shuhaige
Chapter 5 Desperate
'Huh? Dark Demon Forest? Isn't it something the forest next to this fort?' Noel frowned. 'What is Ancient Demon Tree? Is it alright for me to ask the commander about this? What if he becomes suspicious of me? After all, I'm supposed to be a person who knows nothing.'
'Even though the commander is related to the third prince whom my father trusted, I'm not in the situation where I can trust anyone easily. It's better if I figure this out first. If I meet a dead end, I can try asking.'
Noel scratched the back of his head and looked at the time limit. No matter what, he still had some time to practice.
'In that case, I shouldn't waste my time here. I need to become as strong as possible. Even if others witness my training, they will think it's my last struggle.' Noel shrugged and rose from his bed.
Since he needed to check this system's credibility, he decided to do one hundred push up.
Without hesitation, he laid down on his stomach and raised his body a bit.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three…"
Noel began his one hundred push up, but as one would expect from someone who never had physical training.
He couldn't even last for thirty push up.
"Ugh." Dropping to the ground, Noel let out a small groan. His body gradually warmed up and sweats started to appear.
Although he wanted to take a rest first, the memory of his father appeared in his mind again.
While clenching his teeth, he continued. "I'm not giving up. This is nothing!"
Each push up was tough. His arms felt the stabbing and burning pain. Yet, the determination in his eyes didn't fade away.
The pain he endured right now was for his future. If he couldn't even work hard, there was no way he could survive the harsh world.
50…
60…
70…
Even though it took him a minute just for ten push ups, he gradually made his progress to reach the 100th mark.
The sweat had covered all over his body and his exhaustion started to take over his body. He took off his shirt and threw it to his bed.
Even though his arms felt like it was going to fall off, he finished all the push ups.
After that, he fell to the ground, tired. His triceps were crying that when he raised his hands to check the system, they couldn't stop shaking.
However, his effort wasn't for naught.
Training: Push Up 100 times (Completed)Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.
Reward: Constitution +0.1%
The change in his body might not be apparent, but Noel was satisfied that there was an additional 'Completed' in the system. It meant the mysterious power from the sword was real.
If he continued doing this, he should be able to feel the change sooner or later to feel the system's power.
At the same time, he saw another one appearing.
Training: Push Up 200 times
Reward: Constitution +0.25%
'This is it. I can't do push up anymore for today, but If I continue training, I can get stronger.' A smile appeared on Noel's face as he kept panting. The completion of this mission simply increased his determination in completing the other tasks. He thought, 'That's right. I have a few trainings and missions left. My arms hurt, but I should be able to run for 10 km. I can use that chance to help five people as well in town while learning more about this fort.'
A bright idea appeared in Noel's head. After understanding how the system worked, he understood that he could kill two birds in one stone.
He rested his body for a few minutes and wiped out his sweat before going to the town.
His intention was clear. No one would suspect a desperate guy.
Still, as one would expect from a fallen noble who never trained his body, his stamina wasn't good.
He learned that the commander was pretty respectable figure as he had stopped the demons from destroying the fort for a few years. The town might have some problems, but they were not big enough to the point the town would be gloomy.
Although he could only help two townsfolk like helping them to find a lost item, he was pretty satisfied since the mission was completed.
The new mission even arrived like the push up mission.
Training: Running 20 Km
Reward: Stamina +0.25%
Because he needed to go to the barrack tomorrow, he decided to spend the rest of the days resting his body since it would be obvious he would experience muscle pain tomorrow.
Before sleeping, Noel looked at the white ceiling while muttering, "Father, Mother. I'll be fine. I promise you that I won't follow you soon because I still need to prove how wrong the royal family has treated us."
…
Commander's Room.
"He ran around the town and talked to the people." A middle-aged man reported what happened during the day to the commander.
"Hmm…" Oscar looked down while pinching the bridge of his nose.
His troubled face made the middle-aged man's heart skipped a beat, thinking he would receive a punishment for this report. He asked with a soft tone, "Is there something wrong, Commander?"
"No." Oscar shook his head helplessly. "As expected from a former noble… No, should I say from a fallen Ardagan?
"Unlike other nobles, Ardagan is more loved by their people. After all, their actions are so down to earth that their subjects will feel close to them. So, even if he was a noble, his action reflected that of Ardagan.
"Running around the town… It seemed he was desperate enough to do something that useless. It's not like anything will change with just a few days of training." Oscar let out a long sigh. "Anyway, since the kid wants to survive, I shall help him a bit.
"When he arrives at the barrack tomorrow, increase his training by threefolds… no, twofolds. He should be pretty tired today after all. As for his training, it'll be basic sword training and survival training. No matter what, muscles can't be built in just a few days, so it's better to train him in this area. Hopefully, this kid can survive."