Jung Hee grunted his final push-up, and then promptly collapse on the wooden ground of his room.

Congratulations! You have completed your daily quest: 50 push-ups at the end of the day.

You earned 30XP.

Current XP: 18,897

Total XP needed for the next level-up: 22,680

Jung sighed as he sat up and started wiping the sweat off his forehead. The damn quest is still hard, but he had to admit that it is getting easier compared to the last few months.

He had this unofficial urge to reach level 7 before his 7th birthday, which is barely 3 months from now. But there was simply nothing else to do.

He already read all the labels in all the products they bought in town, the pamphlets his dad received in the co-op, the few booklet manuals stacked somewhere in the house, and all the official reports his dad prepared and diligently sent to the provincial headquarters.

If only they have real books in the house, he thought wistfully. Then he could make his experience meters move a lot faster.

However, every adult he speaks with believes that the government regulates book publishing because some books contain subversive content and are harmful if the general public reads them. Unfortunately, official literature approved by the central government are difficult to come by or prohibitively expensive to purchase privately. There are no libraries in the area, and he has no friends who can lend him books. It's just the way things are.

These sucks, Jung sighed.

He might as well sleep now since he still has lots of chores to do in the early morning.

He closed his eyes....

And then promptly opened it again and sat back up in his bed.

"But I'm not sleepy yet," he griped, placing his small arms across his chest and imitating a grumpy look his father always used when he is annoyed. Jung did it as an unconscious way to feel more mature, but he is unaware how adorable it made him looked when he did so.

He tried to exercise again, but after 10 more push ups, he gave up. His body was just not ready for more punishment. Jung left his room and clean up the kitchen a bit. He noticed his mom's laundry haning outside is a bit un alligned and so jung went outside and arranged it smoothly again. He was reassured by the cow in the barn snoring loudly so the surrounding is relatively safe. So he made his way back to his room quietly, and reluctantly, he lay back on his bed and simply closed his eyes.

At first, he was just enjoying the silence and the darkness around him. But then, the noise from the outside filtered into his room. Curious, he listened closely and a myriad of new sounds entered his presence. The croaking of a toad, the singing of the crickets, or the rustle of the leaves from the swaying trees combined into a sort of natural orchestra of music as they told a tale of what's going on outside in the dead of night.

Stolen story; please report.

Only then did he realize the damp chillness of the night was everywhere. All this combined into a sort of blanket that enveloped him and the next thing he knew, he was fast asleep.

****

Jung woke up alert and full of energy the next morning.

As always, Jung waited for the damn rooster to announce the morning before he sat up a second later. the outside is still dark, but Jung is used to waking up like that.

He was already thinking about feeding the cow when he noticed several new messages blinking in his peripheral visions.

Congratulations! You have upgraded your general skill "Listening" to level 2.

Congratulations! you have upgraded your general skill "Listening" to level 3.

-You can learn more about your surrounding by simply listening provided that you are not distracted.

-15% increase in passive listening.

-38% increase in active listening.

Congratulations! you have upgraded your general skill "Touching" to level 2.

-15% more information is gathered when consciously touching something, including air.

-40% better resistance against hostile environmental effects.

Jung simply raised an eyebrow at the screen in front of him but otherwise stayed silent. His face is a mixture of fascination and annoyance at the ridiculous skill upgrade. Is the system actually serious, or is it mocking him?

Then he shrugged and started his day.

******

"Gaah! Butching!" Jung Hee shouted in his kid voice as his slippers felt something warm in a spot he already cleaned. "That is the biggest dump I've ever seen! What have you been eating?!" Jung hee said jumping up and down in front of the cow who the little boy swore she rolls her eyes at him as she continues to chew her hay.

Grumbling to himself, Jung cleaned the small pen as best he could again. This continued while dodging the swirling tail of the old cow. Jung went on with his chores while occasionally giving the unresponsive cow a retaliatory shove every now and then with his small hands.

It's been two hours or so after he'd woken up and Jung is looking forward to his breakfast when the sound of an engine distracted him. When he looked outside the small barn, Jung saw a utility jeep climbing up the small hill where their little hut is situated. Their isolated home is always been boring to Jung, so any kind of unusual happenings is big news to the small child.

Jung's interest heightened when he noticed the two passengers of the vehicle are in militia uniform of the party. He knew this from the yearly parade they do in the town square and at the propaganda pamphlets they kept receiving from the town itself. He also noticed his father noticed the incoming visitor as he smooth his clothes as best he could to look more presentable as he nervously waited for the visitor to come over.

Jung's father, stood still and waited while the vehicle parked and the passenger unhurriedly detached himself from his government transport. The young man in uniform looked around the surrounding area with distaste before letting his eyes settle at Jung's father.

"Are you comrade Kim Hyusil? the head of cooperative 48 in the second district of Musan, in the province of North Hamgyong?"

"I am, comrade lieutenant," his father answered gravely. He too went and served the army in his youth and he can at least recognized the insignia in the uniform's shoulder lapel.

The young lieutenant nodded. "As you know, the 70th anniversary of the people's communist party is being celebrated in the next 3 weeks. You will be responsible to organize the farmer's union in your district to attend and show their support in the town of North Gokei. I will also leave these educational pamphlets in your care to be distributed to the masses to show and explain the successes and policies of our great country. I've already talked to the mayor so please coordinate with them."

Kim Hyusil bowed respectfully to the lieutenant. "I understand comrade," he said. "It will be done."

The younger officer simply nodded. "Since I'm here, do you have anything or anyone to report about your farmers?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't be coy, comrade. Have you seen any form of dissent or grumbling from your farmers? Are there anyone acting seditious or against the party?"

Hyusil stared at him with hard opaque eyes. "Not that I've seen comrade. My people are loyal to the great leader and to the party."

The lieutenant studied him for a moment before slowly nodding and walking back to his vehicle.

"Kangsong Taeguk!" Jung hee shouted from the barn at the lieutenant as he was about to climb his vehicle. It roughly translated to a strong and prosperous nation. A North Korean motto. The cute boy waved with his scrub stick and promptly regretted it when cow dung fell on him.

The lieutenant smirked at Jung's antics and turned to Jung's dad, Hyusil. He nudged his head in Jung's direction while saying, "Cute kid."

Hyusil just stared at him with a poker face and didn't say anything.

As they left, Jung's dad watched the militia go until they disappeared from the horizon. Jung continued to grumble as he berated the cow as if it was her fault he needed to re-clean the place. For a moment, there was a concerned look on Hyusil's weather beaten face but it was gone before he turned to his son.

"Stop fooling around, you little brat. Clean yourself up before you go to breakfast!"

"Yes, father!" Jung said brightly.