Tuesday morning, 5:30 AM. Lucas's alarm vibrated under his pillow. He turned it off before it could wake his mother in the next room.
[Good morning, Lucas Moreau][New daily quests available!]
Daily quests? He hadn't seen that in the tutorial.
[Daily Quests - Reset in 18h30m]1. "Morning Warm-up": Run 5 km (0/5) ** Reward: +1 Stamina** 2. "Precision": Hit 20 consecutive targets ** Reward: +1 Serve** 3. "Reflexes": Dodge 50 moving obstacles ** Reward: +1 Agility (hidden stat)**
Lucas put on his old sneakers. Run 5 km? With his current stamina, this was going to be hell. But every point counted.
He went out into the cool morning air. Paris was still asleep. The streets were almost deserted, perfect for training without being seen.
[Run activated][Distance: 0.0/5.0 km]
The first meters were easy. Then reality caught up. His lungs burned. His legs trembled. Three years without real physical activity had its price.
[1.0/5.0 km][Tip: Regulate your breathing]
He slowed down, focused on his breathing. Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. The system was right, it was easier.
[2.5/5.0 km][Stamina +0.1 (passive progression)]
Passive progression? Interesting. Even without completing the quest, training paid off.
At 4 kilometers, he thought he was going to die. His legs were lead. But the image of Tom Beaumont pushed him. That smug smile. That torn photo.
[5.0/5.0 km][Quest "Morning Warm-up" completed!][Stamina: 21 → 22]
The difference was immediate. As if his lungs opened up, as if his muscles recovered faster. Just one point, but what a change!
Back home, his mother was making coffee.
"You went running?" she asked, surprised.
"I... I need to be in shape. For Friday."
She frowned but said nothing. Since Sunday night, she had seen something change in her son. A flame she thought had died out.
"Eat something before you leave," she said simply.
Lucas wolfed down a bowl of cereal. He had a plan for today.
The abandoned basketball court in the 19th arrondissement. No one came here anymore since the municipality had cut maintenance. Perfect for discreet training.
Lucas had brought the racket and a ball. For the "Precision" quest, he had drawn circles with chalk on the wall. Twenty targets of different sizes.
[Quest "Precision" activated][Consecutive hits: 0/20]
First shot. The ball hit the wall... next to the target.
[Failed. Counter reset]
Shit. Consecutive. No room for error.
He started again. Concentrated. Visualized the trajectory.
PLOP
Bullseye.
[Consecutive hits: 1/20]
The first ten were easy. Then the pressure mounted. One mistake and everything would have to start over.
[Consecutive hits: 15/20]
His hands trembled slightly. The sixteenth target was the smallest, barely larger than the ball itself.
Inhale. Exhale. Strike.
PLOP
[Consecutive hits: 16/20]
Four more. He could do it.
Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen.
The last one. The furthest. Lucas closed his eyes, felt the racket, the weight of the ball.
PLOP
[Quest "Precision" completed!][Serve: 7 → 8]
He smiled. Slow but steady progress.
The third quest was more complicated. Dodge 50 moving obstacles? He improvised with cans tied to strings, making them swing while he had to dodge them in playing position.
[Quest "Reflexes" activated][Obstacles dodged: 0/50]
It was ridiculous. Jumping, dodging, diving to avoid cans. If someone saw him...
"What the hell are you doing?"
Lucas froze. A boy his age, hood on his head, was watching him from the court entrance.
"I'm... training."
"For what? The circus?"
The boy approached. Lucas noticed the racket sticking out of his bag.
"You play tennis?"
"Yeah. Well, I used to." The boy shrugged. "Kicked out of my club. Not rich enough for their taste."
"What's your name?"
"Malik. You?"
"Lucas."
Malik frowned. "Lucas... Moreau?"
Shit.
"The son of..."
"Yes. The cheater's son." Lucas gritted his teeth, waiting for the insults.
But Malik smiled. "Cool. I always thought it was bullshit. Your dad was too classy to cheat."
Lucas blinked. It was the first time in three years someone...
"Want to train together?" Malik offered. "I've got nothing better to do."
[New contact detected: Malik][Potential training partner][Bonus: +20% XP gained in duo]
An XP bonus? The system encouraged alliances?
"OK," said Lucas. "Help me with my reflexes?"
Malik snickered. "Your cans? I've got better. Dodge this!"
He pulled out a dozen balls from his bag and started throwing them at Lucas. Not hard, but quickly. Lucas had to use his racket, his legs, his whole body to avoid them.
[Obstacles dodged: 12/50]
"Faster!" Lucas shouted.
Malik accelerated. The balls flew. Lucas danced, jumped, rolled.
[Obstacles dodged: 34/50]
"Not bad for a guy who hasn't played in three years!" Malik called out.
[Obstacles dodged: 49/50]
One last ball. Malik threw it in an arc, viciously. Lucas dove, rolled, and barely avoided it.
[Quest "Reflexes" completed!][Agility (hidden stat): 10 → 11][Effect: +5% movement speed, +3% dodge]
Lucas felt his movements become more fluid. Hidden stats? How many were there?
"Not bad," Malik admitted. "Want to rally?"
"I suck. My stats are..."
Lucas bit his tongue. He'd almost mentioned the system.
"Your what?"
"My... statistics. Like, my level. I'm a beginner."
Malik shrugged. "Who cares. Come on, just for fun."
They improvised a court with chalk lines. First rally. Lucas completely missed his shot.
Second rally. The ball went anywhere.
But little by little, the muscle memory returned. The system helped him, subtly adjusting his movements.
[Successful rally: +5 XP][Successful rally: +5 XP][Forehand improved! Passive progression +0.2]
After an hour, they were sweating. Malik was impressed.
"You progress fast! You sure you haven't played in three years?"
If only he knew.
"You know about the underground tournament on Friday?" Lucas asked.
Malik's face darkened. "Porte de la Chapelle? Yeah. It's brutal there. Why?"
"I'm going to participate."
"You're crazy? With your current level, you'll get massacred. There are guys who were pros there. Guys kicked out for doping, violence, illegal betting..."
"I have to do it."
Malik looked at him for a long time. Saw the determination in his eyes.
"OK. But you'll need help. I know the system there. The rules. The players to avoid."
"You'd come with me?"
"Why not? I've got nothing to lose." Malik packed his balls. "Meet me here Thursday night. We'll do intensive training. If you want to survive Friday, you'll need to level up."
They high-fived. Lucas had found an ally.
The following days passed in a blur of training. Lucas woke up at 5:30, completed his daily quests, trained with Malik in the afternoon, and studied tennis videos in the evening.
[Level 2 → Level 3][+3 stat points to distribute]
His stats rose steadily:
Serve: 8 → 11Forehand: 7 → 10Backhand: 6 → 9Volley: 2 → 5Mental: 15 → 18Stamina: 22 → 25
Still pathetic compared to a real player, but the progression was real.
Thursday evening, final training with Malik.
"The tournament works by direct elimination," Malik explained. "One set, six games. No umpire. Spectators bet. If you lose, you're out. If you win, you continue until someone beats you."
"How many matches to win the tournament?"
"Depends on the number of participants. Usually 4 or 5. But Lucas..." Malik hesitated. "The current champion is Viktor Kozlov. Former top 50 in the world. Kicked out for breaking an umpire's leg."
"Charming."
"He's got insane stats. 200 km/h serves easy. Deadly topspin backhand. And he hates losing."
Lucas checked his own stats. Against an ex-pro, his 11 points in serve were ridiculous.
[New quest unlocked: "David vs Goliath"][Objective: Survive the underground tournament][Reward: Skill Shop unlock]
The Skill Shop? Now this was getting interesting.
"One last thing," Malik said as they packed up. "Entry fee is 500 euros. Cash. You got it?"
Lucas's heart sank. 500 euros? He only had 350, and that was for rent.
"I'll manage."
Malik patted his shoulder. "See you tomorrow then. 8 PM, Porte de la Chapelle. Come prepared."
Lucas went home, his mind racing. 500 euros. How...
On the kitchen table, an envelope was waiting for him. His mother's handwriting.
"For your registration. Don't say anything. Just do your best. - Mom"
Inside, 500 euros in cash. Her savings. Everything she had put aside.
Lucas felt tears welling up. His mother believed in him. More than he believed in himself.
He held the envelope to his heart.
[Determination increased][Mental: 18 → 20]
Tomorrow night, he would enter the arena. David versus Goliath. Except David had a system.
He checked his stats one last time before sleeping:
[Lucas Moreau - Level 3][Average stats: 11.2/100][Time until tournament: 22h17min]
The moment of truth was approaching.