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

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

Ethan looked at the moon and the floating lanterns 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 hidden layer 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 plan

"..

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 become 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 become the exact opposite of all these qualities , and become a villain?

".

Rudra was shocked, Ethan wanted him to become a villain ..... Why ?

He asked him

" Why do u want me to become a villain ?

".

Ethan smiled and said

" Because in the real world , its the villains that win at the end of the day !

".

Spreading his arms and raising his volume Ethan said

" I am a villain 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 players 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 villain 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 become the top dog. Become the beacon of strength .... And become feared !

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

Become 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 become 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 explain 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 eyes landed 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.

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

And to Cervantez91 for the 16,000 coin gift!

Guys this has come 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 !

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