I Can Only Cultivate In A Game

Victor stood still for a moment as the evening wind brushed past his face.

He remembered the emails. A part of him had thought they were spam—or at best, exaggerated PR stunts looking to exploit another viral clip. But here it was. Real. Tangible.

He knelt down and picked up the boxes. The PulseSync band was heavier than he expected, with a layered digital interface that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Victor shut the door with his foot since his arms full of gear from PulseSync Tech and Manavolt Labs.

He walked over to the table, cleared a few textbooks and wrappers off its surface, and gently dropped everything down with a muffled thud.

He let out a long breath, then rubbed his palms together.

"Alright," he muttered. "Time to see what one million credits worth of commercial chaos looks like."

He slid into the chair at his small desk and pulled up his bank app. The numbers staring back at him made him blink twice.

Account Balance: 2,002,320 Credits

> +1,000,000 — PulseSync Tech: Payment Received

+1,000,000 — Manavolt Labs: Payment Received

Victor leaned back with his arms crossed behind his head.

"…Huh."

Even with all that had happened recently with his dad's loss —seeing that number gave him a small spark of something he hadn't felt in a while.

Not happiness, exactly.

More like... momentum.

"Guess I'm officially a brand now."

His terminal pinged, and a message popped up from the boys. He already sent pictures of the received packages to them.

Jake: "Those wristbands are sick. Danny says his cousin uses one—no bugs, good data sync."

Danny: "Manavolt's drinks are all hype but actually slap. You won't grow a third arm or anything."

Max: "You better shoot a cool vid or I'm unsubbing."

Victor chuckled. "Right. Feedback approved."

He unpacked the PulseSync wristband first. It was blavk with a shifting neon stripe that adjusted depending on heart rate and body fluctuations.

He clipped it on, synced it with his phone, and watched as his vitals began to display in real-time: heart rate, reflex speed, even posture.

"Okay, okay, not bad."

Then came the Stormcore+ drinks. Cans lined in silver and blue, with a spiky logo art and the tagline "Ignite your inner flow." Victor cracked one open, sniffed it, then took a small sip.

He raised his eyebrows.

"…Okay, that's kinda good."

Setting everything up took an hour, including trying to balance his camera with a stack of textbooks for a makeshift tripod. The moment he hit record, he stiffened.

"Yo guys, it's Victor—uh, you might know me as uhm the dude who saved those kids downtown... and today we're gonna... no, wait—"

He stopped and restarted.

"Hey. This is a product showcase... or is it a review?"

Another restart.

"Okay okay. This time for real…"

Five takes later, his soul was gently leaving his body.

Victor groaned before dropping his forehead to the desk. "I can fight cultivators and giant serpents in-game, but I can't record a basic video without looking like I'm reading a eulogy."

He tapped on his phone and opened a voice channel.

"Guys. Help."

Fifteen minutes later, the trio showed up.

Max strolled in first, wearing a hoodie that said 'Lag is a Lie', with a camera strapped to his shoulder. Danny followed, chewing gum and spinning one of the energy drink cans like it was a grenade. Jake brought snacks.

Victor looked up from his setup and gave them a sheepish grin. "Welcome to the chaos."

Max dropped his bag with dramatic flair. "Alright, people. Step aside. The director has arrived."

"You're not a director... I've been the one taking videos..." Jake said.

"Let me dream," Max shot back and began examining the PulseSync box like a marketing agent.

Danny threw Victor a grin. "I see you struggling. Thought you were Mr. Fang Chen the Void Emperor in game."

Victor rolled his eyes. "That's not... and there's no camera in the game, bro."

Max clapped his hands. "Here's what we're doing. Three segments. First: casual intro, like a vlog. Second: product breakdown, show what it does. Third: humor skit to sell the vibe."

Victor blinked. "...You rehearsed that?"

Max grinned. "In my head, while walking here."

And just like that, they got to work.

Jake handled the camera, positioning it for clean shots and transitions. Danny narrated a mock commercial in the background with an exaggerated deep voice while Max read off actual features like a proper announcer.

Victor stood in front of the cam, now visibly more relaxed while tossing the wristband up and catching it mid-air.

"This right here?" he held up the PulseSync, "Tracks your heart rate, body fluctuations, reaction time... and probably your emotions when you rage-quit in ranked matches."

The boys cracked up behind the camera.

The Manavolt drink was next. Max arranged the cans into a triangle, Jake filmed a fake slow-motion pour, and Danny tackled Victor in a fake "power up" scene after he drank it.

After about two hours, they had four different takes, tons of bloopers, and even a small segment where Victor talked seriously about the mental exhaustion that came with balancing real life, gaming, and expectations.

He didn't overdo it—just a short clip, a few lines. But the boys got quiet during that part.

When they finally wrapped up, Jake edited the footage quickly with transitions, effects, and a killer soundtrack.

They posted both videos on Victor's YT channel and his secondary "IRL Highlights" account.

As the upload bars hit 100%, the boys all leaned back with satisfied sighs.

"Alright, gentlemen," Victor called out while holding up his hand.

Danny smacked it in a high-five. Jake followed with a fist bump. Max completed the chain with their secret handshake—a dumb, overcomplicated routine they'd made in middle school but still remembered.

Victor chuckled. "I owe you guys."

Max smirked. "Damn right you do. I'm billing you in ramen."

"Actually," Victor voiced while reaching for his jacket, "how about I pay you back with something better?"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Victor grinned. "Tonight? We go out. Fun house. My treat."

Jake's eyes widened. "You serious?"

Victor nodded. "Two million credits serious."

The reaction was immediate.

"LET'S GOOOOO!"

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