Chapter 66 - Why Saachi should NOT die in game (1)

(A/N- sorry for the delay!)

Saachi had not worked this hard post his rebirth. Even cramming revisions for exams did not cause such a brain drain. The problem was not hyper focusing. He was getting 'the feel' or hyper focused will fighting monsters higher than his level or in dungeons. Even searching around to avoid monsters needed high level of focus, but it had turned norm to Saachi.

Only during fights against bosses or so, his brain would turn hyperactive.

This session of escaping 'mega goats' though, was not over in few minutes. Instead, it had dragged for few hours. He had missed his sleep and dinner too. No wonder he fainted.

The utility or excellence of gaming pod could be seen in such situations. The gaming gear could autosave the progress and disengage from game too but the pod went further and diagnosed his body conditions. After ascertaining that he was not in danger, it allowed him to sleep deeply.

A soothing music, a relaxing fragrance. Saachi may not have felt it but his brain did, through senses and it practically purred as it set to recover itself and make necessary changes.

Dr Alexi Kamen, an eminent neurologist of yesteryears had once postulated that everytime brain flexes its strength to extreme, it grows and adapts, and it's capacity and capability increases, and such effects seem very big in initial stages. It was like seeing growth of 1st year school going child and 1st year college going kid. At end of the year, brains of both would have expanded a bit more but the effect would be clearly seen only in school going kid. Saachi is now that school going kid. Bree or her old colleagues would be like highschoolers or new college kids.

So we can understand why Bree and Co were initially impressed but later did not think much of Saachi. They were impressed by learning capacity of his brain but till it reached their levels, it would be just a potential, nothing too astonishing.

Without Niyam(Saachi's avatar), Bree and Co did not have enough players for dungeon run, so when he didn't reply to their messages, they went on their ways. Even soloing in high level maps gave EXP, may not be same as in dungeons, but who asked this game to be people bonding type, requiring teams and parties or more. But the game had not completely forsaken solo players, so solo player suited maps were hidden in between large party or team suited maps. Bree and Co, being overachievers, went on to play in such maps but having higher level monsters.

Saachi spent long time sleeping. He dreamt. He saw future. Maybe even past. He enjoyed sweetness but suffered nightmares too. When he woke up...he remembered nothing. After appeasing his hunger, he felt more human. A brand new day , which had started long back, was calling him.

No time to check for game updates or exercise. Have to attend the classes, finish off assignments, prepare for exams too. Just because he was focused on earning a huge living by gaming did not mean he would forget his studies. In between, he called his family. Mother was better, would return home soon. Siblings was studying madly. Baby sister even vowed to do better than him. Baby brother , who was lazy bones, could no longer be a fish. He had to do better, he could not lag behind too much from his twin sister.

As he had used the pod for too long yesterday, he checked and verified it again. The nutrition solution was running low. He ordered a batch to be delivered, feeling the sting. His wallet had become paper thin again.

If he could not earn enough before free period is over, he had to get loan and he hated, hated getting loans. Maybe it was car from his previous life but loans were a big no to him right now.

Few minutes of surfing the net and game news and....back to ASTORIA.

The NPC was long gone. The mega goats peacefully eating their fill and our MC standing like an idiot hold the orb - a moment's error. If it was any other day, he would have collected everything nearby and gone back to Village pronto but today ....his brain was more relaxed.

So regardless of situation and place, he used the orb. If he had listened to details told by NPC he would have realised this orb was just like a master showing mistake while playing a replay. Unfortunately, he was half out then. This orb was very precious to NPCs, not to players who could record their fights and could ask professionals to analyse it. As e-sports had grown, such analysers or couch-coaches were very common. But only few were very proficient and raked in big cash for their analysis.

And, just like that he lost his chance to make big money or favour within the game.