Kai Ren stared at the floating blue window in front of him.
[Daily Quest]
Do 50 pushups
Do 50 situps
Run 5 km
Reward: Stat Points
Failure: Unknown Penalty
This is insane."
Kai had always been weak. Even basic training left him exhausted. Doctors had told him more than once that his body simply couldn't keep up with other hunters.
But the word Penalty burned into his mind.
He slowly slid out of the hospital bed.
The moment his feet touched the floor, pain shot through his legs. His body still remembered the dungeon remembered how close it had come to dying.
If I fail… something bad happens.
Kai dropped to the floor.
Push ups: 1… 2… 3…
By ten, his arms shook.
By twenty, his breathing turned ragged.
At thirty, his vision blurred, sweat dripping onto the hospital tiles.
"Why now…?" he muttered.
At forty five, his arms collapsed.
The blue window flickered.
[Warning: Quest Time Remaining 3minutes]
Kai clenched his teeth and forced himself back up.
"Five more.. I won't lose."
50.
The notification chimed.
[Push ups Complete]
Kai fell onto his back, chest heaving but there was no time to rest.
Sit ups… Run…
By the time Kai finished the run limping through the hospital stairwell late at night his entire body screamed in protest.
He collapsed against the wall.
The quest window flashed gold.
[Daily Quest Complete!]
Reward Granted:
+3 Strength
+3 Agility
+3 Stamina
Kai froze.
He slowly stood up.
The pain in his legs was gone.
His breathing stabilized.
His heartbeat felt strong steady.
What?"
He clenched his fist.
It felt different. Lighter. Stronger.
For the first time in his life, his body responded exactly the way he wanted it to.
Kai laughed quietly.
A shaky, disbelieving sound.
"So this is… leveling up.
Before he could relax, another message appeared.
[Emergency Quest Triggered]
Enter a Dungeon Alone
Difficulty: Low
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Skill Unlock
Failure: Death
Kai's smile faded.
"Alone.
Every instinct screamed at him to refuse.
But then he remembered the statues.
The screams.
The feeling of being powerless.
Kai's eyes hardened.
I'll do it.
The gate pulsed faintly blue a basic low rank dungeon. Something even weak hunters could survive in a team.
Kai stepped inside alone.
The door closed behind him.
Monsters emerged small, twisted beasts with claws and yellow eyes.
His hands trembled.
Then another window appeared.
[Weapon Equipped: Rusted Dagger]
[Skill Available: Basic Combat Mastery (Lv. 1)]
Kai moved.
Not clumsily.
Not desperately.
His body reacted on instinct.
He dodged.
He stabbed.
The monster collapsed.
[Monster Defeated]
EXP Acquired]
Another fell.
Then another.
Kai stood in the silent dungeon, blood on his clothes but his eyes were calm.
[Level Up!]
Level: 2
Suddenly, a black shadow rose from the fallen monster.
The air turned cold.
A deep voice echoed inside his mind.
[You have met the conditions.]
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow Extraction]
The shadow knelt.
"Command me."
Kai's heart pounded.
Rise.
The shadow solidified into a dark soldier, glowing eyes burning softly.
[Shadow Soldier Acquired: Lesser Shadow]
Far away
One of the Seven Great Hunters slowly stood up from her throne.
That feeling again she whispered.
A shadow choosing a master.
The weakest hunter had taken his first real step.
And the world had begun to notice.