Chương 194

"The First Satisfy National Competition has officially come to a close!" the lead anchor yelled into his microphone. The audio fed clearly through the kitchen speakers.

"And the world is absolutely stunned! South Korea's hero, Shin Youngwoo—playing under the ID 'Grid'—has shocked the globe!" The screen cut away from the stadium. It showed a fast-paced highlight reel of the events. First, it showed the Target Processing event. Grid and his partner, Yura, fought off top-tier players from multiple countries. Grid summoned seven golden blades that flew through the air by themselves to destroy the targets.

Then the video cut to the PvP arena on Pearl Island where history was made as Grid logged out the 8th-ranked player, Hurent, in exactly 5 seconds. Next, he logged out the undefeated ice mystic, Bondre, in just 4 seconds. Finally, he defeated Regas in the finals to secure his second gold medal. Finally, it showed the Pet Marathon on Yurea Island. Dozens of foreign players rode massive, terrifying wyverns. But Grid summoned a small, winged black cat named Noe, a self-proclaimed best demonic beast from hell.

The small cat opened its mouth, swallowed the wyverns to steal their stats, and easily crossed the finish line first.

"He skipped the production events entirely, but he still dominated the combat!" the co-anchor added, sounding completely breathless.

"Grid has officially revealed his true class to the world! We have a confirmed Legendary Blacksmith on the server, and he just proved he can destroy the top rankers on the front lines!" Shiva whistled through his teeth. He stared at the TV screen.

"Look at that crowd. They are treating him like a movie star. The news this morning said he signed millions in sponsorship deals overnight. He's rich."

"Grid loves the spotlight," Rudra noted. He scooped up another piece of idli.

"He definitely earned it. He works hard." Shiva looked him curiously "You talk as if you have meet him personally" Rudra just shrugged "I kind of cooked for Grid a couple times." Shiva laughed "Looks like our family knows a Star""He brought home three gold medals for South Korea," the main anchor continued.

"He won Target Processing, PvP, and the Pet Marathon. His performance pushed South Korea to second place globally!" A massive graphic of the final medal standings popped up on the screen. The flags of different countries sat next to gold, silver, and bronze numbers.

"South Korea tied the United States for the most gold medals," the co-anchor explained, tapping his desk.

"But the US takes the overall first-place trophy today. The US won because they had a higher total count of silver and bronze medals. France took third place. Still, it was an unbelievable showing from the Korean team!" Meera shook her head slowly. She took her empty plate to the sink.

"All that fuss over a video game. But making millions just by playing? The world is a very strange place now."

"It's the new economy, Ma," Shiva laughed.

"You just have to find a good niche." On the TV, the loud stadium footage faded away. The two anchors now sat at a sleek, modern news desk. The studio lighting turned a serious, dark blue color. A guest analyst sat between them, holding a tablet.

"But while Grid completely stole the show in Seoul," the main anchor said, adjusting his suit tie.

"The true battle for the absolute throne of Satisfy is happening quietly in the shadows."

"That's right, Tom," the co-anchor agreed, nodding seriously.

"The National Competition was a great spectacle. It was fun to watch. But the hardcore fans know the real war is on the leaderboards. And the Unified Rankings just updated an hour ago!" This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. A massive, glowing list appeared on the screen behind the news desk. It showed the top players in the world.

"Kraugel remains untouchable at Rank 1," the main anchor reported.

"The Sky Above the Sky is sitting comfortably at Level 300. He is a machine. Nobody can catch him." The camera zoomed in on the middle of the top ten list.

"But look at Rank 7!" the co-anchor shouted. His voice rose in pitch.

"The Zenith! Rudra has violently re-entered the top ten!" The screen highlighted the name 'Rudra' in bright yellow letters. The number next to it read: Level 290. The guest analyst at the desk leaned into his microphone. He looked completely baffled by the numbers on his tablet.

"This makes absolutely no sense, guys," the analyst said. He pointed a pen at the screen.

"Let's review the timeline. More than half a year ago, a global message announced the birth of the Legendary Staff Saint. Right after that message, Rudra completely vanished from the leaderboards."

"Everyone assumed the system hit him with a massive level penalty for taking a legendary class," the main anchor nodded.

"It's the only logical explanation."

"Some people on the forums even joked he got reset all the way back to Level 1," the co-anchor laughed, shaking his head.

"Exactly," the analyst said. His face was totally serious. He didn't laugh.

"But now he is back. He is sitting at Level 290. Let me make this very clear to the viewers at home. If he actually took a harsh level penalty, his current growth speed is completely impossible. He is climbing the ladder faster than what was even thought possible in the game."

"So what does this mean for the game?" the main anchor asked.

"It means the ultimate clash is coming," the analyst stated firmly.

"At this terrifying speed, The Zenith will challenge Kraugel for the Rank 1 spot. It's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when. The Sky versus The Zenith." Shiva chuckled. He set his coffee mug down on the granite counter. He nudged Rudra's shoulder playfully.

"Rank 7," Shiva joked.

"You share a name with a famous guy, little brother. He sounds pretty scary."

"Yeah, total coincidence," Rudra smiled. He kept his face completely blank.

"I'm glad you just cook and trade," Priya said. She shook her head at the TV.

"Those hardcore combat players look so stressed out all the time. Imagine fighting monsters all day long without actually enjoying the peaceful aspects of the game."

"It sounds exhausting," Meera agreed. She dried her hands on a towel.

"Much better to just run a safe business and stay out of trouble."

"Definitely," Rudra agreed. The TV kept blaring in the background. Rudra just smiled quietly into his coffee mug. He didn't care about fame all that much. He didn't care what the forum posters said. But hearing those numbers read out loud on national television brought back a familiar, competitive itch in his chest. Ten levels was a very big gap in the high tiers. It usually took weeks of non-stop grinding to move the experience bar by even one level.

It was a massive mountain to climb especially in the hell zone from 290 to 310. But he wasn't giving up. He needed to hit Level 300 and get his 3rd stat awakening which would make his already broken stats even more overpowered. Not to mention that he still had multiple different quests to complete in the game. He had a lot of work to do. Rudra finished the last bite of his idli. He stood up and took his empty plate to the sink. He washed it quickly, drying his hands on a kitchen towel.

"Thanks for the breakfast," Shiva said. He stretched his arms over his head, yawning loudly.

"I'm going to take a nap before my next shift starts."

"Get some sleep," Rudra said. He left the bright kitchen and walked down the quiet hallway. The morning sun lit up the wooden floorboards. He reached his bedroom and pushed the heavy wooden door open. His VR capsule hummed quietly in the corner. The soft blue light pulsed gently in the shadows, waiting for him. Rudra cracked his knuckles. A wide, genuine grin spread across his face. The competitive fire burned bright in his chest.

"Alright," Rudra said softly to the empty room.

"Let's go take the crown back." He climbed into the soft gel cushions of the capsule. The glass lid slid shut with a soft hiss. The real world faded to black.