Sebastian burst through the front door of his house, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. His legs felt like jelly, and every muscle in his body screamed in protest. He had just finished his grueling daily quest: running 7.5 kilometers, followed by 75 push-ups and 75 squats. His body ached with every step as he staggered to the couch, collapsing onto it like a lifeless corpse. He gasped for air, his chest heaving.
Suddenly, the familiar ding of the system echoed in his ears, pulling his attention from his exhaustion. The system interface flickered to life in front of him.
[Quests]
[Daily Quest]
Run 7.5 km (7.5/7.5)
Do 75 Push-ups (75/75)
Do 75 Squats (75/75)
Reward: 50 Exp received.
A weak smile spread across his face. He had done it. Despite the pain, despite the fatigue, he had completed the quest. The 50 experience points surged into his status, and with a single mental command, he opened his Status interface to see the results.
[Status]
Name: Sebastian Nightshade
Bloodline: Human???
Level: 2
Exp: 0/200
HP: 120/120
MP: 25/25
Strength: 11
Agility: 12
Endurance: 12
Intelligence: 13
Free Stat Points: 3
Free Skill Points: 2
He saw the increase in his stats, with every attribute gaining +1 after leveling up, along with 3 free stat points and 2 skill points as rewards. His HP and MP had increased by 5 as a bonus to his endurance and mana pool. But Sebastian wasn't in a rush to spend the stat points just yet. He decided to keep them for when he might need them most.
Best to save them for emergencies, he thought, knowing that in a world like his, anything could happen at any time.
Suddenly, another notification popped up on his interface, catching him off guard.
[Hidden Quest Completed!]
Objective: Reach Level 2.
Reward: Rank 1 Weapon, Close Combat Skill Book x1.
Check Inventory for rewards.
Sebastian's eyes widened. A hidden quest? He had never seen one of those before. The rewards were beyond his expectations. A Rank 1 weapon and a skill book?! This was exactly what he needed. Excitement surged through him as he quickly opened his Inventory and pulled out the rewards.
The first item he retrieved was a weapon—a sleek, ordinary-looking gauntlet. It was black with little purple edges, its sharp design it looked little crude but was sharp. He couldn't help but admire its craftsmanship. Curious, he activated his Analyse skill.
[Ember Forge Gauntlet]
[While equipped:]
Strength: +5
Endurance: +2
Sebastian's grin widened. This is perfect. He slipped the gauntlet on, and immediately, a surge of power flowed through his arm. It felt natural, as if the weapon had been made just for him. The system chimed in, its robotic voice calm and direct.
"You can directly equip weapons and armor from the inventory."
Sebastian nodded. He put the gauntlet back in his inventory, then equipped and unequipped it several times to get the hang of the system's functionality. Once he was comfortable, he focused on the second reward: the skill book. It was a thick, ancient-looking tome with a leather cover, the title written in a language he couldn't decipher.
He touched the book, and another interface appeared before him.
[Complete Close Combat Skill Book (Upgradeable) Rank E]
[Do you want to learn this skill?]
[Yes] [No]
Sebastian hesitated for only a moment before selecting "Yes." As soon as he made his choice, the book began to glow, disintegrating into countless tiny particles of light that swirled around him before being absorbed into his body. Without warning, a torrent of information flooded his mind—combat stances, movements, techniques, and strategies for fighting hand-to-hand. He grit his teeth, clutching his head as he tried to endure the sudden influx of knowledge.
The pain subsided after a few moments, leaving him breathless, but something had changed. He stood up, moving his hands and arms in a series of practiced combat moves. His muscles responded fluidly, as if they had done this a thousand times before. A wide grin stretched across his face.
He had learned a new skill, and better yet, it was upgradeable.
Without a second thought, Sebastian used one of his free skill points to upgrade the Close Combat skill to Rank D. Immediately, another surge of information entered his mind, though this time, it was less intense. The upgrade brought more refined techniques, new tricks to anticipate an opponent's moves, and ways to counter faster enemies. The difference was noticeable, and Sebastian could feel his combat prowess improve with every passing second.
[Status]
Skills:
Analyse (Rank E)
Close Combat (Rank D)
[2 stats points required to upgrade skill to rank C]
He clenched his fists, feeling the raw potential coursing through his body. He had come so far in just a short time. The thought of testing out his new abilities filled him with excitement. His pulse quickened, and he felt the urge to challenge himself, to push his newfound strength.
But first, reality set in. He was starving.
With his body still buzzing from the excitement of his level-up and rewards, Sebastian headed to the kitchen to cook something to eat. He threw together a simple meal, too distracted by his thoughts of future training and power to pay much attention to what he was doing. Lost in his thoughts, he mistakenly added sugar instead of salt to the food.
It wasn't until he took the first bite that he realized his error. "Ugh, what the hell…" He spat the food out, grimacing in disgust. The meal was ruined. He tossed it in the trash and sighed in defeat, grabbing a packet of instant noodles from the cabinet instead. The noodles were bland, but at least they didn't taste like candy.
Sitting at the kitchen table, he slurped down the flavorless noodles while reflecting on everything that had happened. He had leveled up, gained powerful new items, and learned valuable combat skills. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was on the right path—like he had control over his destiny.
But he knew this was only the beginning. Aetheria Academy's entrance exam was looming on the horizon, and there were still challenges he needed to overcome. The gauntlet and his new skills would help, but he needed more—more training, more power. He decided tomorrow he will go to Mistwood forest for training.