"98!"
"99!"
"100!"
"Phew! One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, and one hundred squats done. I'm still lacking the ten-kilometer run, and I'll be done with today's daily exercise."
With sweat still dripping off his body, Desther moved toward the full-length mirror situated at the corner of his small room.
In the mirror, Desther saw his own reflection. His progress over the years was clear to see, and even he himself was quite satisfied with his gains.
"Finishing the ten-kilometer run today should mark day 1100 of doing this daily workout I learned from that anime I saw."
Staring at his figure in the mirror, his physique from three years ago overlapped with his current one.
Topless and wearing boxer shorts, he has a well-toned upper and lower body that glistened with strength. Even without him flexing, the intense and continuous workout earlier pumped his whole body up, allowing him to see the lines that defined his well-toned muscles.
From a malnourished, scrawny boy to the lean and muscular young man that he was right now. Desther could say for himself that he had already come a long way, but knew for himself as well that he still had a long way to go.
Although doing this daily for more than three years without fail was quite exhausting, the difference and the clear gain made him even more motivated to persevere and continue.
The only regret he had was the fact that he still did not possess the mythical power of defeating enemies with one shot—not that he had already tried, though.
'Must I really go bald first in order to obtain that strength?' he thought with frustration.
Regarding his own future, even he himself was a little unsure.
However, if he could just read novels and mangas, watch anime, and consume all other online entertainment inside the coziness of his room, everything would really not matter for him.
Of course, he himself knew that in this day and age, such a dream was nothing but wishful thinking.
After all, since the descent of the apocalypse five years ago, everything on Earth has already changed.
If it were for better or for worse, time would be the ultimate teller.
As of this moment, Earth seemed to have stabilized, but the constant threat of dungeons and the monsters from within them was still akin to the sword of Damocles hanging above humanity's head.
Wiping his sweat with a clean towel, Desther grabbed his phone from the table and noticed that it was already almost six in the morning.
The time read 5:45 AM, with the date below it reading Feb 02, 2035.
He habitually made a few swipes and clicks and finally clicked an app with the "W" icon on it.
"Damn it! Three years and still no update! Lazy ahh author!" Desther cursed as he saw his favorite novel still not being updated.
It has been five years since the government announced the existence of dungeons as well as the dangerous monsters contained within them.
After multiple dungeons descended around the world almost at the same time, chaos ensued. Cities and nations fell one after the other while millions of people died overnight.
Fortunately, the situation did not last that long, as the government yet again announced other news, allowing a momentary recovery.
As it turns out, along with the danger was an opportunity for humans to gain extraordinary powers obtained through the so-called Talent awakening.
Humans age sixteen and above exposed by mana that came from dungeons awakened one after the other, gaining talents that were able to help them fend off the invading monsters.
Within two years, the chaos around the world slowly stabilized.
Of course, not without sacrificing a lot of cities, a few nations, and then a few more million people.
During recent years, everything has already become better.
At the very least, the World Federation has already reclaimed dozens of cities out of the hundreds that were lost since the start of the apocalypse.
Exiting the "W" novel app, Desther clicked the news channel and noticed that the number one trending topic seemed to be an article regarding the recently recovered city.
Although it was just one city, the people in the comments celebrated as if the world was finally rid of the never-ending monsters.
'Well, considering that the world barely defended the remaining cities a few years ago, this is kind of progress, I guess,' Desther commented internally as he dropped his phone to freshen up.
'At least, the internet is already up and running. I guess those underwater fiber optic cables are sturdier than I expected. I just hope those sea monsters won't get any designs towards those cables, or else… I won't be able to read novels and watch anime anymore.'
According to what he knew, the internet coming back to life was actually made possible because a lot of people awakening talents suitable for such jobs appeared one after the other, helping stabilize the overall structure of the world.
Although it took almost two years before the internet returned, Desther was still glad that the internet was able to come back in the end.
Desther was actually extremely worried regarding this point as well.
He also read an article and theory regarding stabilization of the worldwide internet before.
According to that article, multiple fronts must be maintained at the same time to keep it up and running. The underwater fiber optic cables were just one of the many infrastructures that must be maintained and be constantly defended to get the internet working as it should.
Not only strong Awakened Professionals with fighting capabilities but also Awakened Professionals that know the ins and outs of such fields must also be present, working seamlessly without any error, to eventually provide the world the momentary respite that it needs.
Although strength and power were vital in stabilizing the world, the contribution of various professionals from various fields of study must also not be undermined.
Considering himself as a well-read and well-watched person, Desther knew of this fact very well.
He clasped his hands together and offered his appreciation to those hardworking people.
Speaking of, it was exactly around the time when the internet came back that the novel he was following also updated a single chapter.
"Could it be that the author died along with the destruction of those cities?" Desther could not help but think out loud.
After all, even though the world was slowly stabilizing and cities were constantly being reclaimed, there were a lot of cities in the world that were constantly getting devoured by the monsters as well.
'Hopefully not. The novel is still far from ending…'
Clasping his hands again, Desther closed his eyes and offered a heartfelt prayer to all the gods he knew.
'Mr. Fool, Sister Evernight, Buddha, Jesus, Almighty One, Lin Feng, Han Jue, Gaia, Zeus, Loki, Superman, Goku, Zeno, Cape Baldy, and all other powerful beings out there. Please grant my wish and let the author live a long life.'
He paused for a bit and continued.
'If he ever awakened… please make his talent something like 'Fast Writer', or something like 'Unlimited Stamina' will do as well. If you give him a System, please give him the 'Famous Novel Writer System' so that he can continue to update daily without pause.'
Desther thought for a bit and continued before he could forget, 'Oh yes, don't let him get a girlfriend. Or else, he will be distracted, and he won't be able to update the novel.'
Feeling that he had already stated all he could wish for the author, Desther let out a long breath and sealed his prayer with three soft claps.
Refreshing the novel page once more and still not seeing any update, Desther resigned to his fate as he finally decided to set out.
Strapping weights on both of his ankles, Desther wore dark loose pants paired with a dark hoodie, concealing the ankle weights as well as his muscular figure.
He nodded his head to himself, seeing how he managed to conceal his figure.
He grabbed his phone and connected his wireless earbuds. He then turned up the music and grabbed his backpack on the bed.
Once he verified that he was already ready, Desther finally began his daily ten-kilometer run.