Training
"One... more... kilometer," Sunny wheezed, his legs burning like they'd been dipped in lava.
[29/30 KM COMPLETED]
[STAMINA: 2/6]
[PAIN TOLERANCE SKILL EXPERIENCE: 78%]
The system window hovered mockingly in his vision as he dragged himself forward. His lungs felt ready to burst. Sweat had soaked through his shirt completely, making the fabric cling to his skin like a second layer.
"Since when... was I... so out of shape?" he gasped between labored breaths. "I'm only... seventeen... for fuck's sake!"
A middle-aged woman walking her dog gave him a concerned look as he staggered past. He must have been quite the sight—a skinny teenager running through the park at dawn, talking to himself, looking half-dead.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: COMPLETE THE DESIGNATED TRAINING OR FACE PENALTY]
[REMAINING TIME: 4:27]
"I know! I'm going!" he snapped at the floating text.
Three days had passed since he'd been discharged from the hospital. Three days since he discovered the system that the nameless god had granted him. And for three days, the damn thing had been torturing him with what it called "basic physical conditioning."
Basic. Right.
The first day, it demanded 100 push-ups. Sunny managed 23 before collapsing. The system helpfully delivered an electric shock to "motivate" him. By the end, his arms felt like noodles.
Day two brought 200 squats. He thought his legs would never work again.
And now, day three—a 30-kilometer run.
[29.5/30 KM COMPLETED]
His foot caught on an uneven section of pavement. He stumbled, barely catching himself before face-planting on the concrete. His reflection in a shop window showed a gaunt face, hollowed cheeks, and dark circles under bloodshot eyes.
He hardly recognized himself.
'This is what rock bottom looks like,' he thought.
But then Starfall's smug face flashed in his mind. The hero's golden aura, his casual disregard for "collateral damage." The memory sent a surge of energy through his exhausted body.
'No. Rock bottom was watching my parents die while that bastard laughed.'
He straightened his back and forced his legs to move faster. The burning pain faded into the background as cold determination took its place.
'I'll run 50 kilometers if that's what it takes. I'll run until my legs fall off. Whatever it takes to get stronger.'
[30/30 KM COMPLETED]
[DAILY TRAINING OBJECTIVE MET]
[STAMINA +1]
[PAIN TOLERANCE SKILL HAS REACHED LEVEL 2]
[NEW PASSIVE SKILL UNLOCKED: ENDURANCE LVL.1]
He collapsed onto a park bench, gasping for air. Several notifications popped up in his vision, but he was too tired to focus on them. He just needed to breathe.
After five minutes of recovery, he finally checked the notifications.
"Stamina increased to 7," he murmured. "And a new skill... Endurance, huh?"
[ENDURANCE LVL.1: REDUCES STAMINA CONSUMPTION DURING PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES BY 5%]
Not bad. With his current pathetic stamina, he needed all the help he could get.
He pulled out a water bottle from his backpack and drained it in one go. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he skipped breakfast to make the morning run.
He checked his wallet. Three thousand credits. Barely enough for a cheap meal.
The financial reality of his situation hit him again. His parents' insurance would cover the hospital bills and provide a small stipend until he turned eighteen, but it wasn't enough. The apartment they lived in was gone—destroyed in the attack. He was staying at a cheap hostel now, paying by the night.
And then there was the Player Registration fee.
In this world, there were two ways to gain power. You could be chosen by a god and become a Hero. You could be born with natural talent and become an Awakened.
you could then register yourself to become either one and enter the Tower—if you could afford the fee.
One million credits. That's what it cost to register as a Player. One million for the chance to enter the Tower, clear dungeons, and grow stronger.
Sunny had exactly two thousand, eight hundred and seventy-three credits to his name after tonight's hostel fee.
"How annoying," he muttered, pulling himself to his feet.
He still had time before school. After the attack, students had been given two weeks off while the city recovered. That time was almost up. Soon he'd have to return to classes, pretend everything was normal.
As if anything would ever be normal again.
[SYSTEM: WOULD YOU LIKE TO VIEW YOUR UPDATED STATUS?]
[YES]/[NO]
He tapped YES.
[NAME: SUNNY NIMBRIL]
[CLASS: FALLEN]
[LEVEL: 1]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 300/300]
[STRENGTH: 5]
[AGILITY: 7]
[INTELLIGENCE: 10]
[WISDOM: 8]
[STAMINA: 7
[GOLD: 0]
[UNIQUE SKILL: VOID ABSORPTION (LOCKED)]
[ACTIVE SKILLS: NONE]
[PASSIVE SKILLS: PAIN TOLERANCE LVL.2, ENDURANCE LVL.1]
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE]
[PLAYER REGISTRATION: REGISTER AS AN OFFICIAL PLAYER TO ACCESS THE TOWER]
[REWARD: ACCESS TO TOWER LEVELS 1-10, BASIC PLAYER PRIVILEGES]
[REQUIREMENTS: 1,000,000 CREDITS]
He stared at the quest notification. As if he needed a reminder of how far he had to go.
"Thanks, Captain Obvious," he said to the system. "Any idea how I'm supposed to get a million credits?"
The system, predictably, didn't answer.
He sighed and started walking back toward the hostel. He needed a shower and some food before figuring out his next move.
An advertisement on a digital billboard caught his eye:
"EMERGENCY DUNGEON CLEAN-UP CREWS NEEDED. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. DANGER PAY OFFERED. APPLY AT SEM DUNGEON MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY."
Below the text was an image of workers in protective gear clearing monster corpses from a dungeon entrance.
Dungeon clean-up. The lowest of the low in the new world hierarchy. After Players cleared a dungeon, someone had to go in and clean up the mess. It was dangerous, disgusting work. Occasionally, monsters weren't completely dead or had laid eggs that hatched after the Players left.
The death rate for clean-up crews was higher than for actual Players at the lower levels.
But the pay... the pay was good.
"Danger pay, huh?" He murmured, memorizing the address on the billboard.
[NEW QUEST ACCEPTED: JOIN THE CLEAN-UP CREW]
[REWARD: REGULAR INCOME, POTENTIAL FOR ABANDONED LOOT]
[WARNING: HIGH RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH]
Sunny blinked in surprise. He hadn't actively accepted the quest. The system just... registered his intention?
"Are you reading my thoughts now?" he asked.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: PATRON DEITIES HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO SURFACE THOUGHTS]
[FURTHER INFORMATION RESTRICTED]
Great. The nameless god was eavesdropping on his thoughts. That wasn't creepy at all.
His stomach growled again, louder this time. Food first, job application later. He turned toward a cheap convenience store he spotted earlier.
As he walked, he felt a strange sensation—like being watched. He glanced over his shoulder but saw only normal morning commuters rushing to work.
Still, the feeling persisted.
In the reflection of a shop window, he caught a glimpse of something strange. For just a moment, his shadow seemed... wrong. Too dark. Too solid. Almost like it was moving independently of him.
He whipped around to look directly at it, but it was just a normal shadow again.
'Great, now I'm hallucinating.'
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: UNIQUE SKILL "VOID ABSORPTION" RESONATING]
[CURRENT PROGRESS: 2%]
[CONTINUE TRAINING TO UNLOCK]
He frowned at the notification. Void Absorption. His supposed unique skill. What did it even do? And why was it resonating now?
He shook his head and continued walking. One problem at a time. First food, then the job application, then he'd worry about mysterious skills and weird shadows.
The path to revenge would be long, but he'd take it one step at a time.
Starting with dungeon clean-up duty.
How far the mighty had fallen—or in his case, how far the fallen had yet to rise.