Aric's lungs burned as he stumbled through what he thought was his final lap. The training ground, once vast and imposing, now felt like a prison. His vision swam, colors blending into a nauseating kaleidoscope.
"I am definitely going to die," he wheezed, clutching his side.
The sharp pain in his abdomen finally forced him to stop. He collapsed onto the ground, chest heaving as he sucked in greedy gulps of air. Eyes closed, he allowed himself a moment of self-pity.
*I know I said I'd endure any hardship, but damn, this is too much.*
When his breathing steadied, Aric reluctantly checked his daily task tab. The sight nearly brought tears to his eyes – or maybe that was just more sweat.
[DAILY TASK]
Objectives:
Consume food: 2000g [2000/2000] ✓
Hydrate: 3liters [3.5/3] ✓
Push-ups: 100 [30/100]
Sit-ups: 100 [20/100]
Squats: 100 [20/100]
Run: 10km [2/10]
TIME REMAINING: 2:58:33
"All this running, and I've only done 2km?" Aric groaned. His halved stats were taking their toll. He glanced up at the night sky, momentarily awed by the tapestry of stars above. "At least the view's nice."
With a grunt, he hauled himself to his feet. There was work to be done.
...
Hours later, Aric collapsed onto his bed, every muscle screaming in protest. Through bleary eyes, he registered the system's completion message:
DAILY TASK COMPLETED
[DAILY TASK]
Objectives:
Consume food: 2000g [2000/2000] ✓
Hydrate: 3liters [4/3] ✓
Push-ups: 100 [100/100] ✓
Sit-ups: 100 [100/100] ✓
Squats: 100 [100/100] ✓
Run: 10km [10/10] ✓
TASK REWARDS
#Reward 1: +3 stat points
#Reward 2: exp points
#Reward 3: Stamina Regeneration (10hr)
WILL YOU ACCEPT
[YES / NO]
Aric's finger hovered over the 'YES' option, but exhaustion claimed him before he could make the choice.
...
Morning light stabbed through Aric's eyelids, dragging him back to consciousness. Every movement sent dull aches through his body, but beneath the pain, he felt... stronger. He pulled up his status, noting with relief that his original stats had returned.
*No time to rest on my laurels,* he thought, reviewing his daily tasks. *Gotta be smart about this. Some in the morning, finish up in the evening.*
The stench of dried sweat hit his nostrils. *But first, a bath. Definitely a bath.*
...
Clean and marginally more awake, Aric made his way to his mother's residence for breakfast. The table was already laden with dishes when he arrived.
"Morning, Mom," he mumbled, bee-lining for the food.
Elara watched with growing concern as Aric shoveled food into his mouth at an alarming rate. "Is everything okay, sweetie?"
"Mm-hmm," Aric managed between bites, barely slowing down.
He paused only to check his daily task progress:
[DAILY TASK]
Objectives:
Consume food: 2000g [820/2000]
Hydrate: 3liters [0.75/3]
Push-ups: 100 [0/100]
Sit-ups: 100 [0/100]
Squats: 100 [0/100]
Run: 10km [0/10]
"Damn, still a long way to go," he muttered.
Elara frowned, noticing how distracted Aric seemed. "We need to discuss your preparations for Veylthar Academy," she began.
Aric stood abruptly, wiping his mouth. "Thanks for breakfast, Mom. Sorry, I wasn't really listening. Can we talk this afternoon? I've got... stuff to do."
He bolted before Elara could respond, leaving her to wonder what exactly was going on with her son.
...
Aric found a secluded spot in the manor grounds to begin his exercises. He started with a light walk, stretching his sore muscles, before diving into the grueling routine.
Push-ups were a special kind of torture. His arms trembled with each rep, threatening to give out entirely. Sit-ups left his core burning, while squats had his legs feeling like jelly.
As he worked, his mind wandered to recent events – the attack, Emily's crystallization, his grandfather's cold demeanor. Then he remembered the rewards from yesterday's completed tasks.
"Hey, system," he panted between push-ups. "What about those rewards?"
The familiar interface appeared:
TASK REWARDS
#Reward 1: +3 stat points
#Reward 2: exp points
#Reward 3: Stamina Regeneration (10hr)
WILL YOU ACCEPT
[YES / NO]
Aric considered the options. *Only 3 stat points for 6 stats? Gotta be careful how I distribute these. And what's with the vague 'exp points'? At least the stamina regeneration will help with these damn tasks.*
He accepted the rewards, feeling an immediate surge of energy. "Nice," he grinned, pulling up his status:
[Status]
Name: Aric
Level: 1
Race: Half Dragon
Primary Ability: None
Title: None
HP: 100/100
MP: 50/50
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Vitality: 10
Perception: 10
Intelligence: 10
Endurance: 10
Points Remaining: 3
Aric stared at his status screen, mulling over his options. *Okay, let's break this down,* he thought. *Strength is pretty self-explanatory. Agility's about speed and reflexes. Vitality's gotta be tied to my HP. Perception... probably affects how well I can sense things. Intelligence makes me smarter, obviously. And endurance is, well, endurance.*
He rubbed his chin, considering. *What do I need most right now? Man, it's tempting to just dump everything into strength.*
But even as the thought crossed his mind, he shook his head. *No, that'd be stupid. I need to think long-term here. These daily tasks are kicking my ass, and I can't afford to keep feeling like I'm on death's door every night.*
Aric nodded to himself, decision made. *Endurance is the key. It'll help me push through these tasks without collapsing. And a bit more agility won't hurt either – might make the running part suck less.*
"Alright, system," he said aloud. "Let's do this. Add two points to endurance and one to agility."
The status screen flickered, updating to reflect his choices:
[Status]
Name: Aric
Level: 1
Race: Half Dragon
Primary Ability: None
Title: None
HP: 100/100
MP: 50/50
Strength: 10
Agility: 11
Vitality: 10
Perception: 10
Intelligence: 10
Endurance: 12
Points Remaining: 0
Aric nodded, satisfied. *It's not much, but it's a start. Every little bit helps.*
With the stamina boost and increased stats, Aric found the remaining exercises challenging but manageable.
...
At lunch, Aric joined his mother again, still working on his food consumption task. Elara watched with a mix of amusement and concern as her son alternated between wolfing down food and staring into space with a goofy grin.
"You'll be leaving for Veylthar in two weeks," she said carefully. "Have you thought about what your going to be doing before then?"
Aric nodded absently, his mind clearly elsewhere.
*What is going on with this boy?* Elara wondered, a knot of worry forming in her stomach.
...
Back in his room, Aric collapsed onto his bed, every muscle aching. He stared at the ceiling, thoughts racing. *Two weeks until Veylthar. Two weeks to prepare.*
DAILY TASK COMPLETED
[DAILY TASK]
Objectives:
Consume food: 2000g [2000/2000] ✓
Hydrate: 3liters [3/3] ✓
Push-ups: 100 [100/100] ✓
Sit-ups: 100 [100/100] ✓
Squats: 100 [100/100] ✓
Run: 10km [10/10] ✓
TASK REWARDS
#Reward 1: +3 stat points
#Reward 2: exp points
#Reward 3: full status recovery
WILL YOU ACCEPT
[YES / NO]
*Full status recovery instead of stamina regeneration? Interesting. Looks like the first two rewards are fixed, but the last one's random.*
"Yes"
He pulled up his status screen, eyeing the three new stat points.
*Whether I awaken as an ability user or an aura user, this strange power would aid me either way. Gotta still be smart about this tho.*
"System," he muttered, "distribute one point each to agility, intelligence, and endurance."
The screen flickered, updating:
[Status]
Name: Aric
Level: 1
Race: Half Dragon
Primary Ability: None
Title: None
HP: 100/100
MP: 60/60
Strength: 10
Agility: 12
Vitality: 10
Perception: 10
Intelligence: 11
Endurance: 13
Points Remaining: 0
Aric blinked, noticing the change in his MP. *Ten more mana points from one intelligence increase? Not bad.*
A grin spread across his face as the implications sank in. Each stat had its importance, its role to play. He'd need them all to face whatever Veylthar threw at him.
*Can't wait to boost that strength, though,* he thought, flexing his sore arm with a wince.
...
The following day found Aric on his usual training route, working through his daily tasks. His rhythmic footfalls echoed through the morning air as he ran, but something else caught his attention – strange sounds emanating from inside the training grounds.
Curiosity drew him to the courtyard. As he approached the entrance to the inner training ground, an unusual sight stopped him in his tracks.
The raven-haired girl he'd seen with Ryze sat cross-legged in the center of the room. Around her, flames spiraled wildly, completely out of control. Her face twisted and contorted with effort as she struggled to stabilize the chaotic energy. On her bicep, a bird-like tattoo pulsed with an ethereal glow, and above her, a massive raptor of pure energy, its wings spread wide enough to almost span the room.
Aric stood transfixed, watching the display in awe.
"Ryze, wait!" A voice called out
Before Aric could process the warning, A sudden, biting cold struck his ribcage, and Aric found himself bursting through the doors, tumbling into the training room. His unexpected entrance shattered the girl's concentration, disrupting the delicate balance of energy in the room.
"What's going on?" she demanded, the flames dissipating around her.
Ryze's voice cut through the air like ice. "This little pervert was peeping at you."
"Wait, no!" Aric protested, hands raised defensively even as he clutched his throbbing side. "I was just..." His words died in his throat as he met their contemptuous stares, suddenly aware of how this looked. The girl – Zara – was dressed in light training clothes that left little to imagination, her hair damp with exertion.
She gathered her outer clothes with sharp, w w while Ryze's hands began to crystallize with ice. "Zara, let's teach him a lesson."
"Wait, no, please," Aric begged, tears of frustration and pain welling in his eyes. "It wasn't my intention—" He saw the ice forming in Ryze's palms and his voice cracked. "I swear!"
"Just let it go." The timid voice belonged to Elysia, the blonde who had tried to stop Ryze earlier. Her intervention came as Zara was already striding towards the exit.
Ryze hesitated, then followed Zara out. Elysia lingered just long enough to cast Aric a pitying glance. "Sorry," she whispered before hurrying after her friends.
Alone in the training room, Aric felt the full weight of his humiliation crash over him as his composure crumbled. His breath came in shaky sniffs as tears fell uncontrollably. His shoulders shook with quiet sobs, tears falling freely now. The pain in his side was nothing compared to the ache in his chest.
*Why am I so weak and hopeless?*
Rising slowly, he turned and slammed his fist into the wall behind him. The impact sent shockwaves of pain up his arm, but he welcomed it. "No more," he growled through clenched teeth. "This is the last time I'll ever show weakness."