2. Kiss

Zed finally had a moment to breathe. Relief washed over him as the chaos of the past few days settled. His mind drifted back to his old life.

 A struggling actor, barely scraping by. Health was never an issue, so a heart attack seemed out of the question. Yet, here he was, in a fictional world, his memories fragmented.

Suddenly, a notification blazed across his vision. 

[Daily Quest: Strength Training]. 

"This again?" he sighed, muttering to himself. Opening the notification, the details materialized: 

Goals:

Push-ups [0/100]

Sit-ups [0/100]

Squats [0/100]

Running [0/10km]

Warning: Failure to complete the quest will result in an appropriate penalty.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he grumbled, slumping back onto the bed. He didn't want to deviate from the events that happened in the novel.

 'So i had to fail this quest.'

Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep.

A jarring chime jolted him awake. 

 [You have failed to complete the daily quest. As a result of your failure, you will be transferred to the Penalty Zone for a limited time.] 

The notification blared, but Zed remained blissfully unaware, lost in slumber.

A sudden rumble caused Zed to shot upright, heart pounding. 

"Earthquake?" 

His panicked eyes darted around until reality slammed into him – the Penalty Zone. 

A colossal desert centipede, its body segmented exoskeleton glinting menacingly, lumbered towards him.

"This has to be a joke," he muttered, the absurdity of the situation momentarily overshadowing his fear. 

But the monstrous creature's menacing glare was a stark reminder of the very real danger he was in. He sprinted, dodging its snapping mandibles, adrenaline coursing through his veins. 

For four grueling hours, he ran, dodged, and scrambled for survival in the unforgiving desert landscape.

Exhaustion gnawed at him as a notification finally appeared: 

[Penalty Quest Completed.]

Huff! Huff! Huff!

[Reward: {Accept} {Decline}]

As the message of completion appeared, he found himself back in the hospital room.

Relief washed over him as he was deposited back in the sterile confines of his hospital room. The accumulated fatigue hit him like a tidal wave, and he crumpled onto the floor, unconscious.

In the evening, a young nurse named Yoora entered for his regular checkup. She froze, her eyes widening at the sight of Zed sprawled on the floor, surrounded by a baffling amount of sand.

"Oh my! What happened here?" she exclaimed, rushing to his side.

Help arrived swiftly, and Zed found himself back in bed, the room meticulously cleaned of the strange sand.

Early the next morning, driven by the ever-present notification, Zed ventured out to the hospital garden to tackle the daily quest. 

 As he exercised, he noticed Yoora watching him with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine. He flexed instinctively, a playful grin spreading across his face. 

A blush crept up her cheeks, and a flicker of something more played in her eyes.

Back in his room, Yoora began his routine checkup. Sensing an opportunity, Zed subtly activated his Charisma skill. 

Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink, but her professionalism held firm. Yet, a subtle shift in her demeanor hinted at a burgeoning attraction. 

Even after completing the examination, her fingers lingered on his arm a touch too long, a subtle caress that sent a jolt through him.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" she finally blurted, her voice barely a whisper. The question, laced with a hint of hopeful curiosity, caught him off guard, but not entirely surprised.

"No," he replied smoothly, deciding to play along. "Too busy exploring dungeons and getting hurt," he added with a chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood.

"What about you?" he countered, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Nope," Yoora sighed. "Too busy with work to have much of a life."

He stole a glance at her. With her gentle eyes and a captivating figure, she was undeniably attractive. The air crackled with unspoken desire, a silent acknowledgment of the mutual attraction simmering beneath the surface.

However, the sterile confines of the hospital room and the early hour served as a temporary reprieve. 

 "See you this evening," Yoora whispered, her voice husky with unspoken longing. 

 With a final lingering touch, she turned and left, leaving Zed with a head full of questions and a heart pounding with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

-----

When evening came, nurse Yoora entered his room, the setting sun casting an ethereal glow through the window.

As she placed the medication on the bedside table, their fingers brushed sending a jolt through Zed. An unspoken yearning hung heavy in the air.

"Beautiful evening, isn't it?" nurse Yoora remarked. 

"It is," Zed agreed, his gaze lingering on her. 

"But not as beautiful as the person standing before me." In a moment of impulsive courage, Zed reached for her hand, his fingers hesitantly intertwining with hers.

"Stay with me, just for a little while?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Yoora's breath hitched, a blush creeping up her neck. Their touch was hesitant at first, then a surge of warmth seemed to flow between them. The sterile room faded away, replaced by a world where only they existed.

The setting sun painted the sky in hues of orange and pink, casting a magical light on their intertwined hands.

Lost in their own world, they leaned closer, their gazes locked in a silent conversation. Words seemed superfluous; their eyes spoke volumes of unspoken emotions.

The air crackled with unspoken desires, and then, as if guided by an invisible force, their lips met in a hesitant kiss.

The kiss was soft, a mere brush of lips, yet it sent shivers down their spines. It was a culmination of stolen glances, hushed conversations, and unspoken longing.

As they pulled away, breathless and flushed, the last rays of the setting sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in fiery hues.

The world outside faded away, replaced by the silent carnal desires blossoming in their hearts. 

The kiss lingered on Zed's lips, a sweet echo of the unspoken promise it held. Yoora, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, pulled away reluctantly. 

"I have to go and check other patients," she said, her voice laced with a sensuality barely audible at the end, "You know, my nurse duty ends at 9 pm. After that, we have all the time. We can..." The sentence trailed off, the unspoken invitation hanging heavy in the air.

Zed glanced at the clock. 7 pm. Two agonizing hours to wait. A thrill shot through him, tempered by a flicker of concern. 

"Wouldn't it be a problem for you if someone saw us?" He didn't want to jeopardize Yoora's job, just for some fun. 

Yoora's smile softened. "Don't worry about that," she assured him, her fingers lingering on his hand for a beat longer than necessary. "I'll be careful. Besides, these hallways are practically deserted after nine."

With a final lingering look, she turned and left, leaving Zed in a state of delicious anticipation.

After taking his medication, the sterile walls of the room suddenly felt suffocating. He needed some fresh air to clear his head and calm the excited butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

The hospital garden, bathed in the cool glow of twilight, offered a much-needed respite. The scent of blooming night jasmine filled the air, a stark contrast to the antiseptic smell of the hospital.

While returning to his room, he found the night shift nurses assuming their duties. Relief as well as anticipation washed over him – Yoora must be off duty then. 

After some time, the door creaked open and there she stood, leaning against the doorway of his room, a hesitant smile playing on her lips.

 Despite the exhaustion etched on her face, her eyes held the same spark he'd seen earlier, a spark that mirrored the yearning in his own heart.