Rudra sat cross-legged on his bed, staring at the glowing interface of the Sandbox System. The initial frustration over his predicament had cooled down, replaced by curiosity. If he was stuck with this system, he might as well figure out how to use it.
He tapped on a menu labeled "Resources" out of sheer curiosity, and what he found stunned him.
Rows upon rows of materials appeared in the interface, ranging from mundane items like rocks, sand, and wood to rare and mythical treasures like godly rubies, enchanted metals, and celestial essence with no number under them they are all unlimited.
"This... this was never in the game," Rudra muttered, his jaw dropping. "That god must have added this."
He tapped on a glowing icon of a ruby, and a real, tangible ruby materialized in his hand. It was flawless, sparkling with an almost supernatural brilliance. He stared at it for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Okay, I'll admit, this is pretty neat. Infinite resources? That pretty much solves every problem I might have. I can build anything without worrying about where to get materials."
Excitement coursed through him as he experimented further. He summoned bricks, steel, rare woods, and even magical materials that hadn't been used in the game for years. Each item appeared in perfect condition, ready for use.
"Alright," Rudra grinned. "This isn't so bad. I can work with this."
Next, he turned his attention to the "Inventory" menu. This was a feature he knew well from the game, though the developers had patched it heavily after complaints about it being too convenient.
[New inventory management features enabled. Organize your inventory by creating labeled sections.]
Rudra was impressed. In the game, inventory had been limited by weight, forcing players to micromanage their items. But now, he could store an infinite number of things, with no weight limit, and even create separate compartments for better organization.
"Finally, unlimited inventory is back," Rudra chuckled, creating labeled sections like "Construction Materials," "Weapons," "Rare Items," and "Miscellaneous Junk."
As he explored further, he discovered more features that had once been part of the game but had been removed due to updates and player feedback. They were all back now, complementing each other seamlessly.
"Man, that god might be a troll, but he sure knows how to make a system," Rudra admitted.
He found one of his favorite features—the in-game "Shops"—now available directly within the system. In the game, these shops had been scattered across the map, but now he could access them instantly. The shop catalog included everything from basic supplies to high-tier magical items.
But not everything was the same. The "Auction House", a once-popular feature of the game, was gone. That made sense—there were no other players to trade with.
Finally, Rudra's eyes fell on his game currency. He still had access to all the gold and silver coins from his account—an astronomical amount, even by the game's standards.
Before he could consider their usefulness, the system chimed with another notification:
[New feature: Currency Conversion enabled. Your in-game currency can be converted to real-world money.]
Rudra's heart skipped a beat.
Conversion Rate:
1 Silver Coin = $10
1 Gold Coin = $1,000
His hands trembled as he opened his balance:
Gold Coins: 8,104,948
Silver Coins: 900,547,325
He blinked, then did a quick calculation in his head.
"Wait... that's... 8.1 billion dollars in gold... and 9 billion in silver..."
Rudra sat back, stunned. "I'm... I'm rich. I'm filthy rich."
He couldn't help but laugh, a mix of disbelief and giddiness. This was absurd. The resources were one thing, but now he had enough money to live ten lifetimes in luxury.
Rudra couldn't contain his curiosity as he navigated the Skills and Runes menu. Unlike other MMORPGs, his favorite sandbox game had never offered pre-made skills. Instead, players had to craft their own powers by designing and slotting runes or seals into their characters. It was one of the game's most beloved features, allowing infinite customization.
As Rudra examined his slots, he noticed something unusual.
Skill Slots: 0/30.
"Wait," Rudra muttered. "It used to be only 10 slots. Did that god mess with this, too?"
Not that he was complaining. Thirty slots gave him an immense amount of freedom to design his powers. The first thing he did was navigate to his rune inventory. Years of grinding had filled it with high-level, perfectly crafted runes.
"Alright, let's start with the essentials," Rudra grinned.
He carefully slotted a Level 100 Regeneration Rune into the first slot. This rune granted rapid healing that, in the game, had allowed him to recover from near-fatal wounds in seconds.
"Next, strength," he said, selecting a Level 100 Strength Rune. He placed it in the second slot, followed by a Level 100 Speed Rune and a Level 100 Resistance Rune.
"Now for some elemental power," Rudra said, his fingers hovering over the runes. He added:
Level 100 Fire Rune
Level 100 Water Rune
Level 100 Earth Rune
Level 100 Wind Rune
He continued until all 30 slots were filled, creating a balanced combination of utility and combat-oriented runes. As each rune was slotted, his system avatar began to change visually.
When he was done, the system chimed:
[Runes successfully integrated. Designating visual enhancements.]
Suddenly, Rudra's right arm began to glow. A black tattoo-like design materialized, wrapping around his arm. It depicted a dragon in flight, with intricate scales and wings that shimmered faintly with energy.
"Whoa," Rudra whispered, flexing his arm. The tattoo shifted slightly, almost as if it were alive.
He wasn't done yet. Turning his attention to equipment, Rudra selected one of his proudest achievements in the game: a set of Dragon Scale Armor. Obtained during a once-in-a-lifetime event, it was crafted from the scales of a mythical dragon boss and offered unmatched protection.
He equipped the armor, expecting to feel its weight. Instead, the armor seemed to dissolve into his skin. A notification popped up:
[Dragon Scale Armor integrated. Activates automatically when protection is required.]
"Integrated into my skin? That's... new." Rudra examined his arm again. The dragon tattoo now included faint, shimmering scales, a clear sign of the armor's presence.
He tested his new abilities. A quick dash across his room had him moving so fast he nearly ran into the wall.
" that should 500 kilometers per hour right, Not bad," he muttered, grinning. He then tested his strength, lifting a heavy iron desk with ease.
"i am super strong."
Rudra wasn't delusional. He knew these powers were impressive but far from making him invincible. In the game, the real power came from items, and he had a massive collection of them.
"This system might've been a prank by that god, but it's turning out to be pretty incredible," Rudra said, his excitement growing.
With his runes set up and his dragon armor integrated, Rudra felt ready to face whatever challenges this new world threw at him.