"Where in the world am I?" Archie's voice echoed through the ruins of a castle, his confusion palpable.
In the stark daylight, the sky was a canvas of blue hues, devoid of sun and clouds. It cast an ethereal glow on the ruins of a large, multi-story brick castle, its Gothic architectural features standing out.
The structure boasted arched windows, their frames long gone, lending an eerie emptiness to the castle. The fractured top of the building, reminiscent of battlements, hinted at its past as a fortress.
Life seemed to have deserted the area. Overgrown vegetation and toppled trees encircled the base, suggesting long-term abandonment. The castle stood as a mesmerizing testament to fading grandeur, a vestige of a forgotten era.
Archie found himself in the midst of the expansive, crumbled brick floor. His gaze met only the stained walls within the castle, obstructing any view of the outside world.
"Why have I been brought here?" Archie pondered, approaching the walls for a closer look.
As Archie laid his hand on the brick wall, it felt surprisingly real.
"THUD!" He struck the brick, testing its solidity, but it remained unyielding.
Archie realized he had been rifted. He had been anticipating something akin to the Volcano event. After a few moments of contemplation, he surmised,
"Could it be that I've been rifted here for that daily mission?"
Archie accessed the [Daily Mission] tab and scrutinized the tasks listed for completion:
[Rookie Missions:]
[Push-ups: 0/100]
[Pull-ups: 0/100]
[Lifting: 0/100]
[Running: 0/1000]
---
[Time Left: 8:48:34]
Noticing some progress and a timer, Archie deduced that his real-world time was being accounted for. He had over eight hours left.
“So, it calculates my real-world time. I have eight hours. A lot of time for this easy mission.”
He decided to start with running to warm up his muscles, making rounds within the castle's confined space.
[Running: 0/1000]
[Running: 4/1000]
Half an hour later, Archie was gasping for breath, struggling to maintain his balance. He stumbled and collapsed onto the ground.
[Running: 1000/1000]
Despite the struggle, Archie managed to complete the run, covering 1000 meters. Initially, he was unsure what the "1000" in the progress menu represented, but after spending half an hour to reach the target, he realized it denoted 1000 meters.
Throughout the run, Archie didn't pause for a moment, determined to finish as quickly as possible. He was soaked in sweat, panting heavily, and fighting to catch his breath.
After resting for another half hour, Archie focused on regulating his breathing.
[Time Left: 7:35:05]
Next on his list were push-ups.
“Now comes the tedious part.”
Archie had never managed more than ten push-ups at a time in his life. He initially struggled, but his determination kept him going, even though his body protested.
"Aghrrr…" Archie grunted and gasped, attempting one last push before stopping, but he ended up face-first on the ground.
[Push-ups: 23/100]
Exhausted, Archie rolled onto his back and stared at the sky, his breaths coming in heavy pants. After some time, he decided to continue.
"One!" "Two!" "Three!"
This time, he started counting as he performed push-ups, using the rhythm to control his breathing. His strategy worked; Archie's movements became smoother, and he executed the push-ups flawlessly without pausing mid-motion.
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[Push-ups: 100/100]
[Time Left: 6:12:23]
After an hour of strenuous effort, Archie finally completed the push-ups. He took a long break of one hour, prioritizing safety over speed. He focused on managing his time and completing the tasks without injuring himself.
During this time, Archie searched for some weights or wood to lift. In the process, he discovered a fallen tree with a sturdy branch, ideal for pull-ups. It seemed as if it had grown just for him.
[Time Left: 5:04:11]
However, Archie decided to start with lifting weights, focusing on a robust leg exercise. He found a small to medium-sized rubble rock weighing about 2 or 3 kilograms.
Lifting it was easy for Archie, who was used to handling heavy items in his shop's kitchen.
[Lifting: 2/100]
To his surprise, Archie didn't need to lift 100 kilograms at once; the weight progress increased even with the 2-kilogram rock. He continued lifting the rock from the ground to above his head.
[Lifting: 100/100]
Archie completed the task relatively quickly, within twenty minutes.
[Time Left: 4:43:43]
Finally, he had nearly five hours left to complete the daily login mission.
Failure to complete it would result in a penalty of 1000 credits. This was one of the main reasons he kept going with minimal breaks.
Archie approached the fallen tree, taking in the sight of vines twisting around its trunk and branches, adorned with delicate white flowers. The sunlight filtering through the canopy above cast dappled shadows and golden light, creating a serene, almost paradise-like atmosphere.
The air was filled with the sweet scent of the flowers, adding to the tranquil beauty of the moment.
If Archie had laid down under the tree even for a second, he would have fallen asleep. There were no sounds, animals, or insects. It was just Archie alone, as if he were the only person on the entire planet.
After appreciating the beauty, Archie jumped up and grabbed the tree branch to do pull-ups.
"AHH…" Archie struggled to do two consecutive pull-ups. His lean hands and poor posture made it difficult to lift himself.
[Pull-ups: 1/100]
Archie finally encountered his greatest challenge: pull-ups. He never imagined that something so simple would push him to his limits.
He didn't have the option to give up, nor did he want to. This time, he placed a stone under the branch to stand on, making it easier to hold the branch.
It helped a little, but he still struggled to do proper pull-ups. Yet, Archie persevered, and the branch's rough surface helped him hold on. Gradually, he was able to do five pull-ups at a time.
"HUFF!" Archie panted heavily, but strangely, he didn't feel thirsty or hungry so far.
From the moment he was rifted, he hadn't thought of food or drink. His mind eliminated all unnecessary thoughts and focused solely on completing the mission.
[Pull-ups: 100/100]
---
[Time Left: 1:32:13]
---
[DING]
---
[Congratulations on completing Rookie Missions]
[Push-ups: 100/100]
[Pull-ups: 100/100]
[Lifting: 100/100]
[Running: 1000/1000]
---
[Rewards Credited: 100 Credits]
[Credits Balance: 1700]
After hours of effort and labor, Archie completed today’s task.
However, before he could enjoy his success, his vision blurred, and he felt himself losing consciousness, exhausted.
As he began to fall to the ground, his body slowly rifted from his waist, crumbled into shattered rifts, and disappeared from the place.
After Archie rifted, the sunlight faded away, and night engulfed the ruins, darkening everything.
---
The next day,
Archie found himself sprawled on his bed, the morning sunlight streaming in through the window.
After the previous night's ordeal, he had rifted back to his bed and remained unconscious until the break of dawn.
Slowly, Archie fluttered open his eyes and attempted to lift himself using his hands. The instant his hand made contact with the bed,
"AHHH…" A scream of agony escaped Archie's lips as a wave of soreness washed over him. His entire body felt as if it was falling apart, his bones seemingly fracturing.
His hands trembled under the onslaught of pain, and he rolled over to lie flat on his back on the bed. However, an even more urgent sensation was the gnawing hunger in his stomach.
Despite the pain, hunger compelled him to rise and drag himself to the diner.
Upon entering the diner, he composed himself and walked with a semblance of normalcy, not wanting to cause his father any worry. However, he was in no condition to cook, so he made a request while settling down on a chair,
"Dad, could you please make me some noodles?"
Archie rested his head on the table, waiting for the noodles. As usual, the diner was devoid of customers.
It was currently 10 A.M., and since patrons usually arrived for lunch around noon, his father was neither busy nor engaged in conversation with acquaintances.
After a few minutes, Elbert brought Archie's favorite shrimp noodle soup and placed it on the table before quietly retreating to the kitchen.
Noticing the absence of chopsticks on the table, Archie discreetly opened his Rift Watch and procured a pair, eager to taste the new dish.
With the first bite, Archie felt the pain, particularly in his legs, start to subside within seconds.
“Don’t tell me it can cure sore muscles and restore stamina. Oh my god,” Archie exclaimed in astonishment, witnessing the miraculous effect.
Archie devoured the noodles as quickly as he could until the bowl was empty.
[DING!]
---
[Chef’s Delicacy]
[Tasted a new dish: Chicken Noodle Soup]
[Added a new Dish to Yami’s Unsatisfactory List]
[Reward:
HP and EP Increase by 1
Credits: 100]
---
[Rewards & Attributes Credited]
[Credits Balance: 1800]
[HP: 24]
[EP: 16]
At that moment, Archie didn't concern himself with the unsatisfactory message. The crucial thing was that he had fully recovered.
“Let’s do today’s mission already,” he declared, ready to face the day.