"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.
The next morning, Alex woke up to the familiar buzz of his phone.
His hand lazily reached for it on the nightstand, his brain still fuzzy from the extended nap he'd taken after dinner—because "bedtime" and "nap" were interchangeable concepts in his world.
"Welcome back, Alex!" the app cheerfully greeted him.
He groaned and rubbed his eyes, squinting at the screen like it was the sun itself.
"Next Task: Do ten push-ups."
"Push-ups?" Alex muttered groggily.
He tossed the phone back onto his bed and rolled over, pulling the blanket over his head.
The app could wait. In fact, the app could shove it.
He was about to drift back into sweet oblivion when a thought struck him.
'What if this gave him +1 Strength?'
That tiny flicker of curiosity yanked him back to reality.
He peeked out from under his blanket, staring at his phone.
It wouldn't hurt to try, right? Worst case scenario, he'd collapse after one and laugh about it later.
With a groan that could rival an old door hinge, Alex sat up and swung his legs off the bed.
The floor felt cold against his feet, a cruel reminder that the universe didn't care about his comfort.
"Alright, fine. Let's do this," he mumbled, dropping onto the floor in what could generously be called a plank position.
His arms wobbled under the weight of his body as he braced himself.
"One... two..."
His voice strained as he counted each attempt. By the time he reached five, he was certain his soul was about to escape his body.
"Eight... nine..." His arms trembled, sweat forming on his brow.
"Ten!"
Collapsing onto the floor, Alex lay there for a moment, questioning every life choice that had led him to this point.
The phone buzzed on the bed, a cheerful reward notification lighting up the screen.
"Task Complete: You have received +1 Strength."
"Strength," Alex panted. "Yeah, I'm basically a superhero now."
He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling.
The ridiculousness of it all was starting to grow on him.
He wasn't sure if he was actually getting stronger, but something about earning points for doing the bare minimum felt oddly validating.
He climbed back onto his bed, his muscles protesting every movement, and checked the app again.
"Next Task: Organize your room."
Alex stared at the screen in horror.
"Organize? My room?"
He looked around, taking in the chaos.
Clothes were draped over chairs, empty snack bags littered his desk, and his floor was a graveyard of mismatched socks.
"I'd rather do ten more push-ups," he muttered, but the app had already issued its decree.
With a resigned sigh, Alex began his half-hearted attempt at cleaning.
He started with the obvious: tossing trash into a bag and stacking dirty dishes in the sink.
It wasn't glamorous work, but it was necessary.
As he worked, he found himself humming.
Cleaning wasn't so bad once he got into the rhythm of it. In fact, it was almost... therapeutic?
Nah, that couldn't be right.
An hour later, the room was almost unrecognizable.
The bed was neatly made, the floor was visible, and his desk actually looked like a desk instead of a snack table.
He collapsed into his chair, feeling unreasonably proud of himself.
The phone buzzed again.
"Task Complete: You have received +1 Wisdom."
"Wisdom?" Alex tilted his head.
"Of course, because that's how wisdom works—just one moment and bam, I'm basically a philosopher."
Despite the sarcasm, he couldn't deny that his room did look better.
Later that afternoon, Alex's phone buzzed again, but this time it wasn't the app.
"Yo, come to the gym with me," Dylan's text read.
Alex groaned.
Dylan had been on a fitness kick lately, and while Alex admired his enthusiasm, he wasn't about to voluntarily enter a building full of sweaty overachievers.
"Pass," Alex typed back.
Dylan's response was immediate.
"Come on, man. You've been using that app, right? Bet it'll give you +5 Strength for lifting weights."
Alex paused. Dylan had a point.
If the app rewarded him for basic stuff, maybe it would give him a massive boost for something like working out.
He wasn't thrilled about the idea, but curiosity got the better of him.
"Fine," he replied, "but you owe me lunch after."
The gym was exactly as Alex expected: loud, crowded, and filled with the faint smell of sweat and overpriced protein shakes.
Dylan greeted him with a grin, dragging him toward the free weights section.
"Alright, bro, let's start with something light," Dylan said, handing Alex a pair of dumbbells.
"Light" was a generous term.
Alex struggled to lift them, his arms shaking as he tried to mimic Dylan's perfect form.
"Just ten reps," Dylan encouraged.
"Sure," Alex muttered through gritted teeth. "Easy for you to say."
By the time he finished, his arms felt like noodles, but he couldn't deny the strange sense of accomplishment.
As they moved on to other exercises, Alex's phone buzzed.
"Task Complete: You have received +2 Strength."
"Two?" Alex said aloud, drawing Dylan's attention.
"See? Told you it'd be worth it!" Dylan laughed, clapping him on the back.
By the end of the workout, Alex was drenched in sweat and thoroughly exhausted, but he felt... good. Tired, but good.
Back at home, Alex flopped onto his bed, too tired to do anything but stare at the app.
The tasks were getting harder, but the rewards made it worth it.
"Next Task: Try meditating for five minutes."
"Meditation?" Alex Sighed.