The sun had just dipped below the horizon.
In the backyard of a quiet cottage near the base of a mountain mine, a boy in sweat-drenched rags struggled to complete his final set of pushups. His body trembled beneath the weight of his own limbs, and the added resistance of his full training gear.
Black weight-vest. Wrist and ankle bands. Muscles torn. Mind nearly broken.
This was Lemonk, locked in a brutal race against time, his body running on sheer will alone.
Earlier that day…
After opening the training trunk, Lemonk had been inspecting the gear when the air shifted.
He froze.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up.
Then came the sound.
"Hehehehehe~"
A chill ran through his spine.
[Ding!]New Quest Received: [Let's Become a Stronger Ant]
Lemonk didn't even open it. "Nope. Cancel. Immediately."
"You didn't even read it!" the system gasped. "How dare you disrespect my beautiful programming?"
"You're not slick. I feel the sadism radiating off this one."
"Sniff sniff… My host doesn't appreciate my hard work…"
"Not falling for it."
"Tch. Fine. Just open it, will you? I swear it's helpful. You want to be stronger than an ant, right?"
"I am a human. Five-foot-four. Bipedal. Not an insect."
"In your world of monsters and living legends? You're nothing but a less impressive ant."
"…You're the worst."
"And yet, here I am. Saving your life one nightmare at a time."
Sighing, Lemonk finally opened the quest screen.
[Quest: Let's Become a Stronger Ant]Duration: 31 Days – Repeating Daily
• 100 Pushups• 100 Pull-ups• 100 Situps• 100 Crunches• 11km Run• 100 Dumbbell Curls (per arm)Condition: Must wear full Training Suit throughout.
Failure Penalty: 100 Electric ShocksReward: Stat Increase over time
Lemonk's face didn't flinch.
"…Cancel."
"You'll be locked out of all quests for 32 days."
"Please. Have mercy. I just finished my last hell-arc."
"It's either suffer now… or be crushed later."
The decision wasn't easy.
But it was clear.
Lemonk accepted the quest—and sealed his fate.
Present time…
It was 6:30 PM.
He had just 90 minutes left.
Earlier that morning, he had tried to run the 11km through the forest trail.
By 5km in, he checked his progress.
2.1km.
"What?! I've run 5—"
"Your form is trash!" the system roared. "Unbalanced leg force. No rhythm. You're skipping! You call that running?! Even toddlers have better form!"
"…You're joking."
"I should make you crawl, you kinetic disaster."
Lemonk had tried to argue. but the system was already retaliating.
"If your form drops, your progress will bleed. Fail to finish before 8 PM? Enjoy your shocks. And if you pause during a set, your counter starts going backwards."
Beep.2.1km → 2.09km
"…Nope nope nope. running now!"
He pushed himself to complete 16km in total before he finally heard:
[Ding!] – Run Complete
He stumbled back to his cottage around 2:15 PM, barely able to stand.
No rest.
Next: Pull-ups.
He chose the tree in his backyard and gritted his teeth.
First 30. clean.
Next 20. sloppy.
By 50, his arms were trembling. He paused for 30 seconds.
Beep.Progress: -15 Pullups
"…You sadistic freak."
He didn't stop. Didn't yell. Just endured.
By 4:00 PM, he heard:
[Ding!] – Pull-ups Complete
He fell to the ground, chest heaving.
15-minute break.
Water. Breathing. Burning lungs.
Then: Crunches.
First 50 went fine.
After that? Every crunch stabbed his core like fire. It took him an hour to finish. He couldn't even sit up afterward.
Just lay there.
20 minutes.
Then: Sit-ups.
He got to 73 before his legs screamed. Somehow, he powered through to 100.
His thighs gave out. He collapsed again.
Still, he stood up.
One more task.
The final boss.
Pushups.
It was 6:30 PM.
Just 90 minutes left.
He got into position—body shaking, muscles torn.
Went down once.
Tried to push up,
Thud.
His arms gave in. Face hit dirt.
But he didn't cry. He didn't complain.
He got up again.
And again.
And again.
His blood was pumping fire. His muscles had nothing left. He was burning fat just to survive, his body scavenging for ATP like a starving animal.
But he didn't stop.
Because he'd rather die doing pushups than be shocked to death by that cackling maniac in his head.
And then—
[Ding!] – Pushups CompleteTime Remaining: 00:00:10
Lemonk collapsed.
Not in pain.
Not in rage.
Just emptiness.
His consciousness flickered like a dying flame.
Then, darkness.