Hard Training is Rewarding

In a 5 story building, In some apartment, strange sounds could be heard as a nauseating smell permeated the place. The sound was changing in intensity; sometimes it was high pitched, then it would change to a more deep and resonating voice. But these different variations could not hide the loud screaming coming out from a certain room.

"Even.. further.. beyond!!" Blake vigorously proclaimed as he let out a final roar on his throne, and with a satisfied sigh, everything went silent. Minutes later, The mighty warrior came out from the desolated battlefield, drenched in sweat as he seriously proclaimed.

"Another war won, my loyal companion. Let's feast to celebrate our victory."

[...]

[Host's body cannot fully digest lactose]

[As such, Host is adviced to lower the amount of dairy products he ingest]

"Waa? There's no way I'd give up my milk because of these little "side effects." Blake said in indignation.

"Milk is heavenly, I tell you, the gift of the gods. Do you know why there are so many depictions of this good stuff in the holy texts? Rivers of milk, waterfall and milky ocean? Because it's too damn good!". Fervently affirmed a zealous Blake.

[...]

"Is there a way for you to taste it? As far as I know, you can read my thoughts and analyze my body, I wouldn't be surprised if you could do that as well."

[Negative, the system cannot feel what the Host experiences]

[However as the Host grows stronger, more features will be unlocked]

"I see, then I will personally make you drink a whole liter when that day comes. And you'll get to feel what heaven tastes like", a wide smile spread across Blake's face as he laughed maliciously.

[...]

Blake then entered the living room and sat on the couch, while pondering, "A year before the main quest begins, huh... Should I start with light exercices and slowly increase the difficulty each month?."

[Affirmative]

[As Host is not used to strenuous physical activities, It is better for him to slowly build strength]

"Right, by the way, you are the one who make the quest, so why is it so... generic? Seriously, the bald man workout?" Asked Blake, his eyebrows raised slightly.

[The workout is a basic series of exercices meant for the host and as such, to not overhelm him with multiple and complicated exercices]

"Are you calling me stupid?"

[...]

"..."

...

1,5 years later

In an enclosed bedroom, music echoed as panting sounds followed its cadence. In the floor, a figure completely soaked in sweat could be seen struggling as he kept doing pushups.

'108.. 109.. 110', as he finished his last series, the figure collapsed on the floor. His eyes, closed as he focused on catching his breath. A few minutes later, lying in a more confortable position, he stood still while occasionally, breathing in and exhaling. Six minutes later, The man opened his eyes, and his pupils, a never ending darkness looked at the ceiling.

"Profile." Blake said and from where his gaze was fixed, a multicolored panel appeared; a crimson shade decorated the outlines while a bluish black color filled the inside of the floating screen.

____________________

<Blake Bourne>

<Title> Origin

<Age> 21

<Strength> 11

<Agility> 11

<Dexterity> 11

<Intelligence> 11

<Skills>

- Observe: the more you look at something or someone, the easier it gets to find details (1/10)

- Acting: You face is a mask to protect yourself, deceive others and adapt to any situation (1/10

- Surpass: You are tired but you keep going, greater rewards await you (1/10)

<Passive Skills>

- Chaotic Serenity

Evaluation: A human who regularly train his body, he can now win against a disabled goblin

____________________

As he looked at the familiar profile, Blake reminisced about what he did last year. He was at first motivated and eager to do the quests, but as he started, he then understood the difficulty of it.

At the first day of the main quest, even with all the preparations, and exercices, he managed to do in the preparatory year, he didn't expect such difficulty and level of pain to assault him. Everytime he ended up running, he would collapse after a few kilometers, his lower half begging to end its suffering. In consequence, he had to take several breaks in order to finish the training.

Then came the pushups, situps and squats. Coming back home exhausted, he had to take a few hours to recover. Then he would resume the hellish training once again; shoulders and arms shivered, heartbeats dangerously increased, and a dried out throat that would be willing to drink almost anything.

If not for the system advices and warnings, the poor Blake would not have gained much benefits from these excruciating exercices and would uselessly try to complete them as fast as possible, injuring him in the process.

As for the man himself, he found a lot of interesting thing about the system, one day he complained about the boring default color of the system's screen, and the system added a personalisation setting in its parameters, not only that but he also asked a few questions about the quests, for example what would happen if he missed a day of workout. The system gently answered Blake with:

[Host's reward points will be deducted by 1 for every missed day]

Blake then promised himself to never miss a day of workout as he saw, or rather felt the effects of what an additional point could do to his body. It was a day like others where he finished his hellish bald man training, and as he got up and walked towards the bathroom, he noticed that he felt less exhausted than before, and he even felt that he could run faster and lift heavier things. it wasn't very noticeable but it was here.

He opened his profile panel, and he guessed right. As he opened it he saw the number 11 on all of his stats. Making the mentally exhausted blake burst into laughter, and inviting the helpless system into having a "milky party" to celebrate.

Coming back to the present, Blake got up from the sweaty mess that was the floor and slowly walked towards the bathroom. His previous apparence now changed to a more defined, muscular body. His half naked physique showing signs of growth as his chest became more pronounced. Entering the bathroom, he stopped in front of the mirror.

"Who's that handsome man over there? Oh it's just me, Blake! hahahaha!" Blake showed itself in all its grandeur as he made ridiculous expressions and gestures towards the mirror that would give nightmares to children if they could see him. The only spectator in this situation, now at least a little used to Blake's antics, was silently enduring the maniac's actions.

"1 year ended, a hundred and twenty more year to go." With a maddened expression and an a blazing determination filling his heart, Blake was full of expection about the future.