“Quests for a Hero are very important.”
“They are what keeps them grounded and on track of that which they pursued.”
“However, the Quest can't be too big, otherwise they would lose sight of it.”
“If a Hero loses sight of the Quest, then they will be far more susceptible to slipping off the Heroic Path down the Villain Path.”
“Therefore, always remind the Hero of the smaller Quests that are within their grasp before spouting crap about World saving and all that bullshit.”
“Only after enough Side Quests are accomplished will the Hero be strong enough to attempt a World Saving Quest.”
#10 Quote - Book of Life and Death - Chapter- Heroes and Villains
*
Central Continent - Southern Forest - Survival Tribe - Alexander
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Personal Dream Successfully Achieved
Description;
The First Step of the Many Steps to Come
You have professed the desire to improve yourself at the behest of your Friend.
Your Friend has given you advice on how to do it.
Milestone;
Morning Routine
Period - Month [✅]
Cardio - 10km [✅]
Push-Up - 100 - Completed [✅]
Pull-Up - 100 Completed [✅]
Sit-Up - 100 Completed [✅]
Squat - 100 Completed [✅]
Plank - 1 min Completed [✅]
Reward;
Award - Physical Statistical Improvement - Achieved
Perk - Six-Pack [For the Ladies] - Achieved
Accolade - Discipline [Morning Routine] - Achieved [+ 0.5 Body, + 0.5 Instinct, +0.5 Mind]
Failure;
Friends Disappointment
Mothers Punishment
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Alexander contemplated the words that appeared in his mind.
At the same time, Alexander contemplated upon the rewards for all the effort he put into doing this for the last… month, as the words declared.
Physical Statistical Improvement, he was unsure about. Alexander was very certain that it meant his improvement regarding the exercises he'd been doing all this time. However, what he had a problem with was why it said reward when he'd already improved.
Would he improve even more if he accepted the reward?
Six Pack [For the Ladies] - bothered him too, but far less now that he understood what it was. As such, Alexander once more traced his right paw on the hard muscles in his stomach. Even before starting this Morning Routine, he had it, but it was barely there when compared to now.
However, he did not understand what it had to do with Females. Would it make him more attractive? Not that he needed it. After all, Alexander was the Conqueror of Land and Females. No Females would deny him if he courted them.
Regardless of the two rewards, he'd already achieved, the third reward bothered him the most. It bothered him for the simple reason that another thing came to him the moment he had completed today's Morning Routine.
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Personal Dream Continuation Prompt
Description;
Congratulations Alexander for sticking to the program.
Now think carefully about this part.
Dream Divergence;
Would you like to forestall your Accolade, in favor of increased rewards further down the Path of your Dream?
Yes [✅] or No [❌]
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Alexander pondered on the possibility.
Did he want to continue this Morning Routine? Or should he stop here, if he'd already achieved results?
After he asked himself this question, Alexander recalled everything he had undergone the last month. The pains that he experiences and overcome by experimenting with the lineup of the exercises.
At the same time, Alexander remembered the ease with which he'd done today's Morning Routine.
Only after he compared them did he come to a simple realization.
Whatever the third reward was, if he kept doing what he had done today for longer, then there was no need for him to take the reward now. After all, with the ease of today's training, he did not mind doing this every day for another… month.
Finally done flexing his mental prowess, Alexander once again looked at the new thing in his mind and considered how to do this.
When he placed his attention on the Yes, Alexander felt a slight shift of something.
It wasn't inside him, or outside him, but he indeed felt it.
Still, before Alexander could contemplate more regarding it, the second thing vanished in his mind and the first appeared again.
Only this time, it was different.
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Personal Dream Continuation Established
Description;
The Second Step of the Many Steps to Come
With your Friend's advice, you have trained and improved yourself.
However, self-improvement has no end.
Milestone;
Morning Routine
Period - Month []
Cardio - 15km []
Push-Up - 150 - []
Pull-Up - 150 - []
Sit-Up - 150 - []
Squat - 150 - []
Plank - 90 sec - []
Reward;
Award - Better Physical Statistical Improvement
Perk - Better Six-Pack [The Ladies will Love it]
Accolade - Discipline [Morning Routine] -
Forestalled Accolade [+ 0.5 Body, + 0.5 Instinct, +0.5 Mind]
Failure;
Friends Disappointment
Mothers Punishment
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Alexander looked and looked and then came the realization.
The reward may be greater the next time he completes it, but so did the daily requirement to complete everything for the reward.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Pfft, Hate, This.”
Still, while Alexander professed his feelings, a tiny feeling of delayed gratification manifested inside him.
*
Joint Dream - Alexander
Once more, a Dreamy feeling enveloped Alexander.
Once more, he found himself in the Dream representation of Tribal Clearing.
Once more, he found himself seated on the instrument for comfortable seating that his Friend called a chair.
At the same time, he once more found some tasty foods to eat.
This time, he did not know what it was, but the texture and the feeling made him remember the very rare bird he ate. While the Forrest had quite a lot of them due to all the bugs they could find and eat, catching them was another thing.
However, a raw bird could not compare to the delicacy that he was mouthing down now. With every bite, he felt the heat, the strange flavors that spoke on a deep level to him. Even the tenderness of it was a welcome thing.
Nevertheless, Alexander knew he would regret doing this.
He had regretted it before when he had to eat the unappetizing insects outside of the Dream. The contrast between them became greater and greater, but it was truly hard to stop eating the delicacy when your mind kept comparing things.
Only after he ate everything but the bones, because, for some strange reason, eating the bones when the food was in this state was bad. Every time his teeth crunched into them, they would snap easily into sharp bits and those bits kept hurting his tongue and stomach.
Whatever the true reason was, just eating the meat was fine.
“Phu…” Alexander released a sigh of relief and contempt as he patted his stomach.
“The chicken was good? Was it not?” Alexander heard.
He opened his eyes and glanced at this Friend and nodded.
“I am glad. Now let us talk about some things.” His Friend stated, and Alexander nodded again. “Today, you accomplished something significant. You stopped yourself from taking the immediate reward in favor of a greater one in the future. Now you may not realize the significance of it so let me explain some things regarding the Personal Dream Function.”
Nodding, Alexander listened. “Personal Dream has many functions, but all you need to know is two. The first is how Personal Dreams work and the second is what happens after you take the reward for forgoing future ones.”
“Personal Dreams work by establishing your desire to do something. The longer you do it and the more impactful it is, the greater the reward. In today's case, if you had taken the Accolade you'd have gained +0.5 to all your Physical Statistics on top of everything you've achieved on your.”
Alexander nodded as he understood so far, especially as his Friend's explanations echoed directly to his understanding.
“Since you did not take it, that Accolade will accumulate for the next time you complete the Personal Dream. Meaning, the +0.5 to All Physical Stats you've had today will most likely become a +1 to All Physical Stats, on top of everything you've achieved on your own.”
Hearing it, Alexander tilted his head as his mind contemplated. “However, here is the crux of Personal Dreams. If you had taken the reward today, instead of forestalling, you'd have gained the stats. Your whole body feels it and it would have been amazing. But the next time you establish a Personal Dream of the same type, you'd have gained the same requirements as you have now. Only the Accolade earned when completed will return to +0.5 to All Physical Stats.”
Hearing it, Alexander felt his mind twist. Somehow, what his Friend said made sense, but at the same time, it battered his mind.
“I can see that you're confused.” Alexander nodded. “It sounds the same, as, by the time you've completed the second Personal Dream, you'd have achieved similar results. The difference does not appear when you're at the beginning of your Personal Dream. That is because the early requirements are easy to achieve.”
“If your Stats were higher, your initial requirements would have to increase to compensate for your capability, yet the Accolade would remain +0.5 To All Physical Stats.”
The more his Friend said and explained, the more Alexander failed to understand, yet parts of him understood and those parts clouded his world in order to make him understand.
Alexander saw his friend blur. The Tribal Clearing somehow manifested clouds over the Tribal Spirit in the center and the Dens surrounding it. Then everything began to tilt to the left, and it kept tilting and tilting until Alexander felt something THUD against his head.
He had no idea what it was, but whatever it was, it bothered him not, even when the World around him kept spinning to the left.
All that mattered was for his mind to understand what his Friend explained to him. It was important. In fact, Alexander felt that it was extremely important as it would define his future on a big scale, but somehow the more he thought about it the more it started to slip from his mind.
At least it did until something clicked to him and it was simple.
When that happened, the spinning world slowed down and righted itself the way it was meant to be. At the same time, clouds began dispersing from the Tribal Clearing. After that, everything regained its focus, and Alexander realized that his head somehow touched the earth right beside the chair he sat on.
In the same instant, he felt his twisted and stretched spine. Once he came to himself, Alexander flexed the back, side, and stomach muscles he'd grown aware of during the last month, and righted himself up.
Upright and seated again, Alexander saw his Friend smile.
“That was an interesting epiphany.” His Friend admonished. “Have you figured it out?”
Alexander nodded. “Then tell me the result.”
Nodding once more, Alexander considered everything once more. Especially in his desire to say it correctly. Somehow, deep inside, he did not want to disappoint his Friend.
“Less, Effort, More, Reward?” With a tilt of his head to the left, Alexander voiced out.
“Umm… sort of.” His friend admitted. “While the requirements increase in difficulty with every continuation of your Personal Dreams, the rewards stack more and more. The longer it goes, the greater the reward. However, if you accept the rewards early, and reestablish the same Personal Dream, later on, the requirements increase tremendously, making it much harder to complete, yet the reward will be far less rewarding.”
Hearing it explained, Alexander realized his thoughts were going in the same direction only his Friend used a lot of words making it simpler… and more complex, somehow.
“Anyway, I am proud you got that.” Immediately Alexander felt the approval from his Friend, and when he did feel it, he cherished every moment of it. “Now, since we are on the topic of statistics, it's time I told you what each of the stats represents.”
“Hngh” Snorting with approval, Alexander listened.
“I will start with the Physical.”
“Body Stat represents the physical qualities of Strength and Endurance. There is more to it but those two are the primary markers of the Body Stat. The higher the Body Stat, the stronger you are and the more you can endure.”
“Easy to understand that one, right?” Alexander nodded.
“Instinct Stat is the physical quality of your Central Nervous System. Now you have no idea what that is.” Alexander agreed with that with a nod. “Suffice to say, Instinct Stat governs the part of your Brain that regulates how your body behaves autonomously without your Conscious input.”
“Anyway, the point is this. The higher the Instinct Stat, the higher your Dexterity is. Meaning the easier it is for your Body to follow your commands. At the same time, the higher your Instinct Stat, the easier it is for you to learn something new. Like the exercises in your case.”
Alexander understood and welcomed learning things easier.
“Mind Stat is the physical quality of your Brain.” A pause appeared and Alexander saw his Friend point at his own head. “If you don't understand, I mean the inside of our heads. Anyway, the Mind Stat regulates your upper brain functions like information processing.”
“Now the interesting thing about a higher Mind Stat, is the awareness of what your brain is processing and how it is processing information. You probably don't realize this, but in your current form, you understand more than in the previous one. Right?”
Being addressed, Alexander pondered on that and agreed.
In his current form, he could do things he never would have been able to do in that one.
In this form, he could understand things he never knew existed before.
“The reason for that is that your current form has a stronger recognition of the Patterns that exist in Nature. The more patterns you can recognize, the greater your Intelligence is. Therefore, a higher Mind Stat makes it easier to understand the Patterns that govern everything. Remember that part well.”
Nodding, Alexander promised he'd do that.
“Good, now let us talk about the other three.”
“You will like this one the most.” Alexander heard and wondered. “Will represents one quality of your Consciousness. There is a lot to understand in this one that will fly over your head. But you just need to know that the Will Stat equates to the stubbornness of your desire for something to happen or your refusal of something happening to you. If you still don't get it. Let me remind you of something.”
“When you constantly refused to listen to your Mother and Father, you received constant punishment. Right?” Shivering for a moment, Alexander remembered all the pain he'd been through in this new life. “Haha, I see you recalled some of those memories.”
“Anyway, because of your higher Will you refused to accept outside circumstances changing who you were at your core. Because of your memories of the Past, your Instincts remained. You leaned into them. Thought that they will tell you what to do in the hope all will be fine, only it did not work. You kept receiving punishment after punishment before actually admitting that maybe it's time you adapted to your new circumstance.”
“Problem is, your Will and Instinct stats were too high and your Mind and Insight stats too low. It took a lot of punishment to actually recognize, understand and allow the new patterns of Life to change you for the better.”
Once more Alexander felt the world cloud and spin for him before settling down for a moment. Then understanding dawned on him from deep within.
With that dawned, understanding something else followed.
DING
While the DING was distracting, it did not interfere with the dawning realization of where he stood in his new life.
After everything passed, did Alexander nudge his thoughts in a particular way?
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System Alert!
Stat Improvement - Insight [+1]
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“Would you look at that? Your Insight improved.” Alexander heard. “As if it was meant to be. Let me explain Insight.” Nodding once, his Friend continued.
“If Will equates to the stubbornness of one's Resolve in Life, then Insight equates to one's Adaptability in Life.” It made sense, Alexander realized. “Insight works by understanding the patterns of Life.”
“Basically said, your Consciousness reads the Patterns your Brain processes and makes sense of them. Then these meanings are internalized. Your Consciousness then tells your brain which pattern to use as a response to the outside patterns causing the stimuli in the first place.”
“Simple. Right, Alexander?”
“No” Alexander replied but not before adding more to his response. “But, Make, Sense.”
“It does, does it not?” His friend commented and smiled in return, only to frown. “Now all that is left is to explain Luck. However, I am slightly hesitant about this one, as somehow the System can't read your Luck because you're connected to me.”
“Therefore, this past month I was deliberating on switching the Luck Stat with Charisma, as both work on similar principles, I think.”
“You know what?” Shaking his head, Alexander answered. “Why don't I fix that now… there, that should do it.”
In an instant, a new DING echoed in Alexander's mind. Only to be followed by another one.
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System Alert!
Stat Exchange Occurred
Luck >>> Charisma
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System Alert
Stat Evaluation in Progress
.
.
.
Stat Evaluated
Charisma set to 4
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“With that done, let's talk about Charisma and after that, I think it's time I told you what Capacity, in your Status, does.”
“Roughly that is. After all, we need to stretch this Dream as much as possible.”