Chương 26

A massive rush of cold, salty air slammed into his face. Rudra opened his eyes. He wasn't in his bedroom anymore. He was standing right in the middle of the dark, damp Abyssal Cave. The massive corpse of the Level 65 boss crab was still sitting exactly where he had left it. The Satisfy servers had officially opened.

"The crab," Rudra gasped, immediately dropping to his knees.

"My crab." He looked down at the iron skillet sitting over the dead campfire. His heart shattered into a million pieces. Because of the game's time dilation, two real-world days equaled six days inside Satisfy. The Spiced Abyssal Butter Crab had been sitting out at room temperature for almost a week. The rich, golden garlic butter had completely curdled into a fuzzy, toxic-looking green slime. A small swarm of virtual flies buzzed happily around the rotting meat. The smell was absolutely foul.

Rudra stared at the pan in pure silence. A single, genuine tear rolled down his cheek.

"Dammit," he whispered, his voice cracking.

"All that garlic... wasted." He slowly stood up, physically mourning the loss of the greatest meal he had ever cooked. He kicked some dirt over the campfire to bury the tragedy. He needed a distraction before he actually started crying over a video game mechanic. He swiped his hand through the cold air.

"Status window." [Name]: Rudra [Level]: 50 [Class]: Apprentice Staffman [Titles]: [Forerunner of the Twin Paths] +1 [Health]: 1, 440 / 1, 440 [Mana]: 510 / 510 [Strength: 187 Stamina: 144 Agility: 196 Intelligence: 102 Persistence: 125 Dexterity: 10 Stat Points: 145] Rudra stared at the glowing blue panel. Okay, the grief was fading a little bit. These numbers were completely broken.

Between his boss kills, his massive stat boosts from reaching Intermediate in both Staff Mastery and Cooking, and the bonus from his Twin Paths title, his base stats were disgusting. His stats were all above 100 with strength and agility nearing 200. With 145 free points just sitting in reserve, he was basically a walking cheat code.

"I could probably outrun a horse right now," he grinned, closing the window. He gripped Gareth's Heavy Oak Staff, threw it over his shoulder, and marched toward the heavy stone doors at the dungeon entrance. When he pushed the doors open and stepped out onto the northern beach, the sheer volume of noise almost knocked him over. The closed beta had exactly one hundred thousand players. The official launch had more than a billion. The previously empty, quiet coastline of Seabreak Town was absolutely swarming.

Everywhere he looked, Level 1 beginners in basic cloth shirts were running around. They were punching trees, marveling at the feeling of sand between their toes, and shouting about how real the ocean smelled.

"Look at the graphics! I can feel the wind!" a guy yelled, doing jumping jacks in the surf.

"Party for crab hunting! Need a tank!" a girl screamed nearby. Rudra froze. He immediately remembered the massive forum thread calling him the "Training Maniac." If any of these people noticed his high-level leather armor or his heavy iron-oak staff, they would instantly swarm him. Stolen story; please report. His introvert alarm violently went off. Don't look at me, Rudra thought, instantly slouching his shoulders and pulling his collar up over his chin. I am a perfectly normal, boring NPC. Ignore me.

He kept his head down, using his 196 Agility to weave flawlessly through the massive crowds of chaotic players without brushing against a single shoulder. He practically sprinted back into Seabreak Town. He completely bypassed the bustling market stalls and ducked into a quiet, dusty alleyway. He found a small, unassuming NPC tailor shop and pushed the wooden door open. An old woman looked up from her sewing table.

"Welcome, traveler. What can I—""I need a mask," Rudra interrupted smoothly, pulling out a silver coin and placing it on the table. He offered her a polite, apologetic smile.

"And a very boring cloak. Please." The NPC blinked, slightly surprised by his urgency, but she quickly pocketed the coin. She walked into the back and returned with a worn, heavy brown travel cloak and a plain, dark leather half-mask designed to cover the lower half of the face from the nose down.

"These should keep the sea salt off your face," she smiled warmly.

"Thank you," Rudra said, immediately pulling the cloak over his shoulders and snapping the leather mask over his nose and mouth. He pulled the heavy hood up, casting his red eyes into deep shadow. He looked exactly like a standard, edgy wandering mercenary. No one would ever connect him to the sweaty guy in a beginner shirt who slapped goblins on the beach. He let out a massive sigh of relief behind the mask.

"Perfect," he muttered.

"Now, I just need to find a kitchen and a map." Stepping out of the quiet alleyway, Rudra kept his head down. The heavy brown cloak completely hid his high-tier leather armor, and the dark half-mask covered his nose and mouth perfectly. He blended right in with the hundreds of edgy rogue-wannabes running around the beginner zone. He made a beeline for Broc's restaurant. When he pushed the tavern doors open, the noise was absolutely deafening. The place was packed to the brim with Level 1 players.

They were banging their basic wooden cups on the tables, yelling at the poor waitresses, and shoving their faces into the personal space of the local NPCs.

"Hey! Old man! Give me a hidden quest!" a guy yelled at a terrified fisherman in the corner.

"Why is the food here so expensive?! I only have ten coppers!" another player complained loudly to a waitress. Rudra physically shuddered. The second-hand embarrassment was lethal. He slipped through the chaotic crowd like a ghost. With his stats, it was completely effortless to dodge the flailing arms, spilled drinks, and loud arguments. He ducked under a swinging door marked "Staff Only" and slipped right into the kitchen. Broc, the burly head cook, was frantically chopping vegetables.

He looked completely exhausted.

"I said no customers in the kitchen!" Broc roared, not even looking up from his cutting board.

"It's just me, Broc," Rudra said softly. He pulled his mask down slightly so the cook could see his face.

"Rough day?" Broc paused. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a dirty towel and let out a massive sigh of relief.

"Rudra. Thank the gods," Broc grunted.

"I thought you were another one of those 'Immortals' out there. They keep storming in here asking for free food and jobs. It's an absolute nightmare. They have zero respect."

"They really lack manners," Rudra agreed, offering a sympathetic smile.

"Listen, I lost a really good meal today. A total tragedy, honestly. Can I rent a corner of your stove for ten minutes? I just need to eat." Broc waved a heavy hand toward a small, unused iron stove in the corner.

"Be my guest, kid. Just stay out of my way. I have forty orders of bread to bake."

"You're a lifesaver," Rudra grinned. He didn't waste a single second. He pulled out a thick slab of raw Iron-Shelled Crab meat and a handful of the rare spices he had purchased in Port Nereus. He fired up the stove, tossed a block of butter into an iron skillet, and dropped the meat in. The loud, chaotic noise of the tavern faded away entirely as the meat sizzled. Rudra flipped the crab flawlessly. His freakish hand-eye coordination made the cooking process smooth and rhythmic.

He coated it in red pepper, sea salt, and minced garlic. [You have successfully created 'Spiced Crab Stir-fry'!] [Rating: Normal] [Effect: Satiety is fully restored.] It wasn't a Rare-rated dish like his lost Abyssal Crab, but right now, he didn't care. He grabbed a wooden fork and shoved a massive, steaming piece of meat directly into his mouth. The rich, spicy flavor exploded on his tongue.

"Oh, hell yes," Rudra groaned happily. The pain of the rotten crab finally washed away. He stood in the corner and ate the entire pan in under three minutes flat. Once his stomach was full and his Satiety bar was safely maxed out, he washed his pan and turned back to Broc.

"Thanks for the stove," Rudra said, pulling his leather mask back up over his nose.

"Before I head out, do you know anything about an old, sunken altar around here? I need a map, or at least a direction to go." Broc stopped chopping. He gave Rudra a very serious look.

"If you mean the old sea-god shrines, there's one up north near the jagged cliffs. It's right by the main coastal chokepoint," Broc warned, pointing a thick finger at him.

"But don't go there right now. The fishermen came back running this morning." Rudra raised an eyebrow behind his mask.

"What happened?"

"The wildlife is acting crazy. The crabs and murlocs are massing near the cliffs, attacking anyone who gets close. They are highly aggressive. It's too dangerous, even for you." A translucent blue window popped up in Rudra's vision. [Quest Generated: The Gathering Tide] [Difficulty: C] [The local wildlife near the northern cliffs is behaving erratically. Investigate the cause and locate the sunken altar of Asterion.] Rudra read the prompt and grinned.

High-level monsters grouped up in one spot meant easy, highly concentrated experience points. Plus, it was his tenth temple.

"Don't worry, Broc," Rudra said, adjusting his heavy cloak over his shoulders.

"I'm just going for a walk." He slipped out the back door of the kitchen, entirely avoiding the loud, annoying players in the dining room, and set his sights firmly on the northern cliffs.