~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[Progress System Interface]
Name: Lemonk
STATS• HP: 500• STRENGTH: ?• STAMINA: 10• AGILITY: ?• SPIRIT: 500
SKILLS• Walk – 10%• Hand Movement – 5%• Cooking – 30%
SHOP• Level: 0• (Next Upgrade: 1 LP)
LP (Level Points): 0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So let me get this straight," Lemonk muttered, staring at the floating blue screen, "You merged with my talent and became this… system thing. And these numbers show how weak I am?"
"In simpler terms: yes. This shows your physical condition, your progress, and your current skills. You'll also be able to buy more skills from the shop later, once you meet the conditions."
Lemonk perked up. "Wait, so I don't have to learn magic or skills the hard way from others?"
"Not necessarily. But to buy new skills, you'll need coins and Level Points (LP). You earn those by completing quests."
"And how do I get quests?"
"Simple. I give them to you. But you can accept, reject, or ignore quests. Your choices define your path. Your growth, your decisions."
Lemonk squinted at the screen. "...Can you give me a quest now?"
"You want a quest?" the system said with a cheeky tone. "Fine. Quest incoming."
[Ding!]
QUEST RECEIVED:Let's Be Normal Again!Go to the nearby mine. Mine one ore of iron, carry it outside. Repeat this process 500 times.
• Time Limit: 3 Days• Difficulty: Hard• Reward: 5 LP, 150 Coins
"WHAT?!"
Lemonk nearly fell backward. His jaw dropped. "This is insane! You call this a starter quest?!"
"Yup. Enjoy~"
"I can't even walk properly right now! You've reset my body to zero because of my stupid talent!"
"Technically, your talent did that. Not me.""But hey, I'm just here to help you build back up!"
Lemonk stared at the task again. 500 iron ores... in 3 days?!
"Alright then, I cancel. No way I'm doing this. Not in this condition."
"Are you sure you want to cancel the quest?"
"Yes."
There was a pause. A long, almost menacing pause.
"Very well. But just so you know, cancelling this tutorial quest will lock you out of all other early-growth quests for one full month. That means no recovery help. No stat boosts. No skills. You'll stay in this weak state, exactly as you are, until your next evaluation cycle."
"E-Eh?"
"Yup. I strongly recommend you take this quest. Not because you made that annoying face at me, though that was adorable, but because this is the fastest route to getting you back on your feet. Literally."
The system let out a soft giggle.
Lemonk twitched. He could almost feel it smirking in his mind.
"…You're evil."
"I prefer the term 'motivationally malicious.' Now get mining, champ."
Lemonk gritted his teeth.
This is going to suck.
But deep down, beneath the irritation and panic… something in him stirred.
This was the challenge he asked for.To climb the mountain.To break it.To become someone.
Even if it started with a pickaxe and a body that could barely stand.