Chad Banks slumped into his tiny apartment, the weight of another disappointing day at work pressing down on him. The smell of takeout and stale coffee hung in the air as he tossed his worn-out bag onto the couch and collapsed beside it. Staring at the cracked ceiling in his cheap apartment, Chad wondered if this was all life had to offer: endless monotony and mediocrity.

His phone buzzed, jolting him from his thoughts. Expecting another bill reminder, he was surprised to see a notification from an unknown app: "Ascension - Ready to change your life?"

Curiosity piqued, Chad tapped the notification. The app opened with a sleek, futuristic interface. A message flashed on the screen: "Welcome, Chad Banks. Will you start the trial?"

"Is this some kind of fucking joke? How do they even know my name?" he muttered, but he couldn't resist exploring further. With a shrug, he pressed the [Yes] button. The screen transformed, displaying an array of quests, each with a description and reward. The first visible quest was simple: [Take a 30-minute walk and I'll reward your fat ass with $50.]

Chad frowned. "No way." But the app showed a timer counting down from one hour. If he completed the quest within the time limit, he would supposedly earn fifty dollars, what was a lot for someone like him.

"Why not?" he decided. Grabbing his shoes, he headed out the door and started walking. As he walked through his rundown neighborhood, he felt like he was being scammed by this so called Ascension app, but he still decided to get some fresh air.

Half an hour later, his phone buzzed again. [Quest Complete! $50 has been transferred to your account.] Chad stared in disbelief as he checked his bank app. Sure enough, fifty dollars had appeared.

"Okay, what the...," he whispered, excitement bubbling within him.

Suddenly his stomach rumbled loudly. "Let's get something to eat!"

As Chad was walking towards some fast-food stalls, his phone buzzed yet again. Eager to see the second quest, he checked the notification: [Eat a salad, and your fat ass will be rewarded with +1 Vitality.]

Chad's smile dropped at the insult, but the reward made him ecstatic. 'Can I see my current vitality?' he thought to himself. As he opened the Ascension app, information suddenly popped up:

-

Ascension app

Status:

[Chad Banks]

[Gender: Male - Age: 21]

[Level: 1 / ???] [EXP: 0 / 10]

Titles: [-]

[Strength: 3 - F]

[Agility: 2 - F]

[Dexterity: 2 - F]

[Defense: 3 - F]

[Vitality: 1 - G]

[Intelligence: 3 - F]

[Knowledge: 4 - F]

[Charisma: 2 - F]

[Luck: 3 - F]

Skills: [-]

Quests: [Eat a salad. Reward: +1 Vitality] [Read any book for one hour. Rewards: +1 Intelligence, +1 Knowledge] [???. Reward: System activation]

-

"Shit, why is my vitality so low?" Chad muttered anxiously. He didn't want to die yet. Quickly, he ran towards the local supermarket to buy a salad. Only after eating the entire salad did he feel his phone buzzing. [Quest complete! +1 Vitality]

Chad felt a strange life force entering his body, and his head grew fuzzy. After a few minutes, the sensation slowly dissipated, and he felt like a whole new person.

'How can I improve myself even more?' Chad thought.

After opening the Ascension app once more, he saw that the next quest was already available: [Read a book for one hour. Reward: +1 Intelligence, +1 knowledge]

Chad rushed back home, grabbed a comic book from his shelf, and began reading.

Suddenly, a message popped up: [You lazy fuck, why won't you try learning something?]

Agitated, Chad said, "It says any book, right?" Instantly, another message appeared: [Listen here you little shit, if you only read comic books, you naturally won't gain any knowledge.]

Frustrated, Chad picked up a book about survival tips in the wild and started reading it. As the words flowed, he felt a strange sense of purpose while doing these quests. When the hour was up, the app chimed again: [Quest Complete! Intelligence +1, Knowledge +1. Additional trial reward: Basic Survival Skills]

He laughed out loud. "This is incredible!"

...