Chapter-8 Start To Becoming A Runner

"Right now, the easiest exercise for me without risking more injury is a push-up," Kofi stated as he started lowering himself into position.

When he descended, Kofi instantly felt uncomfortable, having never really attempted push-ups before in years. He still experienced some pain in his back, but it was manageable.

"One," he counted, feeling the strain in his muscles.

"Two."

"Three."

"Four."

With each push up performed by Kofi, his muscles quivered under the strain of weakness, pain also protesting against the unfamiliar exertion. Then beads of sweat formed on his forehead, trickling down his temples as he pushed through the discomfort. With each repetition, the tension in his arms and chest intensified, making it harder to maintain a proper form.

"Fiv-ve!"

While he struggled with the fifth push-up, his breath came out in ragged gasps, his heart pounding against his ribcage. The strain on his muscles became almost unbearable, a burning sensation spreading through his arms and shoulders like wildfire. With a heavy grunt of effort, he pushed himself up, only to falter and collapse to the ground from his arms trembling with fatigue and pain.

Kofi lay there for a moment, catching his breath. "C-Come on, Kofi, you can do this. Why live in fear of being chosen when you can prepare yourself? You have support of the system. Get up!" he encouraged himself, pushing himself back up.

He continued, counting each repetition aloud.

"Fifteen."

"Sixteen."

"Eighteen."

"Twenty-three."

"Twenty-five."

Finally when Kofi had reached twenty-five push-ups before dropping down again, this time he couldn't do anymore so he reached for the food his parents had left him to replenish his energy.

"Now, maybe squats would be easier than push-ups," Kofi mused.

He transitioned into a squat position, attempting the exercise but struggling to maintain balance, causing him to fall back and experience more pain.

"This is definitely not easier," he admitted, taking deep breaths to ease the discomfort before trying again.

"Ten."

"Thirteen."

"Fifteen."

...

Then three days later, Kofi stood outside the hospital, dressed instead of patient clothing he now wore regular clothes provided by his parents, then he decided to access the system to check how close he is to completing his quest.

[First Quest: Start to becoming a runner]-[Repeatable]

-Push Up: 100 Incomplete-(70)-

-Sit Up: 100 Incomplete-(50)-

-Squats: 100 Incomplete-(85)-

-Running: 20km Incomplete-(0)-

-Time Limit: One week...failing with result is punishment-

Despite the persistent pain of his injured body, Kofi managed to push through, completing half of the four exercises. an today with only four days left on his quest, he aimed to fit in some running, knowing it would take the longest because of his leg injury so he wanted it quickly out of the way.

"Around the hospital's is the perfect area for a steady run," Kofi remarked, bracing himself now that his left leg was mostly healed, giving him decent mobility.

Then he sprinted forward, feeling a twinge of discomfort but pushing past it, halfway around the hospital, he ended up pausing to catch his breath, realizing that pacing himself might be more effective instead of a full sprint, after a brief moment of rest he resumed this time of coarse adopting a slower an steadier pace.

By the end, he'd covered only 3 kilometers before exhaustion slowly overwhelmed him. Reluctantly, he returned to his room to rest, though he felt it was a better outcome than expected.

...

Two days later, Kofi awoke determined. "Two days left, and I'm only halfway through the exercises," he noted. "No rest for the next two days. Push through, even after dark." He also wanted to explore other features of the system once the quest was complete.

On his final quest day, Kofi began early morning starting with performing constant sit-ups, the last exercise on his list. Despite feeling weary, the rhythmic movement energized him. At 8 am, he received a message congratulating him on completing his first quest and notifying him of his reward.

Before he could check Kofi saw at his room door, he found a nurse standing there, sporting short blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, and piercing blue eyes pushing in a tray of food on it "Thanks, nurse Eve," he expressed gratefully.

With his parents returning to their usual routines after his prolonged hospital stay, they were no longer able to constantly check on him as they had there own lives and now instead the hospital began delivering daily meals to his doorstep, easing their burden and allowing Kofi to focus on his recovery and quest.

Kofi reached for a slice of toast and butter from the tray standing in front of the mirror. "Can you tell me when will I be able to leave?" he inquired, scrutinizing his now transformed physique a perfect six-pack and sturdy muscles.

Eve couldn't help but slightly blush as she watched Kofi flex his body in the mirror, a small smile gracing his lips. Kofi also noticed it but he continued as before this confidence he never had in him before, but he liked after all his hard work "Depending on how fast your natural healing is without any potions it will take about a week time so today is the last day for you," she answered, her voice gentle and encouraging.

"Okay, thanks," Kofi acknowledged. 'I really want to test my strength now,' he thought to himself.

While Nurse Eve turned to leave, she paused, her gaze softening. "You've made remarkable progress, Kofi. Your dedication to recovery is truly inspiring."

A hint of a blush colored Eve cheeks as Kofi met her gaze. "Thanks, Nurse Eve. I couldn't have done it without the support of the hospital staff and of coarse you."

Nurse Eve then quickly moved off blushing more, Kofi enjoyed his breakfast while accessing the system with his mind, eager to explore its messages and features.

[Daily Quest: Start to becoming a runner]

-Push Up: 100 Incomplete-(0)-

-Sit Up: 100 Incomplete-(0)-

-Squats: 100 Incomplete-(5)-

-Running: 20km Incomplete-(0)-

-Time Limit: 24 Hours-

[Would you like to open your rewards Yes/No]

"Yes!" Kofi exclaimed as he realized the system was voice-activated during the week.

[The following rewards are being opened...]

-1. Five Attribute Points-

-2. Random Mysterious Box-

-3. Brain Toybox Trinket Set-

"Attribute points must be similar to what you can do to a game character's stats," Kofi mused.

He navigated through the system, focusing on his character stats.

[Kofi: Character Stats]

- Level: 1-

- Class: None-

- Title: None-

- HP: 100-

- LB: 20-

- Strength: 15-

- Stamina: 13-

- Agility: 12-

- Perception: 9-

- Intelligence: 15-

- Available points to distribute (5)-

-Note: Normal Humans are 10 attributes-

Kofi saw he had five available attribute points its what used to improve a character abilities in games so its so suppose to be similar in real life "I have surpass most humans with all the exercise during the week," Kofi observed. "A runner needs speed and stamina over strength, but it also depends on class... Let's go with strength and agility for now."

Allocating three attribute points into his strength and two into his agility, Kofi felt a mysterious energy flow into his body, causing him to feel different but energized also excited to test his newfound strength, he tried to lift the bed with one hand and an he accidentally lifted the bed with ease.

Kofi mouth widen 'Way too strong... Is this how it feels to be a runner, having all this power?' he wondered, then noticing his fingerprints embedded on the bed leg when he placed it back down.

[Second Quest: Register to become a runner]

- Mysterious Reward-

- No time limit-

"I do wonder what's in that mysterious box, but I have a feeling I should register as a runner before I open it," Kofi contemplated. "Once I've registered, I could start the 'Becoming a Runner' quest again, gaining more attributes."

Fully healed now, Kofi left the hospital and headed towards the Runner Association building.