Daunting Tasks

Jayden lay on the rocky ground for some time without being able to move. Draven watched in fascination as he moved around like an oversized toy with weird and awkward steps that made him almost loose his balance multiple times.

Nahshon's words were like salt to his wounds, he made it sound as if he could go on and do the daily tasks when they both knew that he couldn't.

Jayden tried to get up but was met with another surprise. His body was still heavy for some reason.

He exerted his strength and turned his body to have a look at it, he saw on his hands, thighs, calfs, waist and chest a band of black metal wrapped around them.

"I thought you said you would removed the body suit, so then why didn't you remove this strips of metal? Do you want to kill me?" Jayden said with exasperation.

[I did not say I was going to remove it, I said I will reduce the weight]

[They are two different things]

Jayden stared blankly, he was depressed at the cruelty of the system, he thought Nahshon would do everything in his power to make him powerful, but what he didn't expect was a punishment for simply bragging.

[There will be a penalty for not completing even one of your daily tasks]

"What if I do forty nine push ups? Will I still be punished?" Jayden asked with a bit of skepticism.

[You will receive the full punishment even if you do forty nine and a half push ups]

"Forty nine and a half?!! There's nothing like that."

[Begin]

"You're so mean. I can't believe I trusted you in the first place." Jayden said almost crying.

And with the statement made another band streaked out of the Void Space and doubled the ones on him previously.

Jayden crashed back to the ground under the unexpected weight. He didn't dare utter another word and proceeded to start his task for fear of the weight increasing.

He began with the easiest, the push ups.

Laying on his chest, he placed his palms flatly on the ground beside his chests, and with all the strength he could muster, he pushed himself up.

It took him about ten minutes to complete the fifty push ups, but after that, he was in no state to do the remaining tasks.

His muscles ached and begged for rest, they had been pushed to their limits –literally– and the fatigue was overwhelming, any more and his body will be forced to enter a state of comatose.

Nahshon knowing this didn't bother Jayden to quickly go on to the next task, but gave him the needed rest.

Jayden panted heavily as sweat dripped down his body, his torn body suit clinged to his body and showed his defined muscles, his breathing was rough and erratic which mirrored his fatigue to the fullest.

He lay down staring at the stalactites above him. Draven laid in a corner of the cave coiled around itself, and was having a nap.

Even till now, the Rogue System didn't take off the weight and let Jayden suffer. Jayden lay sprawled on the ground without an ounce of strength left to even lift a finger.

After thirty minutes, Jayden began to move again. An unquenchable resolve burning in his eyes, he moved his ragged body with much pain and layed on his back properly, he had his feets resting beneath a rock to support his weight and then he began.

The sit up looked like an easy exercise to all, but there were steps to take to avoid getting injuries. He adjusted himself properly to make all his flaws minimal before lifting his upper body up with his hands behind his head.

"One" Jayden counted.

Reclining back on the ground again, he repeated the process.

"Two." He uttered.

This continued on for the next five minutes where Jayden executed the exercise well to the twenty third number, this was where the problem began. His abs were in so much pain that talking became a problem, he endured and moved his body without stop, his body quivered under the might of the pressure, but he didn't let it stop him this time. He was going to complete it without stopping for a second.

Nahshon secretly praised his resolve but didn't say anything to Jayden to not break his focus.

After seven more minutes Jayden fell back on his back, his weight putting a permanent dent in the ground.

Jayden's rest this time didn't take more than one minute before he went on to the next.

The exercises focused on his arms and back, his abs, and his thighs and calfs, practically his whole body was being tempered. It showed how efficient the Rogue System was.

The exercises were arranged in a way that didn't bother the previous exercised part much when doing the next one.

But the exercises were so tough, his whole body was in pains due to the added weights.

He struggled to get up from the ground, but eventually, he did. He stood upright, spread his legs and arms apart, before slowly lowering his body.

This exercise was nothing short of intense, he had not really trained his legs when doing his daily workout and soon began to regret his decisions.

His legs shook like a vibrator as he went up and down, he didn't slow down so that he could finish it in time.

'The earlier, the better.' He thought

Ten minutes was all it took to finish the once daunting task.

He collapsed like a tree as he watched the rings of metal around his body streak back into the Void Space.

"huhh... Why did you take them off? I'm not done." Jayden said a little surprised as he clenched his abs in pain. He was happy the metal rings were removed as he could breathe properly again, but he wanted to complete the exercises first before resting.

[Can you do one arm push ups?] Nahshon answered with a question of his own.

"No." Jayden replied still touching his belly.

[If I was to leave the metal rings on you, you might not even complete that daily task]

[When you can properly do one arm push ups I'll place the back rings on you, but for now, you will have to do without them]

Jayden was thankful, and was about to go on but was interrupted when a deep growl escaped Draven maws.