Day 6

The system then slowly started giving him random tasks to perform.

[Quest: 300 Pushups—Reward: 200 EXP]

[Quest: Hit the sandbag 1000 times—Reward: 1 Strength Point]

Ryan cursed at the system every day but did the tasks provided to him anyway; eventually he was the only one who was getting rewarded by burning his soul down. His arms shook like hell, but he still did them. The system echoed in his mind, indicating the completion of the quest. For once, he felt like he wasn't the same weak kid anymore.

Day 7

Arthur increased the pace. Ryan ran five kilometers before even touching a glove. Then he sparred with Maya and two others back-to-back. His stamina held longer this time. He wasn't gasping anymore.

He started to enjoy the burn—like it was proof he was changing. At the end of the day, Arthur tossed him a towel.

"You're adapting faster than I thought," he said as he scanned Ryan.

Ryan looked up, surprised. "Was that… a compliment? Did you just give me a compliment!?"

Arthur smirked faintly. "Don't get used to it."

Day 8

By now, Ryan's body had adapted to all of this. His punches started to get faster, heavier, and sharper. The bags shook harder with every hit he performed.

Maya looked at him and whistled, complimenting him. "Damn, Ryan. You finally started to look dangerous."

"Finally," Ryan muttered under his breath, voice shaky. "I might even stop embarrassing myself in front of everyone soon."

Arthur watched him quietly, standing in the corner, arms crossed. "Tomorrow we test you; it's time for real sparring."

Day 9

The match was brutal. Arthur fought Ryan himself this time. Even going easy, Arthur's control and precision were terrifying. Ryan barely kept up, but he refused to fall.

Sweat poured down his face as he blocked, dodged, and countered—using every bit of skill he'd learned. When Arthur finally stopped, both were breathing hard.

Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're ready now; you can take on most of the members of the West High Crew."

Those words hit harder than any punch ever could.

Day 10

It finally was the last day of this hell. Ryan woke up before the sunrise and stretched a bit as he left his apartment for the early morning walk while fasting.

His body felt different—lighter, faster, and stronger than his past self. When he looked inside the mirror, his jawline had finally started to show, and his shoulders were now broader. The fat around his waist had melted away. He still wasn't in perfect condition, but he looked like someone who could fight.

[Stat Panel:]

[Strength—B+]

[Endurance — B-]

[Agility—B]

[Will Power—C+]

[Intelligence—C+]

He smiled faintly. "These ten days were completely utilized." He muttered under his breath as he looked at the stat window.

He thought that it finally was the end of the training—but the sudden pop-up of the system's text materialized in front of him.

[DING!]

[New Quest: Occupy the West High Crew's Side Headquarters]

[Objective: Defeat all enemies and claim the hideout.]

[Reward: Level-Up Pill]

Ryan froze, staring at the glowing blue text hovering in the air.

"What the fuck is this, System?" He muttered, rubbing his temple with his two fingers as he stared at the sudden quest. "You want me dead or what?"

[System Response: No, Host. This is for your growth. Real battle experience will accelerate stat improvement. Reward is significant.]

Ryan sighed. "You mean the same Level-Up Pill from day two?"

[System: Correct, Host. The same one.]

He stared at the notification for a while, then chuckled bitterly. "You really like throwing me into trouble, don't you?"

[System: I prefer the word 'training.']

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever you say, blue bastard."

The next day after the classes, Ryan walked alone through the streets. The sun was slowly setting down; the rays of the sun were painting everything in golden color. He wore a dark hoodie and a mask to cover his face; his hands were tucked inside his hoodie's pockets.

His destination arrived—the small gaming hub, which was the hideout and one of the businesses of the West High Crew. The location of this was given to him by Maya. The music inside the hub was loud; cigarette smoke had completely filled the inside.

When Ryan stepped inside, the room went quiet for a second. The guys were there—some were playing pool, some sitting on the couches. Most of them looked up towards him, eyeing him down like he didn't belong there.

One guy laughed as he came. "Yo. Who's this masked freak? Is this some kind of prank?"

Ryan didn't answer his question. He just stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.

Another guy stood up, grabbing his pool cue. "You lost, buddy? Need help with the directions or what?" He laughed.

Ryan's eyes flicked to him. "Nah," he said. "I'm right where I need to be."

Before the man could even react, Ryan stepped in front of him and threw a straight jab to his jaw. The man's face crashed into the glass table; the glass shattered as he fell onto the ground.

"Get him! This prick is here to cause some trouble," one of them shouted.

Eight guys then rushed at him; some had the pool cues in their hands, others were bare-handed. Ryan ducked under a swing as he countered it with a quick uppercut.

Then pivoted and kicked another one in the ribs. His training kicked in like second nature—Arthur's voice was echoing in his mind, and his teachings were clear in his mind.

Breathe. Step. Hit clean.

A pool cue slammed across his shoulder. Pain flared, but he spun and drove his elbow into the attacker's nose. Blood sprayed.

He punched, dodged, and blocked—his movements rough but fast. His arms burned, his ribs ached, but he didn't stop. One by one, they dropped. Some groaned, some crawled away.

Then the last guy came charging towards him with a stool in his hands. Ryan barely dodged it, grabbed him by his wrist, and twisted it—the stool crashed to the ground. Ryan's fist came in quick as it connected with the guy's face, sending him flying over the pool table.

Silence fell onto the room.

Only Ryan's breathing filled the room now—heavy, raw, alive.

He stood there, chest rising up and down, knuckles a bit bruised, mask half-torn. He'd won.

The System echoed in his mind again.

[DING!]

[Quest Complete: West High Crew's Side HQ Occupied.]

[Rewards Obtained: Level-Up Pill x1]

Ryan looked at the glowing message and exhaled, his lips curling into a shaky grin.

"Guess I'm not so weak anymore, huh?" He whispered under his breath.

He pocketed the pill, turned toward the door, and walked out into the night—the cool air hitting his sweat-soaked skin.

Behind him, the gaming hub lay in ruins, silent and empty.

The war had just begun.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.