"When are you going to do something with your life?" my girlfriend said, her voice full of frustration and disappointment. Her gaze drifted toward the large VR headset I was carrying, ready to mount in our cramped apartment. She facepalmed and shook her head.

"Zander, what is wrong with you? What is freaking wrong with you? Is this how you plan to keep living your life? You know our financial situation is far from ideal. The little money I make from my teaching job barely gets us through the month, and yet you decided to take out a loan for... what? A VR headset for some useless game?"

"Eldritch World," I corrected. "It's not just some useless game, it's Eldritch World, the best game in the world right now."

"Really?" she said, her face filled with disbelief. "What is wrong with you, Zander?" Her tone sharpened, cutting into me. "You haven't said a word since I started talking—not an apology, not even a word of sympathy—but the first thing you do is correct me on the name of a game?" She stared at me for a moment before continuing, her voice tinged with resignation. "This is the kind of thing that makes it hard for me to live with you. I can't keep doing this. When are you going to grow up? When are you going to realize that life isn't about video games? When are you going to see the bigger picture? At the end of the day, none of this matters."

"Then leave," I cut her off, my voice low. "You said it's hard to live with me, right? Then just leave. Why are you still here?" My head was lowered, trying to avoid her gaze. "I get that it's tough, but you don't have to put up with my antics. You can just—"

*SLAP.*

Before I could finish, a loud, painful slap landed on my cheek. I clenched it, my face burning from the sting. I looked up and saw my girlfriend, Mary, standing there, her expression a mix of anger and heartbreak.

"How could you say that?" she asked, her voice shaking. She shook her head slowly, "What do you even take me for?" She turned and went into the bedroom without another word.

I tried calling after her, but she didn't respond. I sighed, then walked into my room. It was a mess—tangled wires and equipment connected my PC to my mobile, and new packages were scattered across the floor.

"I guess it's time to start assembling," I muttered to myself.

It took me about five hours to set everything up. The game itself was easy to install, taking no more than 30 minutes. The real challenge had been decluttering my room. Eldritch World was a new MMORPG developed by TigaNX, and it had been the talk of the town, hailed as the future of gaming technology. It featured hyper-realistic sensors that could capture every sensation and graphics so lifelike that the game felt real.

It promised to break boundaries—fully immersive gameplay that you could experience even while asleep. The game had a unique feature: players could experience 24 hours of in-game time while getting an uninterrupted eight hours of real-world sleep. It was truly the technology of the future.

Now that I was plugged in, I glanced at the clock. It was almost evening, and the servers were set to launch at 10 PM. I waited for the game to begin, anticipation building.