"She's okay..." In an alleyway, Mercedes was staring at the entrance of Kiara's middle school. Chasing after her little sister because of paranoia wasn't a good feeling to have. But it was a relief that nothing bad happened.
"The timing of that quest was bad," Mercedes murmured as she continued to stare from afar. Numerous middle school students were entering the school with smiles plastered on their faces. Looking at them from afar, Mercedes couldn't help but be envious.
'That's a life I wished to have when I first entered middle school. Though, the reality was different from what I thought. Everyone was unhinged, and anyone who didn't fit in was considered an outcast.' Mercedes thought while leaning on a concrete wall.
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore. I have moved on from my past. What I need to do is participate in the present and face the future." Mercedes quietly muttered as she remembered the main quest.
"*Sigh...*Three horrible destinies that might happen in the duration of a single year." Mercedes sighed to herself and continued. "While the rewards of the main quest are glamorous, it is time-consuming. I'd rather avoid waiting for the quest rewards."
She wasn't particularly happy about the main quest after thinking about it for a short while. A year was a long time, and dozens of things could happen in that period of time.
She might grow stronger, and the quest reward might not matter to her. Or she might face things that were beyond her capabilities. These were questions that clouded her mind.
Mercedes was a bit annoyed by them, but they weren't wrong. After being immersed in the truth, she understood that there was no such thing as impossible. She shouldn't underestimate the prowess of reality-altering circumstances.
After all, it had already happened to her.
'But I want to continue staying here. I don't want to leave her alone.' Mercedes thought before an idea emerged within her mind. A smile formed on her face as she uttered. "Should I start training myself? This will be a good pastime for an entire day."
"Although, I'll have to call Mom first. I don't want her to worry." Mercedes decided to start a sub-quest of training after calling her Mom about what she was planning to do for an entire day. Luckily, she dragged along her cell phone as she chased after Kiara.
"Mom, I'll be staying outside for an entire day. I have something important to do, so I might not be able to go home." Mercedes wanted her mother's permission. It didn't take time, as Regine swiftly responded. *I see... It's good that you're going outside of the house.*
*However, be careful, Mercedes. Don't get yourself hurt, and make sure to return before dinner.*
Regine wasn't against with Mercedes's decision to stay outside for an entire day. In itself, she was a little bit relieved that her oldest daughter was rehabilitating in a natural manner. Humans shouldn't mostly spend their time at home since there's a world beyond waiting to be explored.
After Regine's permission, the corners of Mercedes's lips rose as she thanked her Mom.
"Thank you, Mom. I'll promise to be with Kiara while returning home."
*Good! I'll be waiting for you two at home, Mercedes.*
With that, the two concluded their call. Mercedes glances at the streets and gets out of the alleyway. She remembered a park near the middle school. Before, she spent her time there like an outcast. Though in itself, it wasn't a bad experience.
"A new day awaits me," Mercedes mumbled while walking down the streets. As she calmly read through the sidewalk, she noticed the dangerous amount of people gathering in alleyways. Her eyebrows furrowed since she realized that the district was becoming dangerous.
"The development plan of the city hall. Our districts were amongst the many that were fortunately chosen to be developed. That's the reason why the Cafe got crowded with customers."
"Nonetheless, it attracts malicious individuals throughout the city. Sooner or later, crimes will become frequent in this district, and it won't be as safe as before." Mercedes understood the implication of her words.
'I won't be there for Kiara all of the time. This is a problem that needs to be solved.' Mercedes thought before arriving at the park. Thankfully, the park wasn't shrouded with groups of unwanted people. It was as calm as before, which was a piece of good news.
She sat on a wooden bench and glanced at the blue sky above her. Looking at it, she remembered the scenes of the former world. The wasteland that enveloped it and the lustrous crimson moon.
"I'm having all these problems, and I don't even have a single idea on how I should solve each one." Mercedes felt a bit tired despite not having moved her body that much. The mental stress of everything going on was weighing her shoulders.
It was as if she was carrying a boulder for some reason.
'Is this the effect of heightened intellect? I'm becoming aware of things I would have usually ignored ages ago.' Mercedes thought as a notification materialized before her sight. It was a quest notification, which meant that her second advance of training was about to start.
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"What the- For such effort..." Mercedes couldn't help but become speechless of the things she had read in the quest description. She wanted to cough up blood after seeing the quest reward, in comparison to the effort that she must go through.
Though, a couple of seconds later, she carefully thought about the quest. It was harder than the last training quest. However, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. 1.0 Attribute equals an average human strength.
And the fact she could gain it in a single week was already overpowered. What would happen if she continued using the sub-quest training for an entire year? In the span of a month, Mercedes might gain a 4.0 Attribute of Physique. In half a year, she would have 20 Attributes of Physique.
"I shouldn't be ignorant. This training works for me!" Mercedes became determined as she glanced around the park with a confident smile on her face. She then stood up from the wooden bench and began her training.
The first training she went through was the 1,000 push-ups method. It was easy at first, and she managed to pass through the 100-mark in five minutes. It was rather slow, but there was no need to be impatient.
The 1,000 push-ups training method lasted for an hour before Mercedes completed it. After its conclusion, Mercedes was on the pavement, entirely covered by cold sweat. She wanted to take a breath as she was beyond exhausted. Her arms were trembling, and they were burning.
"T-That was h-harder than I-I thought," Mercedes murmured while gazing at the blue skies. She noticed some people weirdly staring at her from afar. They might have thought of her as some weird person in the park.
At any rate, she sat back on the wooden bench and closed her eyelids. She calmed herself while preparing for the next training method. Fortunately, with her current physique, it was easy to train in such methods and gain stamina for a short period of time.
Otherwise, Mercedes might have gotten a heart attack while going through the 500-mark of the push-ups.
'I have to continue and not waste time.' Mercedes wanted to finish everything before the class hours ended. It wasn't noon yet, so she had time.
Mercedes then began the second training method, which was the 1,000 pull-ups. She wondered if she was a masochist for throwing herself to suffering. But growth was an addicting drug for her. She didn't want to stop until she reached the peak.
The 1,000 pull-ups method lasted for two hours. It was 100% longer, which was understandable. Mercedes's arms were burning as if they had been forged under extreme heat. She sometimes wondered if she might break her arms, but since the AEGIS gave the training quest.
There was no need to question it.
Such a sub-quest was within her capabilities. The only question was whether or not she'll triumph against it even if she was suffering.
The next one was the 1,000 sit-ups. It only lasted for 30 minutes since it utilized Mercedes's core body. She wasn't using her arms anymore and was able to make the rest. So she bulldozes through the 1,000 sit-ups and felt her warm stomach afterward.
Mercedes took her lunch in a nearby restaurant. While she would have wanted to go home, she didn't plan on doing so since she was determined to stay nearby the middle school.
"I miss Mom's cooking..."
Afterward, Mercedes started the 1,000 squats, which luckily had the same duration as the sit-ups. Her underutilized legs were being trained for the main course, which was none other than the 20-kilometer marathon. She couldn't help but smile just thinking about it.
Buying some water bottles while taking some breaks in the middle. Three hours later, Mercedes completed the 20-kilometer marathon. It was now afternoon, and Mercedes's body was trembling. It was like a machine slowly breaking from overwork.
Finally, the last one was a relaxing method that only lasted for an hour. The 42-stretching method was a training that utilized different stretching methods to make one's body flexible. It was a good training method and an easy one.
*RING!!!* *RING!!!* *RING!!!* *RING!!!*
The middle school bells then rang as the gates of the school opened. Mercedes waited in front of the gate while waiting for her little sister. A smile was on her face, wanting to see Kiara's reaction. Though, it faded after seeing Kiara's appearance.