Eiden asked, "So, Luciana, could I try all the features the system has to offer?"
"Nope," replied Lucy, "not in the mood to play babysitter while you run around my esteemed establishment."
Eiden pleaded, "Oh come on, please? Just one?"
Lucy raised her voice and emphasized every word, "I... said... no. But in a show of goodwill, I will give you your daily mission. And because I am sorry for your pathetic stats, I will give you a choice between three."
She continued, "Mission one: one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, and a six-mile run. The reward for completion is your stats rising to normal. Mission two: spar with any guard of your choice. The reward for completion is the same as the first mission, plus one everyday skill and my respect. Mission three: inscribe your first rune. The reward is one special magical rune and a basic alchemy guide."
Lucy added, "If the host completes all the missions, they can choose one reward from missions two and three."
Eiden thought to himself, "Hmm, I'm surprised the missions are reasonable."
Lucy interrupted his thoughts, "Oh no, I know what you're thinking, but this is a one-off. The missions in the future will be much more difficult, if not downright cruel. Hahaha."
Eiden's smile disappeared from his face as he heard about the missions and their bountiful rewards. "Yeah, I thought so. Nothing in life comes easy, except your mother system," he thought to himself, but said to Lucy, "So, I'm gonna try to finish all the missions, but let's start with the first one."
"Good luck, boy," whispered Lucy before going quiet.
Eiden went down on his knees and raised himself into a push-up position. He did 10 of them when he realized that maybe this won't be such an easy mission after all. He did another 10 of them when his arms started to feel like lead and his face started to get flushed. There were also several lines of sweat going from his forehead to his chin.
"This really hurts like someone is injecting scorching metal directly into my muscle while another is slowly chiseling at my bones," Eiden thought to himself. Then, he heard a voice in his head say, "Really? Don't you think you're overreacting a bit?"
Eiden clenched his teeth and tried to do another twenty. Midway through his reps, he answered, "It's just a matter of expression. Besides, this body is really weak, okay?" After completing 30 reps of push-ups, he took a break and started doing sit-ups. Those were far easier to do, but he could still feel his ab muscles pulsing with fatigue. He went and did another 30, and after that, he could barely move his arms.
"Ok, 40 more to go, but I need a longer break from them. Let's go for a run and then inscribe that rune," Eiden thought about learning magic like with the giddiness of a child on Christmas eve.
"But first, let's go for a jog. 6 miles? How hard can that be?" he said to himself.
He soon found out that for a body with below-average endurance, the answer to that was: very hard.
He was seen gasping for air and sweating like a pig before slaughter, all the guards he passed looked at him with pity and also partially with annoyance. Annoyance they have to serve such a spoiled weak little boy who can't even run properly. The were only two silver linings. The first was that EIden chose a path that guaranteed him that he was not going to run into anybody too familiar or important. For example, if Alice would have seen him now it would be pretty embarrassing for him after all that talk about how he was going to win their little sparing match. And the second silver lining was that he finally reached 6 miles, after which he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Bloody hell, that was...well hell, he chuckled at the stupid pun that distracted him from the searing pain in his shins, thighs, and lungs. ''The pain is always worse after things happen to you and never when they are in the middle of happening to you. Funny thing eh, Luciana?
Ugh really? You know I'm really not you shrink Eiden? As you know your body hurts after physical exertion because of lactic acid that gathers in your muscles and you feel the pain of losing people much more after the fact than just during that ordeal because before it happens is still a bond to the past to all the happy moments and after they are gone not only does the bond that connected you end so does all the hope. Face it Eiden, you will never see Ms. Snow, you will also never see your real parents or your younger sister so just forget all about them, they are as good as dead forever buried in the pages of your personal history.
''Yes I know ok, you don't have to remind me...It's....just, '' He let out a long sigh, releasing all the tension he had been holding in...'' I miss them all, especially her.....and...I really don't know why I'm even talking to you about all this since you are probably incapable of feeling anything, but I do,... I miss her.''
There was silence on the other end.
Well that's weird, did I offend her? Maybe I offended her lifelikeness as an AI or something, anyway I don't really care for her as long as she plays nice.
Eiden breathed in another long breath and stood up. Ah fuck it, let's do some push-ups I could use a fight.
96 He could feel he wasn't gonna be moving his arms for a whole week if not a month
97 He cursed the whole Nihylmyre and especially some bitches name that rhymed with Luciana, tho he did the last part only in his mind.
98 He cursed the whole of Magiterra, and especially someone rhyming with the word Luciana
99 Next was the universe on the side of Eiden's intangible wrath
100 As soon as he was finally done he collapsed, drenched with sweat, massaging his aching arms.
But all that nagging aside he could feel an ecstatic feeling flowing through him, the feeling was not just his happiness that his suffering has finally come to an end but there was more. He felt his whole body getting enveloped in a warm feeling that was slowly massaging his muscles and bones. And as soon as he felt that feeling embracing him he heard Luciana's voice saying:
''Congratulations Eiden the first part of your overall mission has been completed. Here are the new stats (a quick reminder that by gaining Eiden's memories you have also gained some of his skills):''
Name: Eiden Blackwell
Age: 16
Skillset:
Chemistry: level 34 (postgraduate)
Biology: level 30 (postgraduate)
Math: 17 (intermediate)
Computer science: 6 (basic)
History of earth: 8 (intermediate-basic)
History of Magiterra: 16 (intermediate knowledge)
krav maga: 15 (intermediate knowledge)
kickboxing: 17 (intermediate knowledge)
Brazilian jiujitsu: 16 (intermediate knowledge)
Knowledge of Earth's languages: English, Russian, German, French, Japanese, and Spanish
Knowledge of Magiterra's languages: Common tongue, Nihylmyre's language, Dwarvish, Runespeak, and High Elven tongue
Horseback riding: 17 (intermediate knowledge)
Sword art: 10 (intermediate basic knowledge)
Archery: 12 (intermediate knowledge)
Knowledge about magic: 4 (basic)
Runes inscribed upon the soul: 0
Mana: 0
Strength: average
Speed: Average
Agility: Average
Reflexes: Average
Intelligence: high intellect (140 iq)
Hahaha well, that's something, if I could monetize getting in shape by completing this semi simple routine I would be the richest man who ever or would ever live. Now let's go beat up some minimal-wage guy.