The day didn't start with noise.
No alarms blared.
No teammates shouted down the corridor.
Rudra woke before light, the room still wrapped in that fragile quiet that existed only before important days.
Semifinal day.
He sat up slowly, letting his feet rest on the floor, grounding himself.
Breath in.
Breath out.
The body answered—stiff, but functional.
Stamina
Lv 03 (97 / 100 EXP) — stable
Fatigue: Low–Moderate
Good enough.
Mental Warm-Up
He didn't stretch immediately.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
Visualized.
Not the crowd.
Not the result.
Just moments.
A straight drive along the ground.
A clean pick-up at long-off.
A throw hitting the keeper's gloves.
Repetition without movement.
Focus
Lv 06 (79 / 100 EXP) → (84 / 100 EXP)
Emotional Control
Lv 05 (82 / 100 EXP) → (86 / 100 EXP)
The system recorded intention as effort.
Breakfast Without Rush
In the dining hall, most boys ate fast.
Nervous energy.
Rudra ate slow.
Idli.
Sambar.
A banana.
His mother wasn't there today, but her habits remained in his hands.
Fuel, not comfort.
Kapil sat across from him.
"You look calm," he said. "Too calm."
Rudra smiled slightly.
"Calm is just preparation finished early."
Kapil didn't reply.
He just nodded.
Arrival at the Ground
The stadium felt different now.
Louder.
Tighter.
Banners fluttered.
Parents gathered near the ropes.
Across the field, St. Merry's High School warmed up.
Their captain Joshua D'Souza called sharp instructions.
Fielders moved in unison.
No wasted steps.
Rudra noticed Varun Khanna standing near the FTS dugout, watching as well.
Not involved.
Still measuring.
Competitive Awareness
Lv 01 (17 / 100 EXP) → (23 / 100 EXP)
Final Preparation
Coach Prakash gathered NITK.
No speeches.
Just roles.
"Kapil anchors."
"Arjun attacks early."
"Rudra floats if needed."
Floats.
Meaning responsibility without security.
Rudra accepted it without reaction.
He adjusted his gloves.
Looked at the pitch.
Hard. True. Unforgiving.
Perfect for honesty.
As they took the field, Rudra felt it.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Alignment.
Everything he had done—recovery, restraint, repetition—had led to this morning.
Whatever happened next would be recorded.
In numbers.
In memory.
In the space between who he was and who he was becoming.
The whistle blew.
And the semifinal began.
Hunger Is Loud
Rudra felt it before the first ball was bowled.
Not in himself.
In everyone else.
The boundary rope was lined with parents leaning forward, hands clenched. Teachers stood closer than usual, voices sharp, eyes restless. Even the substitutes bounced on their feet, unable to stay still.
This wasn't just a semifinal.
This was need.
On the Field
As NITK took their positions, Rudra walked out to deep cover. He paused there for a second, letting the ground settle under his spikes.
From the other side, St. Merry's huddled tightly.
Joshua D'Souza spoke fast. Too fast.
Fielders nodded aggressively, slapping hands, shouting encouragement that sounded more like warnings.
Rudra watched their faces.
Tight jaws.
Wide eyes.
Forced smiles.
They weren't confident.
They were hungry.
Emotional Control
Lv 05 (86 / 100 EXP) → (89 / 100 EXP)
The First Over
Arjun ran in to bowl.
Before the ball left his hand, a shout came from the St. Merry's dugout.
"Early wicket! Break them now!"
The batter defended.
A dot ball.
The shout didn't stop.
"Pressure! Keep pressure!"
Rudra felt it ripple across the field—fielders crept in, bowlers rushed back to their mark, voices stacking on top of each other.
He stayed still.
Hunger made people move early.
Fielding Under Want
A cut shot came sharp toward Rudra.
He moved cleanly, picked up, threw flat.
Single only.
The batter frowned.
Behind him, someone muttered in frustration.
Fielding Awareness
Lv 01 (52 / 100 EXP) → (58 / 100 EXP)
Another ball.
Mistimed push.
They called for a risky second.
Rudra was already moving.
The throw came in hard, forcing the runner to dive.
Not out.
But close enough to hurt.
The St. Merry's non-striker slammed his bat into the ground.
Rudra saw it clearly now.
They weren't chasing a plan.
They were chasing relief.
Voices Grow Sharper
By the fifth over, the noise had changed.
Encouragement turned into instructions.
Instructions into corrections.
Corrections into irritation.
"Why aren't you hitting?"
"Don't let them settle!"
"Now! Do it now!"
Rudra felt a strange calm settle in his chest.
He had lived this before—in boardrooms, in hospitals, in moments when people wanted results more than process.
Hunger made people betray themselves.
Focus
Lv 06 (84 / 100 EXP) → (88 / 100 EXP)
Rudra's Realization
As he waited between deliveries, Rudra understood something important.
Winning wasn't rare.
Patience was.
Everyone around him wanted the match to end in their favor—quickly, loudly, decisively.
But no one wanted to stay uncomfortable long enough to earn it.
Except him.
Not because he was braver.
But because he had already lost once—his life.
This was just cricket.
The ball was bowled again.
Another single denied.
Another sigh from the crowd.
Rudra adjusted his cap and took two steps back into position.
Let them want it more, he thought.
I'll just stay longer.
And somewhere, silently, the system recorded the difference between hunger that rushed
and discipline that waited.