|Afternoon of August 1st - 2035 - Berlin - Kleinn|

I went from seeing the splendid Constantinople to seeing my bedroom ceiling again.

Quite a radical change of scenery, I'd say.

While I was sitting on the toilet once more, my phone vibrated.

It was a message from my parents, complaining that I hadn't written to them in a while and wanting to see how I was doing.

I suppose it's something you have to do from time to time. I wrote to them that I would come to visit them tonight and began to get ready.

|Evening of August 1st - 2035 - Berlin - Kleinn|

<<Ah, so you're finally here. It's about time you made yourself heard>> my father said.

<<Here I am>> I replied, hugging my father.

After the hug, I went inside and headed to the kitchen to greet my mother, who was busy preparing the last dishes.

<<Look who's back, my son, who I thought was practically dead at this point!>> my mother said sarcastically.

<<As you can see, I'm alive and well>> I replied, giving her a few kisses on the cheek.

Soon, all the food was ready, and we sat down at the table, starting to talk about this and that. After dessert, my father brought up a tricky topic related to video games.

<<Kleinn, since you bought that game, you've completely disappeared from our radar. Neither we nor your friends have seen you. Are you sure you're okay?>>

<<Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that the game is taking up too much of my time. You can potentially create kingdoms and empires there, the people seem so real, and the landscapes are breathtaking>> I replied.

My parents looked at me and said:<<We're glad that technology has made such strides to make that game so realistic. But now that you're an adult, we're not saying you shouldn't play, but you should dedicate less time to it. Besides, you'll be starting university again soon.>>

Sighing, I said:<<That's true; the game is so immersive that it feels like I've been in bed for weeks. I already know that when university classes start again, I'll quit.>>

<<Well, we're glad you've realized that>> my mother replied. In the end, the dinner concluded after watching a movie, and I went back home.

|Evening of August 1st - 2035 - Berlin - Kleinn|

Once back home, I lay on the bed, reflecting on what my parents had told me.

As much as they might seem like boomers, there's some truth to what they said.

No game has ever demanded as much time and days from me as Road to Glory.

I need to completely change my priorities now. I'll play it until the start of university classes, and then I'll quit for a while.

While reading some news on my phone, I suddenly received a notification from the Road to Glory development studio.

When I registered on their portal to create a profile, they asked for my email, so it didn't surprise me that they sent me emails.

This one was special, announcing a major update.

The most important sentences in the email were: "In response to many requests since day one, complaining about excessive game time, we have decided to improve the performance of our game further. We know you love Road to Glory, but it's also essential not to get fossilized, ignoring real life. So, after months of work by our team, you should now "live" more events and days compared to before, but with the same feeling you have now. Additionally, we've added a small, inconspicuous timer in the lower right corner, so you have an idea of how long you've been playing. More improvements will come in the future; we hope you enjoyed this patch note."

It took them a while to improve this, but at least it means I can play even during university course days.

I took the headset, put it on, and turned it on. As usual, before entering, I saw Nadia again, that cursed being.

<<As you may already know, this game has been updated>> she said.

<<Yes, I know, so...>>

Nadia interrupted me:<<But this update doesn't apply to you.>>

I was almost speechless:<< WTF?! What do you mean?>>

<<Of course, you couldn't have known, but since you started playing, the developers have been keeping an eye on you. You're the only one in the world right now playing at this secret difficulty level. It comes with a series of restrictions, like not being able to exit the game voluntarily but only if there are very severe vital parameters or when an event concludes. So, the only improvement you'll have is to "live more things in less time", but you'll be in the dark; there won't be any clock or timer. The developers want to see how your story progresses and see if they can make this difficulty level available to everyone in the future.>>

I was shocked.

So, now I'm under the watchful eye of the developers.

Once I processed the news, I said to Nadia with a smirk:<<Alright, what are you waiting for? Send me back in.>>