High Effort equals High Risk

Eren was just too lazy to do any of those cringe Quest.

Not to mention, he absolutely hated working out.

'It's always the same. Work hard, grind, level up, get stronger, blah, blah… Tch, so annoying,'

He grumbled internally. If this world truly operated by some kind of systematic balance, then why didn't the system ever generate a quest that rewarded him for resting instead of making him suffer through physical training?

'What if there was a quest for sleeping? Or one for just lying around doing nothing? Wouldn't that be perfect?'

He scoffed at the thought but kept it to himself. No way was he letting the system hear that.

Just as he was about to sigh and move on, an idea sparked in his mind like a flickering light bulb. His eyes sharpened as he stared at the system's interface, a mischievous glint flickering across his expression.

"You said the rewards for a quest are based on its complexity, right?"

[Yes, Master. The more complex the task, the higher the potential rewards.]

"And you also mentioned that the more effort I put into completing a task, the more SP it costs to generate?"

[Correct. The system automatically tracks your stamina consumption, bodily movements, and physical condition when assigning effort-based quests.]

Eren smirked slightly.

"Then how about this. If I told you to give me a quest to complete 100 push-ups. How much SP would it cost you, and what would the rewards be?"

The system went silent for a brief moment, as if running calculations in the background before responding.

[Answer: Generating a quest requiring 100 push-ups would cost approximately 12 SP. The rewards would be 2 status points or 5 coins.]

Eren raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

[Note: Performing 100 push-ups is considered a relatively simple task for an average person, which means the complexity rating of the quest is extremely low—effectively zero. However, since the Master's physical condition is currently below average, the system acknowledges that it would require greater effort from you, resulting in slightly higher rewards. However, the lack of complexity keeps the reward margin small.]

"I see… Now tell me, system," Eren leaned forward slightly, his tone thoughtful. "Between complexity and effort, which one has a greater influence on SP cost and rewards?"

[Well...that would be complexity.] The system answered promptly.

[Effort is determined based on the Master's personal condition, whereas complexity is based on a general standard. Additionally, the cost of SP is usually higher when effort is involved, because it depends on real-time tracking of your actions. However, increasing the complexity of a quest tends to yield greater rewards.]

The logic made sense. In every story where the protagonist had a system, they were always forced to grind their way up—putting in blood, sweat, and tears to complete missions.

"Just like in every other damn fiction story with a system," Eren muttered to himself.

"High effort means high risk. And high risk means high rewards."

A smirk crept onto his lips.

"Alright, then. Let's try something different. What if I asked you to create a quest where I have to do 100 push-ups… but within one minute?"

The system froze.

[....]

For a brief moment, no response came. The eerie silence felt almost as if the system was in shock, unable to comprehend its Master's ridiculous request.

Eren noticed the hesitation and snapped his fingers impatiently.

"Oi, I was just asking. Hurry up and give me an answer."

[A-Ah! Yes! Calculating...]

A few seconds passed before the system finally gave its response.

[Generating a task as per the Master's request… This quest would cost approximately 16 SP. The potential rewards would be 6 status points and 30 coins.]

Eren's eyes widened in surprise and amusement, his lips curling into a grin. The increase in rewards was just as he had expected.

'It tripled compared to the last one,' he mused, leaning back slightly with a satisfied expression.

His curiosity growing, he turned his attention back to the system and commanded, "System, show me my status."

The system instantly complied. Eren finally decided to check his Status.

[Status Open]

=====

Status

Name: Eren Valmont

Job: —

Level: 0

STR: 2

DEF: 2

DEX: 4

AGL: 3

INT: 7 (???)

Abilities:

• None

Skills:

• None

Magic:

• None

"Haha, this really is low as trash," Eren chuckled in amusement, his eyes scanning the pitiful numbers displayed before him. It was no wonder the system had been so persistent in warning him about his weak condition. Right now, if he were to jump from a second-floor window, he was pretty sure he wouldn't survive.

The system trembled slightly, as if sensing its master's dangerous thoughts.

Ignoring the rest of his abysmal stats, Eren's gaze landed on the Intellect (INT) stat—the highest of them all. However, what stood out even more were the question marks beside it.

INT: 7 (???)

His grin widened with interest. He wasn't a fool; he could easily guess what those question marks meant.

The system's screen flickered slightly, as if shrinking in fear.

Eren's fingers tapped lightly against his knee as he casually gave his next command.

"Open the system shop."

The system hesitated before responding.

[Huh? M-Master, I told you before, the shop requires you to be Level 1 before—]

"Use SP to bypass it," he cut in, his voice lazy but firm.

The system went silent. Then, after a brief pause, it spoke again, this time with a trembling tone.

[M-Master…]

"What is it?"

[The SP cost to bypass the restriction and access the shop is… 570 SP…]

Eren raised an eyebrow, waiting for it to continue.

[For one minute only.]

A heavy silence followed as the system nervously awaited its master's response.

"…Then use it."

[What?!]

The system's reaction was immediate, its voice filled with shock.

"What are you waiting for? Open it."

[B-But Master! If I use that much SP, then the remaining amount won't be enough to generate a qu—]

"I don't care," Eren interrupted, leaning back on his bed, his tone indifferent.

[I… B-But…]

The system continued hesitating, causing Eren to narrow his eyes. His fingers tapped against the bed once before he began counting down.

"Five."

A chill ran through the system as a flash of past events surfaced in its memory. The scene of its Master jumping through the window. Its screen flickered uncontrollably.

"Four."

[OKAY, OKAY! I'm opening it!]

The system quickly complied, refusing to test what would happen if its master finished the countdown. It prepared to consume the required SP to forcefully unlock the shop.

But before it could do so—

–Beep!

A sudden notification sound rang out.

Both Eren and the system froze as a new white holographic screen appeared before them.

[The System's Shop is now opened for 24 hours!]

Eren blinked. Then, a slow, satisfied smirk spread across his face.

"See? That wasn't so hard."

Without wasting a second, he sat up and clicked on the notification. Immediately, a larger screen expanded before him, displaying rows of purchasable items. Weapons, potions, scrolls, tools, clothes—everything was neatly categorized.

The system, however, remained silent.

[It… wasn't me?]

Eren raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

[I haven't used any SP yet,] the system finally admitted, its voice filled with confusion.

Eren's eyes narrowed slightly. "What are you saying?"

[The shop…] The system hesitated before finishing its sentence.

[The shop opened on its own.]