Getting stronger (part 1)

{Significant amount of space radiation detected within the host's cells}

{Candace's Biomechanical enhancement training and maintenance protocol initiated}

{…}

{ON YOUR FEET, MAGGOT!}

"!?!?!"

Zorey was jolted awake as a System message somehow managed to infiltrate his mind and stir him awake better than a bucket of ice-cold water.

"Khaah...?!"

The Cannibal zombie sitting by his side as she was guarding him during the rest looked up at the alarmed boy and hissed worriedly.

"I... I just...!"

{CARELESS MAGGOT! THIS IS YOUR DAILY MORNING ROUTINE FROM NOW ON UNTIL YOU LEARN SOME RESPECT!}

{New objective received

Push-ups: 100 (0/100)

Sit-ups: 100 (0/100)

Squats: 100 (0/100)

Running: 10km (0/10km)}

The young priest of death opened his mouth, trying to explain his actions, but then his eyes widened as the Sytem messages kept appearing one after the other.

"Umm... Prayer."

*haaa~*

Zorey gulped down his saliva and activated the Skill that allowed free communication between himself and the undead girl.

"Vernlily... did you ever hear about System messages being green text over a black background...?"

The boy asked nervously as instead of adding away, the last message became slightly faded and moved to the upper right corner of his vision.

"Khaah? (Black background and green text?) Kha. (No.) Khaah... Khaah. (It's always white text on a blue background, even now that I am an undead.)"

"...huh..."

The undead girl shook her head and hissed, making Zorey mutter while biting his lips.

{WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR, MAGGOT?! BEGIN!}

"!!!"

As he stood there, moving his head around, trying to check whether the different coloration was a result of poor lighting within the forest location, they set their camp, but a new message shouted at him in all caps.

"It talks to me directly!"

"Kha?! (EH?!)"

Zorey gasped in disbelief, pointing his index finger towards the window that only he could see, making Vernlily gasp.

{OH, I SEE. YOU ARE ABOVE PHYSICAL TRAINING, AREN'T YOU?}

{…}

Another message popped up, followed by a loading indicator and...

{Daily objective updated:

Push-ups: 200 (0/200)

Sit-ups: 200 (0/200)

Squats: 200 (0/200)

Running: 20km (0/20km)}

"What the hell!?"

...the numbers within the black window in the upper left side of his vision changed, prompting the boy to shout in exasperation.

{YOU DARE RAISE YOUR VOICE AT YOUR SUPERIOR, MAGGOT?!}

{…}

{Daily objective updated:

Push-ups: 400 (0/400)

Sit-ups: 400 (0/00)

Squats: 400 (0/400)

Running: 40km (0/40km)}

"!!!"

The System message shouted at him again, and the numbers changed once more, actually startling the kid.

"...I... System damn it...!" *thump*

"...khaah...? (...Zorey...?)"

Zorey stuttered, staring at the numbers that doubled each time he showed any signs of defiance, and ended up dropping on the ground and doing push-ups, shocking Vernlily.

"I don't know what's happening, but I'll just do what the objective tells me and get over with this..."

{Daily objective:

Push-ups: 400 (0/400)

Sit-ups: 400 (0/00)

Squats: 400 (0/400)

Running: 40km (0/40km)}

While continuing doing push-ups, Zorey groaned to Vernlily, but after doing twenty reps, he wanted to check the progress and saw that nothing had changed within the black window.

"What in the!? Hey! The counter is broken!"

The black-haired boy regained his voice and called out angrily.

{It's not broken. You just haven't done a single correct push-up.}

In response to his complaint, he got a surprisingly calm but definitely infuriating message.

"You...! GAH! Could you please instruct me what a correct push then?"

Zorey was on the verge of erupting in a fury, but he managed to grit his teeth and ask.

{The correct form of addressing your superior is Sir or Ma'am, maggot.}

"GHHHHHH...!"

"Khaah...? (Zorey, are you alright...?)"

Another calm message appeared, causing Zorey to breathe out loudly through his teeth, making Vernlily even more worried.

"I do not know whether I am dealing with, Sir, Ma'am, or anything else, though!"

{It's Ma'am.}

Zorey growled, and the message didn't wait to enlighten him.

"Ma'am. Please instruct me on how to do a correct push-up!"

The black-haired boy breathed out and asked properly...

{Louder.}

...but the message he received wasn't the one he counted on...

"MA'AM! PLEASE INSTRUCT ME HOW TO DO A CORRECT PUSH-UP, MA'AM!"

"!!!"

Zorey felt his blood boiling and roared with all his might, making even an undead like Vernlily flinch and back off – not to mention all the low-rank flying monsters hiding in the treetops being scared into setting flight.

{Uploading data...}

After the notification popped up in the upper right-left corner of his vision, a new window showed up – within the window, two images were playing – one was an image of something akin to a mannequin doing a push-up, and the other was Zorey himself doing push-ups on his own.

"...!"

Then, the two images merged, and Zorey's body was imposed on the mannequin's body, making the black-haired boy's eyes widen in shock at how ridiculously poor his own form was in comparison.

With his silent acknowledgment, the image of him changed, and he was no longer moving.

"...umm... WHOA...!"

Zorey furrowed his brows and tilted his head – and saw his image in the window do the same action, prompting him to let out a shocked gasp.

{DON'T STAY THERE WITH YOUR JAW DROPPED, MAGGOT! BEGIN THE TRAINING!}

"MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!"

The message shouted at him, and he responded with all his might, carefully trying to match his own movement with the mannequin's movement.

{Daily objective updated:

Push-ups: 400 (100/400)

Sit-ups: 400 (0/00)

Squats: 400 (0/400)

Running: 40km (0/40km)}

{SEE THIS, MAGGOT?! IF NOT FOR YOUR BIG MOUTH, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO MOVE TO THE NEXT EXERCISE!}

"..."

After managing to complete the full 100 push-ups, a new message shouted at the boy, making him grit his teeth and glare at it – but this time, he didn't say a word back.

{MAGGOT! RIGHT NOW YOU ARE LIKE A KID ATTENDING HIS FIRST DRIVING LESSON PUT BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A TOP-CLASS RACE CAR! DO YOU THINK YOU ARE USING YOUR STATS TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL?! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!}

"...!"

Another message appeared unprompted and made Zorey's eyes widen.

The black-haired boy had no idea what a race car was supposed to be, but the latter part honestly sounded amazing.

-----

"Khaah. Khaah, khaah. (Zorey, I'll go hunt some monsters. I want to get the list of requirements for a rank-up as soon as possible.)

The undead girl, who until that point was sitting in a cute way, stood up and hissed at the black-haired boy drenched in sweat.

"And 400!" *thump*

Zorey gasped and keeled over to the side, breathing heavily.

"O-okay...! I have a lot more training to do, though... don't get too far, and rush right back in case you notice any strong monsters."

The boy raised one hand and gave the Cannibal zombie a thumbs up.

"MA'AM! PLEASE INSTRUCT ME HOW TO DO A PROPER SIT-UP, MA'AM!"

{Uploading data...}

As Vernlily was walking away, the boy mustered his strength and called out, having a window with an instructor mannequin showcase the correct form of the exercise imposed on the live image of himself.

------

"388...! 389...!"

"GRRRRRR!"

Zorey was gritting his teeth, laser-focused on the final reps of squats, when a large canine-type monster stepped out of the bushes in front of him.

It didn't appear too smart, but to its defense, the spot that Zorey had very little cover, to begin with, so the ambush would be impossible without proper stealth-type Skill.

{Race: St@n3 F4ng d0g

Rank: ?E?

Level: ?

=P: Q50 Mp: 20

4TK: K2 M4T: &

D&F: 2+ MD7: (0

_PD: ^2 L#C: !#

Skills: (L0w-level 4ppr41s4l sk1// necess4ry for v1ew1n&)}

The beast looked like any other Stone Fang Dog, but its status window appeared to be completely messed up as if it was glitching out.

Zorey and Venrlily faced several monsters since they left the destroyed village behind, but it was the first time something like that had happened.

"AND NOW EVEN MONSTER STATUS WINDOWS ARE BROKEN?!"

Zorey growled in anger, clenching his fists and rushing at the monster without a second thought.

"GRAAARH"

The beast bared its fangs and also charged, leaping up in the air intending to topple the boy and tear his throat open, but then...

*WHOOOSH*

Zoemi dashed back and punched at the monster's head – at that time, he felt a surge of energy that originated in his feet spread all the way to his fist, and he actually could see his muscles bulking up and releasing steam as the hit was about to connect – and as it was about to...

*UMPF* *THUMP* *WHAM* *SQUELCH*

Zorey's fist released a shockwave, and at the moment of contact, it punched the creature's head inside of its body, breaking its spine and producing such pressure that the creature's torso ended up exploding.

[You defeated Stone fang dog]

[EXP points granted]

"..."

The notification that showed up was normal – meaning that it was white text on a blue background, but Zorey wasn't paying it any attention.

Instead, what he was focusing on was his fist and arm.

"...I... wasn't even trying to replicate the pneumatic punch..."

{IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE IT ALL DOUBLED AGAIN, YOU BETTER GET BACK TO YOUR TRAINING, MAGGOT!}

He breathed out in shock, but then the green text in all caps shouted at him again.

"YES, MA'AM! SORRY, MA'AM! 390...!"

The boy instantly straightened his back and called out, returning to the exercises.