The next morning started with Sayuri yelling again — which, by Takamine household standards, meant everything was perfectly normal.
"AYAME, THE TOAST IS BURNING AGAIN!"
"I KNOW!"
"THEN TURN IT OFF!"
"IT'S FINE, I LIKE IT CRISPY!"
"IT'S ON FIRE!"
Meanwhile, I sat at the table, unmoving, staring at the empty air in front of me where glowing blue letters floated silently.
[Daily Mission (23:59 left):
Do 100 push-ups 0/100
Do 100 sit-ups 0/100
Do 100 squats 0/100
Run 10 km 0/10
Reward: +1 Stat Point
Penalty: ???]
The screen shimmered faintly, like a hologram only I could see.
I sighed, poking at my eggs. "So… you're back."
Sayuri, my twin sister but undisputed commander of the house, glanced at me.
"Back? What's back? Don't tell me you're getting sick again."
I smiled weakly. "Something like that."
She frowned, hands on hips — that terrifying mix of "I care about you" and "I'll kill you if you slack off.""Don't overwork yourself, Rin. You're pale again."
"Got it, mom number two."
"Don't call me that."
Ayame snickered from across the table, crumbs all over her face. "He's right though, Sayu. You act like one."
Sayuri crossed her arms, glaring. "At least one of us acts like an adult."
Ayame puffed her cheeks. "Hey!"
I quietly sipped my juice, smiling at their usual bickering. It was weirdly comforting — like background music in a slice-of-life anime. But the glowing blue text above the table was a constant reminder: my life was not normal anymore.
After school, the sky was a warm orange, and I could hear cicadas screaming their eternal battle cry as I walked home.
The mission timer blinked softly at the edge of my vision.
[18:42 remaining.]
I took a deep breath, dropped my bag inside the house, and rolled up my sleeves.
"All right," I muttered. "Let's do this."
Push-ups first.
One… two… twenty… fifty…
By seventy, my arms were on fire.
By ninety, I could barely breathe.
And yet, when I hit one hundred — instead of relief — I had a doubt, what if I did more? and so I did one more.
[Do 100 push-ups 101/100]
I blinked, panting. "So… I really can go over?"
The glowing text pulsed faintly, as if taunting me.
I stared at it for a long moment. Then I grinned.
"Oh, you shouldn't have told me."
I dropped back down and started again.
Every rep hurt, but the thought that I was pushing past some invisible ceiling made it worth it.
Next came sit-ups. Then squats. Then — the part I dreaded most — the run.
By the time I was outside, night had fallen. Streetlights buzzed overhead, the air smelled like rain, and the world felt strangely quiet.
My legs screamed at me to stop, but I kept going.
Step after step, breath after breath, until the city lights blurred into ribbons of color.
By the time I dragged myself home, I was drenched in sweat, lungs burning. I fell to my knees in the backyard, staring at the system window as it blinked open again.
[Mission Complete – Extended Effort Recorded.][Reward: +2 Stat Points.][Title Unlocked – "Hardheaded."]
I couldn't help but ask. "Hardheaded… yeah, but that's it? In Solo Leveling the mc took a S-rank item... Shit of a system."
The screen flickered again, showing my updated stats.
[Stats
Name: Rin TakamineAge: 13Level: 1HP: 100MP: 120Strength: 6 → 7Agility: 7 → 8Endurance: 5 → 6Intelligence: 8Spirit: 15Luck: ???Titles: Persistent Idiot, Hardheaded, Ungrateful.]
I collapsed backward onto the cool grass, staring at the stars.
My whole body throbbed, but the satisfaction was unreal.
The world around me shimmered faintly — maybe from exhaustion, but then it hit me. "Ungrateful? When? Why?"
[Note: You should know.]
The glow faded.
Inside, I could hear Sayuri's voice — worried as always — calling for me to come eat dinner.
I smiled faintly. "Coming, commander…"
The night wind brushed against my face as I stood.
Maybe I was weak, maybe the system was insane — but I wasn't backing down.
If I was stuck in this mash-up world, I was damn well going to survive it.
And so another two years passed between milkshakes and sweat.