Chương 49

The auction timer finally ticked down to zero. Rudra sat in the quiet inn room, watching the interface. The final winning bid for the [Rare Hidden Class Change Book] locked in at exactly 22, 500, 000 Gold. He opened the game's official currency exchange menu. In Satisfy, you didn't just withdraw gold into cash. You had to sell it to other players who were bidding real-world money to buy in-game currency.

Because top guilds and massive corporations were constantly trying to buy up gold to fund their armies and castles, the buy-order list was practically endless. Rudra listed his twenty-two and a half million gold at the current standard market rate. The system instantly matched his gold with thousands of open buy orders. The transaction fee was deducted, and a tiny green checkmark appeared. Transaction Complete. Rudra pulled off his dark leather mask.

He lay back on the wooden floor of the inn, staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm rich," he whispered.

"I'm actually rich." He hit the logout button. The virtual world faded to black. The VR capsule in his bedroom hummed softly as the glass lid slid open. Rudra sat up. His ribs didn't ache as much anymore, a sign that the capsule's neural link was definitely doing its job. He stepped out of the machine and grabbed his phone from his nightstand. His banking app had a new notification. He opened it. He stared at the massive string of zeroes sitting securely in his checking account. Over twenty-two million dollars.

He walked out of his bedroom and headed straight down the hallway. It was early morning. The sun was just starting to peek through the living room windows. His mother, Meera, was already awake. She sat at the kitchen table, completely surrounded by stacks of receipts and account ledgers from her restaurants. She rubbed her temples with a tired sigh, a half-empty cup of coffee resting near her elbow.

"Mom," Rudra said quietly. Meera looked up. Her eyes instantly narrowed, slipping right into her usual strict mode.

"You've been in that pod all night again. I told you, your bones still need real sleep. Do you want me to call Shiva to lecture you?"

"Mom, look at this," Rudra interrupted. He walked over and gently placed his phone right on top of her ledgers. Meera frowned.

"What is this? Did you buy another expensive game piece? I swear, Rudra, if you wasted your savings on—" She stopped. Her eyes locked onto the screen. She stared at the number. She blinked, grabbed her reading glasses from the table, put them on, and looked again. Her hands started to tremble.

"Rudra," she whispered. Her voice was totally hollow.

"Wh... whose account is this? Is this a scam? Did the bank make a mistake?"

"It's mine," Rudra smiled, pulling up a chair.

"I found a really rare item in the game. I sold it on the global market, and other players bought it for real money. It's entirely legal and taxes are already paid." Meera stared at him. She looked back at the phone, then covered her mouth with both hands. For years, she had run herself completely ragged managing her restaurants. She worked fourteen-hour days, terrified of what would happen to her boys if the business failed.

She had worried herself sick when Rudra was hit by that truck, terrified his life was ruined. A single tear rolled down her cheek, dropping onto a restaurant receipt. Then another.

"You don't have to stress about the accounts anymore," Rudra said softly. He reached across the table and held her hand.

"We're completely fine. Shiva can pay off his medical loans, and you can actually take a day off." Meera let out a shaky, watery laugh. She stood up, walked around the table, and pulled him into a tight, crushing hug. Rudra hugged her back. The massive weight of his family's financial anxiety completely vanished from his shoulders. It felt better than any stat boost the game could ever give him.

"What is going on in here?" a tired voice asked. Rudra looked up. His older brother, Shiva, was standing in the kitchen doorway. He was wearing his scrubs, having just gotten off a brutal night shift at the hospital. He looked at his mother crying and instantly went on high alert.

"Who died?" Shiva asked, stepping forward quickly.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"My poverty," Rudra joked. He picked up his phone and handed it to his brother.

"Check it out." Shiva took the phone. He squinted at the screen, his exhausted brain taking a few seconds to process the commas and zeroes. His jaw dropped. He looked at Rudra, then back at the phone. He actually wiped his eyes like a cartoon character. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"Wait. Wait, hold on," Shiva stammered, his medical professionalism completely breaking.

"Is this dollars? Or rupees? Because even if this is rupees, this is an insane amount of money. If this is dollars, I am going to pass out on this floor right now."

"It's dollars," Rudra grinned. Shiva's legs gave out. He slumped into the nearest kitchen chair, putting his head between his knees.

"I'm hallucinating. The night shift finally broke my brain. I'm asleep in the breakroom right now."

"It's real, Shiva," Meera laughed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She patted her oldest son on the back. Shiva slowly sat up. He looked at his little brother with absolute awe.

"You made this playing that video game? The one where you just hit things with a stick?"

"I also cook," Rudra pointed out defensively.

"But yeah. The market for items is crazy. Guilds will pay anything to get an advantage." Shiva shook his head, a massive, exhausted smile spreading across his face.

"I am never making fun of your gaming capsule ever again." Meera clapped her hands together. Her brief moment of emotional vulnerability was over. Her expression shifted back to stone-cold discipline.

"Alright, listen to me, both of you," Meera warned, pointing a stern finger at them.

"This is wonderful news. But this doesn't change the rules of this house." Rudra groaned playfully.

"Mom, I'm a multi-millionaire. Can't I at least skip the vegetables?"

"Absolutely not," she snapped, though her eyes were shining with happiness.

"You are still healing. You will eat healthy, you will go to sleep on time, and you will not leave your dirty clothes on the floor. Money does not buy you the right to be lazy."

"Yes, ma'am," Rudra and Shiva said at the exact same time.

"Good," she nodded, turning toward the stove.

"Now sit down. I'm making breakfast. And I suppose we can celebrate a little. I'll make the mutton curry." Rudra's stomach gave a loud, violent rumble. An hour later, the kitchen table was absolutely covered in food. Meera went all out. There were crispy dosas, rich mutton curry, coconut chutney, and fresh coffee. Rudra ate like a starving animal. He loaded his plate three times. The food in the real world didn't have the magical, mind-blowing spice kicks of his Satisfy meals, but he didn't care.

Eating his mom's home-cooked food, sitting at the table with his brother, knowing they never had to worry about money again—it made the meal taste incredible.

"So," Shiva asked between bites of curry.

"What are you going to do now? Are you going to buy a mansion? A sports car?"

"No," Rudra shook his head, chewing a piece of mutton.

"I'm not doing anything crazy. Let's just pay off your medical school loans first. Then Mom can hire some proper managers for the restaurants so she doesn't have to do the accounting at 5 AM anymore." Meera smiled softly into her coffee mug but didn't argue.

"As for me," Rudra shrugged.

"I just want to keep playing. The game is huge. I want to see everything. And honestly, I really just want to find better ingredients to cook with." Shiva laughed.

"You became a millionaire, and your grand ambition is to be a virtual chef."

"You haven't tasted the Abyssal Crab," Rudra argued seriously.

"It changes you, man." They spent the rest of the morning just talking and joking around. The heavy, lingering stress that usually hung over the house was totally gone. Around noon, Rudra finally stood up, stretching his arms. The food coma was starting to hit him hard.

"I'm going to take a nap," Rudra yawned.

"My in-game character has a class advancement waiting, and I need to be rested."

"Go sleep," Meera shooed him away.

"Real sleep. In the bed. Not the capsule."

"I promise," Rudra smiled. He walked back to his bedroom and flopped down onto his mattress. He stared at the ceiling, feeling lighter than he had in years. He didn't have to dread going back to a miserable IT job. He didn't have to worry about rent. He closed his eyes. A few hours later, Rudra logged back into Satisfy. He materialized right back inside his rented room at the Silver Boar Inn. The afternoon sun was shining through the wooden shutters. Elysia was sitting by the window, quietly wiping down her sword.

Kratos was sound asleep on the rug, his tiny stomach bulging slightly from whatever he had devoured while Rudra was offline.

"I need to run an errand," Rudra announced, grabbing his Abyssal Ironwood Staff and slinging it over his shoulder.

"I have a class to upgrade."

"It's about time," Elysia said, sliding her sword into its scabbard.

"Hitting things hard is fine, but you need an actual class so you stop fighting like a tavern brawler."

"Hey, the tavern brawling keeps us alive," Rudra waved. He pulled his dark leather mask up over his nose and secured his heavy brown hood. He stepped out of the inn and walked down the bustling streets of the Arc Kingdom's safe zone. The town was packed with players and merchants. Rudra didn't shrink away from the crowds, but he moved with enough purpose and speed that people naturally stepped out of his way.

He ignored the party recruitment shouts and headed straight for the large, sturdy wooden building of the local Adventurer's Guild. He walked inside and headed straight for an open reception desk.

"Welcome to the Guild," the NPC receptionist smiled warmly.

"How can I help you today, traveler?"

"I'm here for my First Class Advancement, please," Rudra said politely.

"Of course! Congratulations on reaching Level 100," she said, gesturing to a smooth glass orb sitting on the wooden counter.

"Please place your hand on the evaluation crystal. The system will read your achievements and stats to offer you the most suitable paths." Rudra placed his bare hand on the cold glass. The crystal stayed completely dark for a few long seconds. It was as if the system was struggling to do the math on his heavily abnormal stats, his twin Intermediate masteries, and his massive list of titles. Finally, the crystal hummed, and a holographic menu popped up in Rudra's vision, displaying three distinct options.

[Based on your achievements, combat style, and stats, the following paths are available to you:] [Battle-Mage] (Rating: Normal) - Blend elemental magic with staff combat. Grants ranged attacks and magical utility. [Wandering Cook] (Rating: Normal) - Focuses on cooking various exceptional foods. Restriction to equipping heavy weapons [Black Staff Expert] (Rating: Normal) - Abandon magic to master the physical weight and blunt force of a staff. Enhances pure physical damage and close-quarters leverage.

Rudra stared at the glowing blue text. He read the descriptions carefully. The first option offered magic which most players would instantly choose to get access to flashy spells. And the second option was quiet enticing but the restriction to equip weapons was the deal breaker. Rudra didn't want to stand in the back and cast spells. He didn't want someone else to fight for him while he can only cook for them. He liked hitting things really, really hard. A wide grin spread beneath his dark leather mask.

He raised his finger toward the glowing screen.