Chapter 6: Chapter 5: the system quest
Chapter 5: the system quest
Jerry slowly woke up from his deep sleep as the sunlight shown on his face through his window, His body felt heavy, and his mind was a little foggy, but the phantom burning sensation that he was feeling on his palm made him fully awake, He lifted his hand to inspect the fang shaped mark, it was now very faint but still etched into his palm.
As he continued staring his hand suddenly it then hit him.
A loud ding echoed in his mind it sounded sharp and metallic, like the ringing of a bell, Jerry's s eyes widened as he saw blue text appearing midair, it was glowing faintly.
[Welcome, Host!!]
[Daily Quests Initiated.]
Jerry groaned and rubbed his temples, "Not this again." he said, felling slightly frustrated.
He tried looking to a different direction, but the text kept on following his line of sight as if it were glued to his retina, He had tried looking away several times, but the system refuses to budge.
[Today's Quests: Pending Completion.]
Jerry squinted his eyes at the list.
[Quest 1: Run or walk 1 kilometer – 0/1 completed.]
[Quest 2: Perform 20 push-ups – 0/20 Completed.]
[Quest 3: Lift a total of 50 pounds (22.68 kg) – 0/50 Completed.]
[Completion Reward: +10 Exp and 1 Skill Point.]
[Failure to complete all tasks will result in penalties. Penalties remain hidden.]
"Seriously?" Jerry muttered. "What kind of creepy fitness app is this?"
[Tasks must be completed before 12:00 AM, time remaining: 17:47:32.]
Jerry made a deep sigh and flopped back into his bed, "Great, As if my life wasn't already complicated," he thought
Jerry got up and headed to the bathroom while being half-asleep, the sound of his bare feet slapping against the cold tiles could be heard, while in the bathroom the mirror above the sink reflected his disheveled hair and his tired eyes, He turned on the faucet and splash some cold water on his sleepy face, The cold sting from the water helped chase away the lingering grogginess.
For a brief moment, he stared at his reflection in the mirror while trying to make sense of everything, The crash, the pendant, the glowing mark on his hand, and now this system, It all felt like an awkward dream he couldn't wake up from.
He suddenly hears the sound of his dad's voice, which had snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Jerry! Breakfast's on the table!"
"Coming!" Jerry replied while grabbing a towel to dry up his face.
When Jerry stepped into the kitchen, the smell of scrambled eggs and toast filled the air, His dad was at the counter sipping coffee and reading a newspaper.
"Good morning, dad," Jerry mumbled and slides into a chair.
Harrison blade Jerry's dad glanced up at him "Morning, You look as if you didn't sleep much," he said.
Jerry shrugged, "Just… had a weird dream, I guess."
"Must've been some dream," his dad said while smirking, "Eat up, You've got school."
Jerry grabbed a piece of toast and a bit into it, savoring the buttery crunch.
[Reminder: Quest 1 – Run or walk 1 kilometer. Progress: 0/1 completed.]
The text hovered at the edge of his vision, Jerry frowned and took another bite of toast, "Can you not?" he muttered under his breath.
His dad raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"Nothing," Jerry quickly said while shoving the rest of the toast into his mouth.
---
The morning air was a bit chill and carried the faint scent of dew and freshly cut grass, Jerry adjusted his backpack and glanced down the street as he waited for Tim.
Tim arrived a few minutes later, his usual grin plastered across his face, "Ready to face another day of teenager madness?" Tim said with a playful smile.
"Sure," Jerry said while falling into step beside him.
Tim eyed him suspiciously,"You seem… off, What's going on?"
"Nothing," Jerry lied and kicked a loose pebble along the sidewalk.
Tim wasn't convinced, "Come on, you can't fool me, Is it about the party? Or… wait, did you finally confess your undying love for Erin Moore and get rejected?"
Jerry snorted, "No, and definitely no, besides you're the one who's crushing on her."
They walked in comfortable silence for a while, the sound of their footsteps mixing with the distant hum of traffic, Jerry couldn't shake the feeling that the system was watching him or analyzing him.
[Quest 1: Progress – 0.2/1 kilometer completed.]
"What's with the power-walking?" Tim asked while glancing at Jerry's quickened pace.
"No reason," Jerry said while also trying to sound casual.
Tim narrowed his eyes, "Are you training for the Olympics or something?"
"Maybe," Jerry said with a smirk.
Tim laughed and sarcastic said, "Well, I hope your event involves avoiding gym class because you're undefeated in that."
Jerry chuckled, he felt grateful for the distraction.
[Quest 1: Progress – 0.5/1 kilometer completed.]
---
At School
The school day started like any other, with Jerry slumping into his desk as Mrs. Tricia droned on about algebra, Tim sat beside him and was doodling in his notebook.
Jerry tried to focus, but the system wouldn't leave him alone.
[Quest 1: Progress – 0.9/1 kilometer completed.]
"Stop it," Jerry whispered under his breath feeling annoyed.
Tim nudged him, "Are you okay?"
Jerry nodded quickly. "Yeah, just… thinking."
Tim gave him a knowing look, "About Erin?"
"No!, you're so annoying" Jerry hissed with his cheeks flushing.
"Sure," Tim said, grinning.
[Quest 1: Complete! 1/3 tasks completed.]
Jerry exhaled feeling a bit relieved, At least that was done, But before he could relax, the next notification appeared.
[Quest 2: Perform 20 push-ups – 0/20 Completed.]
Jerry groaned softly, this drew a curious glance from Tim.
"Seriously, what's up with you?" Tim whispered.
"Nothing," Jerry said while scribbling aimlessly in his notebook.
---
Lunch Break
The cafeteria was filled with chatter and laughter, Jerry was sitting opposite Tim, and was picking at his food while Tim rambled on about the latest video game he was obsessed with.
"So then I told the guy, 'You can't just camp in one spot the whole match!' And you know what he said?" Tim asked with his voice rising with excitement.
Jerry shook his head, "What?"
Tim leaned forward. "He said, 'It's a legitimate strategy.' Can you believe that?"
Jerry smiled, "Sounds like you got outplayed."
Tim gasped dramatically, "Et Tu, Jerry?"
Jerry laughed, but his thoughts were somewhere else, He still had two more quests from the system that he had to complete and the looming threat of an unknown penalty made his stomach twist, but he was sure what was going to happen, so far, it felt like some kind of workout app.
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