Chapter 3: The Path of the Weak
The sky was a dull blend of amber and gray as the first light of dawn stretched across the hospital grounds. Birds chirped, insects stirred, and in the abandoned courtyard, a broken youth stood shirtless on cracked marble tiles.
His hands trembled.
Sweat poured down his face, soaking his tattered tunic, dripping steadily onto the worn floor. His muscles burned, his chest heaved, and every fiber of his being screamed in protest.
Yet, he persisted.
"...Ninety-eight," Lei Feng gasped, his arms shaking violently as he lowered himself again.
"...Ninety-nine..."
"...One hundred."
The moment he finished the final push-up, his body betrayed him. He collapsed onto the cold stone, limbs twitching, lungs gasping for air. A sharp, burning pain sliced through his muscles as he lay motionless, struggling to catch his breath.
[Quest Progress: Push-ups – Complete.]
A dim notification floated at the corner of his vision, but he ignored it. He had no strength left to celebrate.
"Sit-ups... still left," he muttered, his voice hoarse. With great effort, he rolled over. His abs tensed, a brutal reminder of his fragility.
He hooked his feet beneath a fallen stone pillar, clenched his jaw, and forced himself to begin.
One.
Two.
Three.
The agony came at once, but he pushed forward. By the time he reached sixty, his vision blurred. A stabbing pain shot through his gut. Sweat stung his eyes. His fingers dug into the ground, desperate for stability as his whole body trembled.
His thoughts flickered.
Should I stop?
No. The thought vanished before it could take root.
He gritted his teeth, pushing through the final forty.
[Quest Progress: Sit-ups – Complete.]
This time, he didn't collapse. He refused to. With a stagger, he rose to his feet and forced himself into a sprint.
Each step pounded through his bones.
Each stride was a battle of will.
Each breath was a snarl, teeth clenched, vision swimming.
By the ninth lap, his legs felt like lead.
By the tenth, he could barely lift them.
But he finished.
The moment he crossed beneath the cracked archway, the system chimed once more.
[Daily Quest – Day One Completed: "First Step to Strength"]
Reward: +1 Strength, +1 Agility
A pulse of warmth surged through his body.
It wasn't dramatic—no blinding light, no sudden explosion of power—but he felt it. His heart thudded a little stronger. His balance steadied. His vision sharpened, even if just a fraction.
"...System's stingy as hell," he muttered, collapsing onto a stone bench, his face turned to the sky. "One point each? I almost puked blood for that."
Despite the exhaustion, a flicker of satisfaction burned within him. The progress, though small, was real.
Step by step.
Pain by pain.
He would rise.
---
"You're awake early, Young Master Chen."
The voice was calm, yet firm.
Lei Feng turned, breath still ragged.
A middle-aged man with black-and-white streaks in his hair, dressed in pristine white robes, stood at the edge of the courtyard, his hands folded behind his back. Though his face remained expressionless, concern lingered in his sharp gaze.
Doctor Ryan Lee.
"I expected you to rest for another day. The aftereffects of memory erosion are not kind to the soul."
Lei Feng exhaled slowly, straightening despite the pain. "Rest won't make me stronger."
Ryan's brow furrowed as he stepped closer, eyes sweeping over Lei Feng's battered form—bruises on his ribs, blood staining his nails, and muscles trembling even now.
"You'll tear your body apart if you keep pushing this recklessly," Ryan warned.
"I have to," Lei Feng replied quietly, his voice like steel.
Ryan sighed, shaking his head. "I won't stop you. But I will report this."
Lei Feng tensed. "To who?"
Ryan's lips curled into a thin smile. "Ling Mei. She asked me to check on you this morning. I'll tell her what I saw… that you're doing well and... have changed."
Lei Feng's eyes darkened. "...Tell her nothing. Or lie, if you must."
Ryan chuckled softly. "You've never been good at lying, Young Master. But you're certainly better at hiding now."
With that, the doctor turned and disappeared, his figure fading into the soft mist creeping over the courtyard stones.
---
Alone once more, Lei Feng stared down at his palm.
What he lacked was strength. But he had something greater.
Resolve.
And resolve... was the foundation of gods.
---
Every morning, before the sun rose, Lei Feng trained.
His body screamed for rest. His wounds reopened. His muscles burned until they felt like they would snap.
But he didn't stop.
The stronger he got, the more the system increased his daily tasks.
At first, it was:
• 100 push-ups
• 100 sit-ups
• 10 laps
Then it became:
• 200 push-ups
• 200 sit-ups
• 20 laps
And then 300... 400...
By the end of the week, the numbers were monstrous.
---
One Day...
The courtyard echoed with pain and determination.
Lei Feng's breath was ragged. His body, covered in sweat and bruises, moved in relentless, mechanical motion.
> 500 push-ups
500 sit-ups
50 laps
His hands trembled. His lungs burned. His legs screamed.
But his mind was sharper than ever.
Pain was an illusion.
Weakness was temporary.
Each repetition burned away the past—the wasted years, the regret, the failure.
Memories flickered in his mind.
Masaru's smirk.
Ling Chen's battered form.
The scorn in his enemies' voices.
The silence of his so-called "family."
This world had given him a second chance.
He refused to waste it.
With one last exhale, Lei Feng dropped to his knees, gasping for air as a soft chime echoed in his ears.
[Daily Quest: "First Step to Strength"] Completed.
[Duration: 10/10 Days]
━━『 OmniClass God System Interface 』━━━
[Status Panel]
Name: Lei Feng
Level: Awakener Lv. 1 (Magic Initiate)
Talent Rank: ???
Mana Core: ??? (Special)
Class: None
Elemental Affinity: None
EXP: 0/100 (Next Level)
HP: 100/100
MP: 50/50
[Attributes]
Strength: 12
Agility: 6
Endurance: 8
Intelligence: 2
He clenched his fists.
"Hmm... my level hasn't increased, but I'm a lot stronger than before."
Then, another notification appeared.
---
[New Quest Unlocked: "True Path to Strength"]
> Objective: Reach level 10 and obtain a Magic Class.
Time Limit: 10 days
Reward: Longsword (Bronze Rank)
Penalty: -5 to Strength, Agility, and Endurance
---
Lei Feng lay back against the cold stone, panting.
His body had adapted to the system's brutal training.
But this was different.
This was no longer a simple grind.
To reach level 10, he needed EXP.
And EXP meant combat.
"...I have to kill beasts to level up."
He sat up, eyes narrowing as realization hit him.
"...But where the hell am I supposed to find them while trapped in a hospital?"
[Figure it out yourself.]
> Time Limit: 58sec / 59min / 23hrs / 9 days remaining.
Lei Feng exhaled sharply.
The path of the weak was over.
Now, the true battle began.