Run 5 kilometers. Perform 100 pushups. 100 sit-ups. 100 squats. Sword training for 3 hours. Meditate for 1 hour.
I reread the tasks over and over again, hoping for some hidden option to popup. Some secret cheat code.
Nothing…..
The screen hovered coldly in front of me, like some bored overseer watching my disbelief.
"Are you serious right now?" I muttered.
Around me, the world of Eldrion sprawled like a painter's dream. Towering mountains, lush forests, and distant glowing spires hinted at the powerful civilization that existed here.
Other people passed by adventurers clad in enchanted armor, mages in flowing robes.
Their system screens floated beside them, flashing with skills like:
[Fireball Lv. 3]
[Sword Mastery Lv. 5]
[Healing Light Lv. 2]
[Inventory: 500 slots]
[Lightning Lv. 3]
I noticed some where flashing rare skills and classses.
[Sword mage Lv. 5]
[Robolight Lv. 9]
Meanwhile, mine just blinked:
[Foundation Protocol Active.]
[Daily Tasks Pending.]
This has to be a mistake… I mused.
I must have pulled the short straw in reincarnation.
Still, one thing was clear this was my new reality. Crying wouldn't change it.
I comforted myself.
Alright, let's start… small.
I stood up and took my first steps. My legs trembled like jelly. I was neither scrawny nor obesed despite my routine before my reincarnation.
Back in my old world, I couldn't walk across my apartment without running out of breath.
Now I was expected to run 5 kilometers. 'This has to be a joke' I thought.
One step at a time.
I stumbled forward, breathing heavily after barely half a kilometer. My lungs burned, my muscles protested. Sweat poured down my face as the sun bore down mercilessly and as if to mock my efforts, A system interface blinked in my front of my sweat soaked face.
[Distance Completed: 0.6 km]
"You've gotta be kidding me…" was the only word in my head seeing the message.
People passing by stared, some snickering.
"Look at that bottom feeder."
"Did his system curse him or something?"
"Poor guy no wonder he's stuck at Rank F." Said a guy who looks like a average arrogant noble kid.
Rank F? There's a ranking system too?
I glanced at my interface.
[Current Rank: F-]
[Class: None]
[Skills: None]
[Abilities: None]
I am literally at the bottom of the bottom.
My legs buckled before I even reached one kilometer. I collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air, my chest heaving.
[Failure Imminent: 4 km remaining.]
I won't make it at this rate… I thought.
That's when another message popped up:
[Assist Mode: Disabled.]
[Note: Foundation Protocol does not provide assistive enhancements.]
I laughed bitterly.
"So not even stamina boosts, huh? You're really committed to this whole 'earn it yourself' thing, huh?". I talked to no one in particular.
The system didn't reply. Of course it didn't. It wasn't the friendly AI kind it was more like a heartless drill sergeant.
For the rest of the day, I crawled through my tasks.
The pushups were brutal.
The sit-ups absolutely humiliating.
The sword practice are almost laughable.
I could barely hold the dull wooden training sword I had borrowed from a sympathetic merchant. My swings were weak, my grip shaky.
Meditation?
I passed out before even reaching five minutes.
When the sun set, my body was broken. My muscles screamed in agony, my breath came in ragged gasps, and my vision swam with exhaustion.
But just as I was about to surrender, the screen flashed:
[Daily Tasks Completed: 56%]
[Penalty Applied: Minor Attribute Decay (Stamina -0.1)]
[Foundation Note: Effort insufficient. Do better tomorrow.]
Even my system was disappointed in me.
That night, lying under the stars with nothing but sore muscles and crushed pride, a single thought gnawed at me:
How am I supposed to survive in a world like this?