Von stared at the countdown ticking away in his vision. He really wanted to call Nana now, but then again he could wait. For now, it was best if he focused on the Quest.
With a determined nod, he decided to hold off. He would call her when he had accomplished something. That will make it better.
He looked at the status screen one last time.
[Objective: Do 50 sit-ups (0/50)]
"Alright. Let's start with the easy part."
Von flopped back onto his bed. The mattress groaned in protest under his weight. He bent his knees, interlaced his fingers behind his head, and prepared to take his bulk upward.
"One!" He grunted, pulling himself up.
It was hard for him, as his stomach felt like a heavy sack of sand.
"Two... Three... Argh! Four... Five..."
His breathing was heavy, but he kept the rhythm.
"...nine... Ten!!"
Von collapsed back onto the pillows breathlessly.
"I must admit, it ain't as difficult as I expected," he chuckled between wheezes, a grin appearing on his sweaty face.
"Must be my E+ Willpower kicking in. Or maybe I'm just built different."
He continued. This time, he didn't stop. He pushed through the burn in his abdominal muscles, counting steadily until he hit fifty. But he didn't stop there. He felt like he was on a roll, so he pushed for more.
"Fifty-five... Sixty..."
He finally collapsed at seventy.
"Seventy! Let's go!" Von grunted, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
Expecting to see the green completion text, he checked his status screen with a smug look.
[â—‹ Do 50 sit-ups (0/50)]
"WHAT?!"
Von screamed out loud, staring at the number in disbelief. "It wasn't counting?! You blind piece of junk! I put my sweat into those reps!"
[...]
Von simply sighed after seeing that the System wasn't going to help him.
"Either this System is broken, or I'm not doing it right."
It couldn't be the former; such an almighty system probably didn't have glitches. That left user error. Von took up his phone and went on InkTube, where he typed in a quick search for proper sit-up forms.
He watched a video of a fitness instructor explaining the mechanics.
"Don't use a soft surface like a bed," the instructor said. "Keep your feet flat. Engage the core, don't pull your neck."
"Oh," Von muttered, touching his throbbing neck. "That's what is wrong."
With a groan of misery, he rolled off the comfortable bed and onto the hard, cold tiled floor.
This time, Von tried again. It was significantly harder on the floor and without pulling his neck. It took him almost three minutes of struggling before the System finally counted his first sit-up.
[1/50]
He was already breathing hard, but that was progress. So Von kept on going with more determination.
(One hour later...)
"Forty-nine... Fifty!"
[â—Ź Do 50 sit-ups (50/50)]
Von finally completed the first objective. He was tired, yes. But he didn't feel so bad because he had rested between the reps.
He decided to rest for some minutes before he continued with the next mission.
Dragging himself up to check the mirror, Von felt like the effects were showing already. He wasn't too sure, but his stomach felt tighter. That fueled him more and made him determined to complete the next Quest.
He quickly went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face.
He didn't bother changing out of his night clothes. He was wearing a loose, oversized t-shirt and a pair of checkered pajama pants.
He looked around for his sneakers, but then remembered he had none. Only Zack's own were available, and usually he would force them into his legs, but this time he decided to respect his roommate.
"Slippers it is," he sighed.
He slid his feet into a pair of worn-out rubber slippers and left the house.
It was past 9:00 AM already, and the streets of the university campus were already bustling with life.
The sun was bright, and students were rushing to lectures, carrying books and coffees, chatting in groups.
Many glanced in his direction as he began running. A large guy in pajamas running at an odd hour was hard to miss.
Some of the students even stared for a second too long. But Von didn't feel intimidated in the slightest. He slowed his jog to a walk, wiped his sweaty forehead, and returned the stares with a glare of his own.
"What are you looking at, punks?"
His sharp reaction scared the onlookers and they quickly looked away and hurried off with their activities.
Von scoffed and kept moving. His plan was simple: just keep running up the street until the panel clocked 2.5km, then turn around.
***
(10:48 AM)
Von stumbled back to his dorm door, heaving and panting.
He had done it. It might have involved more walking than running, but the distance was cleared.
[â—Ź Run 5km (5/5)]
[ Physical Objectives Complete! ]
[ Sub-Reward Distributed: Stamina Recovery Pill ]
A small, red pill materialized in his palm.
Von didn't think over it, he popped the pill into his mouth and allowed it to disolve. Instantly, a cool, refreshing sensation washed over his body.
It started in his stomach and spread to his limbs. The fire in his lungs vanished. The jelly-feeling in his legs solidified back into functional muscle.
"Oh, wow," Von breathed, standing up straight and stretching his arms. "This is magical."
Feeling energized, he freshened up and changed his clothes quickly. Now for the final step
[â—‹ Give your junk foods to the needy (0/100%)]
This was a very difficult task for Von. He loved eating, and he couldn't imagine life without those snacks.
But when his mind drifted to the thought of what his body turned into when he died, Von steeled himself and began packing them up.
As he packed, the thought of eating just one existed; after all, he was starving after the workout. But then, the fear of failing the Quest because of a slip was greater.
Anytime Von left out even a single snack, the counter didn't fill. So he hunted down every candy bar, every hidden bag of chips, until it finally reached 100%.
All done with that stage, Von called his sister again.
"Hey, sis... You ready?"
"Yes, Von, I'm on the way to the café right now," Nana's voice was warm. "Are you... are you okay? Do you still feel good after the workout?"
"Haha, of course I do! I told you already that I feel great. The 3 miles didn't even feel like anything."
He inwardly thanked the pill for that as he spoke.
"That aside, I'll be meeting you at the café. I should be there in ten minutes."
"Okay, love," she replied. "I'll be waiting."
After the call hung up, Von thought about his plans to go to the cafe. Usually, he would have called an Uber, but...
"The money in my account balance, it's not mine. It's Nana's... and I'll return all of it today."
Von grabbed the heavy bag of junk food, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out the door, ready to walk to the café.
He scanned the streets as he walked, looking for someone to give the food to. He remembered seeing a homeless family near the campus in his past life, but the streets were empty of anyone but students today.
He couldn't just dump the bag on the sidewalk, so he had to carry it with him.
***
Twenty minutes later, Von walked into the Campus Grind Café.
"Von! Over here!"
He located Naomi's table immediately and took a seat opposite hers, placing the big black bag beside him on the floor.
Naomi looked at the bag curiously.
"What's inside the bag, Von?"
Von leaned back in his chair, acting casual.
"Oh, those? Just snacks and all. I don't need them anymore, so I thought it would be best if I gave them away."
Naomi's eyes were watery already. She looked at him as if she were trying to figure out if this was really the brother she knew.
"Von..." she whispered. "That's... that's so kind of you."
Von laughed. "Not really. It's your money, anyway. But well... I called this meeting for something."
Naomi gave her attention after seeing how serious he looked.
"I never once asked you about Mum and Dad's debts... Well, I'm ready to listen now."