Damn Quests, give me a break!

  The clock vibrated the whole room because of its loud arm noise.

  My head was still stuck on the pillow as I stubbornly refused to get up.

  I buried my face deeper into the pillow and pulled it tighter over my ears.

  Feeling frustrated, I fumbled blindly for the source of the noise, my hand searching the nightstand.

  My fingers brushed against the cold surface of the clock, and with a quick, decisive twist, I turned it off.

  As I y there, still half-dreaming, waking up in the same room countless times before made me accept that this was indeed reality.

  Several months have passed by since I’ve been here.

  I was able to adapt to these new changes as I had no choice.

  As I got up from my bed, still feeling groggy, I went and did my daily routine.

  I went to the bathroom to take a bath and brush my teeth, and then went out into the outside world to do my daily jog.

  I also learned a lot of new things about this new world I live in. It felt simir to the world I had known before.

  The ndscapes and the customs all seemed familiar. Yet, despite its simirities, there were many changes.

  Among them was the discovery of a new continent that had yet to be fully explored.

  This was discovered 2,000 years ago. Before that, the world had been divided into three continents: Primilial, Pandora, and Coruyzacrita.

  These three continents had been the foundation of the world, and it was believed that no more nd y beyond.

  But then, a fourth continent, Saufias, the Forgotten Continent, was discovered.

  However, not many people have ventured there since those who did went missing.

  The region I used to live in on the Primilial Continent was the Parthésh? region, once one of the most vibrant and celebrated tropics of Verda (Earth).

  In the former days, the region was filled with sprawling beaches and an unbroken horizon of blue skies and endless ocean.

  It was the kind of pce people dreamed of visiting.

  Yet, I didn't go out as much, as I didn't like socializing with other citizens.

  But now, the region was beyond recognition.

  It was now filled with a metropolis, a nd of wealth, towering buildings that scraped the sky, and long roads and skyways that connected every corner of the city. I couldn't help but feel only unfamiliarity.

  As I continued jogging down the long, empty road, without warning, a blue screen appeared in front of me.

  I stopped, staring at the screen as it hovered mid-air. I simply stood there, frozen in bewilderment.

  [ A new Sub Quest has appeared:

  Do 10000 jumps. 0/10000

  Do 1000 squats. 0/1000

  Time Limit: 5 days

  (If the pyer does not complete the quest within the allotted time, there will be a penalty.)

  Accept or decline? (Penalty)

  Countdown: 3 hours ]

  Five days?! These quests are getting crazier and crazier! I’ve only been exercising for the past three months, and yet it gives me another one?! I smmed my hand hard on my face in disappointment.

  My chest tightened in frustration, barely recovering from the st one. And now this? It was as if the apparatus was mocking me, still calling me weak! I haven’t even received a single, simple reward!

  I smmed my hand hard on my face again, my palm connecting with my skin in an almost reflexive gesture of disbelief.

  How was I supposed to keep up with these damn sub-quests?!

  Yet, the word 'penalty' was the only thing forcing me to py along with its damn games.

  In frustration, I swiped the screen to the left, dismissing the notification as if doing so would make the problem disappear.

  I let out a deep breath and continued to jog back home.

  As I arrived home, an amazingly familiar aroma wafted through the air, reaching my nose, and I couldn't help but pause for a moment.

  I gnced toward the backyard, and as I peered over, I caught a glimpse of the outdoor table set under the shade of a tent.

  “Oh, you’re here, Lucy sweetheart! I’ve made you your favorite—barbecue! Come and let’s eat!” A soft, familiar voice called out from behind the screen door.

  My eyes followed her as she headed out and went near the grill.

  I hurried around to the backyard. Lorren, the woman who had raised me-well, the body I was currently residing in-was carefully cooking the barbecues, spinning each one of the sticks.

  I helped her arrange the ptes and silverware carefully on the weathered wooden table.

  The frustration I had felt earlier disappeared, and I found myself appreciating this small, quiet piece of home.

  As I set a pte down, a voice interrupted my thoughts.

  “Pa, hurry up!” Thed’s voice rang out from the back door. Theoden Bnche C. Ancelott.

  My blood brother in this life.

  Their stepfather, Marivic, wandered into the yard shortly after, a tall figure with the posture of someone used to working hard.

  He was the father of Alden Farrell C. Ancelott, another member of the blended family.

  They may have been a blended family, but as I continued to watch them, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of belonging that filled the air.

  As we continued to dine in the backyard, the sounds of ughter and casual conversation surrounded me.

  Thed, who was full of energy, then spoke.

  “Pa, I think this year I will be able to nail the physical test!” Marivic chuckled at Thed’s statement, still reading the newspaper upright, with his bck reading gsses perched on his nose.

  “Maybe you should stop the chit-chat and eat. You need to get stronger if you want to nail that physical exam,” he replied.

  Thed pouted, and Lorren’s soft ugh made the atmosphere a bit brighter than it had been.

  I smiled at the sight of this family.

  It felt loving, yet I didn’t deserve to be in Lucille’s pce.

  As I sat there, I couldn't help but feel an ache. I couldn’t continue living as him.

  Yet, what choice did I have? Until I figured out how to return to my own world, there was nothing I could do about it. Not yet.

  As I brought all the used ptes and utensils to the sink, I turned around and was startled to find Alden standing right behind me.

  “What are you doing?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

  As he was about to open his mouth to speak, I couldn’t resist cutting him off with a pyful smirk.

  “Ah! Are you here to clean the dishes?” I asked.

  I grabbed a pair of rubber gloves from the counter and tossed them toward him, and he was able to catch them.

  “Here!” I added, handing him the sponge as well.

  He stood frozen for a moment, clearly fbbergasted.

  Shock was written all over his face, his brows furrowed as though he’d been struck dumb by my suggestion.

  The sight made me smile inwardly, though I had to mask it with a more nonchant expression.

  After a long, silent pause, he let out a deep breath.

  I hummed as I turned toward the door, heading toward my room.

  Locking the door behind me, I headed toward my empty study table, the room eerily quiet.

  I continued to stare at the desk before me. The table sat bare, save for one solitary item: a book.

  The Beginning of Verda. It y there in the dim light. The pages within spoke about the 11 Divines.

  Mythical beings that once shaped the world of Verda, whose power was said to have been absolute, whose origins were cloaked in mystery.

  This was knowledge that had never been avaible to me in my past life, knowledge that might have been hidden or even erased by those who didn’t want it to be found.

  It was astonishing to read. I couldn’t shake the feeling that some of the pages and texts seemed... Altered.

  There were words that didn’t quite fit, and some histories felt maniputed.

  And then, the familiar blue screen popped up again.

  [ To proceed to the Main Quest, A second Sub Quest has been created:

  Learn Aura. 0/1.

  Time Limit: 30 days

  (If the pyer does not complete the quest within the allotted time, there will be a penalty.)

  Accept or decline? (Penalty)

  Coundown: -]

  Staring at the blue screen was beginning to strain my eyes.

  Seeing these ‘sub quests’ was starting to become tiring, but then again… This quest. Will I be able to move on?

  I’ve been training for almost three months, to the point where my body and muscles are starting to break. At this point, I might go cray!

  When will you give me a break, apparatus?! I started to rant in my mind.

  As I calmed down, I walked over to the window. Staring at the orange sky made me realize that I had become comfortable living in this world. I stared back at the screen. But then, I reminded myself not to get attached to anyone.

  I’ll be leaving soon, after all.

  Well, that is, if I do find a way to get out of this pce…

  I let out a deep breath. Seeing the lights starting to turn on in each building was surprisingly stunning.

  The city, which had once seemed cold and indifferent, now came alive in the fading twilight.

  One by one, windows flickered to life.

  I stood there for a moment, captivated by the transformation, as though the buildings themselves were waking up.

  As I was about to head to my bed, a sudden, sharp ringing noise pierced through the quiet of the room, startling me.

  I staggered for a moment, my head spinning as the dizziness swept over me.

  The sound had come from nowhere, an eerie, high-pitched buzz that rattled my senses.

  My vision blurred, and for a second, I thought I might lose consciousness.

  But then, I felt my body crash into the cold floor.

  Just as I y there, a new blue screen popped up in front of me.

  [ Warning! Quest Log: unresolved sub quest. As the Persona has not chosen to accept or decline the sub quest within the countdown, there will be a PENALTY applied.

  Fatigue increase 68%]

  That was a thing?! When was there a countdown?

  I thought it was when the quest was supposed to begin.

  Shit.

  The words felt like they were suffocating me, and I felt my energy being drained away with every passing second.

  I started to feel all my strength draining, my body growing heavier by the second, and it felt like I was slipping toward unconsciousness.

  Damn apparatus! When will you give me time to breathe?!

  It promised to help me but it had done nothing but make things worse.

  I’ve been figuring everything out on my own, while this damn apparatus just watched me struggle.

  ‘Here to assist you,’ my ass!

  Just as my eyelids were about to shut, I heard a sudden, loud CREAK from the other side of the room.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  The sound echoed through the stillness, sharp and unnerving. And then… silence.

  Complete and utter silence.