[Run For It]

Johannes knew he had to distract himself from those pesky negative thoughts. His late father had never seen him standing as confidently as he was now. But did that diminish his new accomplishment? 

Wait. If I inherited his system, does that mean Dad knew what would happen? This thought kept his sanity aloft - barely enough for it not to snatch like a thin thread under too much weight.

As he kept standing for a while, his gaze wandered around. Just until a certain vibration had entered his eardrums. It was a sound so quiet it was somehow more annoying.

Everyone knew one of those large clocks that hung crookedly on the grey wall. It was ticking. To be more precise, it was starting to tick Johannes off. Has it ever been this loud?

Then, the white hospital gown started to vibrate, too. For some reason, it twisted erratically in all kinds of directions. It was as if the hospital had been attacked by a significant tremor that could have immobilised any business. It feels like the hospital is going to collapse. I should have bought [Walking lvl 1] first.

A primal fear - the one that climbed out of the deepest ends of hell - hit his face. What if everyone here dies? This would mean the end of his journey, potentially overwhelmed by the pressure of crushing rocks.

Well. I could meet my father again if there is something like an afterlife... 

Unable to escape, he slowly attempted to make peace with the outcome. It stayed a mere attempt as the grey walls of his hospital room started to feel like confinement again. Almost as if he was being punished for feeling joy so soon after his father died.

I knew I should not have been so overly confident. It made me complacent, almost embracing the system. There had to be a way to escape, even if he could not walk.

It did not matter - he would survive - at all costs. The young man would have desperately crawled if he had to. His view searched for something he could use until it hit him.

There was a feeling. Almost as if it was aching right in his body. Coincidentally, at a spot that had grown weak over the years.

Oh. Wait.

Further sinking down, his face saw something it should have seen immediately. His laughably fragile legs apparently started to shake uncontrollably.

This sensation was new to Johannes, almost like an unexpected tide that had left him unsettled. He had never been able to stand long without help, so he eventually stopped, as even a few seconds were too long. 

But what about the clock? He began to assume its sound was amplified by the amount of exhaustion he underwent. There was no other logical explanation to him.

Awkwardness flooded Johannes' mind. Once known for his stoicism, he now struggled to uphold that facade. I completely overreacted. Who even am I? he pondered, grappling with the turmoil churning within.

He barely recognised the person he had become, yet there was an intriguing sense of acceptance inside him. His mask of indifference started to feel worn out - he had to eventually take it off anyway. It served as a constant reminder of his insecurities. But today, he felt as if he could finally accept what he wanted to feel.

Johannes regained his posture and slowly used the strength of his upper body to pull himself up to the top of the cold structure of his bed. Shivers overcame him as his toes touched the bed's metal. Knowing he had to rest, he dozed off.

There he was. Laying for endless hours - almost as if a feverish sleep overcame the fragile man. The earlier circumstances had shaken him too much. He rarely went outside in his life, and when he did, it had not been as tiring as what happened earlier before.

However, that was the beginning. One who wants to walk has to stand first. One who wants to stand has to breathe first. If you're going to build a castle, a single stone may not seem much. Yet, if you start to accumulate those individual stones, you will begin to see a wall.

That was how it was for Johannes, too. He had to stand in order to walk - nothing would change that. 

How long did I sleep? His fatigued body rose up in an instant. It was barely able to come up with a straight back. Groggy moans escaped his mouth, betraying how much he had slept.

His gaze drifted outside. The luminous sun has emitted its amber lights right into his room. Johannes could hardly see anything besides how pretty it looked.

It was yet another morning he would experience. Bearing in mind that his father had yet to see another morning again, a humble feeling overcame him. Thanks to the system, he could soon experience what a normal person's life would be.

If this system keeps pushing me, I could eventually try to become a Diver. Uh. Nevermind. I will learn everyday things like breathing first. It's not like my father was a Diver, too - and I bet he would have been if he could.

Dismissing this thought, Johannes noticed he had gotten a notification while asleep. 

[Standing lvl 1 -> Standing lvl 3] 

How convenient. Practice makes perfect. If he kept going at his current pace, he would keep improving. Or at least that is what he hoped for. Nobody could say whether this was going to happen. As mysteriously as his system came into existence, it could have just vanished equally as mysteriously.

For now, he had to make the best of his situation and use it to the utmost extent, even if it meant only living to improve his skills. 

After thorough thinking, he came up with a plan.

- 10 minutes of standing while squeezing his hand gripper as many times as possible, each at 8 AM, 12 PM, 4 PM and 8 PM.

He could meditate outside the system's grasp while he did not have [Meditation lvl 1]. Knowing it would be less efficient, he implemented it as well.

- 20 minutes of meditating, each at 9 AM, 2 PM, and 7 PM. His goal was to stabilise his breathing while letting his body rest.

While this was not as rigorous as what Divers had to endure, it still took a toll on his fragile body. He, who had never worked out before, was starting to change his life.

Or so he thought.