Fai, now with some unexpected downtime watching over the group, finally had a chance to sift through his system messages, catching up on everything he'd missed during the earlier, frantic events.
He also seized the opportunity to allocate the Stat Points he'd earned from completing the second quest, distributing them among his Endurance, Stamina, and Agility attributes; he felt it would be most beneficial at the moment.
His updated stats now read:
[STRENGTH: 10] (Physical power)
[STAMINA: 5>>7] (Sustain physical and mental effort)
[SPEED: 8] (How fast body can move)
[AGILITY: 5>>7] (Speed, reflexes, evasion)
[ENDURANCE: 6>>8] (Resilience and pain tolerance)
[PERCEPTION: 5] (Awareness, sensory)
Right after assigning his stats, his daily quest appeared. Although the EXP gained from these daily tasks now paled in comparison to the system's field quests, Fai knew he still needed every bit of it. His goal was clear: reach level 12 and discover what other surprises the system had in store for him.
[Ding!]
[DAILY QUEST: MORNING GRIND]
[DESCRIPTION: Engage in your daily training regime. Push your body to its limits. Focus on enhancing your Agility, Endurance, and Strength, utilizing all your physical attributes.]
[REQUIREMENTS]
[COMPLETE 100 PUSH-UPS]
[REWARD: 25 EXP]
[RUN 5 KILOMETERS]
[REWARD: 25 EXP]
[TOTAL EXP: 50 EXP]
[QUEST STATUS: ONGOING]
Immediately, he prepared to complete his quest. However, he couldn't simply vanish without a word. So, he roused Johnson, informing him it was his turn to keep watch and offering the convenient excuse of what he was about to do.
Johnson, ever understanding, had initially refused, but with a little more convincing, and perhaps with little choice in the matter, readily agreed.
And with that, Fai began his run through the labyrinthine terrain, planning to complete the 5-kilometer distance as quickly as possible. As he pushed himself, he noticed something profound: his speed… no, his body… no, scratch that again, it was clear that something was fundamentally different about him.
He was significantly faster, even more so than when he'd fought against Keal's group. Was it the points he'd added to his agility, or another one of his Fairy perks? He wasn't entirely sure, but the difference was undeniable.
While his speed couldn't yet rival Liam's mutation, which was speed, Fai was certainly faster than he had ever been. Furthermore, it was still quite dark, even though dawn was approaching.
Under normal circumstances, running at such a high speed in near-total darkness would be incredibly dangerous due to limited visibility.
However, this rule simply didn't apply to Fai, nor was it the first human limitation he had surpassed.
Ever since acquiring the Fairy system, Fai had discovered his ability to see in the dark. While not as clear as daylight, his night vision was undeniably superior to that of an average human, or even most mutants.
Fai had been running for ten minutes straight at full speed, yet he felt no fatigue. Under normal circumstances, even a peak human athlete pushing their limits would begin to show a drop in speed around the seven-minute mark.
But Fai, who was still largely perceived as human, effortlessly surpassed that threshold. He could feel that he was capable of even more; if he continued to run at full speed, his pace wouldn't drop for at least another twenty minutes, thanks to his enhanced endurance and his maybe mysterious Fairy perks, he was still uncertain which contributed more.
This demonstrated just how rapidly Fai had grown in strength in less than a month, less than two weeks even. To others, this pace of growth might seem modest, but in reality, it was truly immense.
The truth was, acquiring a mutation was merely the first step on the path to true strength in this world. After gaining a mutation, one typically had to train rigorously to master its use and develop a unique fighting style.
This was especially true for those who were the first of their kind, like Johnson. Others, whose mutations were more common, could seek out connections with individuals or organizations knowledgeable in their specific mutation.
Once such a connection was established, increasing one's strength became a significantly easier process.
Still, even for the most talented individuals, it could take months, even years, of dedicated training to unlock their full potential.
For the less fortunate, it could take decades, or perhaps never happen at all. However, there was a known shortcut to rapid strength: the use of a specific mutant pill.
With such a pill, after manifesting one's mutation, an individual could easily seek out guilds or factions specializing in that particular mutation. For instance, the Phoenix Guild strictly accepted only those possessing the fire mutation.
Everyone with the fire mutation who joined them received full support; it was a system they had implemented to help young talents unlock their potential. Yet, even with all this support, unlocking one's full potential still required time and resources.
Fai, on the other hand, was growing stronger without any external support, and his rapid increase in strength had occurred within an incredibly short span of time.
As more time elapsed, Fai continued his run, watching the distance count up on his system screen. He was steadily approaching the halfway mark of his five-kilometer goal.
Once he reached two and a half kilometers, the system notified him, prompting him to stop; he would now head back to the others and at the same time finish the five-kilometer run.
He decided to turn back, heading towards his starting point. With that decision made, he pivoted, ready to continue.
But then something unexpected happened. Out of nowhere, four figures emerged from the shadows. They were all boys, relatively the same height as Fai, and all had dark hair.
The only way a normal person could differentiate them would be by the variations in their hair shades, different tones of dark and white.
However, Fai, being a fairy, saw far more than just hair shades. He perceived details beyond the capabilities of a normal human eye in the dim light.
It turned out two of the individuals had brown hair, while the other two had black.
"Well, isn't this a lucky day? A non-mutant all on their own, deep in the maze," one of the boys sneered, as they advanced toward Fai.
"Were you that eager to meet us?"
Just then, Fai heard a familiar "ding" from his system.
He had been given a new quest.
Well, what do you know? It really is a lucky day indeed, Fai thought, a subtle smile playing on his lips.
But the smile didn't last long as the system quest was something he could never expect.
**********
Sorry
This month is a busy one for me , updates would not be frequent and massive like usal , got alot going theses days But i promise to still try my best .
Hope you guys can understand .
Thanks a lot for the support: Sheikh, Anna Grace.
And thanks to everone for reading so far! I appreciate all the support you guys have been giving the novel. Trust me, it's all the motivation I need.
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