Chapter 3

A notepad and a pencil lay on the desk. He jotted down his daily routine.

1 hour of stretching = 1 point x 2

1 hour of workouts = 1 point x 2

Note: Do a brisk walk in the morning and late afternoon (2 points) total

Meditate 1 hour twice daily (2 points) total

"Is the monthly quest mandatory?" Jesse asked.

"I'm not sure," Zeo said. "Let me check," he said. Zeo was silent for several seconds, but the sphere flickered. "No, it's not required, but try to complete it," Zeo said.

"Okay, thanks for checking," Jesse said. "Check if there's a spot nearby that I can walk to and do my brisk walk while I stretch," he said.

Jesse noticed that the clock read 7 p.m. He sat on the floor, stretched out his legs, and reached over towards his ankles. When his first hour ended, Jesse stood up and did jumping jacks for another hour.

"When you're done, there's a park nearby that should have what you need," Zeo said. Once done, Jesse grabbed some light-colored loose clothes and got dressed. He grabbed his keys and exited his room. Zeo followed close behind. "Just a couple of blocks on your right," Zeo said.

They reached the park and noticed that it had a walking/jogging path. After doing a round of stretching, Jesse said, "Set a timer, because I want to see if I can do 5K without tiring." "That'll be 12.5 laps," he said.

"Okay, but don't push yourself," Zeo said. Jesse smiled and started walking the path. Zeo hovered closely and kept track of Jesse's vitals. It was 11 p.m. when Jesse noticed the holographic screen signaling that he had a message.

Congratulations! You've just completed the Daily Quest: Strengthen your body, the rewards have been sent.]

Jesse immediately opened his holographic screen and checked his stats.

[STATS]

1/11/2500

Name: Jesse

Race: Human

Level 1

Exp: 20/100

Coins: 186

Strength: 3

Agility: 3

Stamina: 3

Soul Force: 150

Perception: 10

Jesse headed back to the hotel with Zeo in tow. It was 11:15 p.m. when he reached his room.

"That was a productive first day," Jesse said, unlocking his door. "I'm bushed," he said, yawning as he entered the dimly lit room. Jesse took a hot shower and dressed in light blue pajama pants and a white t-shirt. He pulled down the covers and got in bed. "Wake me up at 5 a.m.," the boy said, reaching over to turn off the light. Zeo floated over to the corner of the room, lowered its glowing body to the floor, and made his final report of the day. It made sure that Jesse was okay and sleeping before shutting down.

Jesse woke up at 5, as planned, and did his one-hour workout and one-hour stretching. After he showered and dressed, he noticed that it was 7:15. He headed into the lobby and sat down at an empty table. A short, blonde woman stepped up to the round table and handed him a menu.

"I'll be back to take your order," she said. Jesse glanced over the menu and set the paper down when he was finished. The woman returned to his table with a notepad in her hand.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked. Jesse smiled shyly and nodded, giving her his selections. She wrote everything down, glanced at him, and said, "Your order will be right out," before walking away.

As he waited, Jesse pondered what to do after eating. He knew that if he did his brisk walk right after, he'd throw up what he'd eaten. He would need and desire a few items. Jesse ate when his meal arrived five minutes later. Jesse noticed Neil at a table, doing paperwork. He rose from the chair and walked over to him.

"Excuse me, I'm new here, and I'm wondering if there's a place where I can do some combat and magic training?" he asked.

"Mac's Training Grounds specializes in both," he said. "Here is the address," he said, scribbling the information on a napkin and handing it to him.

"Thank you very much," Jesse said with a bright smile.

Jesse grabbed his bag and headed out the hotel doors. Zeo floated in the air next to him.

"Can you find this place?" Jesse asked, holding up the paper. Zeo scanned the writing with a clear ray into its memory bank.

"It's just a block away to your left," Zeo said. This time, Jesse followed Zeo to their destination. Jesse stood in front of a cluster of multiple, small buildings. A gold-lettered metal sign read "Welcome to Mac's Training Grounds"

"I wonder where to find this Mac person," Jesse said.

"We've got company," Zeo said, its body flashing rapidly.

When footsteps approached, Jesse spun around. He stumbled backward after colliding with someone's chest.

"Be careful," a male voice cautioned, as strong arms held him steady. Jesse raised his head to be met by baby blue eyes that glistened with concern.

"I'm sorry," Jesse said, his cheeks flushing bright pink.

"I'm the one who should apologize," the boy said, picking up Jesse's bag from the ground and handing it to him. Getting a good look at the boy before him, Jesse noticed that the boy was taller than him and had collar-length sandy blonde hair. The blue eyes were hypnotized. Jesse felt like he was being drawn into them and tried hard to look away.

Jesse suddenly remembered why he had come here. "Excuse me, do you know a person named Mac?" he asked.

"He's the founder of this place," he said. "Are you here to see him?" the blonde asked.

"Yes," Jesse said, nodding his head. "I was given his name from Neil, who works at the hotel," he said.

"I can take you to him," he said. "By the way, what's your name?" he asked.

"Ev," he started to say, but remembered that he had a new name. "Jesse," he said.

"I like your name," he said. "It's cute," he said. Jesse blushed hard. "My name is Ulric," he said.

Jesse felt his cheeks heat up as they followed the blonde. He had never been called cute, but it felt rather nice. Plus, this kid had muscles everywhere. "God, he's so sexy," Jesse thought to himself. He noticed the sphere glowing brighter than usual.

"What?" Jesse asked in a whisper.

"Oh, nothing," Zeo said. "I just noticed the rise in your heart rate," he said. Jesse huffed and walked closer to the blonde.

<quillbot-extension-portal></quillbot-extension-portal>