( Rocky’s POV, Day 75 )

By Day 75, Rocky had firmly concluded that enough was enough. He had accumulated a lot of penalties and was determined not to invite any more trouble.

He felt satisfied with the progress he could potentially make by reaching Day 90, believing that five penalties were plenty and that it was unwise to push his luck further.

Despite his reluctance, participation in the upcoming evaluation was non-negotiable. So, when Nubi gently informed him it was time to head to the ancestral hall, Rocky resigned himself to his destiny. He whimsically envisioned being hoisted onto Nubi’s shoulders for the journey to the grand hall.

Unfortunately, Rocky’s loss of echolocation ability and touch sensitivity meant he was detached from his surroundings. Unable to discern his location at any moment, the journey to the hall—or even if he had left his bedroom—remained indistinguishable to him, blurring the lines between reality and imagination in his sensory-deprived world.

It was only when he heard the hall god talking to him in his own voice and in a chiding tone, that he realized that he was in the evaluation chamber, as he intently heard as to what the hall god had to say.

“I know that you cannot speak anymore and that you have no way to physically communicate with me, however, fret not for I can sense your will-” The hall god said, as surprisingly his voice sounded very kind and calm today, although it was spoken in a chiding tone.

“For your last reward, I will not offer you something that you need but will instead offer you something that you desire.

If you choose to fast by drinking nothing but water for the next 15 days, depriving your body and mind of nourishment, I will in return reward you with critical information regarding your sister’s kidnapping-” The hall god said, as for a minute Rocky felt electric currents run all over his mind as this was something he never expected.

“I sense your determination; you came into this chamber with your mind already set against accepting another penalty. I’ll honor your decision if, after learning of the reward, you still choose not to face this final challenge.

Yet, now that you’re aware I can offer you details about your sister’s abduction—information that might be key to saving her—are you prepared to endure one last penalty for a mere fifteen days?” the hall god inquired, causing a stir in Rocky’s resolve.

This was a very evil offer by the hall god, as an omnipotent entity, it already knew that Rocky was never going to reject a chance to learn about Riva or how to save her, which is why he offered him this reward when his mind was already made about not accepting another penalty.

‘Fifteen days without food, for me to survive only on water?’ Rocky wondered, as he understood the consequences of accepting such a penalty.

He could already not feel his body, which meant that most likely he needed much less energy to stay alive than he would be needing should he be physically active, however, if he did not consume food for prolonged periods it could lead his active mind to have delusions and hallucinations, jeopardizing his sanity at the very last stage.

To accept or to not accept?

What could Rocky do in this situation, as on one hand he would risk his sanity if he did not have enough energy to keep his brain functioning properly, however, if he did not take this risk he could potentially lose key information that could help him save Riva.

Although it was a choice, the hall god and Rocky both knew he did not really have one, as if it was for Riva, Rocky was ready to sacrifice his sanity anyday if it meant he could save her.

‘I accept-‘ he thought firmly, as the hall god acknowledged his will.

“Very well, I wish you the best Rocky Yadav. May you fare well with this last penalty” the hall god said, as from this moment onwards Rocky was barred from consuming nourishing foods.

*********

For the first few days after receiving the penalty of not consuming any food, Rocky did not feel much of a difference.

His body was not consuming too many calories and even though he was only being fed water, Rocky felt the same level of energy as before.

On day 79 he finally began feeling fatigued, he slept more and felt lethargic in general as the effects of not eating anything for the past four days began to kick in.

Day 80 was the worst, the nightmares began to return and Rocky did not feel like he could hold his sanity intact.

One moment he felt like he was drowning while being bound by heavy rocks, unable to breathe, unable to move and on another, he felt like he was floating around at the speed of light, that his body had no anchor and his shape had been stretched to infinity by a blackhole.

He had faced all these delusions before and had tackled them too, however, this time around they returned to be stronger than ever before and Rocky was unable to shake that feeling off.

Day 81, Rocky’s body finally hit ketosis.

His body began burning its fat stores and broke down muscle to support Rocky’s mind, as the delusions reduced and Rocky felt mentally stable once more.

However, Rocky had very few reserves of fat in the first place as his lean and athletic physique meant that he had a very low body fat percentage to begin with.

Day 83 was like the calm before the storm, Rocky knew he was inching closer to the finish line, however at this point he had been fasting for 8 straight days and his fat stores had begun to dwindle.

Day 84, this was the day where the fat stores depleted completely for Rocky and he entered his worst mental phase ever.

The hormonal balance in his body went absolutely wild and Rocky felt like he was on severe drugs.

One moment, a vivid kaleidoscope of colors danced through his mind, swirling in vibrant patterns. But in the next, they would fade to pitch darkness, leaving him unable to conjure even a single hue, regardless of his efforts.

He began hearing sounds like he was in the middle of a rainforest when he was actually in his bed alone, as his sanity began to be tested to its limits.

It was the final stretch to his trial, however, Rocky could no longer bear it.

On day 85, Rocky felt like he was on the verge of quitting. He could no longer take this torture as he had constant suicidal thoughts. chapter-hosted-on-MVLeMpYr

There were moments where he tried to kill himself by holding his breath for as long as he could, however, all that he could achieve with such attempts was to either black out or feel breathless after a while.

Tears would not stop flowing down his cheeks on this day, as even Nubi felt her heart stir looking at him suffer.

Never before had any candidate taken on 6 penalties and still managed to stay sane as what Rocky was attempting was absolutely unprecedented.

Nubi still believed that Rocky taking on the 6th penalty was unnecessary and stupid, however, once he had chosen to walk down that path, there was no turning back for him anymore.

Quit now and he would lose everything, but should he not quit, he risked losing his sanity forever.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep