This one is not special

The craving in front of you is doing its best to feel unprecedented — *this* one is stronger, *this* time is different, surely *this* is the one you can't outlast. Look at your record. Every single previous craving made the same claim, and every single one is dead.

You have a perfect win rate against waves. Not because you're superhuman — because that's what waves do: they break. The only cravings that ever 'won' were the ones you obeyed early, before they had to prove anything. Made to run the full three minutes, they lose every time.

So treat this one like the unremarkable repeat it is. Same script, same peak, same fade. You don't owe it fresh fear. You can almost be polite about it: *ah, this again* — breathe, hands busy, one short prayer — and let it finish its little performance.

Champions get bored of opponents they've beaten this many times. Be bored. It's the most disrespectful thing you can do to an addiction — and the most accurate.