Logging Out!

"Ahhh… yaaahhhwwnnn," I let out a long yawn as I hit the logout button on the game menu. My body felt stiff, my eyes slightly dry, but nothing unusual after such a long session.

I finally pulled off the VR headset and placed it on my desk. The light streaming through the window caught my attention—it was still bright outside. That didn't seem right.

Grabbing my phone from the desk, I checked the time.

Ping.

One notification popped up, a text from my friend:

Not coming today?

No other updates, no missed calls. Just that.

"Wait, is this for real?" I muttered to myself. My thumb hovered over the screen as I stared at the clock: 5:20 PM. I did a quick mental calculation. I'd started playing at 10 AM yesterday. That meant I'd been immersed for… over xx hours?

"Crap," I groaned. Just then, my stomach growled so loudly it startled me. Grrrroooowl.

I hadn't eaten, slept, or done anything except play the game. Oddly, I didn't feel completely exhausted. A little foggy, maybe, but not dead tired like I should've been. My hunger, though? That was a different story.

I stumbled into the kitchen, too drained to even consider cooking. My eyes fell on a leftover loaf of bread sitting in the fridge. Without bothering to heat it up or even toast it, I ripped off a chunk and took a bite. The bread was cold, a little dry, but I didn't care.

"Damn it… I missed class," I muttered between bites. The thought hit me like a brick. I'd never skipped a class before—not once. But today? I had completely blown it.

As I chewed, I remembered the message from my friend and quickly replied:

-Yeah, sorry, I'm not coming today.

It only took a second to realize how dumb that sounded. It was already 5 PM. I tried to cover it up with another text:

-Actually, never mind. Let's catch up tomorrow.

I stared at the screen for a moment, then something dawned on me. "Wait… tomorrow's Saturday."

Groaning, I sent a follow-up:

-Forget it. Let's meet next week.

Satisfied, I tossed my phone onto the bed and leaned against the counter. My gaze wandered to the VR headset still sitting on my desk. It called to me, whispering temptations of quests left unfinished. I couldn't stop thinking about the game, even as I finished the stale bread.

"I wonder if I'm ready to try a C-rank quest now…" I mumbled to myself, recalling the past hours of grinding. I'd been working hard, leveling up my stats and earning rewards. Between co-op quests with Linda, my in-game partner, and grinding D-rank challenges solo, I felt like I'd made real progress.

But C-rank quests? That was a whole different ball game.

The few times I'd tried one, it hadn't gone well. C-rank quests weren't just about 'fulfilling simple objectives' like the lower-tier ones. 

They required more strategy, better timing, and near-perfect execution of the conditions. And let's not forget those conditions—they have to be done exactly like in the description. One wrong move, and it was game over.

"Still…" I thought aloud, pacing back to my desk. "If I keep waiting for the perfect moment, I'll never get stronger."

But I knew better than to rush. The hours I'd spent mastering D-rank quests hadn't been wasted. Every fight, every conversation, every mechanic—I'd learned to handle them with precision. Efficiency was key.

As I chewed the last bite of bread, I glanced back at the headset and smirked. Maybe I'd give it a shot later tonight. After all, weekends were meant for gaming marathons… right?

Over the course of the day, I'd picked up on a lot about how the quests worked.

The higher the quest rank, the more detailed the descriptions of the targets became. Their objectives weren't just tougher—they were more specific, with strict conditions attached. You couldn't just wing it; you had to really know what you were doing.

Take Linda, for example. She was just an F-rank quest target, and her description was super basic: 'Guide her in the right direction.' That was it. But Minha, a C-rank target? Her description painted a much clearer picture—she ran a small restaurant in the xx place, and her background felt far more fleshed out.

"The higher the rank, the more you need to know about your target to succeed," I muttered to myself, thinking back on my attempts so far. That was my working theory, anyway.

Not that it mattered much right now—I hadn't cleared a single C-rank quest yet. To stand a chance, I'd need more than just decent stats. 

I'd need to actually use the information about the target. It was clear: higher-rank quests were as much about strategy as they were about raw power.

"Man… what does an S-rank quest even look like?" I wondered aloud, leaning back in my chair. Just thinking about it made my heart race.

S-rank quests were ridiculously rare. Sure, every now and then, I'd come across an S-rank target while exploring, but none of them were truly eye-catching—at least not compared to idols like Selena.

Selena. Just thinking about her was enough to reignite my determination. I had made a promise to myself the day I realized this game was tied to real life: one day, I'd clear Selena's S-rank quest, no matter what it took.

I shoved the last piece of bread into my mouth and sighed. "One day," I muttered, swallowing the dry bite as I collapsed onto my bed.

The moment my head hit the pillow, a wave of exhaustion swept over me. It was the kind of tired that didn't just hit your body—it hit your soul. My limbs felt heavy, and my eyelids drooped like weights were tied to them.

This reminded me of high school, back when I pulled that infamous 26-hour gaming marathon. I'd passed out afterward and slept through all of Sunday, only to wake up Monday morning in full panic mode.

"I can't let that happen again," I mumbled, my voice barely audible.

The thought of pulling another all-nighter was tempting—I wanted to get back into the game, to grind just a little more—but I wasn't some clueless teenager anymore. I had responsibilities now. College classes, deadlines, basic human needs… stuff I couldn't just ignore forever.

"Hwaaaaam…" Another yawn escaped me as I stared at the ceiling, planning out my weekend. Maybe I could tackle a C-rank quest tomorrow if I paced myself properly. Yeah, that sounded like a solid plan.

"Oh, I should turn off the light…"

The harsh glow of the ceiling lamp stabbed through my half-closed eyelids, making it impossible to fully relax. Even with my eyes shut, I could still see its annoying, faint outline.

But instead of getting up, my mind started to drift again. I thought about the game, about Linda's exaggerated sway during her quest cutscene, and suddenly laughed at the absurd memory.

"Looks like… Linda's hips…" I mumbled through a chuckle, the words slurring together as sleep finally started to take over.

The last thing I remembered was the glaring light overhead, still on, as I sank deeper into my bed.

"I'll turn it off in a sec…" was my final thought before everything faded into darkness.