I finished the second daily quest and the sky was already dark and quiet.
I lay on the grass outside our house, staring at the stars while catching my breath.
My whole body felt weird.
Not painful… but different.
Stronger..Lighter..Like my muscles were brand-new.
The System's reward worked instantly.
But I didn't feel happy.
I felt… scared.
"What are you turning me into…?" I whispered.
As if the screen could hear me, another window popped up.
[Notice]
Healing Magic cannot be used on yourself, starting the next quest. This condition cannot be changed.
I sat up fast.
"What?! Why!?"
I held out my hand and tried to cast a small healing spell.
My palms glowed faint silver for a moment…then the light flickered and died out.
A cold numbness spread through my fingers.
"No way… I can't heal myself anymore?"
I tried again. Nothing. Not even a spark.
My heart sank.
I was a B-rank healer.
Healing was the only thing I was good at.
And now I couldn't even fix a scratch on my own body?
I groaned and fell back onto the grass.
"Great. Just great. So I almost died, came back confused, and now I can't even heal a papercut…"
The system didn't respond.
It never did unless it wanted something.
I slowly got up and walked back into the house. Grandma was asleep.
I washed my face quietly and went to my room.
My reflection in the mirror bothered me.
My eyes looked slightly different. Maybe due to the quests? I don't know. I touched my cheek. I looked tough.
"Why do I look like I survived a war?" I muttered.
Maybe I did.
The next day, the System woke me up at 6 AM with another loud ding!
[Daily Quest: First Training]
– 20 Push-Ups
– 20 Sit-Ups
– 1 km Run]
Refusal = punishment.
"Again?! You've got to be kidding me…"
I rolled out of bed dramatically and forced myself outside. Grandma peeked out of her window and shouted,
"Sojeen! Why are you running around at dawn?!"
"I-uh-exercise?"
"Exercise? You look tired!"
"I'm not Grandma. I'll see you later."
I did the push-ups.Sit-ups and the run.
It was a little easier than yesterday, and now I felt everything, my whole body was aching. I collapsed on the grass again, wheezing. The system was freaking real.
[Quest Cleared]
[Reward: +3 Strength, +2 Agility]
My healing spell still didn't work on me.
Was this the system's rule?
I walked back inside, avoiding the mirror this time.
No matter how much stronger my body got, my heart still felt heavy.
I still missed Jinwoo. I still felt guilty.
The system never stopped.
Every day, the quest popped up.
[Daily Quest: First Training]
Push-ups
Sit-ups
Running
Stretching
Refusal = punishment.
At first I thought, "Okay… this is like exercise. I can do this."
BI was wrong. The quests got harder every single day.
10 push-ups turned into 20.
20 turned into 50.
1 kilometer turned into 2.
2 turned into 3.
And then when I woke up the next day, a large sword was already by my room's door. It was a claymore and I knew it was heavy
[Daily Quest: Additional Training]
[Carry the sword while running
Swing it 10 times.
Refusal will lead to punishment]
Really? A healer with claymore!? Nevertheless, I did what the system wanted.
My legs felt like jelly.
My arms felt powerless. I couldn't lift anymore.
My lungs burned and my muscles screamed.
Even after the "reward," my body still hurts. No healing is not a joke. I'll keep it in my mind.
[Reward: +3 Strength, +2 Agility]
I didn't magically recover.
My muscles still trembled. My bones still ached. My shoulders still burned.
I was supposed to feel lighter.
Stronger. Fresh. But instead, I felt pain. A lot of it every single day.
On the fifth day, I collapsed on the ground after finishing my run.
My throat felt like sandpaper. My head felt like it would explode.
"Seriously… why do I still feel like trash?" I groaned into the dirt.
The System didn't answer.
Of course it didn't.
But something else showed up.
[Pain Resistance: +1]
[Pain Tolerance: +1]
[Body Conditioning: Active]
[Message]
[You must feel pain to grow.]
My heart dropped.
"…What kind of message is THAT?!"
I wasn't imagining it.
I wasn't weak.
The System was PURPOSELY letting me feel pain.
It wanted my body to get used to the stress, exhaustion, suffering, injury, pressure and endurance.
Why?
Why not heal me like normal healers?
Why not let my body regenerate?
Why did it feel like the System was training me for something?
I wiped the sweat off my forehead and groaned as I pushed myself up.
"I hate this. I hate this so much."
But the truth?
A small part of me understood.
If my body stayed weak…If I stayed soft…If I stayed fragile…I'd die again.
And maybe this time, I wouldn't come back.
The quests kept getting worse the following weeks.
One night:
[New Quest: 5 km Run]
[Refusal = punishment.]
I stared at the screen with betrayal in my eyes.
"FIVE kilometers!?? Are you INSANE!?"
But I still put on my shoes. Punishment scared me more.
I ran. I stumbled. I almost vomited twice.
My legs went numb around kilometer three.My vision blurred around kilometer four. By kilometer five, I was dragging myself more than actually running. The sword on my back was adding more weight for me but I have to push.
When the screen finally said:
[Quest Cleared.]
I collapsed on the road, panting like I was dying all over again.
[Reward: +4 Strength, +4 Agility, +2 Stamina]
I was still hurting, exhausted and still barely breathing.
After two weeks of quests, I realized something horrifying:
The System didn't want to heal me.
It wanted to break me and rebuild me.
Piece by piece. Bone by bone. Muscle by muscle..Emotion by emotion..And my healing magic still didn't work on myself.
Even when I twisted my ankle, I tried to heal it.and the magic refused..Completely refused.
"I'm a healer who can't heal herself… great…" I muttered bitterly.
My fingers trembled as I grabbed my ankle.
I had to heal it the old-fashioned way:
wrapping, resting, pain and time
The System didn't help.even a little.
Every night, I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling.
My body is screaming.
My legs are shaking.
My arms are sore.
My heart is heavy.
And I wondered:
Why me? Why this system? Why pain instead of healing? Why am I alive at all?
There was no answer.