Taking Cassius out of his depressing thoughts, Aya walked toward the bathroom door, only to furtively glance at him before attempting a sneaky escape. "D-Don't mention this to anyone, okay?" she tried to demand with her usual fierceness, yet found it tough to hold his intense gaze. "And about the hospital… Thank you… I mean it… If you weren't there, I would have…"
Cassius waved his hand dismissively. "Go on, then. And try not to get chewed out too hard by your mother," he chuckled softly, causing her heart rate to quicken. She scuttered out of his room while furiously blushing. "I-I will repay the favor…!" she promised before her cute, bouncy tushy vanished from view.
"You don't have to…" Cassius attempted to say, yet realized that she could no longer hear him.
He heaved a breath of tired air before putting on a pair of underwear and finding himself sprawled out on his bed. Even though his Fatigue was not very high, the mental waves of exhaustion weighing on his mind had stacked up enough times to elicit a prompt state of slumber.
While dozing off, he could faintly hear the soft yelling coming from downstairs, which made him wistfully try to remember if anyone had ever cared about him enough to do something like that. Yet, in the end, he couldn't recall any such memory. When he was young, he might have experienced something similar with his father.
However, sometime after his early childhood, something changed in him… Cassius couldn't quite put his finger on it, but his father seemed… odd. Almost alien to him.
Cassius's ridiculous thoughts followed him as he entered the land of dreams.
Early the next morning, he awoke even before his annoying yet sturdy alarm clock could go off. Figuring that there was no real need to keep around such an irritating clock with his almost supernatural senses, Cassius eyed it dangerously before grabbing it. He used a small fraction of his strength to crumple it, reducing it to a condensed ball of metal and scraps.
After getting his long overdue vengeance for all the sleepless nights it had caused with its faulty behavior, he rolled off his bed. Sauntering toward his drawers, he swiftly pulled out a black dress shirt and a pair of shorts with a matching color scheme. He set them on the wide drawer, planning to wear them in a second.
Firstly, however, it was time for the grind. Yet, just as Cassius was about to start with one hundred unbelievably fast push-ups, the system presented him with an increase in difficulty.
*Ding!*
[If the Daily Quest is too easy, then you aren't properly building character!]
[Here, have a set of newbie equipment on the house! You must complete the tasks of the Daily Quest with these if you want the rewards!]
*Thud, Thud, Thud!*
Several hundred pounds of condensed sand hit the ground with resounding thuds, nearly cracking through the floor. Luckily, everyone in his house was a deep sleeper, or else he would certainly have some explaining to do. Nevertheless, upon looking at the system tags of these comically absurd weights, Cassius's brows creased in dramatic apathy.
[Acquired 100lb Wrist Weight X2]
[Acquired 400lb Full-body Weight Vest]
[Acquired 150lb Ankle Weight X2]
"...Is this really necessary…?" asked Cassius, his brows furrowed in frustration. "Even with my increased strength, this is…"
[You are denying Character Development?]
[For that, have another Newbie Package gift, on the house! ^_^]
*Thud!*
[Acquired 300lb Waist Weight]
Veins appeared all over Cassius's face as he found it tough to hold himself back from walloping his smug system. And weren't Newbie Package Gifts supposed to be things like a sword, a potion, and some flexible armor? Why the hell was he receiving this crap as his Newbie Package Gifts?? What the hell did he ever do to the Idle Evolution System!?
"Your name is a sham," Cassius indignantly murmured as he lifted and donned the surprisingly thin weights on his body. Yet, with the system's impeccable hearing, how could it not hear his defamatory words?
*Ding!*
[In consideration of the Host's lack of proper character development, as evident by his lack of etiquette, the system has decided to give an additional Daily Quest task and an opportunity for more rewards!]
[Wear the entire 'Newbie 1 Character Development Weight Set' for a total of 12 hours!]
—[Reward: 1 Point in Charisma and 1 Point in Strength (on top of what completing the other tasks will allot you)]
Cassius: "...."
The system was blatantly bullying him, but at least the rewards were good, was all he could tell himself as he hit the floor.
With all his 'Newbie Equipment' on, he felt like he was carrying the whole world on his back, yet he just had to grit his teeth and push through the exercises. One by one, he completed all of them, even though sweat poured from all his pores and accentuated his constantly contracting muscles in a shimmering sheen.
With sheer willpower, honed by the system's sadism, Cassius finished all of the exercises he could do inside. He had woken up not even an hour ago, yet he already felt exhaustion attempting to take him away. However, that didn't stop the Idle Evolution System from increasing his workload further.
*Ding!*
[Say, don't you feel embarrassed about having to rely on the system for everything?]
'Rely on what exactly!? You are the Devil System, not the Idle Evolution System!'