The soft white glow began rapidly plummeting towards the earth in an unusual and non-linear path. Like a homing arrow, it locked into a target, rushing its way towards its victim.
As the buildings became clearer, the hospital in which Darwin laid in a comatose state for the past 7 years began to come closer and closer.
It instantly phased through the hospital room, slowing down above Darwin as it paused for a second before entering into Darwin's chest.
[System Target: Located]
[System Loaded]
[System Merging: 1%]
[System Merging: 2%]
[System Merggggingg:@3!#%]
[sssytem… *%#W@#$H @E04%RE?$]
[System… &#!W)5%H!@O@$?]
[Ah.]
[SySteM MeRgiNg: 7%]
[System Merging: 8%]
…
[System Merging 100%]
[System Merge Complete]
[System Type: Selecting]
[System Type: Chosen - !!ERROR!! TYPE - UNKNOWN]
[SCANNING. ERROR. ERROR. SCANNING... VIRUS DETEC-]
[System Restored]
[System: Creating Status]
[System: Creating Status Complete]
[All negative attributes have been removed]
[System now online. Enjoy.]
A finger slightly twitched within the hospital room as another finger began to twitch as well.
A soft groan escaped from his mouth as movement could be seen beneath his eyelids.
His eyes slowly opened to see the roof of the hospital room.
"Where?" He slowly looked around, his movement sluggish from 7 years of decay.
"Gah!" He suddenly groans grabbing his head in pain as the memories of 7 years ago began flooding in again. His eyes widened as he once again looked around with a greater sense of the situation.
[Daily Quest (1/20)
Get back into tip-top shape. Day 1.
Objective:
100 push-ups: 0/100
100 sit-ups: 0/100
500m run: 0/500
15kg Weight Lift 20x: 0/20
Reward: ??
Quest Failure: Punishment - ??]
A screen popped up in front of him.
"What?" He squinted, rubbing his eyes to see the screen still in front of him. "No way." He slowly moved his hand to come into contact with the screen. However, it simply phased through.
"Don't tell me I'm hallucinating…" He muttered, rubbing his eyes.
However, as he began to awkwardly and confusingly attempt to interact with the transparent screen before him, the doors slid open abruptly as a loud thump preceded to echo out.
Darwin turned around in confusion, coming face to face with a young lady. Her long black hair tied up in a high ponytail as she wore a simple high-quality suit. Her hazel-colored eyes locked onto his own as her mouth froze in an O shape.
"B-Brother?" Her voice stuttered, covering her mouth as tears began pouring out of her eyes.
Darwin frowned, watching a stranger breaking down before him. "Who are you?" He blinked, not remembering any siblings other than his younger sister Delilah.
"I-it's me. Delilah." She pointed at herself, with concern.
Darwin's eyes widened as he looked and double looked to make sure. "D-Delilah? But you- She- she's only eleven. How?"
"Brother, I-It's been seven years." She revealed, walking over slowly and wiping her tears. "You've been in a coma for over seven years." She took out a small handheld mirror and handed it over to him.
Reflecting back at him was the face of a long black haired young looking youth, compared to the last time he had looked into a mirror, he could tell his face had become more mature, though due to the lack of maintenance on his appearance, he had grown a bit of stubble, while the hair on his head was dull and had lost its luster.
"Seven?" Darwin repeated in disbelief, checking himself out then looking out the window at the scenery outside. The giant intimidating skyscrapers loomed overhead, asserting their presence to those within a ten-kilometer distance. The world really has changed drastically. It was able to continue to flourish without him.
"Wait. Moss Inc. What happened to it?" His eyes widened and he suddenly spun back around in panic.
"Uncle Peter's been taking care of it for the past 7 years. We just held my succession ceremony a week ago." She answered, the look of her innocent and naïve childlike self no longer present as she spoke. Instead, the gaze and aura of a confident and competent leader took its place.
"I see." Darwin sigh in relief, knowing that their parent's hard work has been kept in safe hands during the time he was away. "You've worked hard." He smiled with a look of pride in his gaze.
"But now that you're here-" She glanced over at Darwin, "If you wish to take back the position…" She trailed off with a slight hint of hesitation.
Darwin looked over at his sister in deep thought. The person who stood before him was no longer the young girl who needed head pats and cuddles, no longer his shy little sister he needed to protect with his life. She had become someone reliable. Someone with a true sense of purpose and determination.
"I'll think about it." He muttered with a smile, which in turn she smiled back with the most genuine and pure smile he's ever seen her give.
"Brother, how I've missed you." She suddenly began sobbing as she gave him a hug, causing him to look at her in surprise and retract his prior thoughts.
"Oh, wait a second." Delilah suddenly withdrew her hug and took out her phone.
"Uncle Peter!" She called into the phone after dialing his number.
"Del?" A confused and tired voice answered from the other end.
"My brother's awake!" She exclaimed, resulting in the sound of clashing of pans and glassware on the other end.
"Wait for a second! Really? You're kidding! I-I'll be right there!" The call ended as Delilah looked back at Darwin with a smile.
As they waited for the arrival of Peter, Delilah began filling in the events during his 7 years of unconsciousness.
"So Charles was disowned from the family 6 years ago after we gained enough evidence that he was behind your attack. Peter took on the role of CEO rather quickly and efficiently. Caused Moss Inc. to become even more successful than before. What else… oh, I also took some martial art lessons for self-defense and Uncle Peter's also been teaching me how to run the company. I graduated last week and became CEO, so now I work in the office full time." She summarised briefly.
"Martial Arts?" Darwin raised his eyebrow with interest.
"Yeah. Just for a few years." She nodded.
"What do you mean 'just a few years, Ms. Taekwondo National Champion for 4 years in a row?" A voice interrupted them with a chuckle.
"Uncle Peter!" Delilah turned around in surprise. "I-I was just trying to stay humble." She muttered under her breath.
"Nation Champion?" Darwin's eyes widened and a smile escaped his lips. "As expected of my genius of a sister." He rubbed her head and gave her a hug.
"Hehe…" She blushed and kept her head down in response.
"A-Anyways. We need to get you to rehabilitation, you've been lying there for 7 years." She coughed to quickly divert the subject.
Delilah hurriedly made her way towards a large button placed beside the left side of the bed and pressing it.
"How can-?" A nurse walked in after a while with a smile before she noticed Darwin sitting up on the bed, conversing with Peter and Delilah. "Oh my!"
She quickly turned around and dashed out towards the staff area.
"Doctor!" She called out to the only person there, sipping a glass of water. "VIP patient. He's awake!"
The doctor instantly turned around in surprise, "That patient?"
The nurse nods excitedly, pointing to the door behind her.
The doctor placed down his glass of water onto the table and running past her without question.
"I'm Doctor McLenn. How are you feeling?" He smiled, introducing himself by the doorway Of the hospital room.
"I'm alright," Darwin answered, giving the small quest board he could see a quick glimpse before ignoring it and giving the doctor his full attention.
"Alright," He nods after doing a basic health check and taking out the IV drip from his arm. "We'll move you to the rehab center now."
——
In the large room filled with horizontal poles and equipment of all varieties, Darwin accompanied by Delilah and Peter wandered around in his wheelchair in interest.
"Mr. Moss." A friendly voice called out from the other side of the room, revealing a tall blonde-haired woman wearing the hospital's scrubs standing by some poles. "Over here." She waved her arms with a giant smile on her face.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Moss," The instructor smiled, walking over. "Why don't we first try getting you up." She suggested, "It might be difficult the first time, but that's just a part of the challenge."
The instructor walked behind the wheelchair, giving Delilah and Peter an 'I'll take it from here' smile, and wheeled Darwin towards the balance poles. "The poles are right beside you if you need help."
"Alright," Darwin nodded, slowly pulling himself up from the chair, his legs slightly shaking as he stood up. A slightly uncomfortable look on his face.
An eyebrow raised as the instructor watched him succeed first try.
"Well done!" She praised, giving a round of applause. "Now why don't we try to walk over here." She walked a few meters down towards the other end of the poles.
Darwin nodded, as he sluggishly moved his leg forward, planting it down onto the ground before raising the other. In no time, he began walking slowly, and then faster, and soon, he was once again walking at a perfect pace. His legs easily moving him from point A to point B.
"T-that!" The instructor rubbed her eyes as she saw him walking back in the other direction, continuingly changing directions and stretching his legs, eventually even running around as if he hadn't been immobilized for the past 7 years.
"How?" She stuttered, to which there was no reply as Darwin was now too busy keeping himself preoccupied with running on a treadmill he had found by the wall of the rehabilitation room.
[500m run: 100/500]
[500m run: 350/500]
[500m run: 500/500]
[500m run: Complete]
—
[Daily Quest (1/20)
Get back into tip-top shape. Day 1.
Objective:
100 push-ups: 0/100
100 sit-ups: 0/100
500m run: Complete
15kg Weight Lift 20x: 0/20
Reward: ??
Quest Failure: Punishment - ??]
The status screen quickly updated as soon as he reached 500m, causing him to quickly dismiss the idea of it simply being a hallucination. Intrigued on what would happen if he ends up completing the quest, he jumped off the treadmill and glanced around. Finding himself some yoga mats in which he quickly made his way to, dropping to his hands.
[100 push-ups: 1/100]
…
[100 push-ups: 50/100]
His arms began to tire as he pushed down another.
[100 push-ups: 51/100]
With a groan, he rested his arm in a planking position before once again continuing after catching his breath.
…
[100 push-ups: 100/100]
[100 push-ups: Complete]
Darwin sat back up, Sweat dripping down his forehead as his arms feeling like jelly. He slowly stood up from his spot and made his way over to the drinking station.
"You seem to be trying really hard," Delilah commented with a nostalgic tone as she watched him fill up a small plastic cup at the water dispenser.
"Yeah, just trying to get back to tip-top shape." He smiled, quoting the screen before him as he chugged the cup of water and disposed of it into the bin beside him.
With his small break complete, he headed back to the mat and began his sit-ups.
…
[100 Sit-ups: 100/100]
[100 Sit-ups: Complete]
—
[Daily Quest (1/20)
Get back into tip-top shape. Day 1.
Objective:
100 push-ups: Complete
100 sit-ups: Complete
500m run: Complete
15kg Weight Lift 20x: 0/20
Reward: ??
Quest Failure: Punishment - ??]
"Just one more," He muttered, sitting up and wiping the sweat off his body.
He quickly eyed the weight rack a few meters besides him.
Getting onto his feet, he walked over and grabbed the 15kg ones.
[15kg Weight Lift 20x: 1/20]
…
[15kg Weight Lift 20x: 20/20]
[15kg Weight Lift 20x: Complete]
—
[Daily Quest (1/20)
Get back into tip-top shape. Day 1.
Objective:
100 push-ups: Complete
100 sit-ups: Complete
500m run: Complete
15kg Weight Lift 20x: Complete
Reward: ??
Quest COMPLETE]
[You have obtained: 3 STR stat, 1 VIT stat, 1 AGI stat, +50 Exp, 1 Skill Wheel Spin]
[Do you wish to spin the wheel? Y/N]
Darwin stared blankly at the screen before replying with a silent 'yes'.
[Spinning WHeeL…]
[You have obtained: (Skill) ?????? ]
[Spinning for Skill level]
[Skill level obtained: Lv.?]
"Huh?" Darwin frowned, unable to decipher what the skill he just obtained was.
'Status.' He tested out.
—
[System name: [!!Error!!] Lvl 0
Hostname: Darwin Moss
Level: 0
Exp: 50/100
Stats:
HP: 100
MP: 100
STR: 13
INT: 10
VIT: 11
AGI: 11
Stat Points: 0
DP: 0
Skills:
?????? Lv.?]
Surprised it worked, but still unable to decipher the words of the skill, he figured he would test it out later and attempted to close the status by simply thinking 'close'. Which to his surprise once more, worked perfectly.
"Alright," Darwin muttered, stretching his arms and putting away the weights. "Let's go home, shall we?" He smiled back at his sister and Peter.