Two days earlier…

A single piece of paper slid under a particular door. 

The time was ticking, and the day had long started for many. Despite that, there was one individual slouchily lying about. His intention was to waste the day away and blame it on a late-night gaming session with the buds for the timely late start. But the buds were nothing more than the recognized gamer tags of familiar competitors in his online ranked lobbies.

Finally exiting his couch, he slithered to the door to grab his mail.

“Junk. Junk. Junk. Hmm… SHIT! That was today?!” Scrambled Elias as he got to his feet and hurried to get dressed. He ran around his apartment in hopes of finding a decent attire. Nothing fancy, just a loose shirt and some joggers would do.

With limited time, he combed his curly hair with his fingers, but it refuted him as if they had a mind of their own. Opting for a bucket hat that dawned his favorite Saturday morning cartoon character to cover the ignorant strands, he called it there only to find a stain on his shirt that refused to be exercised from its threads. It was clean, he swore by it, but after several deep washes, the stain was nothing more than an accepted part of the design. Thus, he had to grab one of his coats, a retro oversized one, to remedy the situation.

It didn’t take him long to get where he was going. However, once he got there, he was welcomed with another surprise.

No. No, no, no. What is with this line? There is no way.

Present before him was a line that wrapped around the corner to his local bodega. To anyone else, it would have spilled trouble; for Elias, it was nothing more than a slight annoyance with an easy solution. 

“Oi Mike, fancy seeing you here, mate, at this time of the day.”

“Huh?! What?!” clamored a slightly flustered someone standing in line near the front. “Me?! But my name is—”

“Sure it is! Thanks for doing me a solid. Really had to use the loo. Can’t hold my drinks for nothing.”

Before the stranger could speak, Elias snuck by just before him to enter. Where there is a will, there is a way, so the saying goes.

He made a beeline for the designated aisle and scoured the shelves for the treasure he had set his sights on. Unfortunately, the shelves were already bare. There was nothing left but a wasteland of despair. 

His eyes were filled with dread. 

Was this it? Is it truly all over? 

He could only hang his head in gloom, with nothing left but a feeling of sorrow. Slowly, he dragged his feet back to the entrance.

“Umm, excuse me… Excuse me.”

It was the cashier who had called out to the poor, sulking Elias. She had an exceptional smile with sparkling white pearls that shined like a heavenly glow. She opted for a sporty ponytail look today tucked in under her cap. She was famous for her bubbly personality.

“Oh, it’s you,” Elias replied with tears in his eyes, melancholy in his tone.

“Uhh ha-ha, yeah. Um. A-are you alright?”

“No, life is over. Darkness and despair fill the air. UFOs are real.”

“Uhh…right…” She was visibly confused by what he was rambling on about. “Haha…Uhh, ohh… Ah, I remember you mentioning something about this. This tends to be your favorite brand, right? I noticed the large crowd when we were opening. Strange, never had so many like today. Anywho...they were selling like hotcakes, so I saved you some before they were all gone.” 

The young man’s eyes widened while the young cashier girl reached under the counter and pulled out from underneath a holy relic. They were priceless treasures museums would pay you to visit in their collections. 

Limited-edition Chili Ramen with a holographic print design wrap that only comes in stock once a year.

“I am sorry to say I wasn’t fast enough, though,” the young cashier pouted as she spoke. “I was only able to save you two of them. Employee policy, says the manager.”

Elias reached out, his hands trembling as he grabbed not one but two holy relics.

He lifted the packaged, dry, savory goodness into the air like a little lion cub, showing the world that this was their new king.

“I heard some streamer had posted something about it. I figured it was going to be popular this year, but not like this. If I had known, I would have clocked in earlier. Anyways… I heard she was saying that it was one of her new favorite flavors or something on a live stream. I think her name was—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard all about it. Here, take my money.” Elias said, depositing the little cash he had on him onto the counter to continue with his day or so that was the plan…

He paused for a moment. 

This is a blessed day. The stars have aligned, and I need to celebrate. My, how fortune favors the bold. 

He became disillusioned, but his heart was in the right place. He decided to pick up a few more things since he was already there. 

“Come back soon!” chimed the cashier girl with an enthused smile as she saw him take his leave.

He hurried back home, for nothing else was on his mind but savoring the spicy goodness in the bag he kept close. 

Oh, wait. If I go through the front during open hours, the boss is going to kill me. Right, I should be using the back.

He rummaged through his pockets in search of the keys when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed three individuals blocking the backdoor.

“Huh, what’s this?” 

Hearing Elias’s confusion, the three brutes turned in his direction. Each of them wearing the faces of petty thuggish NPCs.

“Oi, we going to have a problem here?” One of them asked as they pulled a sharp knife into view.

What, a problem? Don’t tell me… No! Do they know what I am carrying… There’s no way. I made sure to be discrete when I put it into the bag. Could it be?! 

Did the cashier talk?! Did they threaten her?! Did they come here to cut me off and steal the treasure that I so rightfully found? Do they not understand the rules of finder’s keepers? Tsk, damn influencers. Alright, act cool. Act cool. There is no way I’m going to lose these to some bozo fanboys. I got these fair and square. 

After much internal deliberation, the young man decided on the most appropriate response, “I suggest you leave, or else there will be one.”

The three thuggish-looking gents glanced at each other in confusion. They couldn’t help but think the young man was nothing more than an idiot, but he had stumbled onto some affairs that were better left with no witnesses.

One strode upwards towards him while cracking their knuckles, hoping to scare him away.

“Oh yeah?” His posture was intimidating, but his tone was laughable—a few pitches too high. He whined back his arm, prepping for a proper fake swing, “You just some punk—”

Before he could finish his fake jab, Elias swung his grocery bag, slamming its contents into the man’s face. With such force, it knocked him out, his body falling limp as he slumped to his feet. 

Whew. That was a close one.

The other two stared at their unconscious friend, bewildered. 

“Oi, you alright?” 

Unsurprisingly, their sleeping bud, who slumbered cozily along the cold morning cobblestones, did not respond.

The one with the knife looked at their buddy by their side. 

“What the bloody hell? Ya see that?! He just knocked him out! Yous go and get the bag, I will follow up.”

His words left Elias on edge.

Did I hear right? Did he just tell his friend to get the bag? I’ll be damned if you think you’re going to take this from me.

It had become apparent what Elias had to do next. He had to defend his treasures. His golden ticket—the limited edition once in a lifetime, which comes in stock twice a year if the company wants to encourage sales—chilly ramen.

The two men carried out their plan. The unarmed one ran up first, followed by his knife compadre. 

On the other hand, Elias, who had just finished his shopping, had different plans. He swung the bag like a pickup weapon from a game. 

The second thug was knocked out quickly. He then noticed the individual with the knife and dodged.

Armed with a weapon, the assailant was a bit more tricky compared to the other NPCs that had been dealt with. The knife wielder swung at the air and then again, closing the distance. 

None of the swings landed their mark. The carrier of the precious goods was far too quick. Waiting for the perfect opportunity, Elias used the bag to catch the knife on a far too ambitious lunge. This caught the assailant off guard. With a momentary surprise, Elias twisted the bag, twisting the man’s wrist, making him drop the knife and disarming him. In a quick motion, he swung the bag again to follow up. 

The hardened dried ramen and other goods one procures for a divine dish clobbered the man hard enough to knock him out.

He shuffled through his pocket once more to locate his keys. 

Ah, there they are. 

With three thieves dealt with and his goods safe and sound, Elias finally managed to approach the door to his apartment, where a loud, shrill noise shrieked.

“MY HEEERRROOOO!!”