Sunday morning arrived with clear skies and perfect running weather. Eric woke at his usual time, his body now so attuned to the routine that he barely needed his alarm anymore. He felt good, rested, ready for whatever the day would bring.
The system notification appeared the moment he was fully conscious.
‐‐‐
[New Quest Available]
Quest: Physical Foundation IV
Objective: Walk, jog, or run a total of 5 kilometers
Rewards:
+10 DP
+30 EXP
+1 strength
+1 stamina
Failure Penalty:
Loss of Debauchery System
Time Limit: 24 hours
Accept Quest?
[Yes] [No]
‐‐‐
Eric accepted without hesitation. The daily quest had become as natural as breathing, part of his morning routine that he actually looked forward to now.
He dressed in his running clothes, grabbed his phone and earbuds, and headed out into the cool morning air. Stardale was quiet at this hour, the city still mostly asleep on a Sunday morning. Only the dedicated early risers were out, joggers and dog walkers claiming the sidewalks before the crowds arrived.
Eric started his warmup walk, his muscles loose and responsive. His enhanced stats made everything easier now. What had been torture a week ago was now pleasant, almost meditative. He transitioned smoothly into a jog, finding his rhythm immediately.
The route had become familiar over the past week. Past the coffee shop that wouldn't open for another two hours. Past the community center where Sarah played volleyball. Through the residential blocks with their neat lawns and sleeping families. Then into the park where he'd first met Zara.
The distance tracker in his vision climbed steadily. One kilometer. Two kilometers. Three kilometers.
Eric's breathing remained controlled, his pace steady. The Endurance Master perk was living up to its promise, the reduced stamina consumption letting him maintain speed without the burning fatigue he'd felt initially. He could probably run ten kilometers now without much difficulty.
Four kilometers. Five kilometers.
‐‐‐
[Quest Complete: Physical Foundation IV]
Progress: 5/5 km
Objective: Complete ✓
Rewards Earned:
+10 DP
+30 EXP
+1 strength
+1 stamina
‐‐‐
The stat increases hit with their now-familiar rush. Stronger, more capable, better. Eric's smile widened as the changes settled into his body.
He slowed to a walk, cooling down, heading toward the bench where he and Zara had talked twice now. Their spot, though he supposed that was presumptuous given they'd only met there twice.
'No Zara today,' Eric noted with mild disappointment. She probably didn't run every single day. Even fitness enthusiasts took rest days.
He reached the bench and collapsed onto it gratefully, pulling his hand towel from his pocket and draping it over his face. The morning sun was warm, pleasant, perfect for just sitting and recovering.
Eric could feel the changes in his body more clearly now after a week of consistent stat increases. Stronger, definitely. His muscles responded with more power than they'd had before. Faster reflexes, sharper thinking, better stamina. The system was transforming him gradually but undeniably.
'I'm not even tired,' Eric realized with satisfaction. 'Five kilometers and I could probably go another five right now. The perk is worth its weight in gold.'
He breathed deeply, enjoying the moment of peace. Soon he'd head home, shower, then drive over to Sarah's place for the day. But for now he just wanted to sit and—
Footsteps.
Eric's enhanced hearing picked them up immediately. Three sets, approaching from different directions but converging on his position. Heavy footfalls, deliberate, not the random pattern of joggers or walkers.
'Coordinated movement,' his analytical mind supplied. 'Three people, moving with purpose. Toward me specifically.'
Eric didn't move, didn't remove the towel from his face. His muscles tensed beneath his loose running clothes, his body preparing for action while his mind stayed calm and calculating.
The footsteps stopped. One set directly in front of him, close enough that Eric could feel body heat. The other two flanking, cutting off easy escape routes.
A shadow fell across him, blocking the warm sunlight.
Eric slowly pulled the towel away from his face and looked up.
His blood turned to ice.
The brute from the alley stood before him, and he looked far worse than Eric remembered leaving him. His face was a mess of bruises, some fresh and purple, others yellowing with age. His nose sat crooked, clearly broken and not properly set. One eye was swollen nearly shut. Split lips, a missing tooth visible when he smiled.
'I didn't do all that damage,' Eric thought with shocked certainty. 'Some of this is new. Recent. Someone else beat him after I did.'
'His own gang,' Eric realized with growing dread. 'They must have punished him for losing to me. For making them look weak.'
The two flanking figures stepped closer, and Eric recognized the Obsidian Fang insignia on their identical black jackets. Both were younger than the brute, mid-twenties, built lean and dangerous. They had the look of people who'd been in fights, who knew violence intimately.
'Three on one,' Eric's mind catalogued rapidly. 'Coordinated attack. They found me somehow, tracked my routine. This was planned.'
The brute's smile widened, showing that missing tooth, his one good eye gleaming with malicious satisfaction. "Cat got your tongue?" His voice was rough, damaged, like his throat had been hurt. "Not so confident now, are you pretty boy?"
Eric's mind raced through scenarios. Fight or flight. Stay and try to talk his way out. Run and hope his enhanced speed and stamina let him escape. Shout for help and pray someone cared enough to intervene.
'Fighting three trained gang members is suicide,' rational thought screamed. 'You beat him once because he was alone and sloppy. Three coordinated attackers is different. You need to run. Now.'
But Eric's eyes tracked the positions automatically. One directly in front, blocking the path back toward his apartment. Two flanking at forty-five-degree angles, cutting off lateral escape. The bench behind him limited backward movement.
'Escape routes blocked,' his enhanced intelligence noted clinically. 'They positioned deliberately. This was tactical.'
"I told you," the brute continued, taking a step closer. His fists clenched, knuckles white. "I told you in that alley you'd pay for what you did. Thought you could humiliate me and walk away? Make me look weak in front of my unit?"
His voice rose with each word, rage and desperation mixing. "You have no idea what you cost me! The beating I took because of you! The shame!"
Eric said nothing, his throat tight with fear. His enhanced stats made him faster, stronger, more capable than a normal person. But three experienced fighters? That was still overwhelming odds.
'I can't move,' Eric thought desperately. 'If I try to run, they'll be on me immediately. If I fight, I'm outnumbered. If I shout for help...'
He glanced around quickly. The park was relatively empty at this hour. A few joggers in the distance, too far to help even if they wanted to. This part of Stardale knew about Obsidian Fang. Most people wouldn't intervene even if they were close.
'No help coming,' Eric concluded. 'I'm on my own.'
The brute's hand shot forward without warning, aiming a punch at Eric's head with all the fury of someone desperate to redeem himself.
Eric's enhanced reflexes kicked in automatically. Time seemed to slow, the fist moving through the air in exaggerated slowness. Eric jerked his head to the side, the punch missing by centimeters, the displaced air ruffling his copper-orange hair.
The two flanking gang members moved immediately, attacking from both sides in practiced coordination. Left hook from the right, straight punch from the left, both aimed to connect while Eric was off-balance from the first dodge.
Eric's body moved before his conscious mind could process. He dropped low, both punches sailing over his head. Then he pushed off the bench with his enhanced strength, launching himself backward in a move he'd never attempted before.
His body arced through the air, inverting, his hands touching ground briefly before his feet followed. A backflip. A perfect, graceful backflip that landed him three meters away from the bench and his attackers.
Eric stared at his own hands in shock. 'What the fuck? How did I just do that?'
The three gang members looked equally shocked, their expressions shifting from confidence to confusion.
"The hell was that?" one of the younger members muttered.
The brute's face contorted with rage, veins bulging on his forehead and neck. His one good eye blazed with fury that went beyond just wanting revenge. This was desperation, the look of someone who had everything to lose.
"I don't care what tricks you can pull!" the brute roared, spittle flying from his split lips. "You're dead! You hear me? DEAD! My boss said bring you in alive, but fuck that! I'll bring him your corpse if I have to!"
He turned to the other two, his voice dropping to something more dangerous. "Do whatever you have to. Break his legs if you need to. Just make sure he doesn't escape. Even if we have to cripple him, I'm taking him back."
Eric's enhanced intelligence processed the words rapidly. 'Boss wants me alive. But this guy is desperate enough to disobey orders. He's been beaten for failing, probably threatened with worse. He'll do anything to not go back empty-handed.'
'I have to fight,' Eric realized, the truth settling cold and heavy. 'There's no talking out of this. No escape without going through them. And if I let them catch me, I'm as good as dead.'
A ding echoed in his mind.
The translucent blue screen appeared in his vision, overlaying reality.
‐‐‐
[Emergency Quest Generated]
Quest: Survive the Ambush
Objective: Defeat all three Obsidian Fang members
Current Progress: 0/3
Rewards:
+250 EXP
+50 DP
+5 Free Attribute Points
+Mystery Box x1
Failure Penalty:
Loss of Debauchery System
Time Limit: Complete before defeat or capture
Accept Quest?
[Yes] [No]