In the secluded room, sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow.
Archie was sprawled on the bed, clutching his stomach in agony. He had triumphantly unlocked the [Missions] menu, a significant milestone.
[Rewards & Attributes Credited]
[Credits Balance: 1500]
[HP: 23
EP: 15]
Despite achieving the necessary credits to unlock the menu, Archie's greed led him to push for an additional five turns, which resulted in a fever from food poisoning.
Two days had passed since he started scrutinizing his Rift Watch. He hadn't confided in his father about his condition, opting to self-medicate with fever tablets from his drawer.
Archie stirred awake with a low groan, his throat raw from the relentless vomiting. His eyes, bloodshot and weary, reflected his exhaustion as he slumped against the wall.
Over the past two days, Archie had made several attempts to examine the watch, but his debilitating fever had kept him confined to his bed. His father hadn't checked on him, accustomed to Archie's routine of staying indoors on school days and weekends, engrossed in video games or skateboarding.
Gathering his strength, Archie accessed the [Missions] menu and selected the [Pay] button.
[Attributes Unlock]
[Pay: 1000 Credits to Unlock]
[Pay] [Cancel]
As soon as Archie pressed the pay button, a prompt materialized:
[Credits Deducted: 1000]
---
[Credits Balance: 500]
---
[Mission Unlocked]
The golden prompt dissolved into the Rift Watch, and after a brief pause, the menu materialized before him.
However, exhaustion overcame Archie, and he drifted off to sleep within moments.
Five hours later,
Archie roused from his slumber, still propped against the wall. He felt sufficiently recovered to contemplate another "gross marathon" of eating. His throat was still sore, but the pain had lessened.
Feeling rejuvenated, Archie activated his Rift Watch to inspect the [Missions] menu and selected it:
[Daily Mission] [Biome Missions] [Side Missions] [Sign-up Events] [Milestone]
Archie observed five tabs at the top, each bearing unique names unfamiliar to him. However, two of them caught his attention: [Daily Mission] and [Sign-up Events]. He recognized these names and was curious about their offerings.
He decided to explore the Daily Mission first and clicked the tab.
[Daily Mission Unlocked]
---
[Rookie Missions]
[Push-ups: 100]
[Pull-ups: 100]
[Lifting: 100]
[Running: 1000]
---
[Rewards:
Credits: 100]
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
[Penalty for failure:
Credits deduction: 1000]
---
[Do you want to begin today’s mission?]
[Yes] [No]
"Well, this is pretty much what I expected. I've trained my character in games before, so now it's time to train myself in real life."
Archie's gaze drifted to another tab: [Sign-up Events]. He had a vague recollection of this term, so he selected it and was greeted with:
[Consecutive Daily Sign-in] [Cumulative Sign-in]
“Holy shit,” Archie blurted out, his excitement palpable as he realized what these tabs represented.
He rapidly selected the Consecutive Daily Sign-in tab.
[Sign in for consecutive days to get rewards.]
[Your progress will be reset and penalized if you miss a sign-in day.]
---
[Do you want to begin the Consecutive Sign-in Event?]
[Yes] [No]
“Yes!” Archie felt a surge of normalcy return to his body, overwhelmed with joy at seeing these options. He clicked [Yes].
[Sign-in Bonus for the first time]
[Reward:
1000 Credits]
---
[Congratulations on claiming your first-day reward]
[Rewards:
100 Credits]
---
[Credits Balance: 1600]
“Phew! Finally, something good happened. I’ll consider these credits as payment for my treatment,”
Archie sighed in relief. But before he could relax, he remembered another tab.
Archie selected the [Cumulative Sign-in] tab for additional rewards.
[Sign in for a certain number of days to earn rewards.]
[You can earn all the rewards by signing in consecutively.]
---
[Do you want to begin the Cumulative Sign-in Event?]
[Yes] [No]
Without a moment's hesitation, Archie clicked [Yes].
[Congratulations on unlocking the Cumulative Sign-in Event]
[Days for reward: 7 days]
“What kind of rewards will I get? Probably another 1000 credits or maybe a weapon. I’d love another Ethereal gun.”
Archie began to speculate about the exciting rewards he might receive while opening the remaining tabs. He clicked the [Biome Missions] tab.
[No Mission Available]
[No Active Mission]
[No Completed Mission]
Feeling a pang of disappointment, Archie selected the [Side Missions] tab and saw:
[No Mission Available]
[No Active Mission]
[3 Completed Missions]
Archie noticed the 3 completed missions and selected them:
[Survived Volcanic Eruption for 8 hours]
[Fall of Desert Protector]
[Get Paid]
Archie attempted to scrutinize the missions, but nothing appeared. So, he decided to inspect the final tab, one he had a few ideas about: [Milestone]. Archie selected it.
[Milestone:]
[Rift Runner’s Greatest Adversary]
“Seriously!” Archie exclaimed in horror,
“How is this a milestone? It’s a death sentence if I ever enter the Rift’s heart. Good thing I don’t know how.”
Archie had perused every unlocked menu. He didn't find any way to reenter the Rift’s heart or contact Mechanic and Deadbeat.
Initially, Archie was concerned about what might happen to Mechanic and Deadbeat because of him. However, he reassured himself, believing that they were too formidable to be easily defeated. He harbored a glimmer of hope that they would find him and extend their assistance.
After unlocking the [Missions] menu, Archie inspected other menus and saw [Requirements not met] and that he needed to reach certain levels.
Archie pondered over how to level up, perplexed,
‘I don’t see any Exp points. How do I level up, then? If I reach a certain number in attributes, will I level up like in a game? How can I get strong quickly?’
“COUGH-COUGH!”
Archie coughed, muffling it with his hand.
He glanced at his lean, skeletal arms and frail physique. The harsh reality of his situation hit him, and feeling a surge of anger at himself, he punched the wall behind him.
‘How could I think I could become strong with this poor body? I need to change. No… I have to change.’
Fueled by his determination to transform himself, Archie decided to undertake a Daily Mission. He selected the [Daily Mission] tab.
[Rookie Missions]
[Push-ups: 100]
[Pull-ups: 100]
[Lifting: 100]
[Running: 100]
---
[Do you want to begin today’s mission?]
[Yes] [No]
Archie hesitated initially, torn between clicking yes or no. But the more he contemplated, the more he was driven to complete the mission.
Summoning his courage and resolve, Archie clicked [Yes].
“FWOOSH”
Archie was teleported in a flash as soon as he pressed "Yes," leaving behind only a few golden rift particles twinkling in his room.