Chapter 1: Ghost Reef
Coop loved his job.
It wasn’t his dream job or anything, but it still felt like a dream morphing into a nightmare when the sky was blotted out and the ground began shaking violently.
Starting a career had snuck up on him in an uncomfortable way. He had just finished school and was a bit lost without the structured guidance it had provided. Trauma had caused Coop to become the kind of guy that took things step by step with little deviation. He wasn’t fully conscious of this change, but at least in the back of his mind he knew that he wasn’t really coping properly. Regardless, it had helped him become a successful student even if he lacked the passion that made other students exceptional.
Go to class, do the assignments, take the exams, repeat.
His simple mentality had also helped him become an even better athlete. He was more diligent than when he had the childish exuberance to pour his heart out in competition.
Go to practice, train hard, compete, repeat.
His hollow dedication even followed him into his hobbies, where it yielded the greatest rewards. Video games are inherently about gameplay loops and he would happily complete them repeatedly.
Kill monsters, get loot, level up, repeat.
He hadn’t gotten through school because he was intelligent, he hadn’t been an athlete because he was talented, and he wasn’t good at video games because of skill. He thought that was okay. He just did what was expected of him. Time to start a career, he supposed.
Apply for a position, go to the interview, never hear back, repeat.