The sound of heavy and shallow breathing enveloped the atmosphere. Each breath was precise as droplets of sweat plummeted to the solid ground.
"975, 976, 977, 978..." The rhythmic counting of Damon filled the room as he breathed out in relief with every bow.
Like a plank at the edge of a wooden ship, Damon pushed himself back and forth with one hand. He was doing a workout routine of one-hand pull-ups. The rhythm at which he moved up and down was steady like a log, powering through numbers that normal people couldn't achieve and only desired.
A smelly pool of sweat rested under him, as the smell of body odor danced in the air.
At that moment, Kenny entered the room with a large chunk of brown-skinned meat the size of a mini-fridge, enough to fill their bellies for months. Kenny was surprised upon seeing Damon.
"I see, taking the daily routine seriously?"
Kenny knew Damon had neglected the training he always taught him to stay fit in this ruined place. The slums not only affected one physically but also psychologically. To survive, one needed to be in shape and have a strong will.
"998, 999, 1000." Damon then stood up, releasing a huge sigh of relief.
❰Pull-up task completed❱
〘50 exp received〙
Level 1 :[50/50]
Level up!!
Level 2 :[0/100]
〘Congratulations upon reaching level 2〙
'I have leveled up?' Damon thought. Like the games he once played, he had expected to get something like a skill. But what he got was a couple of experience points, a level up, and a congratulation.
'Oh well, I guess I just have to keep leveling up until I acquire a skill. Now I just need to complete the other daily task.'
He had a unique skill, the Cursed Tattoo, but he didn't really know what specific aspect it became beneficial to him. Other than the system saying it empowered him with the grimoire's power and was cursed, he was clueless.
'Not that I doubt the system, but seeing is believing, right? I don't know what this so-called Grimoire is or what type of curse I have.' It was frustrating, but Damon decided to disregard it. Right now, getting stronger mattered for his survival.
Damon glanced at Kenny, who was using a sharpened knife to dissect the meat into edible chunks, following the standards of anatomy.
"Eh, Kenny, do you have any spare knife I could use?" Damon asked, thinking about the 'friendly' rodents that had 'kindly' broken his spine, almost ending his puny existence.
Without hesitation, Kenny's face brightened, and he replied, "Sure."
...
After loading himself with the meat, which had been thoroughly roasted to perfection and tender in both smell and taste, Damon headed out to complete his task and his revenge.
❰400m achieved, 200m remaining❱
"Few more to go!" Damon said, increasing his pace. Each step caused the earth to crack as he powered through. He felt alive, a feeling that had long been forgotten. Adrenaline surged through him like a car engine. Though he felt a bit tired, the adrenaline kept him going, even as he lost all feeling in his legs.
❰Daily task, Sprinting completed❱
〘50 exp rewarded〙
Level 2 [50/100 exp]
Immediately after receiving the notification, Damon put all his weight into his right leg, prompting him to slide across the sandy ground, with earth debris scattering and creating a little dust spread.
"Haa, now I am back," Damon said, looking at the line that separated the Blue Zone from the Red Zone of the slums. Without a bit of fear and with a little pride, he descended into the darkest parts.
Treading carefully, Damon walked through the place, tiptoeing like a creep, with a delirious smile on his face.
Whatever was giving him confidence, it could either end badly for him or be worth it.
Then he abruptly stopped. A meter in front of him was the thick door he saw before, the large and mighty rustic door that resembled an impenetrable brick wall.
Damon stood in front of it, feeling the rough surface with his hands. "Something so thick blocks the road to salvation. It would be a pleasure to escape from this place. To see how the outside world has become after the invasion."
The thought of finally taking a breath of clean air brought tranquility to his heart, other than the moldy and rotten smell of the slums. It was a dream he must achieve, but to do that, he needed to get stronger.
While Damon was in thought, the sound of rustling through plastic could be heard, and in that swift moment, Damon moved precisely to the right, avoiding a sharp spike that darted to the steel door. The thickness of the grand steel door was no match for the spike that pierced right into it.
"That was a close one," Damon breathed a sigh of relief, moving backward to create distance between himself and whatever threw that sharp spike. It was all thanks to his greatly improved perception that he sensed the random attack that almost impaled him to the door.
"You bastards. I'm back for my revenge," Damon said, staring at five mega rats emerging out of the trash.
❰ Warning!!!!❱
❰Threat detected. Analyzing threat.....❱
❰Mega mutated rats❱
〘Race: Infected〙
〘Skill: Spike attack〙
〘Strength: 5〙
〘Speed: 10〙
〘Stamina: 5〙
❰ Quest❱
〘Defeat the mega rats in the vicinity.〙
〘Reward: unlock a skill〙
〘Reward: +3 SP〙
"Amazing, I can see the analysis of my opponents," Damon said, amazed. However, this wasn't the right situation to be 'princess dancing'; it was a matter of life and death.
Without fear, Damon rushed to one of the incoming rats. The strategy Damon decided to use was to give a big impact to increase his chances of victory. The determination to complete the quest and receive the reward filled him with thrill and certainty.
Seeing the incoming human, the rat whipped its tail at the speed of a bolted car, sending a whipping sound in the air. The move was fast, but Damon reacted faster, thanks to his perception, missing him by a centimeter.
'It's blinding fast, the speed is the same as mine. But it's not stronger or has more stamina than me, and that will be my advantage.'
Once again, Damon leaped forward, then quickly pulled out the dagger and stabbed it into the rat's back.
Due to the first attack, it drained the rat's stamina a lot, making it unable to attack again like that, giving Damon an advantage.
Everything seemed to be going well, but just as the dagger was about to plunge into the rat's back, probably killing it, Damon's perception quivered.
'Oh, fuck.'
[ -2 HP]
A thick whip tail hit him from behind, sending him into a mountain of trash. Kenny had always told him one rule to not break in an encounter:
Don't be cocky.
****