The next day, Alex woke up with the usual routine: hit snooze about three times, roll out of bed, and fumble for his phone.
He checked his social media like he always did, flicking through memes and vague motivational quotes.
Then, out of habit, he opened the Quest App.
"Welcome back, Alex!"
The notification was cheery as ever, and for a second, he almost felt like he was logging into a game rather than an app that rewarded him for literally doing nothing.
He rubbed his eyes, still half-asleep, and stared at the app's home screen.
"Next Task: Take a 10-minute walk."
"Again with the walking?" Alex groaned.
Yesterday it was standing outside in the rain, today it was walking.
Maybe tomorrow it would be "run a marathon" or "climb a mountain."
He sat up in bed, checking his phone.
It was only 11:30 a.m., which meant he was still officially in the morning for his usual standards.
Ten minutes of walking sounded like an eternity in his current state of laziness, but something about this app was just... too compelling.
"Fine, fine," he muttered to himself, already regretting his decision.
"A ten-minute walk it is."
He grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, aiming for the park a few blocks away. The weather wasn't bad today—mild, just a little chilly—but the walk felt more like a chore than a quest.
It wasn't like there was anything amazing about the park; just a few trees, some kids playing, and the usual older people walking their dogs.
Still, the app seemed to take these small tasks seriously.
Alex checked his phone, and sure enough, the screen showed a timer counting down from ten minutes.
"Well, at least it's not that bad. I mean, I could be doing worse things," he thought.
He kept his hands in his jacket pockets, walking at a sluggish pace.
The breeze was nice, and he found himself relaxing into the walk, feeling a bit more awake.
As the timer ticked down, he got distracted by a dog chasing a tennis ball across the park.
It was one of those massive dogs that looked like it could run through walls.
The dog barked excitedly, tugging its owner along the grass as it jumped and spun in circles.
"Alright, alright, I get it. Exercise. Fine," Alex grumbled as he watched the dog.
He wasn't totally against moving.
He just didn't want to be forced into it by a stupid app.
Just then, his phone buzzed.
"Task Complete: You have received +1 Health."
Alex chuckled as he received the notification.
He wasn't exactly sure how walking ten minutes around the park gave him Health, but hey, it seemed to be working.
Maybe tomorrow he'd run a marathon and unlock some sort of "Super Stamina" achievement.
When he got back home, Alex immediately flopped onto his bed, feeling accomplished despite the fact that his walk had been nothing short of uneventful.
There were no wild encounters with mountain lions or dramatic near-death experiences. Just a lot of grass and trees.
He unlocked his phone again to check for his next task, and sure enough, another notification popped up.
"Next Task: Cook a healthy meal."
Alex blinked at the screen.
"Cook? Cook? Do they even know who they're talking to?"
He glanced at the pile of instant noodles, microwave meals, and chips littering his room.
The thought of cooking anything that wasn't a frozen pizza was laughable.
He sighed, looking at his phone again.
"Well, whatever. It says healthy, but it didn't say 'good.' I'll figure something out."
Alex wandered into the kitchen, scanning the meager options available to him.
It didn't help that he was still half-exhausted from the walk and in no mood to get all gourmet.
He rummaged through his fridge, finding a sad-looking avocado, some random leftover chicken, and a packet of baby carrots.
"Perfect," he said, sarcastically.
"A gourmet salad..."
With a resigned sigh, he chopped up the chicken—barely enough for a small snack—and sliced the avocado, tossing it on top.
He added a couple of baby carrots for color, because that was basically a salad, right?
His phone buzzed again.
"Task Complete: You have received +1 Dexterity."
"Dexterity? What, because I chopped some vegetables?"
Alex couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm basically a master chef now. I'm gonna start a YouTube channel where I review microwaved food."
But even though the task seemed silly, Alex couldn't deny the strange satisfaction he felt from completing it.
There was something almost addictive about these small rewards.
It was like he was being rewarded for doing the smallest things, it feels like playing an RPG IRL (in real life).
Still, he wasn't about to go full-on chef mode. He wasn't stupid.
He ate the "salad" (which, by the way, barely qualified as a meal) and leaned back, relaxing. He had to admit—maybe this whole app thing wasn't entirely pointless.
Later that afternoon, Alex found himself walking around town, killing time, when he bumped into his friend Dylan.
Dylan was one of those hyperactive guys who always seemed to be working on some new scheme.
If he wasn't at the gym, he was starting some random business, like a dog-sitting service or a smoothie delivery company.
"Yo, Alex!"
Dylan greeted him enthusiastically, his eyes lighting up.
"What's up? You finally going outside for once?"
Alex shrugged.
"Yeah, I had to do some... walking. You know, the usual."
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
"Walking? What's this, a new fitness challenge? You training for something?"
Alex shook his head.
"Nah. Just, uh, trying out this new app. It gives me random tasks to do, and I get... rewards for completing them. It's weird, but kinda fun?"
Dylan's face lit up. "Wait, rewards? What kind of rewards? Like... real money?"
Alex chuckled. "Nah, more like... stats."
He explained a bit more about the app, how it gave him random upgrades like Charisma, Health, and Wisdom.
Dylan blinked. "Hold on, hold on. So you're telling me this app just... gives you stats for doing basic stuff? Like... walking and eating healthy?"
"Yep." Alex nodded.
"I mean, I don't really get it either, but it's pretty cool."
Dylan raised both hands in the air. "Bro, that's genius. I'm downloading it right now."
He pulled out his phone and started searching for the Quest App. Not really believing him.
"Imagine if it gives you Strength. Then you could be a gym god without even trying. Or... I dunno... Wisdom for reading books?"
"Maybe," Alex said, rolling his eyes.
He was starting to feel like... maybe he wasn't completely wasting his life.
Well, its not like he's wasting his life before the Quest App appeared.
"Definitely not." Alex mumbled.
"Where did you download your app, I can't find it" Dylan asked, looking at him dubiously.
"A popped up ad."
Thinking of this, he pulled Dylan to the corner and showed Dylan the app and how it change his body.
"_"
Dylan only looked at him dumbfoundedly.