After a few minutes of excitement, Lin Shen still felt a dreamlike sense of unreality.
He didn't think of himself as some chosen protagonist. After all, if he were going to get a system, the best time for it to appear would have been when he first entered the workforce.
Several years had passed. After the brutal grind of his job, life had long since worn away the sharpness and pride he once had.
For the system to show up now was, frankly, a little late.
But not too late, either.
Lin Shen did some quick mental math.
His current salary was 8,000 a month. If he added the monetary reward from Payment Treasure, rounding up, it was like earning 30,000 a month!
What did 30,000 even mean?
That level of income surpassed 90% of the country's population!
It was enough for a family of three to live without worrying about food and clothing!
"Woohoo!"
Lin Shen couldn't contain his excitement and let out another cheer. Then, he opened his phone to check the item he had received from ReceivePal.
[Do you wish to use the "Low-Level Random Cracking Card"?]
[Yes]
[No]
Faced with the choice, Lin Shen decisively tapped "Yes."
His phone screen suddenly jumped back to the home screen. Then, next to the Sports Health app in the corner, a similar-looking app icon appeared and began to run.
[Sports Health Lv. 1]
[Decryption Effect: Exercise effectiveness increased by 20% and will not degrade (increases based on "Sports Health" level).]
[Level-Up Mission: Run five kilometers.]
[Congratulations on successfully activating a decrypted app (2/20)! "ReceivePal" Decryption Effect has been doubled!]
[Current Main Quest Progress: 10%]
[ReceivePal Decryption Effect: 700/day → 1400/day]
An income of 1,400 a day?!
Lin Shen's eyes widened, his gaze burning with intensity.
He had thought he'd be perfectly happy with a monthly income of 30,000, but the system had just doubled it again!
A monthly income of 42,000 could completely cover his daily living expenses, with plenty to spare!
'Sports Health, huh.'
Lin Shen glanced down and patted his large belly, then sighed softly.
He'd actually been in good shape back in college, with a decent six-pack.
But the prolonged stress of work had fused them all into one.
Add to that the occasional business dinner and late nights working overtime.
As a result, Lin Shen felt that at 25, his Constitution and Spirit were worse than those of the old men playing on the horizontal bars in the park.
So, he was quite grateful to have the decrypted Sports Health app to push him to exercise.
After all, good health was something no amount of money could buy back.
Besides, its most insane feature wasn't the "20% increase in exercise effectiveness."
It was the "will not degrade" part!
You have to understand, many people can stick to exercising, or even diet to lose weight.
But due to external pressures, very few can manage to maintain healthy eating habits year after year after they've lost the weight.
Therefore, this "will not degrade" feature made Lin Shen's heart race with excitement.
With this, did it mean that after he lost weight, he would never have to worry about gaining it back?
"No time to waste!"
Lin Shen was a man of action; once he had an idea, he immediately put it into practice.
He rummaged through his closet and shoe cabinet, digging out a quick-drying shirt, shorts, and running shoes that he hadn't worn in ages. He put on his headphones and watch.
Once everything was ready, he went downstairs, did some warm-up stretches at the entrance of his building, and then started jogging around the residential complex.
For someone who exercised regularly, five kilometers wasn't difficult.
But for Lin Shen, who was out of shape from a sedentary lifestyle, the first time was sheer torture!
The first kilometer was manageable; he barely pushed through thanks to the energetic music blasting from his headphones.
But from the second to the fourth kilometer, the only thing keeping Lin Shen going was willpower.
The will to make money.
Lin Shen believed that there would definitely be a better reward after completing the mission!
So, he kept swallowing the saliva that tasted faintly of blood.
As for the last kilometer, Lin Shen couldn't even remember how he managed to hang on.
In any case, after he finished, his brain felt so deprived of oxygen that he almost couldn't catch his breath.
"Five kilometers completed. Time: 38 minutes and 32 seconds."
Hearing the completion alert from his watch, Lin Shen collapsed onto the lawn, gasping for air. His throat felt scalded by his own scorching breath, and he even felt the urge to dry heave from time to time.
He rested for a long time before he could finally manage to pull out his phone and check his mission status.
[Level-Up Mission: Run five kilometers (Completed)]
[Reward: Sports Health Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
[Exercise effectiveness increased by 20% → 25%]
[Item: Sleeping Pill x1 (Significantly improves sleep quality and alleviates Spirit fatigue after consumption)]
[Level-Up Mission: 100 push-ups.]
A Sleeping Pill?
'That name sounds a little weird...'
Lin Shen licked his dry lips and immediately rolled over to start doing push-ups on the lawn.
With the item reward and the boost in exercise effectiveness, he was full of motivation to work out.
But some things couldn't be sustained by willpower alone.
For someone like Lin Shen, who weighed over 175 pounds, there was probably only one thing more painful than running: push-ups.
After just over twenty, his arms were already sore and weak, flapping like butterfly wings.
He had no choice but to lie flat on the lawn and take a short break.
Lin Shen felt he must look like a complete mess, drenched in sweat, but inwardly he felt exhilarated.
According to some studies, after a certain stage of aerobic exercise, the body releases large amounts of dopamine and endorphins, which stimulate feelings of physical and mental pleasure.
That was exactly how Lin Shen felt right now.
One word—awesome!
After a moment's rest, Lin Shen got up and continued.
To be honest, he could have cheated to complete the mission, using improper form to inflate his push-up count.
But Lin Shen didn't want to fool himself.
Though he was reluctant to admit it, Gu Wanting's departure had indeed affected him.
They say that when a guy suddenly starts trying to lose weight, it's either because he's found love or lost it.
Lin Shen wasn't trying to win anything back; he just wanted to ensure no one would ever look down on him again.
Not for his money, and not for his looks!
So, even if it meant taking a few more breaks, Lin Shen did his best to make every single push-up perfect.
After a hundred reps, he felt like he'd almost lost all feeling in his arms.
'I'll probably wake up tomorrow morning sore as hell.'
Lin Shen lay on the grass, staring blankly at the countless stars in the night sky.
[Level-Up Mission: 100 push-ups (Completed)]
[Reward: Sports Health Lv. 2 → Lv. 3]
[Congratulations on reaching LV. 3! Bonus Reward Triggered: 10,000 Yuan Fitness Subsidy.]
[Exercise effectiveness increased by 25% → 30%]
[Item: Fatigue Recovery Potion x1 (After consumption, will alleviate all physical fatigue and restore your condition to its original state)]
[Level-Up Mission: Spend one hour in a gym.]
[Construction Bank: Your account ending in 7946 received a deposit of RMB 10,000.00 on July 20 at 21:17. Current balance: 53,700.00]
[Level-Up Mission: Total assets exceed 50,000 Yuan (Completed).]
[Reward: ReceivePal Lv. 2 → Lv. 3]
[1,400/day → 1,700/day]
[Item Reward: Appearance Change Card x1 (Please use a 50,000-yuan budget to change your clothing and style. The system will provide a rebate based on the final Charm value.)]
[Level-Up Mission: Total assets exceed 100,000 Yuan (53,700/100,000).]
A 10,000-yuan fitness subsidy?
That bonus reward was a pleasant surprise for Lin Shen.
With it, the ReceivePal mission was completed in an instant, and he even got an Appearance Change Card on the side.
This was exactly what Lin Shen had been planning to do.
Of course, the other surprise was the Fatigue Recovery Potion.
'Is this thing really as good as it claims to be?'
Lin Shen couldn't wait to find out.
After going upstairs, he took a few small sips of water, soaked his sweat-drenched quick-drying clothes in a basin, and then, in a flash, stripped off his clothes and jumped in the shower.
Seeing the various women's toiletries and the matching couple's toothbrush holder in the bathroom, Lin Shen, standing under the stream of water, felt a little dazed.
He wasn't sad because Gu Wanting had left. Rather, he was upset that the relationship he had painstakingly nurtured for three years had just fizzled out.
It didn't even have a "bad ending" with a proper "breakup." It just ended, muddled and unclear.
SMACK!
Lin Shen slapped himself hard across the face, then resolutely threw everything related to Gu Wanting into the trash.
The old was in the past.
Now, it was time to face a new life!