<h4>Chapter 240 - Viin</h4>


    ( Real world , the upside , just after thentern festival, One night ago!?)


    Ethan Grey told walked alongside Rudra to drop Max home ,ter the two continued their walk , as Ethan needed to talk to Rudra about something important.


    Ethan looked at the moon and the floatingnterns in the sky and said " The national selections are tommorow , how prepared do u feel ? ".


    Rudra replied casually " I should be one of the strongest if not the strongest ".


    Ethan nodded he said " tell me , do u know the real story behind '' Shakuni '' ? ".


    Rudra was intrigued by the question , he said " Shakuni was the ultimate schemer , his tales were legendary in the day , not a fighter not a king , yet he was the most feared man in any battlefield. His opponent was God Krishna himself. Although he was no match for the god , amongst humans , he was the best ".


    Ethan shrugged his shoulders and said " You know the story , but you don''t understand the essence behind it , Shakuni was sharp and his schemes were deadly , yet the strength of Shakuni came from the fact that his enemies feared him , and his allies believed in him . Even the simplest tactics when used by Shakuni became deadly , because the opponent did not beleive that Shakuni could use a simple tactic and that there must be a hiddenyer to it , also when the allies suffered losses , they beleived that it would be fine as long as Shakuni was on the battlefield , as he must have a n "..


    Ethan stopped and looked at Rudra square in the eye and said " Shakuni was the spirit and backbone of the army , he was despicable , he used underhanded tactics , however he was also feared and revered".


    Rudra was not getting where Ethan was going with this example hence he decided to go with the flow and said " Well said ".


    Ethan continued to walk and said " the question is , are you willing to shed the skin of Rudra Rajput and truly be Shakuni ? ".


    Rudra stopped walking .... He looked perplexed , what did Ethan mean?


    Ethan said " don''t get me wrong , you are a great guy , and that''s what I love about you , and why I trust you as well , you are strong but humble , strategic , but not dirty , a winner , but not a desperate winner .


    It is true that you have surmounted insurmountable odds before , but that just makes you a hero ..... My question to you , Rudra Rajput is are you prepared to be the exact opposite of all these qualities , and be a viin? ".


    Rudra was shocked, Ethan wanted him to be a viin ..... Why ?


    He asked him " Why do u want me to be a viin ? ".


    Ethan smiled and said " Because in the real world , its the viins that win at the end of the day ! ".


    Spreading his arms and raising his volume Ethan said " I am a viin Rudra , Cold , merciless and always keep my appearance strong wherever I go .... The world knows that Ethan Grey is a hungry wolf , that''s why the world beleives in the stock of Ethan Grey !


    If I was a goodie two shoes , the world would have long chewed me up and spit me out. It is because I am strong and hungry for more power , hungry for more money,?that the world fears me.


    You are strong Rudra , but you don''t have the appearance of being strong , being the underdog is good , but the legends are never the underdogs Rudra , the legends are the topdogs".


    " BECOME A TOPDOG , BECOME A VILLAIN?, show the appearance of being soo damn strong , that your opponents fear you and Japan beleives in your stock .... Why? , Not because you need it , it''s because we japanese do!


    You know how japan performed in the past life , and I know that failure is not an option for us, a lot more is riding on shoulders of you yers than u can think.


    And we need a strong figure leading us at the top. Although the strong figure leading at the top is depicted as heroes in the fairy tales , in the real world it is the mega boss , the viin that is at the top.


    Undoubted strength, unquestionable power , unshakable position at the top .... That''s what I want from you. Show Japan that you , Rudra are the top dog of this Country , and that they can rely on you to bring them glory.


    Pave the way and I know that others will follow. But to pave the way ... To make the masses beleive , you have to be the top dog. Be the beacon of strength .... And be feared !


    You Rudra need to be the viin , arrogance should drip from every fibre of your being , be narcissistic , put money in your stock , and prove it with results , then and only then can we win this event ending in top 5 .


    Be the undeniable number one in Japan , and do it in style and arrogance , like you did not even break sweat.


    As a brother , this is my one request from you ! ".


    Rudra was shocked by Ethan Grey''s words , it was not possible for him to just wake up one day and change his very demeanor , yet he understood that what Ethan said made a lot of sense.


    He himself had fought two guild wars , one against Orange Rock and one against the alliance , although he came out victorious both times , and it was no fluke or luck that he did , the public sentiment was never on his side. Nobody beleived that he would win.


    For him to bring a sense of calm and beleif to everyone he needed to be the topdog , the undeniable king of the mountain , Japan''s number one!


    Only then could his victory have meaning for the citizens.


    The underdog winning would always remain as a upset , while the topdog winning would always be considered a squash.


    --------


    ( Back inside the virtual world , present time )


    Rudra bid his farewell to Ruby , he had to exin that he had important things to do ahead , hence he would not be able to bid her farewell and that this was his farewell to her.


    He expected Ruby to be dissapointed in him , however she was very understanding and happily hugged him goodbye.


    Rudra looked at the time , only one minute remained before the Japanese selection invitation would arrive , hence not wanting to teleport out into thin air infront of Ruby , he decided to regretfully take his leave.


    His chest felt heavy , but his heart felt light as he left the room , he was over the moon that Ruby liked him ..... Even if it was just infatuation , she had feelings that were more than friendship for him , and for Rudra that meant the world.


    He had been mesmerized by Ruby from the moment his eyesnded on her , and over time her mannerism and personality became even more endearing to him.


    Now that he knew , she also had some affection for him , his resolve to someday be worthy enough of her hand became stronger by thousandfold.


    Rudra had blood pumping in his veins , he felt burning motivation inside , a spirit to proove himself . He needed the three gold medals , he needed the legendary artifact , he needed every help he could get to get to the summit that he wanted to reach , as hardwork alone was not enough to reach it.


    /// First of all a big shoutout to kingspy25i for the 1000 coin gift


    And to Cervantez91 for the 16,000 coin gift!


    Guys this hase to me as a great releif , now I can finally focus on writing quality content again without being pressed for money .


    Specially Cervantez91 for being the top supporter of the book , and always giving me timely assists to keep my motivation going!


    As promised this is the 1st bonus chapter out of 3 earned through the patronage of Cervantez91 .


    Thankyou for the support ! ///