The past month had been anything but ordinary for Alex.
Between managing his classes, the app's relentless stream of quests, and his growing circle of friends.
The Quest App had pushed him harder than ever, throwing at him a mix of tasks that ranged from thought-provoking to absurd.
From learning to cook an edible meal without burning the kitchen down to practicing yoga poses that bordered on physically impossible, the app seemed determined to mold him into someone entirely new.
Over the past month, Alex had grown closer to his newfound friends. Dylan was still his loud, energetic self, always dragging Alex into ridiculous schemes.
Mia, to his surprise, had warmed up to him significantly.
They weren't exactly back to their old dynamic, but the tension that had once defined their interactions was gone.
Brook remained his quirky, trivia-spouting companion, frequently derailing conversations with bizarre facts.
"Did you know that honey never spoils? They found pots of it in ancient Egyptian tombs, still edible!"
"Thanks, Brook," Alex had replied dryly,
"I'll make sure to pack some honey in my survival kit for the apocalypse."
Then there was Tina. Her determination to uncover the truth about her brother, Ethan, was both inspiring and daunting.
Despite knowing that Alex was just as clueless about the app as she was, she'd stuck around, determined to figure it out together.
Alex's phone buzzed during a particularly dull lecture, and he glanced at the screen beneath his desk.
[New Quest: A Protector's Resolve – ?. Reward: ???]
He frowned, his curiosity piqued.
The question mark indicated a high-value reward, but the vagueness of the task left him unsettled.
"What's it this time?" Dylan whispered, leaning over.
"Something about defending someone," Alex replied, keeping his voice low.
Dylan grinned. "Sounds heroic. Maybe you'll finally get that cape you've always wanted."
Alex rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, because I've always dreamed of being the discount superhero no one asked for."
The rest of the day passed with Alex on edge.
He kept expecting something dramatic to happen—a brawl in the cafeteria, a runaway car, maybe even a literal damsel in distress. But nothing came close.
At one point, he rushed to help a student who had dropped their books in the hallway, only for the app to remain silent.
"Doesn't count," Alex muttered, irritated.
"What does the app even want?"
It wasn't until late afternoon that he gave up and went home hopping some lucky encounter would appear to help his quest.
Remember his "godly" luck stat, Alex signed.
Walking home from school, his steps slow and easy as he passed the familiar storefronts and cafes along the way.
The day had been long, and he was looking forward to a quiet evening with his favorite playlist and some snacks.
He slipped his earbuds back in, but before he could hit play, he heard a loud, somewhat frantic voice from behind him.
"Wait! Wait up!"
Alex turned around to see a woman, probably in her mid-thirties, running toward him.
She was dressed in a work suit, clearly in a hurry, and her hands were full of papers, a coffee cup, and a large tote bag.
Her face was red from the exertion, and she looked a little stressed.
"Hey, can I ask you a favor?" she panted, catching up to him.
Alex raised an eyebrow, then his eyes lit up.
"Sure, what's up?"
The woman looked embarrassed but also relieved.
"I... I'm having the worst day. I'm supposed to meet my friend for coffee at that café down the street," she pointed vaguely ahead.
"But I just realized—"
She gestured to her hands
"—I've got way too much stuff. And I can't juggle it all, and now I'm going to be late..."
Alex laughed, not unkindly. "Ah, sounds like you're juggling a lot there. What's the emergency?"
She grinned sheepishly. "Could you... could you carry my coffee for like, five seconds while I grab my phone out of my bag? I promise I won't take long!"
Alex thought about it for a second, then shrugged.
"Why not? I've got nothing but time, and your coffee's probably a lot more important than whatever I've got going on."
He took the cup from her, holding it carefully like it was some fragile object.
The woman immediately fumbled through her bag and pulled out her phone, quickly texting someone.
"Thank you so much. I swear, I can't believe I'm asking a random stranger for help," she said, still typing.
"No problem at all," Alex said, trying to balance the coffee awkwardly as he stood there.
He looked at the woman and noticed how her other hand was still holding the pile of papers in a weird, lopsided way.
"So, you sure you can't use a hand with the papers too? Looks like a little stack."
She looked at him, then at the papers. "Ugh, don't even get me started. I'm a disaster."
Alex laughed. "It's okay, we've all been there."
He glanced down at her phone, which was still on the lock screen. "Just… don't forget your password, alright?"
She shot him a playful glare as she unlocked her phone, typing away with impressive speed.
"You wouldn't believe the amount of times I've locked myself out of my phone doing this."
After a few more seconds of typing, she looked up and smiled.
"Alright, I'm good! Thanks again, seriously."
She took back the coffee, this time with a little more grace, and straightened up.
"I owe you one."
"No big deal. I'm just happy I didn't spill your coffee," Alex said, watching her carefully balance it as she placed it in her tote bag.
"Though, I was tempted to keep it. This thing smells great."
She gave him a mock frown. "Careful now, you're really starting to get on my good side."
Alex chuckled. "Well, what can I say? I'm a coffee connoisseur."
She raised her coffee cup in a salute. "Maybe I'll treat you to one next time."
She glanced at her watch, then turned to walk down the street.
"Take care of yourself, coffee hero. Hopefully the next stranger I ask to hold my coffee won't be so judgmental."
"Don't worry," Alex called after her with a grin.
Glancing at his phone, Alex waited for a moment.
"....."
After standing there for a while, he realized that the app is not cooperating with him.
"Is it broken? Is helping someone not part of the 'Protector's Resolve' thing?."
Alex thought about it for a moment.
"Based on the wording, it should be about defending someone."
Alex continued his casual walked while mumbling to himself.
"Defending someone means helping someone; therefore helping someone is equal to performing 'Protecting Resolve'."
Alex tried to negotiate with the Quest App using his 'logical reasoning' he learned from school.
"Hey, listen..."
Alex was a few blocks from home when he noticed something strange in the park up ahead.