Leo rolled across the ground, planted his knees, and forced himself up. The moment he was on his feet again, he didn't waste even a nanosecond and started rushing.
Boom!
The ground beneath his foot suddenly gave way, sinking as if it had lost all support. He tilted his head slightly while running. His eyes almost popped out of the sockets. The ice bear had landed just behind him, his fate saving him by a hair's breadth.
He didn't dare look back as his entire body tensed up. With every ounce of strength he had left in his body, he started running. "I wish I had enough spiritual energy to fly. This bear is really going to be the end of me." Leo cursed as he kept running.
Whoosh!
Leo felt something metallic brushing against his back. And then....
A cold sensation. What followed was as if his skin was burning. But that didn't stop him. His speed increased even more.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Bam!
Leo couldn't see what was happening, but those sounds were enough to freeze anyone in fear. Without even checking, Leo knew what was happening. Red, bloody claw marks filled his back. His t-shirt was in tatters.
As he kept running, droplets of blood scattered like sweat.
Whatever happened, Leo kept pushing forward. Time ticked by. His legs grew heavy. His lungs were screaming. What he didn't notice was the panel above his head, advancing along with him.
[1:57]
[1:40]
Leo kept running, fighting for his life.
[0:53]
Whoosh!
Leo's back became more bloody.
[0:17]
Leo felt his body would give way any moment now.
[0:05]
[0:00]
The moment the countdown hit zero, the scenario around Leo changed instantly. The ice bear disappeared as if it had never been there. Leo noticed too late that he was in that park again. His feet froze, but the moment sent him hurling.
Thud!
He crashed into a tree.
Silence.
His body slid down like a wet cloth.
The panel shimmered before him.
[Congratulations, host. You completed the penalty task.
Reward: Instant Heal and Recovery
Reward delivered.]
Instantly translucent greenish bubbles surrounded him, drifting upward.
Leo didn't notice any of it. Instead, his jaw clenched. Veins popped up in his forehead. His hand scrabbled around the ground and soon found a heavy, stone-like object. Without a moment's hesitation, he threw it at the panel. But the stone passed through the panel like it wasn't even there.
"Congratulations, my ass. You sure were enjoying the show, weren't you?"
Leo got up quickly and threw a punch at the panel. Just like the stone, his hand passed through, touching only the air.
[Calm down, host. You are just wasting your energy, and you won't get any reward for this.]
Leo's left eyebrow twitched.
"Now, you are even mocking me, aren't you?"
[Negative. I have no emotion, host. I am clearly stating the facts. You chose the task. But you failed. Failing a task means a penalty. Whatever happened was a series of consequences.]
The writings popped out in the panel. Though the panel said it didn't have any emotion, its logic and the way it reacted said the opposite.
Leo was about to retort as he clenched his fist. But suddenly, he noticed something odd.
His body felt a bit lightweight. His overly sluggish body felt slightly less sluggish.
And that exhaustion from running around for almost one hour, was gone. It hadn't just calmed a little. It had vanished. Totally.
Leo stared at his own body in amazement. "What the.... What happened?"
[Your reward was delivered. Instant heal and instant recovery.]
"Instant Heal and instant recovery," Leo whispered those words in a daze. "I see. So due to the reward, my exhaustion is gone. Those injuries as well. But why do I feel a bit stronger? My weight also feels a bit less. And I feel like I am faster than before." Leo couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked.
[Instant Heal means all your exhaustion and injuries will be gone. Instant recovery means that, due to the labor, the muscle cells that were destroyed will recover instantly. And this recovery means absolute recovery. The way recovery is supposed to happen with proper nutrition and rest. So when recovered, your every muscle that was destroyed due to the task recovered and grew stronger.]
The panel elaborated very precisely.
"That's awesome," Leo said after staying silent for a few minutes. His eyes sparkled with excitement. The rage that had been building up had totally vanished at that moment. "Does that mean, after every task, even without any extra reward, I will keep getting stronger?" Leo asked. He still couldn't believe whatever happened really happened.
[Affirmative.]
The panel replied. And that did it.
Leo clenched his fist, his heart pounding with an adrenaline rush.
"With this, it won't even take a hundred years to reach the peak of power. Oh, wait! What peak of power? Is there really an end? Or can I grow endlessly with this system? I mean, I won't even have to worry about cultivation resources. And even without resources, I can keep getting stronger just by pushing forward." Leo's imagination grew wilder and wilder.
"Let's see how strong I can get in a single day. And with Sonia, there is no telling when she will make her next move. The sooner I can get stronger, the better." Leo spoke those words in a natural voice, not trying to keep it low.
"System. I want to initiate my next task now."
[Sure.]
"Good. I want to initiate workout sessions, tie...." Leo was about to go for his next task, this time with patience and strategy. But before he could finish his sentence, he heard a voice.
"Leoooo!!!!! What are you doing out there? You haven't even fully recovered, and you are already strolling outside? Come inside quickly." Leo's mother's voice rang out as she stood at the door.
Leo looked at her helplessly as if a bucket of cold water had been splashed on his excitement.
"Yes, mother. Coming." Still, Leo said that and walked toward the door. But inside, his heart was still pounding.
'How long do I have to wait? I can barely hold myself. This system. It's really fascinating.' Leo thought.