"Ugh."
I made a silent promise to myself: no more playing high-ranked quests for now. First, I needed food.
Glancing at the clock, I saw it was already past 11 p.m. I'd started using the VR headset just before 3 p.m., which meant it had been over eight hours since my last meal.
"Tonight, I'm finishing this for sure."
Yesterday, I'd been too exhausted after eating to attempt the Hailey quest and ended up crashing instead. As luck would have it, today was a morning-class day, so I'd rushed to school right after waking up. Now, with lectures finally over, I told Jake and Mike I was heading home and made a beeline for my place.
Unlike yesterday—maybe because Mike was around—Jake didn't cling to me too much and let me go without a fuss.
I whipped up a hearty meal, scarfed it down, and slipped on the headset. Lately, I'd noticed I was spending more time with this thing while awake than asleep. Without hesitation, I clicked "Start" on the Hailey quest.
Pop—
"Hm?"
