It was a bright sunny day.
People moved about their daily lives as Kaine City bustled with energy and noise. Shops were open, vendors shouted for customers, and the streets were alive.
However, a strange rumor had begun spreading throughout the city.
People spoke about a skinny lunatic doing exercises far beyond what any human body should endure.
Some admired him.
Some despised him.
Some were motivated.
Others were discouraged.
And at the center of it all…
Was Eli.
"Urrrrgh…"
A painful groan echoed down the street, drawing the attention of passersby.
A small boy holding a popsicle tugged on his mother's hand.
"Momma… is that man a crazy person?"
His mother glanced at Eli, who was drenched in sweat and trembling while doing push-ups.
"Yes, he is," she replied calmly.
"Now let's go home."
She quickly pulled her son away.
"995… 996… 997… 998…"
Eli's arms trembled violently as sweat poured down his face.
"C'mon Eli… you can do this…"
He gritted his teeth.
"Don't let it out… don't let it out…"
His face turned red.
"Eli… don't let it out… don't let it out…"
Then suddenly—
frrrrrrt
(@uthor): WAS THAT A… A… A—
"Fart. Yes, I farted."
Eli muttered shamelessly.
At that moment, a translucent system window appeared before him.
It displayed only one message.
[ PFFFT ]
Eli froze.
Then his face twisted with rage.
"You can laugh huh?!"
He pointed angrily at the floating window.
"You're the cause of my suffering, you translucent pile of junk!"
The system responded immediately.
[ FUFU ]
[ PLEASE REFRAIN FROM SWEARING OR YOU MIGHT FART AGAIN ]
(@uthor): did something just snap (・o・)
"DELETE YOURSELF NOW, YOU BAS***"
Eli screamed.
To the pedestrians passing by, Eli looked like a complete lunatic yelling at thin air.
But the system wasn't done playing with him.
A new window appeared.
[ INITIATING SELF DESTRUCTION PROTOCOL ]
Eli's eyes widened.
"WAIT WAIT WAIT—!"
He immediately dropped to his knees.
"I was joking! Please don't do that!"
The system answered with a single response.
[ PFFFT ]
Something inside Eli finally broke.
"CURSE YOUUUU!"
After all the chaos, Eli eventually completed his tasks.
• 1,000 push-ups
• 1,000 sit-ups
• 1,000 pull-ups
• 100 km run
Yes.
He had pushed himself to the point where he barely looked human.
But to Eli…
The rewards were worth it.
[ DETECTED COMPLETION OF ASSIGNED TASKS ]
[ DISTRIBUTING REWARDS ]
[ +5 STRENGTH ]
[ +5 AGILITY ]
[ +5 VITALITY ]
[ +5 DEXTERITY ]
[ +5 MANA CAPACITY ]
[ +5 CHARM ]
[ SKILL REWARD ]
[ DUNGEON RADAR — C+ RANK ]
Allows the host to detect dungeon locations and ranks before they form.
A warm surge of power rushed through Eli's body.
All his exhaustion vanished instantly.
"Whoa… all my fatigue is gone!"
He flexed his fingers in amazement.
"This is awesome!"
But then—
Another window appeared.
[ SYSTEM HAS DETECTED AN EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE ]
[ BONUS REWARD GRANTED ]
Eli's eyes sparkled.
"A bonus reward?! Now we're talking!"
[ BONUS SKILL REWARD ]
Eli leaned forward eagerly.
"Ohhh… it's a skill~"
Then the window revealed the name.
[ PASSIVE SKILL — KING OF FARTS ]
[ RANK: SSS– ]
Silence fell.
Eli's eye twitched.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
"If I could grab you…"
He clenched his fist.
"I would tear you apart, you piece of sh—"
[ PFFFT ]
(@uthor): hehehe something snapped… again (｡◕‿◕｡)
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Eli screamed toward the sky.
"I WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY MY WORLD, SYSTEM!"
A new prompt appeared.
[ ABSORB SKILL? ]
[ YES / NO ]
"Heck NO!"
Eli immediately rejected it.
"Keep your stupid skill!"
But…
He hesitated.
What if this system has another hidden trick…
After a long moment of thinking—
He sighed.
"…Yes."
The system accepted the choice.
[ KING OF FARTS ACQUIRED ]
Eli rubbed his face.
"At least it's something…"
Then suddenly—
[ HIDDEN CONDITIONS FULFILLED ]
Eli blinked.
"…What now?"
[ EVOLVING SKILL ]
KING OF FARTS (SSS–)
→ KING'S PHYSIQUE (EX–)
Eli froze.
"…Wait what?"
He stared at the screen in disbelief.
"What were the conditions?!".
The system answered calmly.
[ EVOLUTION REQUIREMENT ]
Accept the skill.
Eli stared blankly.
"So the condition… was literally accepting the stupid skill?!"
(@uthor): guess you weren't expecting that hehehe.
Eli quickly checked the skill description.
[ KING'S PHYSIQUE (EX–) CURRENT RANK: C-]
Abilities:
• Host can wield any weapon type efficiently.
• Weapon power output doubled.
• By touching a weapon, host instantly learns its techniques and mastery.
Eli blinked.
"…Isn't this completely broken?"
The system replied immediately.
[ YOU DESERVE IT ]
[ PFFFT ]
But this time…
Eli didn't get angry.
Instead, a new determination burned in his eyes.
"My tasks are finished."
He slowly stood up.
"Time to prepare."
He clenched his fist and smiled.
"Tomorrow is going to be a big day."
********
[ WARNING ]
[ EARLY DUNGEON FORMATION DETECTED ]
[ RANK: B ]
[ LOCATION: 3.2 KM FROM HOST ]
To be continued.