5 This Hero Finds Resolve!

The wooden floorboards creaked as we stepped on them. The thin hallways led into more hallways, as if this building was intentionally designed to seem like a maze. After a bit of wandering around, we stopped in front of a dark wooden door.

"This will be your room." Ania waved to it. "It belonged to my son, but he doesn't need it anymore. Don't break anything or I'll throw you out."

"Thank you ma'am." I bowed to her.

"Hmm." She looked over me for a moment as if trying to find something wrong with my thanks. "Good. I'll wake you up at five tomorrow so you can cook me breakfast."

I have to cook her breakfast? I have to wake up at five A.M.? People wake up that early?

Obviously I can't ask Ania these questions or else she'll get angry. I just have to hold it in.

After giving Ania a disgusting kiss on her old cheek, I was allowed to enter the room of my own accord.

The floorboards creaked as I stepped inside. As I looked around I noticed that the room is actually rather large when compared to the last few rooms I've seen. A bed, complete with a white pillow and white sheets, sat in the corner of the room. There was a bookcase that held a few books which appeared to have been heavily used in the past. A small desk and chair sat in the far corner of the room. There is also a faded picture of a young man and a woman sitting with him. This is probably Ania and the son she spoke of from a long time ago.

"This was Demit's room." I jumped slightly as I realized that Ania was still standing in the doorway. "I am keeping it safe in case he ever wants to come home, so don't you dare cause any problems."

I turned around and bowed to her. "Yes ma'am."

Ania squinted at me for a moment before she shrugged. "Well then, I'll leave you to it. The toilet is at the second room down the hall and to the left from here." She pointed. "Don't make unnecessary noise."

"Understood ma'am." I nodded.

"Good. I'll leave you to it then." She turned and began stepping away.

Ania left the room and closed the door behind her. All that was left was silence.

This is it. I am alone for the first time since I was reincarnated.

This isn't exactly how I expected my first day in an isekai world to go. I thought I would be out slaying monsters and meeting cute girls, not helping run a store and sleeping in an old woman's house.

I went towards the bed, the floorboards creaked under each of my steps as I shifted my weight onto them. I could feel the exhaustion of a day's work being slowly released from my body… along with another feeling.

A rising tingle came from my stomach. I've never felt something like this before.

"O-Oh god…" I heard myself say.

I haven't had time to collect my thoughts since I was reincarnated, but now that I've finally had a moments reprieve I realized just how nervous I've been.

I'm hyperventilating.

"What have I done...? Oh God what have I done?" I clutched at my head, folding my hair back as I did so. "A-All I have to do is mess up once and I could wind up on the streets... or dead! I… what am I going to do? I'm supposed to defeat the Demon King? I'm living with an old woman and I'm scared of HER for crying out loud!"

I could feel the fear and anxiety I had built up over the day being suddenly brought to the surface now that I had a moments reprieve.

I wanted to run away. Run back home and appreciate everything I had there and try harder at life, but that isn't an option.

I am alone in this world.

I've gotten incredibly lucky today, but I am still alone. All it takes is me making too much noise or someone unsavory bumping into me on the road and I could lose everything. I'm sitting on the edge of a knife. My margin for error is razor thin.

"What am I going to do…?" I whispered to myself.

I sat on the bed, covered my face, and collected my thoughts together.

After a few minutes, I uncovered myself and took a deep breath.

I know what I have to do.

I can't just sit around and wait. The Demon King probably won't just die on their own. I need to prepare.

How do I prepare?

It takes me five minutes of walking to get to the house from the store from what I could tell. If I take fifteen minutes to eat dinner and dedicate another thirty to fourty minutes to helping Ania with whatever she may need then I will head to this room, my sanctuary, by eight P.M. at the latest.

I have to be awake by five A.M. every morning to make breakfast for Ania and myself. This leaves me nine hours of time, except for one thing.

I am fat.

I can't hope to become an adventurer and fight monsters, much less the Demon King, with a body like this. Those muscular people that were probably adventurers proved that to me. I need to fix myself. I need to change. How exactly do I change though?

Exercise.

I need to exercise for at least one hour every night before I sleep. This leaves me with 8 hours to sleep.

On Sundays I will dedicate my extra time to learning more about this world and studying anything I can get my hands on. I may get a sword and practice swinging it a few times just so I can get a feel for it before I go into live practice. Perhaps I'll start jogging or weight lifting. Maybe I'll look into going to a gym or something if they have those.

I stood up off the bed and lied down onto the ground.

"I think this is called a plank?" I asked myself as I assumed a position I remembered seeing on a television once.

I sat in this position for a full minute. Each second was agony. I've never done anything like this before, but I understood that to climb a mountain you need to start walking.

"Huff… Huff…" I gasped for air. I could already feel myself begin to sweat.

I am already out of breath after just a minute. I quietly cursed myself for all the time I spent sitting and eating unhealthy foods.

After I caught my breath, I stood up.

"Now… squats." I crouched down and stood back up. I've seen this motion many times when it was done on morning exercise videos.

I did a total of 15. My legs are burning.

I got back onto the floor.

"Now… huff… push ups." I declared as I continued to force myself to breath.

I did a total of 10 before I couldn't do anymore. I never realized just how out of shape I truly was.

After a few more exercises, including sit-ups, bicycle crunches, and stationary lunges, I got back onto the bed.

"I'm... exhausted..." I muttered to the empty room. I struggled to breath as I could hear my heartbeat.

I can hear a part of my mind telling me not to do that ever again, but I suppressed it. This is the only way to succeed.

I will survive. Surviving is the only thing that matters. I don't care if I have to work at a store. I don't care if I have to live with a crazy old woman. I don't care if I have to work harder than I ever have before. I will survive. I will beat the Demon King.

"Let's see… secure food, water, and shelter… check." I declared to the empty room.

It's time to get to work.