"The grind never sleeps", I say to myself, lying in bed half awake, barely ready to start the day. I summon the strength to get up. Nobody prepares you for the monotony of adult life. Wake up, eat, work, come home, eat, sleep. If you let it, the days can blend together like so much morning coffee. That's why I utter this mantra, "the grind never sleeps", almost as a reassurance for myself.

There's joy to be found in this repetition. As I drive back home, I think, how will I unwind today? Maybe hang out with friends or watch a movie. But, almost like a curse, that phrase comes back to haunt me. "The grind never sleeps". "Please. I've had enough. Grant me some brief respite from this unending cycle", I plead with myself. But the darkness looms in the back of my mind, restless. It won't go down without a fight.

My computer beckons me. It knows I don't like dropping games. What is compelling me right now? I have many other things I would rather be doing to unwind. But I know the answer to that question. As I open up Steam, and find the darkness staring back at me, the answer once again flashes across my mind. As I click play on Shenmue III, I say to myself, tears streaming down my face, "the grind never sleeps".

I scroll through endless forums. "Best skill books to level up!" I do not have enough money to afford them. "How to quickly make money in Shenmue III!" The trick has been patched out. "How to uninstall Shenmue III". I do not have the strength of will to follow the steps. Giving up here is giving up on my motivator, my way of thinking. "The grind never sleeps" I utter, as I drag Ryo to the nearest gambling stall.

Hours pass. Or is it days? Before I knew it, time ended up blending together. But I continued to scramble together 2000 yuan, so that I could buy wine for an old man, so that he could teach me to catch chickens, so that I can learn a single move, so that I grind kung fu, so that I can beat one single enemy. The surrealism of these chain of events that Shenmue III is asking me to believe in so that the grinding can be justified is not lost on me. But it's okay. I may have been too harsh on Shenmue II, but I did it there and can do it again.

Against all odds, I did it, at long last. And, what's this? That was just the first half of the game? What's more, the ending of the game requires you to get 5000 yuan? Oh wait, the ending of the game also ends up putting Ryo back at square one, making this entire 20 hour game storywise completely irrelevant and not worth the 19 year wait and 10 hours of grinding? Ah. I see. Maybe I shall permit the grind to sleep just this once.