For the next 5 hours, Alex kept doing squats. Every few he did, he would take a break. It was currently 7:30 PM, he had 56 squats left to do, and he had not eaten all day.
Doing too many squats in a row, especially without proper form or rest, can lead to muscle fatigue, strain, or injury, particularly in the knees, lower back, and hips. Alex was feeling all of this, and more. He was also feeling nauseous, hungry, and lightheaded.
'I don't think I can do this…' Alex started thinking seriously.
'Is this really it? Am I going to fail my first quest? What if I don't get another chance?' His mind raced with the fear of failure and uncertainty.
But then, summoning the spirit of a determined gamer, Alex mustered his will. 'No pain, no gain. Risk it for the biscuit. Don't be a noob, get gud,' he repeated, echoing the encouraging mantras familiar in the gaming world.
With shaky resolve, he crawled to the kitchen, barely managing to eat the remaining meat. The food offered a slight reprieve, a brief burst of energy. Renewed but still weary, he returned to his room and threw himself into the task once more.
'76/100, 77, 78…' he counted, each number punctuated by a squat, each movement a battle against his own body.
Finally, '99...100!' He completed the last squat, but his triumph was short-lived as he collapsed, drained and panting.
As he lay there, a notification appeared from the ring, glowing with an ethereal light.
'Quest Completed:
Daily Quest (1) Physical Endurance
Test Reward: Enhanced Stamina, Enhanced strength (lower body).'
Alex, amidst his exhaustion, couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. This wasn't just a game anymore; it was a test of his will, and he had passed.
The rewards he received were quite confusing to Alex
'Enhanced stamina and Strength? But how can I measure the reward? Maybe there is something more to this system interface?'
Alex started fiddling with the ring, first tracing clockwise, which removed the quest complete message. He traced clockwise again, and to his surprise, a new image appeared:
Character: Alex Walker
Character Level: 2
Personal Stats:
Upperbody Strength = 5
Lowerbody Strength = 2 -> 3
Stamina = 1 -> 2
Speed = 4
Aesthetic = 2
Combat Stats:
Defense = 10/20
Unarmed combat = 0/20
one-handed weapon = 10/20
Two-handed weapon
Throwing/Archery = 0/20
Alchemy = 0/20
"Yes Yes Yes!! Holy crap! This is what I'm talking about. So the daily quest increased my lower body strength by 50%, and my Stamina by 100%. I'm glad I finished it," Alex yelled in triumph.
"And my own stats, Combat skills, and maybe eventually I can even get special skills?? This is so cool, I can't get over it"
'This is legit amazing. Although, I don't really feel much different, but I'm also so damn tired that I can't even feel my legs. I need to rest, and wait for the new quest, and figure out what I need to do to level up my character to 3. I want to do so many thing all at once.
'Also, I can guess what each stat is, but there should be a legend of sorts that explains it more,' Alex thought.
Placing his focus back on the ring, Alex traced over the ring clockwise again. A new screen popped up. It gave a very short description of each stat.
Upperbody Strength = Core, Arms, Shoulders, and Neck muscles
Lowerbody Strength = Thighs, calves, and foot grip.
Stamina = Prolonged physical and mental endurance
Speed = Sprint speed, acceleration, reaction time
Aesthetic = How you look, Teeth, Hair, outwardly Charm
"As I expected, I take back everything I said about the ring designer, he knew his stuff! I'm sorry, ring," Alex said as he moved the ring closer to his lips, giving it a big kiss.
'Huh? When I kissed the ring, I felt a slight shock go through my body? Is the ring happy I kissed it? No way, right?' Alex kissed the ring again, again, and again
He was genuinely in love with this ring at this point! It had given him everything he'd ever wanted, minus the looks.
As he gave the ring one final kiss while verbally expressing his love, the ring shined so brightly that it blinded his eyes for a few seconds.
Hidden Quest cleared: Show appreciation!
Quest Reward: +1 Level
Can only be gained once
As soon as Alex saw this message, he knew what was about to happen.
He barely was able to mutter 'I love you…' before going into a deep sleep.