Start of The Journey.

Ryan's feet touched the ground gently, like a feather settling after a storm. The glowing light around him faded, the sky resumed its natural hue, and for a moment, everything was... normal.

Then—

BAM.

He was face-first on the pavement, groaning as his cheek met cold concrete.

"Ow—what the fuck?! You couldn't just, I don't know, lower me like a civilized being?!"

"Didn't you say you wanted to lose weight?" the system replied, voice calm and totally unapologetic. "That was a gentle landing compared to what's coming. You want to be a beast? Stop expecting soft treatment."

Ryan pushed himself up slowly, scowling. "You're a dick, you know that?"

The system ignored him. Instead, it chimed again.

"New Quest Generated."

[Small Quest: Stairmaster Begins]

[Climb 500 stairs]

[Reward: ???]

[Failure: No progress. No excuses.]

"Climb 500 stairs?" Ryan blinked. "Seriously? That's your idea of a small quest?"

"You want to stay 90 kg forever?"

Ryan grumbled under his breath. "No..."

"Then start walking. You live on the 10th floor. The lift's disabled until you complete the quest."

Ryan's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?! You turned off my elevator?! That's abuse!"

"That's motivation."

Ryan let out a long, miserable sigh. His knees already hurt just thinking about stairs. "God, I hate this already."

He stood at the bottom of his apartment complex, staring up at the endless concrete spiral like it was Mount Everest. His backpack clung to his sweat-soaked shoulders. The stairwell smelled like rust and tired dreams.

"Alright..." he muttered. "Stairs. Just stairs. No big deal. One step at a time."

One.

Two.

Ten.

Thirty.

Fifty.

By the time he hit 100, his breath was already falling apart. His shirt stuck to his back. His thighs burned like they were on fire.

Panting, he leaned against the railing.

"I never... huff... realized it was this high," he wheezed. "I always took the damn lift... This is inhumane."

His lungs felt like they were made of cardboard. His legs wobbled. His vision was starting to blur from the sweat dripping into his eyes.

But he kept going.

Each step felt like a personal insult from the system. Like it was mocking him with every single foot he lifted.

Finally, floor ten.

His hand fumbled with the key, and he practically collapsed inside his apartment. The moment the door clicked behind him, he fell flat on the floor like a dying fish.

"Dead... I'm dead... just bury me here... Tell my mom I tried."

His limbs were jelly. His shirt was soaked through. His entire body screamed in betrayal.

"Quest Complete."

A familiar DING echoed through his skull.

[Quest Complete: Stairmaster Begins]

[Reward: 1 kg weight loss]

[Progress: 89 kg remaining]

Ryan blinked. He stared at the blue screen hovering in the air, then slowly peeled himself off the floor.

"Wait, wait, wait! One kg?! Already? That fast?!"

A flicker of excitement sparked inside him.

He rushed—well, staggered—to the mirror in the bathroom, ignoring the soreness in his legs. He turned sideways. Looked at his gut. Lifted his shirt.

Nothing.

Still flabby. Still round. Still very much the same Ryan West.

"The fuck?! I don't see anything!"

"You were 90 kilograms of unrefined fat, Ryan. You expect to look like a K-drama lead after dropping one kilo?"

Ryan scowled. "Don't say it like that. I thought maybe I'd look a little less... blobby."

"You took one step. Be glad you moved at all."

He stared at the mirror, a bead of sweat running down his nose. His breath still came in short gasps. But his eyes — they looked sharper. More focused.

One kg down.

It wasn't much. But it was something.

He collapsed back onto the floor, hands over his eyes.

"Okay... first step done."

He could still hear Sophia's words echoing in his mind. Still feel the bruises from Josh and the other assholes. Still remember how it felt to stand there and cry in front of everyone.

Not again.

Tomorrow... tomorrow I start taking everything back.

The next morning came too fast.

Ryan's entire body was sore. His legs felt like they'd been replaced with bricks. Even turning over in bed made him wince.

He sat up slowly, groaning. "Fuck... is this what dying feels like?"

"You're alive. Barely."

"Gee, thanks for the encouragement."

He dragged himself out of bed, still half-asleep, and shuffled to the sink to wash his face.

A blue screen popped up.

[New Quest: Daily Mobility Challenge]

[Objective:]

[Run 500 meters]

[Walk 5,000 steps to school]

[Reward: Fatigue Resistance + Progress toward stamina growth]

[Bonus Reward: ??? if completed before 9:00 AM]