Uhh... Luka was it?

"98."

"99."

"100..." Liam's voice grated as he took a deep breath, finishing his final push-up. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his arms ached slightly from the exertion.

The first fifty push-ups had seemed too easy, so the lieutenant had decided to double the count.

[Congratulations, your hard work has paid off!]

[Strength: 10 -> 11]

"Fuck off..." Liam muttered under his breath after reading the system message, causing it to disappear. If he could, he would have punched the screen, but that would only make him look foolish.

"What was that?" the lieutenant asked, glancing over his shoulder after hearing Liam mumble something.

"Uh... nothing," Liam replied quickly. He wasn't interested in earning more punishment—this was more than enough.

"Sir," he added after noticing the lieutenant's glare, forcing a nervous smile.

The lieutenant turned away and sighed, shaking his head slightly. He could have sworn he heard the troublesome cadet curse under his breath, but if he disciplined him for every little thing, they'd never make it to the academy.

"Consider yourself lucky," the lieutenant muttered. Without further delay, he began explaining the details of their journey to the academy. The sooner they started moving, the sooner his mission would be over.

Everyone's jaw dropped when they learned they would be walking twenty-five miles.

'First, you make me do push-ups, and now you want me to walk?' Liam thought as he stood up, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently.

"The bugs won't wait for you to rest. Move it!" the lieutenant added before anyone could protest, leaving no room for defiance. "We'll leave behind anyone who can't keep up! Form two lines, grab your gear, and follow me!"

Liam rushed with the other cadets toward the vehicle, fighting to be among the first to retrieve his belongings. As he reached for his backpack and the black travel bag his mom had given him, his eyes landed on several water bottles. He quickly grabbed two of them. Food was important, but water was even more essential.

As he tried to exit the vehicle, other cadets bumped into him, but Liam pushed them aside with brute force, refusing to get lost in the crowd.

"Can't we just take the car?" one of the cadets asked. He had medium-length orange hair and wore a red bandana.

The other cadets nodded in agreement. There was no reason they should have to endure blisters.

"Oh, don't worry about the car. One of the sergeants will come to pick it up soon," the female lieutenant replied, covering her lips to hide a smirk.

Everyone groaned at her response. They hadn't even reached the academy yet, and it was already turning into a nightmare.

"Well then, let's head out!" the male lieutenant added, taking the lead. He didn't even give the cadets enough time to properly form two lines.

Seeing the cadets start to move, Liam slung his backpack over his shoulders and carried the travel bag in one hand, scanning the crowd for Ava. He wanted to walk with her since she was the only one he really wanted to talk to. But when he spotted her, he froze, silently watching as she chatted and laughed with Linx.

"Hey, Ava! Let's go together!" he called out after shaking off his hesitation. It probably wasn't as bad as it seemed.

"Hm?" Ava turned slowly to look at Liam, who stood in the middle of the field, staring at her with his usual puppy-dog eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I already promised Linx we'd walk together. I think Luka's walking alone, though," she replied, her voice tinged with guilt. She felt bad for her brother, but she didn't want to feel tied down to him either.

"Oh..." It was exactly as it seemed. Liam's gaze dropped to the ground as he looked away.

"Heh, loser. Can't even get a girl."

Liam looked up at the familiar, grating voice. It was Ray, his nose still red and swollen, slightly crooked from their earlier encounter.

"At least I'm not walking around looking like a clown," Liam shot back, smirking as he placed his hands on his hips. Those hundred push-ups had been worth it.

"Hmph," Ray frowned and looked away. "This isn't over yet," he muttered before walking off, clearly uninterested in continuing the argument.

"What's his problem, anyway?" Liam muttered to himself, tilting his head in confusion as Ray left.

He glanced at the two lines of cadets that had formed. At the end of one line stood a lone boy with dark skin, glasses, and short, curly black hair. Liam assumed this was Luka, the guy Ava had mentioned. The same guy who had caused the tiger spiders to attack. The audacity!

Speaking of his sister, how did she even know this strange boy's name? She was socializing at an alarming speed. Then again, Liam had been busy stashing food pills and doing push-ups.

"Yo! Luka, right?" Liam waved as he approached the boy, who visibly flinched as Liam got closer.

"P-please don't hit me!" Luka begged, raising his hands defensively and turning his head away, trembling.

Liam raised an eyebrow, staring at Luka's over-the-top reaction. Sure, he'd attacked Ray, but that guy had deserved it.

"Relax, I'm not going to hit you," Liam sighed, placing his hands behind his neck and interlocking his fingers.

Luka glanced at Liam cautiously, still unable to shake the fear that gripped him. He flinched again as Liam moved, but his eyes were drawn to the iridescent tattoos on Liam's arms. The dragonfly wing patterns shifted between green, blue, and purple depending on the angle. While mesmerizing, to Luka, they felt ominous—like the markings of a predator.

"What?" Liam raised an eyebrow, noticing Luka's reaction. All he'd done was move his arms.

"I-it's nothing," Luka stammered, avoiding eye contact. Liam's demeanor, combined with the strange body art, reminded Luka of his past experiences—some of them recent. His weak nature had made him an easy target for street thugs and bullies, and he could easily imagine Liam beating him up in a bad mood.

"Great..." Liam muttered under his breath, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.

He scanned the crowd for his sister. Seeing her laugh made Liam press his lips together. In his eyes, it wasn't fair that she got to have all the fun while he was stuck with a scaredy-cat who flinched at every move.

The group continued their march under the scorching sun, following a cracked path surrounded by dead vegetation. Leafless trees sprouted from the ground, and in the distance, they could see a grand forest shrouded in an ominous aura.

The cadets fell silent, the only sound being the roar of a raging dragon echoing around them. Everyone looked around in confusion—except for Ava, who lowered her head and facepalmed.

Luka subtly glanced at Liam, his eyes darting between Liam's face and the source of the strange noise—his stomach.

Another, quieter growl followed, and soon the entire group realized what was happening. They burst into laughter.

At the same time, a blue system screen appeared in front of Liam's eyes, reminding him of his daily quest.

[Daily Mission: Consume 4000 calories by midnight]

[Reward: 50XP, 1 stat point]

[Penalty upon failure: Hunger levels will increase significantly. Additional consequences may apply.]

[Time remaining: 7 hours]

"Hey! It's not funny!" Liam shouted, raising his fist. He'd love to see them in his shoes, constantly battling hunger.

He clicked his tongue and reached into his pocket for one of the many food pills he'd stashed earlier. But before he could grab one, Luka was already holding one out to him.

"Huh?" Liam tilted his head, surprised by the unexpected gesture.

"J-just take it," Luka said, still avoiding eye contact. He'd barely managed to grab one for himself, but he figured handing it over now might spare him from potential trouble later.

"Thanks!" Liam smiled, reaching for the small black food pill. As his fingers brushed against Luka's skin, he felt a small static shock. His fingers tensed at the uncomfortable sensation, and he winced slightly.

Seeing what he had done—unable to control his ability—Luka began to tremble and sweat profusely, terrified that Liam might lash out at him.

"Chill, dude. You gave me food, so we're even," Liam said, trying to reassure him.

'How can someone be so pathetic?' Liam thought as he swallowed the food pill. The system promptly updated his daily mission progress.

[Daily intake: 500/4000 kcal]