Takeshi woke up to blue light flooding his vision.
What the hell—
A translucent window hovered right in front of his face, like something straight out of those web novels he used to binge-read during his darkest days. But this wasn't fiction. This was real, and it was happening to him.
[SYSTEM UPDATE - NEW QUESTS AVAILABLE]
CURRENT ACTIVE QUESTS:
Run 20 miles daily without breaks for 30 days (0/30 completed)
Don't miss a single training session for 30 days (0/30 completed)
[HIDDEN QUEST - Requirements not yet met]
CURRENT RANKING SYSTEM:
Starter (F, E, D, C, B, A, S)
Amateur (F, E, D, C, B, A, S)
Semi-Pro (F, E, D, C, B, A, S)
Pro (F, E, D, C, B, A, S)
World Class (F, E, D, C, B, A, S)
Legend (F, E, D, C, B, A, S)
Current Status: Starter Rank B
Progress to Starter Rank A: 15%
Twenty miles? TWENTY MILES?
Takeshi sat up in bed, staring at the floating text with a mixture of excitement and absolute terror. Twenty miles was a marathon distance. For an eight-year-old kid, it was basically impossible.
This system is completely insane.
But then again, so was getting a second chance at life.
"No shortcuts this time," he whispered to himself, clenching his small fists. "I'll earn it hour by hour, mile by mile."
The first week nearly killed him.
Day 1 - Monday
4:30 AM. The alarm clock felt like a personal enemy.
Takeshi rolled out of bed, his body screaming in protest. Every muscle ached from yesterday's celebration, but that didn't matter. He had twenty miles to run before school started.
He slipped out of the house like a ghost, leaving a note for his parents: "Gone for morning run. Back for breakfast. - T"
The streets of Tokyo were eerily quiet at this hour. Just him, the occasional taxi, and the weight of impossible expectations.
One mile down. Nineteen to go.
By mile five, his legs felt like jelly. By mile ten, he was questioning his sanity. By mile fifteen, he was running on pure stubbornness and the memory of dying alone in a dingy apartment.
[QUEST PROGRESS: Run 20 miles daily - 1/30 completed]
[Skill gained: Basic Endurance Level 1]
[Starter Rank B progress: 18%]
The system notifications popped up just as he stumbled through the front door, sweaty and exhausted but weirdly proud.
"Takeshi?" His mom appeared in the kitchen doorway, concern written all over her face. "Why are you all sweaty? It's not even 7 AM."
"Just went for a run, Mom. I'm fine."
She studied his face for a long moment. "Honey, you don't need to push yourself so hard. You're only eight."
If only you knew I'm actually thirty-four and this is my last shot at not screwing everything up.
"I know, Mom. I just want to get better."
Day 2 - Tuesday
The second day was worse than the first. His legs had turned into concrete overnight, and every step felt like torture.
But he ran anyway.
At school, his friends noticed something was different.
"Takeshi-kun, you look tired," said Yuki Tanaka, a girl from his class who always shared her snacks. In his previous life, he'd barely remembered her name. Now, looking at her concerned face, he felt a pang of guilt for all the people he'd overlooked the first time around.
"I'm fine, Yuki-chan. Just training hard."
"Training for what? You're already the best player on the team."
Training to not waste my second chance. Training to not become a drunk failure who dies alone.
"Just... want to get better."
His teacher, Mrs. Watanabe, kept him after class.
"Takeshi, your performance in school has been... distracted lately. Are you getting enough sleep?"
He wanted to laugh. Sleep? What was sleep when you had twenty miles to run every day?
"I'm fine, sensei. Just focused on football."
She frowned but let him go.
Day 3 - Wednesday
The third day was when the magic started happening.
Around mile twelve, something clicked. His breathing steadied. His stride found a rhythm. For the first time since starting this insane quest, running didn't feel like torture.
[Skill upgrade: Basic Endurance Level 1 → Level 2]
[New skill unlocked: Runner's High Level 1]
[Starter Rank B progress: 25%]
At football practice, Coach Tanaka pulled him aside.
"Whatever you're doing differently, keep it up. Your stamina during drills is incredible."
Takeshi nodded, not mentioning the twenty-mile runs. How could he? No one would believe an eight-year-old was doing that kind of training.
But his teammates noticed.
"Oi, Takeshi," called out Kenji, one of the older boys. "Why are you so serious all the time now? You used to be fun."
Fun? I used to be a drunk.
"Just want to improve."
"Improve what? You already scored four goals last match. Stop being such a try-hard."
The words stung more than they should have. In his previous life, he'd been called worse things. But something about hearing it from kids—kids who should have been his friends—hit different.
Hiroshi jogged over, sensing tension. "Leave him alone, Kenji. There's nothing wrong with working hard."
God, I love this kid. Why did I ever push him away?
Day 4 - Thursday
The fourth day brought rain, but Takeshi ran anyway. Twenty miles in the pouring rain, his eight-year-old body pushed to its absolute limits.
[Weather resistance gained]
[Mental fortitude +1]
[Starter Rank B progress: 32%]
At lunch, he sat with his usual group of friends, but the conversation felt hollow. They talked about video games and anime, stuff that had seemed important when he was actually eight. Now, with the weight of a failed life on his shoulders, it felt like noise.
"Earth to Takeshi," laughed Sato, another classmate. "We're talking about the new Dragon Ball episode. You spacing out?"
"Sorry, just thinking about training."
"You're obsessed, man. It's weird."
Obsessed? Try desperately. Try is terrified of failing again.
The loneliness was the hardest part. Having all this knowledge, all these memories, trapped inside a kid's body with no one to share it with. The system was his only companion that understood what he was going through.
Day 5 - Friday
By the fifth day, something incredible happened. The twenty miles didn't feel impossible anymore. Hard? Hell yes. But not impossible.
[Major milestone reached: 5 consecutive days completed]
[Bonus reward: Determination Level 1]
[Starter Rank B progress: 45%]
At practice, he dominated every drill. His endurance was off the charts compared to the other kids. He could run full sprint for the entire session while others were gasping for air.
"Yamamoto," Coach Tanaka called after practice. "I want to talk to you."
Here we go.
"Son, I've been coaching for twenty years, and I've never seen improvement like this. What's your secret?"
I'm a thirty-four-year-old man in a kid's body with a magical leveling system, trying to fix the biggest mistake of my life.
"Just training hard, Coach."
"This hard? At your age?" He looked concerned. "Are you sure your parents are okay with this level of intensity?"
Takeshi nodded, even though his parents had no idea about the twenty-mile runs. They thought he was just doing light morning jogs.
"Just promise me something," Coach said. "Don't burn yourself out. Talent like yours needs to be nurtured, not destroyed."
Too late for that lesson, Coach. Already burned out once. Not happening again.
Day 6 - Saturday
Saturday brought a different challenge: a full day without school to structure his time.
Twenty miles at dawn, then solo practice at the local park. Ball work, shooting drills, tactical positioning exercises that his adult mind remembered but his young body struggled to execute.
[Skill gained: Solo Training Efficiency Level 1]
[Technical stats +0.3]
[Starter Rank B progress: 58%]
A group of older kids showed up at the park around noon.
"Hey, look, it's the little try-hard," one of them sneered. "Think you're special because you scored some goals?"
In his previous life, this kind of confrontation would have either made him cocky or crushed his confidence, depending on his mood. Now? Now he just felt tired.
"Just training," he said quietly, continuing his drills.
"We're talking to you, kid."
The leader, maybe thirteen or fourteen, kicked his ball away. In that moment, Takeshi felt his adult rage surge through his child's body.
These kids have no idea what real pressure feels like. What real failure looks like.
But he didn't fight. Instead, he walked to get his ball, came back, and continued training.
"Ignore us all you want," the kid called. "But remember, talent without attitude gets you nowhere."
No, kid. Talent without discipline gets you nowhere. Talent without humility gets you nowhere. I should know.
Day 7 - Sunday
The seventh day was when everything clicked.
Mile fifteen came and went without the usual wall of exhaustion. Mile eighteen felt almost easy. By mile twenty, Takeshi was flying.
[MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH: Endurance threshold exceeded]
[Skill evolution: Basic Endurance Level 2 → Intermediate Endurance Level 1]
[Starter Rank B progress: 78%]
That afternoon, he played pickup football with neighborhood kids. The difference was night and day. While they got tired after twenty minutes, he was still fresh after two hours.
"How do you never get tired?" asked a younger kid, maybe six years old.
Because I'm running twenty miles every morning while you're sleeping.
"Just lucky, I guess."
As the sun set on his first week, Takeshi lay in bed staring at his progress.
[Week 1 Summary]
Quests completed: 7/30 daily runs, 7/30 training sessions
Current rank: Starter B (78% progress to Starter A)
Skills gained: 6
Overall improvement: Significant
He was close. So close to reaching Starter A rank. But more importantly, he was proving to himself that this time would be different.
The system chimed softly:
[HIDDEN QUEST requirements almost met...]
[Continue current progress to unlock...]
What could the hidden quest be? Takeshi wondered as sleep finally took him.
Tomorrow would bring mile 141 of his journey. Day 8 of his second chance.
And he'd be ready for whatever came next.
No shortcuts. No excuses. Just the grind.
This time, I'll earn every single step.