On the way to work, Sevs considered what sports he should pick up and what would be the most useful?

If Sevs wanted general fitness, then something like running would be good. Cardio would fit well with the weight training he was doing. It would help him be well-rounded. Swimming was an option too. When he considered why Father had made these requirements, neither of them seemed to fit the reason why. Father wanted to make sure he was socialized. When he was younger, his Mother set up playdates for him. This was to ensure Sev developed fundamental people skills. The skills that were essential to learn between the ages of 2 and 4. Now that Sevs had regained all his memories, he had not kept in touch with these kids. No, Father wanted him to play at least one sport where he was not near other people but working with them. He wished his original father had done something similar growing up. His father had been a distant man who had never taken much interest in his only son. He had made sure there was a roof over his head and food on the table but was not involved in his life.

He had always heard about the camaraderie a sports team might form. Yet by the time he knew about it, he felt too old to dedicate so much time to something like that when he was a complete beginner. Previous times through the tutorial, Sevs usually avoided sports, and the few times he had been forced to take part, he had considered it beneath him. This led to an air of disdain that had pushed away his teammates. Looking back, it was clear that was what happened at the time, though he had not wanted to be there. This was yet another time where Sevs had not realized the importance of the interaction until after it concluded. After the practice, Sevs got in this run of the tutorial, and his people-awareness was increasing. He wasn't wasting his time playing sports that worked on his body.

While he did know that running and swimming were team sports, the activities were individual. So he would benefit from the team part, but he was not sure how it would compare to learning to work together for the actual activity. The best idea would be to do a couple different sports. Unless he got into them, sports had seasons, so they might not be a year-round thing. If he was going to do this, he would take it seriously. That might mean doing it all year so he would have to do a couple different things.

He wanted something to keep him fit. Sevs was lifting weights and seeing reasonable progress, but he didn’t want to end up being a bodybuilder. He needed movement and more general health. So he would give running or swimming a try. He didn’t know of any running teams for kids his age, but he knew that the swim team was a thing at the local YMCA. When choosing the more team-oriented sport, he had more options. He might need to think about that one a bit more.

***

During lunch, Sevs and Father received an interesting invite from Markus. They were doing their usual thing, and out of nowhere, Markus changed the topic of conversation. “So I got this friend, who is starting a business. There is a grand opening this Friday, and I was hoping you two could come out after work to help support her.”

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Father laughed, “It’s a new restaurant right?”

Markus looked a little embarrassed. “Actually, no. It’s a martial arts studio.”

“Really? I didn’t think you were doing any physical activity besides lifting.” Sevs chimed in. “I’ve seen you get gassed on a set of ten deadlifts. How are you going to be able to do any martial arts for more than 30 seconds?”

“Listen here, you little… “ Markus laughed.

Father looked a little concerned. “I'm not sure. I don’t know if Sevs is old enough for head trauma yet. I definitely don’t want any concussions. Aren’t you and I a little old for bathrobes and colored belts?”

“Nah. It's not like that. Apparently, this is more of an MMA-style thing. So no bathrobes, just tight clinging athletic wear.” Markus wiggled his eyebrows, and Father face-palmed. “But she also has a grappling only thing. So no blunt force trauma and no concussions. There is a kids' class and then an open gym. A session for all ages after. I figured maybe we could all go and try it out and have some fun. If I am going to be able to keep up with Sevs, I'm going to need to get some conditioning in, or he is going to leave me in the dust.” Markus reached out and squeezed Sevs bicep. After several months of lifting, Sevs's arms were noticeably toned. Especially for someone his age.

Father considered for a little bit and shrugged before looking at Sevs. He was okay with it if it interested Sevs. Something seems a little odd here to Sevs; the timing was a little too convenient. Father and he were talking about sports only a few hours ago. Then Markus came up with an option that might help out with that. The only odd thing was that this didn’t seem related to his build. Still curious, Sevs blinked open his menu for the first time in a long time. He didn’t bring up the full status, only the notification log. Sure enough, there was a new message waiting for him.

Optional Quest: Help Markus’s friend succeed in her business

A friend requested your help. Help Markus’s friend keep her business open for 6 months.

Failure conditions: Goes out of business in the first six months of operations.

Rewards: Access to learn skills in physical combat and marketing. Other possible rewards depend on contribution level.

Failure penalties: none

His first Quest! An optional one with unclear rewards, though the skills were a good bonus. That did explain the odd timing. It was nice that he could start growing through quests now though that was still some time before he normally would. In all previous tutorials, he hadn’t gotten quests till Level 12. He would have to consider the best way to approach that. It would be nice to get those skills, but too much contribution might get more EXP, and he wasn’t trying to get out of here without a solid foundation yet. It also seemed the quest was not about the activity as much as selling the business, so that seemed to fit more with his build.