Chương 25

The TV in the corner of Rudra's bedroom was practically vibrating.

"We are just hours away from the official launch of Satisfy!" the morning news anchor beamed, standing in front of a massive holographic logo.

"Experts are already calling it a true second reality. During the beta, top rankers like Kraugel and Zibal became overnight celebrities..." Rudra muted the TV.

"Good for them," he muttered, leaning back against his pillows and tapping his pen against his open notebook.

"I just want to cook my crab." He picked up his phone. Since he still had half the day to kill before the midnight launch, he wanted to see if anyone had posted maps of the coastal ingredient spawns. He opened the official Satisfy community app and tapped on the trending tab. He froze. Sitting right at the number two spot for the entire global forum was a massive thread with over forty thousand upvotes. [Discussion] Who is the Training Maniac of Seabreak?! Did anyone party with him? Rudra's stomach dropped.

He slowly clicked on the thread. User_Kaelen: Bro, I was in the militia camp with this guy. He literally stood in the dirt and swung a wooden stick at the air for five hours straight. He didn't even log out for dinner. User_Brick: Real men push boulders! But that guy pushed more boulders than me! He got an S-Grade from the instructor! Is he an esports pro? Ocean_Grinder: I saw him on the northern beach! He was surrounded by Level 25 goblins, and I swear to god, he literally just slapped one across the face!

With his bare hand! And then he sat down and cooked a crab! Rudra physically cringed. He pulled the blanket up over his face and let out a long, miserable groan.

"Fuck me," he whispered into the dark of his blanket. This was his absolute worst nightmare. He hated unscripted small talk. He hated dealing with random gamers who wanted to network or leech off his stats. If people recognized him in the game, he wouldn't be able to peacefully farm ingredients or test his combat limits without an annoying crowd forming.

"That's it," Rudra decided, throwing the blanket off his face.

"I'm buying a mask. Or a hood. I am staying entirely off the radar." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Before he could spiral further into his introvert panic, the bedroom door creaked open. His brother, Shiva, walked in holding a small tray. He was on his lunch break from the hospital.

"Mom's busy with the restaurant accounts, so I'm on lunch duty," Shiva said, setting the tray on Rudra's lap.

"How are the ribs feeling?" Rudra looked down at the tray. It was a bowl of plain, boiled lentils and steamed spinach. Zero spices. Zero oil. His soul briefly left his body.

"The ribs are fine," Rudra whined, giving his brother a pathetic look.

"But my tastebuds are dying, Shiva. Please. Just one pinch of salt. I won't tell Mom."

"Nice try," Shiva laughed, crossing his arms.

"Eat the spinach. You need the iron." Rudra sighed heavily. He picked up his spoon and scooped up the bland lentils, aggressively staring at his "Satisfy Hit-List" notebook on the bedside table. He swallowed the food whole just so he wouldn't have to taste it. He was absolutely going to avenge this meal tonight. The rest of the day dragged on like a frozen loading screen. Rudra spent the hours staring at the ceiling and aggressively adding more recipes to his notebook.

By the time 11: 45 PM finally rolled around, he was practically vibrating with excitement. His bedroom door opened one last time. Meera stepped inside, holding a glass of water and his nighttime pain pills.

"The game launches at midnight, right?" she asked, handing him the pills.

"Yep," Rudra nodded. He tossed the pills back and quickly chugged the water.

"Don't stay up all night playing. Your body still needs real sleep to heal," she warned, pointing a stern finger at him.

"If I check on you at 4 AM and the capsule is running, I'm pulling the plug. I mean it, Rudra."

"Understood," Rudra lied smoothly. She rolled her eyes, completely seeing through him, but gave him a gentle pat on his good shoulder.

"Have fun. But not too much fun." As soon as the door clicked shut, Rudra threw his blanket aside. He carefully swung his good leg over the edge of the bed and slowly lowered himself into the VR capsule. The machine hummed to life. The soft, specialized gel cushioning shifted around him, perfectly supporting his broken ribs and healing arm. The dull, persistent ache in his chest instantly faded away. The glass lid slid shut overhead, locking him into the quiet dark.

A glowing red timer hovered in the center of his vision.

"Almost there," Rudra whispered. His fingers twitched with anticipation. He closed his eyes and mentally reviewed his immediate to-do list. First, buy a mask or a heavy hood. He absolutely refused to be swarmed by those crazed forum players asking about his " boulder-pushing techniques." Second, find a safe spot with a fire. Third, cook the biggest, most heavily spiced piece of monster meat he had in his inventory. The timer slowly ticked down. Five minutes. Three minutes. One minute.

His stomach gave one last, violent rumble. The plain, unseasoned lentils he ate for lunch were completely gone. Right now, he was running on pure, unhinged anticipation.

"I'm coming for you, you delicious bastards," Rudra grinned. [Welcome to Satisfy.] The dark capsule vanished. A massive rush of cold, salty air slammed into his face.