Dawn: Push-Ups
[Daily Quest: Complete 100 Push-Ups]
[Reward: +1 Strength → +0.1 (Heaven's Curse)]
[Optional: Complete 200 Push-Ups → +2 Strength → +0.2]
Izuku's arms trembled as he lowered himself to the frozen ground. The system's golden text burned in his vision, tallying each rep.
Ten. Eleven. Twelve.
Edric collapsed beside him, his breath fogging in the cold. "This is impossible."
"Then fail," Izuku said, sweat freezing on his brow. Twenty. Twenty-one.
Ser Garrick's boot slammed into Izuku's back. "Lower, rat! Or I'll add another hundred!"
By rep fifty, Izuku's muscles screamed. By rep one hundred, his elbows bled.
[Quest Complete: 100 Push-Ups]
[Strength: 0.15 → 0.25]
[Suppressed by Curse: 0.15 → 0.16]
Izuku kept going.
One hundred one. One hundred two.
Edric stared. "You're insane."
One hundred ninety-nine. Two hundred.
[Optional Quest Complete: 200 Push-Ups]
[Strength: 0.16 → 0.18]
Izuku's face hit the dirt.
Midday: Swords and Squats
[Daily Quest: 500 Squats + 200 Sword Strikes]
[Reward: +1 Strength, +1 Agility → +0.1 Each]
[Optional: 1,000 Squats + 400 Strikes → +2 Each → +0.2]
Izuku's legs buckled under the weight of Ser Garrick's iron-reinforced armor. Each squat sent fire through his thighs. Each sword strike carved blisters into his palms.
"Form, gutter rat!" Ser Garrick roared. "A toddler swings better!"
Edric limped through his own squats, face pale. "Izuku—your hands are bleeding."
"Eyes forward," Izuku growled. Strike 150. Squat 300.
By 400 strikes and 800 squats, Izuku's vision blurred. The system's text flickered crimson:
[Vitality: 0.40 → 0.30 (Critical Fatigue)]
Ser Garrick tossed him a waterskin. "Break. Five minutes."
Izuku drank. Then kept swinging.
Strike 401. Squat 801.
[Optional Quest Complete: 1,000 Squats + 400 Strikes]
[Strength: 0.18 → 0.20 | Agility: 0.10 → 0.12]
Edric retched into a bucket.
Dusk: Sprints and Sit-Ups
[Daily Quest: 5km Run + 200 Sit-Ups]
[Reward: +1 Endurance → +0.1]
[Optional: 10km Run + 400 Sit-Ups → +2 → +0.2]
Izuku's lungs burned as he sprinted the estate perimeter. Edric lagged behind, clutching a stitch in his side.
"Slow down!" Edric wheezed.
Izuku didn't. 3km. 4km. 5km.
He dropped to the ground and began sit-ups. One hundred. Two hundred.
Edric collapsed at three hundred. "Why… are you… doing this?!"
Izuku didn't stop. Three hundred fifty. Four hundred.
[Optional Quest Complete: 10km + 400 Sit-Ups]
[Endurance: 0.12 → 0.14]
Blood dripped from his nose.
Night: Feast and Fury
[Daily Quest: Consume 5,000 Calories]
[Reward: +1 Vitality → +0.1]
[Optional: 10,000 Calories → +2 → +0.2]
Izuku shoveled rancid butter, stale bread, and raw eggs into his mouth. Edric gagged at the sight.
"You'll die," Edric whispered.
"Starving kills faster." Izuku swallowed a chunk of lard.
[Calories: 4,800/5,000]
Hana's laughter echoed from the rafters. A rat carcass thudded onto the table.
"Black Lotus says bon appétit."
Izuku skewered the rat with a fork and took a bite.
[Quest Complete: 5,000 Calories]
[Vitality: 0.30 → 0.40]
He kept eating.
6,000. 7,000.
Edric fled the room.
[Optional Quest Complete: 10,000 Calories]
[Vitality: 0.40 → 0.42]
Izuku vomited into the hearth. Then ate again.
Moonstone's Toll
In the cellar, Izuku pressed the moonstone to his bleeding palms.
[Moonstone Activation: 5%]
[Mana Affinity: 0.05% | Pain Resistance: 0.40% → 0.45%]
Edric found him there, trembling. "You're not human."
Izuku's voice was raw. "Humanity dies in the slums."
The System's Whisper
As Izuku collapsed onto his straw pallet, the system pulsed:
[Total Gains Today: Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Endurance +0.2, Vitality +0.2]
[Total After Curse: +0.02 Each]
A lifetime of agony for crumbs.
Izuku smiled.
To Be Continued in Chapter 17 – The Calculus of Crumbs