He selected the "Unlock Game" option, and a list of requirements appeared. At the top of the list were three games.
[ Thief Simulator: 1 Tilt Point ][ Poker Simulator: 10 Tilt Points ][ Glitch Hunter: 50 Tilt Points ] …
For now, these were the only ones he could see. The first game was practically a freebie, costing only a single point. But the price ramped up quickly.
"I need to start farming Tilt Points, and fast," Leo thought. "Frustration, shock, anger… those are the currencies."
His mind immediately jumped to the world's top streamers. In his past life, he'd seen countless viral clips of streamers having complete meltdowns over a game. This new world had its own streaming giants, familiar archetypes from his old life—loud-mouthed FPS pros, cozy life-sim players, and massive variety streamers.
The gaming industry here might be behind, but the streamers were just as popular. However, because the games that had caused those legendary meltdowns didn't exist here yet, those moments had never happened.
"If I can recreate those iconic moments," Leo schemed, "I can not only farm enough Tilt Points to break the bank, but I can also promote my own games in the process!"
A preliminary plan began to solidify in his mind.
He sat down at his computer and opened the "StreamSphere" live streaming platform. His eyes scanned the homepage before landing on a familiar name in the top spot: AmyPlays. She was one of the biggest streamers online.
The title of her stream read: "This MMO grind is getting stale. Looking for something new!"
Leo clicked into the stream.
AmyPlays was, as always, a top-tier entertainer, effortlessly bantering with the thousands of viewers who flooded her chat. Today, she was sporting a classic e-girl look—a pleated skirt and blazer combo, with her hair tied up in pigtails. She was perched on her gaming chair, one leg casually crossed over the other.
"Chat, my hands are numb from grinding this relic," she sighed dramatically. "Please tell me there's a fun new game out there somewhere."
The chat, a chaotic waterfall of messages, instantly replied.
[ GRANDMA'S LIVE! ] [ CHAT, ASSEMBLE! INITIATE THE RITUAL! ] [ IT IS WHAT IT IS ] [ IT IS WHAT IT IS ] [ IT IS WHAT IT IS ]
One user typed, [ Her chest is flatter than the map in this game. ]
Amy rolled her eyes, but a smile played on her lips. "Seriously? You guys have been using that same joke for years. You think that weak-sauce insult is gonna tilt me? I'm a seasoned pro."
The chat took this as a challenge. [ I dare you! Someone tilt the old lady! ] [ C'mon, a talented brother, step up! We need to see her tilted! ] [ I swear, if I go one day without seeing AmyPlays mald, I get physically ill! ]
Leo saw his opening. The first victim had presented herself. "Okay," he whispered, cracking his knuckles. "First, I need to use the chat. I'll make AmyPlays lose her cool, just enough to unlock my first game."
He watched for a moment as she continued to banter with her audience, feeling pleased with herself. She spotted a positive comment in the chaos.
[ OMG, the pigtails are so cute today, Amy! ]
Amy preened. "See? Some of you have taste!" she said, a smug grin on her face. "The rest of you are just classic keyboard warriors. In real life, you've probably never even talked to a girl."
The chat erupted in mock outrage. [ OUCH, MAN DOWN! I'M TILTED! ] [ That one actually hurt, not gonna lie. ] [ WE'VE GOT A SIMP IN THE CHAT! GET HIM, BOYS! ] [ Traitor! Who let him compliment her?! Now she's gotten cocky! ]
Enjoying the chaos she had sown, Amy stood up and did a little twirl. "So? What do you think of the whole look?"
This was the moment. Leo's fingers flew across the keyboard as he sent his first message.
[ I love the pigtails. They make great handlebars. ]
The comment was instantly buried in the flood, but because so few viewers ever complimented her, Amy's eyes were drawn to the name 'Leo'. She noticed his message and her smile froze.
"Handlebars…?" she repeated slowly, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What does that mean?"
A split second later, the chat exploded.
[ LMAOOOOO ] [ OH NO HE DIDN'T ] [ I hope the next thing you understand is chemistry and physics, not... whatever filth this is! ] [ I thought Leo was on our side, turns out he's the final boss! ] [ BEAUTIFUL! ]
Amy watched the rolling laughter, her mind connecting the dots. She instantly understood it wasn't a compliment. Her face flushed a bright crimson.
"What the hell is wrong with you people!" she sputtered, a mix of embarrassment and anger in her voice. "You have such disgusting minds!"
Leo nodded, satisfied. "Getting close," he thought. "But she's not fully tilted yet."
He sent his second message.
[ Hey Amy, I'm getting worried about you. ]
She saw his name pop up again and read the message aloud with a scoff. "'Worried about me?' Yeah, right. What now, Leo?"
Leo's follow-up message appeared.
[ Yeah. You seem really high-strung. Is your last name TENSION? ]
Amy stared at the screen, her indignant expression slowly melting back into confusion. "High-strung? Is my last name Tension?" she read out. "What kind of stupid question is that? My name is Amy! Obviously not! God, you people are so…"
She trailed off. Her brain, which had been furiously trying to formulate an insult, finally processed the words she had just said out loud. High-strung. Hypertension.
The pun hit her like a freight train.
"I—I DO NOT have 'high tension'!" she shrieked, her face now a shade of scarlet that clashed with her pigtails. "SHUT UP!"
The chat descended into pure pandemonium. Human nature, after all, is just to hit copy-paste. An endless stream of the same message scrolled by.
[ I DO NOT have 'high tension'! ] [ I DO NOT have 'high tension'! ] [ I DO NOT have 'high tension'! ]
Amy watched the mocking spam, and something inside her finally snapped.
"Aaargh—!" she screamed. "You people are all going to jail! Every single one of you! My last name is 'Go F*** Yourselves!'"
The chat only roared louder.
[ LMAO, SHE'S FULLY TILTED! ] [ Ahh, that's the good stuff. So satisfying! ] [ Let it be known! On this day, June 13th, one man, the legend known as Leo, single-handedly tilted AmyPlays into oblivion! ]
Leo watched the on-screen meltdown with a calm smile. The sweet, sweet sound of a system notification echoed in his mind.
[ Host has successfully tilted streamer AmyPlays. Tilt Points +100 ]
[ Congratulations, Host! You have acquired enough emotional energy. Unlocking Game: Thief Simulator. ]