Zen stood at a distance, staring at the town, his breathing still uneven.
Yet, the sight of it stirred something within him—excitement.
The thought of seeing new cultures, unknown traditions, and unfamiliar faces filled him with a strange anticipation. There was a growing curiosity inside him, a desire to explore everything this world had to offer.
Maybe… it still felt like a dream to him.
Zen began walking, his heart pounding as he finally caught a glimpse of the world where he would now live his life.
As he neared the gate, he saw several people gathered there. Some looked like adventurers, clad in armor and carrying swords or bows. Others seemed to be merchants.
They were all waiting in line to enter the town.
Zen soon realized why. There was a fee to get in.
He didn't fully understand it—maybe some kind of tax.
With no better option, Zen quietly joined the line.
When it was his turn, the guard asked Zen for fifty bronze coins.
Zen hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a silver coin and handed it over.
The guard took it, gave him the change, and allowed him to pass.
As Zen stepped through the gate, he noticed something—they were recording everyone who entered. Names, faces… details.
Maybe it helps them keep track of people, he thought. Like identifying criminals or something.
Isn't this kind of pointless? Zen thought. What if someone just uses magic and sneaks in?
He frowned slightly.
But… I guess it still makes sense. It could help reduce crime and keep track of who enters the town.
His gaze drifted along the walls.
There's probably some kind of restriction here… maybe a magic barrier or something, so no one can just sneak in.
A pause.
But if someone is strong enough to bypass that… then even if the guards knew, they probably wouldn't be able to stop them anyway.
Zen looked around.
The guards moved rhythmically, disciplined and precise. Merchants called out to customers, their voices overlapping in a lively chorus. Families passed by—couples talking, children whining and crying to buy things.
It all felt… surreal.
If not for the existence of magic, no one would even realize this was another world.
They all looked… normal.
Zen had expected something different—something obvious, something that would immediately set them apart.
But no.
They looked just like ordinary people.
That realization brought a small sense of comfort to Zen.
Maybe he had expected something obvious—something that would clearly set these people apart from him.
But there wasn't. Not on the surface.
The real difference lay elsewhere.
They knew how to survive in this world—a world where power meant everything, where the strong thrived and the weak were discarded.
People like them… could kill without hesitation.
Zen, on the other hand, wasn't ready for that.
Not yet.
If he wanted to survive here… he would have to prepare himself.
Zen searched for a place to stay. Some inns looked too fancy, others too crowded.
Eventually, he found one that looked simple and decent—not too flashy, not too shabby. It felt… right.
So he decided to book a room there.
He stepped inside and walked up to the reception desk, booking a room along with a meal.
After getting the key, he climbed the stairs and made his way to his room.
He opened the door and stepped in.
The room wasn't big, but it was enough.
There was a bed, a table, and a cupboard. It even had a small bathroom and a compact kitchen.
For now… it was more than enough.
Zen sat on the bed, then fell back, staring up at the ceiling as thoughts filled his mind.
What should he do next?
He needed information. And more importantly… he needed to grow stronger.
Right now, he was extremely weak.
There were still countless questions—about his reincarnation, about the system, about everything.
But he knew thinking about them wouldn't give him any answers.
So, for now… he let it go.
He would just go with the flow.
His stomach growled loudly.
He was starving—it felt like an empty, bottomless pit that hadn't been fed in ages.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Zen got up from the bed and opened it. A woman stood there, holding a tray of food—the meal he had ordered.
He took the tray and gave her a quick thanks before closing the door.
Sitting back on the bed, he stared at the food.
It was simple—bread, meat, and a bowl of soup.
But to him, it looked like a feast.
Zen swallowed his saliva and immediately began to devour the meal.
Zen finished the meal and lay back on the bed.
He rubbed his belly and muttered, "Yeah… that hit the spot."
But even as he relaxed, one question kept nagging at him.
Now what?
What should he do next… no—what could he even do?
Suddenly, a sound echoed in Zen's head.
A small smile formed on his lips. Who else would help him, if not his dear system?
Zen focused and checked the notification.
[Sub Quest: Complete 100 push-ups, 100 squats, and a 5 km run.]
[Reward: Stat Growth]
Zen blinked and read it again, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
But no… he wasn't.
"Hey, System… you do know I can't complete this, right?"
He let out a dry laugh.
"Come on, isn't it obvious? This body isn't strong enough for that… I've never even done this before."
Zen waited for a reply.
Nothing came.
He dragged both his hands across his face and muttered, "Fuck my life…"
Still… it wasn't like he had anything else to do.
With a sigh, he accepted it.
If he wanted to grow stronger, he had no choice but to go along with it.
A faint memory surfaced in his mind—a quote he had once heard. If you want something, you have to lose something.
He let out a small chuckle.
"Guess I'll have to do it… if I want to get stronger."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"But I'll do it my way."
There were no rules about how he had to complete it.
He couldn't do 100 push-ups in one go—that much was obvious.
So he decided to split them into sets, giving himself time to rest in between.
Zen removed his shirt and decided to start with push-ups first.
He took a deep breath… and began.
At first, it felt manageable.
But as the count reached ten, a sharp strain spread through his chest—his muscles screaming in protest.
It felt like they were tearing apart.
Still, he didn't stop.
He gritted his teeth and kept going, forcing his body to move.
Pain shot through him with every rep… but he embraced it.
The more it hurts… the more I gain.
At the count of thirty, he finally took a break.
He dropped to the floor, sitting there as sweat dripped from his body. His chest rose and fell heavily. Even the ground beneath him was damp from where he had been doing push-ups.
He pushed himself up and walked to the small kitchen, grabbing some water.
He drank greedily, as if his body had been starving for it.
After taking a short break—about three minutes—he wiped his face, steadied his breath…
…and started again.
After another thirty reps, he took a short break—three minutes—before starting again.
For the final set, he pushed through it all at once.
His entire body screamed in pain. Every muscle burned, begging him to stop.
But he didn't.
He forced himself forward, driven purely by willpower.
He had only one goal—
to grow stronger.
In this new world, strength was everything. It was the only thing that could give him an identity.
And if he couldn't even complete something as simple as push-ups…
…then he might as well die.
After finishing the push-ups, he took a long break, trying to steady his heartbeat.
Next… squats.
Surprisingly, they felt easier than the push-ups. He didn't know why, but his body responded better this time.
As the reps increased, the strain built up again—but instead of resisting it, he leaned into it.
The more it hurt… the more he smiled.
A strange sense of euphoria crept in.
At this point, he almost looked… sadistic.
Somehow… he did it.
He finally completed the squats.
"Huff… huff…"
He struggled to breathe, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he reached for water and drank deeply.
Next… running.
But before that, he needed rest—there was no way he could go on like this.
After a short break, he put his shirt back on and stepped outside.
It was still morning.
Better to run outside than inside the town, he thought.
So he started running.
He took breaks in between, his pace uneven, his legs heavy from exhaustion.
After nearly an hour, he slowed down, breathing hard.
I should be halfway by now…
He turned around.
Guess I'll head back toward the town.
Somehow… he finished it.
The full 5 km run.
By the time he returned to his room, his entire body felt like it was about to collapse.
A notification had already appeared.
Sub Quest Completed.
Catching his breath, Zen checked his status to see the results.
System: Status
Name: Zen Lawkey
Strength: 10 → 12
Agility: 14 → 15
Stamina: 5 → 6
Mana: 50
Seeing the results, Zen felt a small sense of satisfaction.
At least something was going right.
Even if the increase wasn't huge, just watching the numbers go up made him feel… relieved.
It meant his effort wasn't meaningless.
With a tired sigh, he decided to take a quick bath and relax his aching body.
He knew this alone wouldn't make him truly strong, but it was at least a step in the right direction.
For now… he was on the right track.
And more importantly, he believed the system would help him grow stronger—that was what systems were supposed to do, right?
So he wasn't too worried about strength itself.
What he needed most was willpower—the ability to endure whatever training lay ahead.