The next three days passed quietly.
Nicolas Drake followed the same routine each morning.
Wake up.
Drink water.
Step outside.
Complete the task.
Return home.
It was simple.
The system never appeared randomly. It only appeared when the daily exercise task became available. The message was always the same structure, calm and direct.
The first morning after his conversation with Harold, Nicolas stepped outside just as the early sunlight reached the buildings.
The message appeared again.
[Quest]
Daily Physical Conditioning – Day 3
Condition
• 30 Push-ups
• 30 Sit-ups
• 30 Squats
• 1 Minute Plank
• 2 km Run
Reward
• +0.01 Strength
• +0.01 Endurance
Nicolas read it once.
Then he started.
The push-ups came first. His palms pressed against the ground as he lowered his body steadily.
The movement already felt easier than before.
Thirty.
He stood up and moved to sit-ups.
The muscles in his abdomen still tightened with effort, but the exhaustion he had felt on the first day had faded.
Squats followed.
Then the plank.
Finally, the run.
Two kilometers through the same quiet streets he had used before.
His breathing stayed controlled the entire time.
When he returned to the entrance of his building, the message appeared again.
[Quest Completed]
Daily Physical Conditioning – Day 3
Reward Granted
• +0.01 Strength
• +0.01 Endurance
Progress: 3 / 5 Quests Completed
Nicolas stood still for a moment.
Three completed.
Two remaining.
He returned upstairs and wrote the result in the notebook on his desk.
Day 3 — Completed.
He closed the notebook and continued the rest of his day quietly.
The following morning arrived with a cloudy sky and cool air.
Nicolas stepped outside again.
The message appeared exactly as expected.
[Quest]
Daily Physical Conditioning – Day 4
Condition
• 30 Push-ups
• 30 Sit-ups
• 30 Squats
• 1 Minute Plank
• 2 km Run
Reward
• +0.01 Strength
• +0.01 Endurance
He began the exercises without hesitation.
Push-ups.
Sit-ups.
Squats.
Plank.
When he finished the plank, a voice suddenly spoke nearby.
"Well… this is becoming a habit."
Nicolas looked up.
Harold stood a few steps away on the sidewalk, holding a coffee cup.
Harold worked in the same office as Nicolas. Unlike Nicolas, he was someone who talked easily and often.
"Morning," Harold said with a grin. "Didn't expect to see you doing this again."
Nicolas stood up.
"Morning."
Harold sipped his coffee and watched him.
"You started exercising right after that lightning thing, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Harold shook his head slightly.
"That's still the weirdest motivation I've heard."
Nicolas didn't respond.
Harold leaned against the railing beside the sidewalk.
"You know the office still talks about it," he continued. "Someone said the whole street lost power that night."
"That's possible."
Harold laughed lightly.
"You're so calm about it."
He looked Nicolas up and down.
"But I'll admit something."
Nicolas waited.
"You actually look better than last week," Harold said. "Less tired."
Nicolas considered the comment.
The change was small, but perhaps visible.
Harold pointed toward the road.
"You still running?"
"Yes."
"Alright," Harold said. "I'll walk with you for a bit."
Nicolas started running.
Harold walked along the sidewalk beside him, continuing his usual stream of conversation.
Most of it was about work.
A new software update.
A client complaining about a bug.
Someone accidentally deleting part of a shared database.
Nicolas answered when necessary.
Mostly he listened.
After several minutes, the distance was finished.
The message appeared again.
[Quest Completed]
Daily Physical Conditioning – Day 4
Reward Granted
• +0.01 Strength
• +0.01 Endurance
Progress: 4 / 5 Quests Completed
Nicolas stopped near the corner of the street.
Harold looked at him.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
Harold stretched his arms.
"You know what, I might start doing this too," he said. "Not the lightning part. Just the running."
Nicolas walked back toward his apartment building.
Harold waved and continued down the street.
The fifth morning arrived with clear skies.
Sunlight reflected off the windows of nearby buildings.
Nicolas stepped outside again.
The system appeared as expected.
[Quest]
Daily Physical Conditioning – Day 5
Condition
• 30 Push-ups
• 30 Sit-ups
• 30 Squats
• 1 Minute Plank
• 2 km Run
Reward
• +0.01 Strength
• +0.01 Endurance
He began the exercises.
The movements felt smoother now.
Push-ups required less effort.
Sit-ups finished quickly.
Squats no longer burned his legs the same way.
The plank still required concentration, but he held it without shaking.
Then came the run.
The city had already begun waking up. Cars moved along the road, and a few pedestrians crossed the sidewalks.
Nicolas kept his pace steady.
Step after step.
His breathing remained calm.
The distance ended faster than he expected.
When he slowed near the park entrance, the message appeared.
[QuestCompleted]
Daily Physical Conditioning – Day 5
Reward Granted
• +0.01 Strength
• +0.01 Endurance
For a moment, nothing else appeared.
Nicolas stood quietly.
Then the system displayed a final line.
Progress: 5 / 5 Quests Completed.