Daily Quests

A lone ray of light from the sun seeped into a quiet dark room through the slightly opened window accompanied by the chirping sounds of birds, endorsing the break of dawn. 

Christian, Sam, and Paul were all still fast asleep on their beds in room '102' as a steady ticking sound of the second hand of the wall clock echoed around the room. 

Ting! 

Christian's eyes gradually flickered open to a series of notifications from the system, when a mechanical beep-like sound resonated quietly inside his head. 

[ Daily quest granted; physique building. The user must complete the following series of exercises daily to gradually improve his physique and body appearance. 

Press-up; 100 

Sit-up; 100

Squats; 100

Running;  10 km

Note - Failure to complete the quest will result in an appropriate level of punishment]

[Daily quest granted; avoid sunlight for 8+ hours, additional reward will be granted. 

Your hunger grows, you can no longer suppress your need for blood. Elevate your thirst for blood; additional reward will be granted] 

"what the hell Samantha," Christian cursed quietly "isn't it a bit too early for your system to be giving out quests?" he added irritability 

"well, good morning to you too!" Samantha replied sarcastically 

"ya… don't use such a tone in replying to me!" Christian said looking displeased with bloodshot red eyes.

Christian thoughts were all jumbled, and his mental state was a mess as he reached over to run his hand over his face. Throughout the night, Christian couldn't sleep a wink and have deliberately stayed wide awake browsing through the system to get himself familiar with its function, while paying the ultimate sacrifice of depriving himself of peaceful night rest. Not that he could have slept peacefully anyway, because, from the moment he closed his eyes he had a repetition of the nightmare from the previous day. 

"what the f*ck do you mean? That I should watch my tone while speaking to you?" Samantha asked angrily while fervently trying to hold her anger back 

"Yeah, got any problem with that?" Christian polled

"of course I have a problem with it!" Samantha barked "For f*ck sake am a vampire leader from the shadow realm, I don't beseech for the respect I demand it! So 'you' young man better watch how you talk to me!" She retorted

"Yeah, it's great for you to be a vampire leader and all, but let's get one thing straight here, you're currently the one intruding in my mind, 'my mind!' so if there's anyone that deserves to speak to the other respectfully, it should be you!" Christian asserted with a somewhat proud gaze, emphasizing the term mind.

"I can't believe this. A little f**ker actually told me to watch my tone while speaking to him. Ha! I can't believe that this is what I've been reduced to" 

"can you at least lower your voice? Am trying to think here" Christian said and chastised Samantha 

"you… whatever, just know that I'll get back at you for this!" 

"yeah, and I'll be here waiting patiently" Christian replied with a subtle mocking tone in his voice as he turned his attention over to the notifications that were displayed before him. 

His thoughts process was a mess, and the fatigue he felt from the previous night was starting to wear down on him and he laid lazily on the bed while glaring at the messages from the system 

Christian's eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud as his gaze fell on the first notification from the system. 

Christian felt that there wasn't a need for the system to give out such a quest to him, as it compromised his daily training routine that he has been accustomed to since his previous school. Although his previous school was that of a middle school that excelled more in the teachings of theoretical aspects of battle, nevertheless, they all were still taught basic fighting martial arts skills and techniques. 

The only hardship he found in the first quest and was lacking within the others was that there was a punishment that would be meted on him upon the possibility of him failing to accomplish the quest. 

His lips twitched slightly and he pursed his lips while glaring at the first quest. 

Naturally, upon completing this quest he very well knows that he would be left exhausted and out of breath, to the point where walking would momentarily become a slight problem to him immediately after the session. He conferred the first quest to the other two and felt a bit dispirited at the lack of a reward not being given in the first. 

'couldn't it at least grant some form of reward for this quest? I mean I would be doing it daily and should deserve some sort of reward for all my hard work right?' he lamented inwardly. 

"Hehe…" he suddenly chuckled and shook his head at his childish way of reasoning. Indeed, the daily training routine would be tiring for him and he should deserve some sort of compensation from the system, but regardless of that, this was a routine he's become familiar with over the years since childhood and could enact with ease as he has always done, so the absence of a reward should be considered as something minor to him. What was truly troubling at this moment was none other than the second and third quest. 

His heart palpitated and he felt faint at the sight of the second quest where he was to avoid sunlight for 8+ straight hours! 

How the hell would he accomplish this! 

And to worsen the whole dilemma further, a third quest that felt more like a final nail in an Applewhite coffin was given, and he was to drink human blood!

'the f*ck with this quests!' Christian cursed angrily and his expression hardened. 

In all of the numerous movies he's seen about vampires, the curse of the sun placed on them and their unholy thirst for human blood has always been the number one hardships that vampires always had to deal with.

At first, he was skeptical about the fact that the so-called curse of the sun might be false and might not apply to him, but now — now there was no doubting it! The quest to avoid sunlight has clarified all of his doubts and increased his worries substantially! 

In fact he felt that the system was cruel!

In the instance of the first quest, the system had given him a detailed explanation as to why the quest was given and the expected outcome of it. 

But that of the second and third quest was pure naught! 

Now assuming that he was in some sort of dire ailment, and failed to meet the requirements of the third quest to satisfy his need for blood, there was no way of him knowing the effects that lack of blood would have on him. Furthermore, he still wasn't even comfortable with the whole aspect of having to drink human blood in the first place!

To Christian, the fear of the unknown effect of not completing the quests was pure torture! 

This was simply too much! 

On one hand, he could just blatantly ignore the quest from the system to avoid sunlight and just wholly step under the daylight. But there comes the problem; not knowing the effect the sun would have on him! 

Umpiring from the different vampire movies he's seen, the effect the curse of the sun has on vampires differs from each movie, making it harder for him to conclude on a specific effect. In some of the movies, vampires would outright burn to ashes upon full contact with the daylight, while in others it just weakens them. 

But what exactly is the precise effect that the curse of the sun would have on him?! 

Christian's gaze gradually drifted back to the quests notification that was open before him and he jerked subconsciously. 

'How the hell do I deal with this?!' Christian pondered as his eyes turned as wide as saucers 

There was simply no way in hell, that he would take these quests from the system for granted and outright ignore their existence. 

The reasons? 

It's quite simple!

Trust and fear!

On one hand, he trusted the system's judgment simply because it was the handiwork of his father and was his creation. But on the other hand, he simply didn't ever want to find out the consequences that would derive from not completing the quest.  

Simply put, everything that has been happening around him lately had put him on edge, and his overall view of the world has changed drastically. From the gifting event to the fall of wall green, to bonding with Kelsia, coming to military school, evolving to a vampire, and now acquiring the system — all feel like a predestined encounter to him like there was a bigger picture to all of this, and that there was someone behind the scenes manipulating everything and playing god. And if he had to guess who that individual is— 

"Eh…" Christian suddenly grunted and shook his head. 

All of that should be trouble for another day, but today— today he had a more pressing issue to attend to. 

'oh… how I wish I was gifted with an invincibility ability' Christian lamented and shook his head slightly. 

"forget it, there's no need crying over split milk" he muttered begrudgingly and turned to stare outside the window. From his sitting position, he could clearly see the sun rising over the horizon, although it was still in the early hours of the morning. 

"why do I feel like the sun is staring directly down at me in disdain?" Christian questioned rhetorically with a crumpled expression on his face.