Trials of the Multiverse

I anticipated the conclusion of the Tutorial, only to be surprised by a new quest prompt.

[New Quest!]

[Muscle SpeedRun]

[Description: It's both leg and body today!

Tasks To Complete:

Run(0/15km)

Push Ups(0/50)

Sit Ups(0/50)

Pull Ups(0/20)

Additional Conditions:

You need to complete this quest in 24 hours.

On Failure: Severe Muscle Loss

On Success: Level up(2), Food and water, rest, slight muscle gain]

Ah, the blatant imitation of the infamous Saitama Training! You know it doesn't really work unless you commit—

Yeah, yeah, I agree, but it's in the reward section. The System will magically fix any issues!

Well, it's a System novel, don't expect things to make sense. That's on you.

[23:59:59]

[23:59:58]

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How annoying can this be? I don't need a giant clock in front of me to fuel unnecessary anxiety.

But, gotta do it. I'm not letting that Muscle Loss happen.

And so, the hellish training regime began with a run.

---

Surprisingly, despite the seemingly daunting 15-kilometer run, it wasn't that bad in my opinion. Stamina recovery was cut off, but that didn't stop me from devising a simple schedule to tackle everything within a day.

Predictions faltered, as I never worked out in my life this seriously, but the margin of error was manageable.

After the marathon came the toughest part. Given that push-ups and tractions were both challenging, I opted to start with sit-ups.

'Lucky' for me, the area I was teleported to had everything I needed for training—a towel for comfort and a suitable bar for tractions...

---

After what felt like emerging from a nightmare, I completed the second cliché quest of the day, panting heavily.

Saitama, that guy, how did he do this every day?

[Muscle SpeedRun - Quest Complete!]

[You have leveled up]

[You have leveled up]

[Your body's muscle mass has increased by .5%. Your body fat has been cut by .5%]

[You have two hours to rest and recover]

Even though the System claimed my muscle mass increased and body fat decreased, I felt no discernible change within myself.

Well, better for me, I guess.

I'll still avoid the hellish pain that follows stuff like that, it seems.

I pushed those thoughts aside.

Finally, my sweaty body could get some rest.

Since I was teleported back to the "resort," I took a quick shower, ate some food, and promptly fell asleep on the bed.

---

I was woken up by an unpleasant stream of messages

[Your rest time has ended]

[Congratulations for having perfectly cleared the Tutorial stage]

[Rating: A]

[As per your Rating, you will be given a generous reward]

[You have leveled up] x5

[Your body's waste has been slightly cleansed. Your body's fat has been cut by 1%]

[You have acquired a [Skill ticket]]

[You have acquired a [Question ticket]]

[Skill Ticket]

[Description: You can request a skill of your choice to be put on sale for you to buy with skill points.

Tip: The grander the skill, the more you will have to pay. You cannot know the cost amount of the skill before using the ticket]

[Question Ticket]

[Description: You can ask something to the System.

Tip: 7 out of 10 replies are the truth.]

[The Sword recognized your dedication. The Talent [Sword] will level up]

With all these windows appearing here and there, coupled with the fact I just woke up, made it difficult for me to properly understand everything...

--

A few minutes later, I grasped everything as I looked right through the blue windows still hovering over me.

"You really must be a crafty one, System"

I said out loud. 

Honestly, I doubted the System even wanted you to actually clear these trials. With the veiled threat to destroy your path from the very beginning, coupled with these [Question Tickets] which would make the System spit something out for you, it felt like it was more forced to aid you while its real goal is to end you.

What part of its answers is a lie, which part is the truth? 

You'll be hooked on every word you read until your mental state starts to slowly collapse.

I could have used The Question Ticket given to me for many things. One of the smartest way to use it would be to cook up a skill to request a ticket for, then ask the System how much this would cost.

But I would never trust it.

"Use my Question Ticket. My Question is: Have I ever loved anyone in my life?"

I was staring at nothing in particular, waiting for an answer, which soon came.

[Answer: You did. You loved your mother, father, and sister. They were the only family you had, and you were the only family they had. You also caught feelings for a few girls in your past life, but these sentiments have never been strong enough to be categorized as love]

"You sure know a lot about me."

Things I never said to anyone, Things I wanted to keep in my grave. This trashy version of a Government knows it all. Then I wonder, how different am I from a mere puppet?

Why was I even given this chance anyway? What did the System, and "God", want from me in return?

These were questions I could never pose using that Question ticket, for I knew it would spin lies at every turn.

One thing I appreciated was the enforced fairness of the System, rewarding success with quests. It provided at least the illusion of independence from it.

Anyway. After wasting some time trying to ponder about stuff way too deep for Chapter 3, I sighed as I ignored it all. Right now, I had to think for my survival.

[Status: Healthy

Level: 8

Combat Prowess: Weakest

Skills: Cooking(Lv. 8), Slash(Lv. 1)

Talent: Sword(Lv.2)

You have 7 unused Skill Points]

Time for more training seemed unlikely. Although the Sword Talent level-up was welcome, it wasn't my current priority. To ensure survival, a sixth sense or something akin to it would be invaluable...

---

It appeared the System awaited my decision patiently. After some contemplation, I felt content as I submitted my ticket. In a matter of seconds...

[Skill Shop]

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[Adaptive Evasion] (New!)

[Adaptive Evasion]

[Description: Develops an instinctive ability to evade attacks based on basic combat patterns. This skill is designed to assist even those with limited combat knowledge to survive against strong opponents.]

[Effect: Increases the user's chances of evading incoming attacks by 10%. The skill analyzes the opponent's movements and adapts to basic attack patterns, aiding in instinctive dodging.]

[Limitations: The effectiveness of Adaptive Evasion is directly proportional to the user's combat prowess. It does not guarantee complete evasion and may not work against highly unpredictable or unorthodox attacks. Continuous usage of the skill may lead to mental fatigue.]

[Skill Point Cost: 3]

[Note: This skill aims to level the playing field for individuals with limited combat experience. It provides a fair advantage by enhancing the user's ability to read and respond to common attack patterns. However, it is not a foolproof defense and requires the user to actively engage in combat to refine their instincts.]

The irony lay in the fact that, being the "architect" of this skill, every detail I desired seamlessly integrated into it, resulting in the detailed explanations.

The cost was also acceptable, so I bought it.

"I'll allocate 2 Skill points in [Slash] and the remaining two in [Adaptive Evasion]"

With this, Slash now boasts a 15% increase in damage, and my chances of evading incoming attacks have risen to 20%. A commendable improvement, if not for the fact that it was proportional to my 'Weakest Combat Prowess'.

Nevertheless, my chances have risen, if only so little.

[The First Trial will begin in 15 minutes]

[00:14:59]

[00:14:58]

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It's time. Let's see how ridiculous this first trial will be.