20 sets of sit-ups!
20 staggered push-ups!
20 diamond push-ups!
20 wide-arm push-ups!
And 20 Spider-Man push—
"No, I give up."
Tintless's sweaty chest hit the surface of the hill.
Tired breaths left his mouth as his vision, due to extreme exhaustion, became blurry.
This had been part of his daily routine for the past two weeks, and though it always left him in a tired state, completing it made him quite proud of himself.
"There is just something special about this personal development thing."
A tired smile adorned his sweaty face.
He had heard about the aforementioned in nearly all of Mr. Fiction's stories. And doing it now made him respect the characters who pursued it.
Tintless's personal development was not only limited to enhancing his physical prowess. Increasing his knowledge was also part of the process, and in pursuit of this, through the Equilibrium Interface and constant surveys of both landscapes, Tintless developed a good understanding of both the beautiful yet treacherous island and the austere and magnificent house falling toward sudden death.
Salient to this newly attained understanding was the timing of the landscape shifts.
From dawn to midday, the landscape changed a total of five times, that is, if he were just sitting and not trying to escape the landscape. If he tried to run, then the landscape would shift twelve times.
Then from midday to dusk, it changed at a rapid rate, as though someone were in a REM state.
As for nighttime, a new environment where darkness stretched indefinitely befell Tintless. He did not investigate this landscape, for he was afraid that it might harbor something more monstrous than what the other two contained.
'The three landscapes are alive and don't want me to leave. How unfortunate for them that their role has only led to my rehabilitation.'
He grinned as he pushed himself up.
Surveying the island, he rolled his shoulders as he prepared to do the last phase of the daily training.
...
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Tintless paced through the gigantic flowers, his eyes fixed on a circular object covered in sand.
It was 200 meters away from the sea, the lapping waters slightly brushing it with each wave.
And of course, he was not alone.
Two daisies with their white petals followed from behind, stretching out their roots to grab him, and such was the case for every flower that spotted him.
To Tintless, he imagined the scenario as one where he was an infamous thief being chased by officials as he ran through a bustling city, trying to steal a glowing ancient relic located in a holy temple.
"Stop, you rat!"
"Somebody catch the bloody bastard!"
Jeers, much like the spears and several other pieces of equipment, flew just by him as the sounds of galloping horses and screeching tires traversed the air.
Seeing the temple premises loom in the distance, he, however, did not stop.
Running through a dark alley that led to the temple premises shrouded in a magical barrier, he smiled inwardly.
Just then, something appeared to close the exit.
It was as tall as a pillar and as wide as a giant's fence.
Tintless stopped in his tracks. He tried hitting the fence, but not once did it even flinch.
"Shit," he cursed under his breath.
Immediately following this were several approaching footsteps that came to a halt behind him.
"Well, well, who do we have here?"
A voice laced with satisfaction spoke from behind.
It was the three stubborn officers who had been chasing him from the very start.
Clad in beautifully sewn black uniforms, they drew out their silver swords, took combat stances, and slowly walked forward, forming an arc around Tintless.
"You had the chance to give up, to give in, and you not doing so has led to your capture, thieving bastard."
Despite danger being right behind him, Tintless, in his grey T-shirt and baggy grey pants, chuckled.
"Misunderstanding, officer. It was you and your comrades who had a chance to give up and give in.
And I'm no thieving bastard, for I was never born to begin with."
He reached into the pocket of his pants and, turning around, wore the half-black mask.
"I am but a Mole. One who will bring about your demise."
Over the past week, he had developed a liking for the title, The Mole.
It ironically defined his current situation.
In this world, he was simply an imperfection, a stain, and a flaw.
And much like a stain, his actions could not be perceived but only countered, for he was never part of the default settings; an advantage he was determined to utilize in every situation.
Enraged by his words and calm demeanor, the officers attacked him at once.
The unperceivable Mole formed two swords in his hands and went into battle with the officers.
The exchange lasted for about fifteen minutes, and now the once-confident Mole was drawing ragged breaths as four corpses of the officers lay before him.
However, the job was not done.
Six more officers entered the alley, all coming at him with intent to kill.
He dodged swings, parried some, and cut them all, blood painting the already stained ground.
By the time the fifth set of officers entered, he could no longer keep up the fighting.
He just stood still, his head tiredly lowered over the pool of blood that continuously spread from corpse to corpse.
"Hehe, fucking lunatic, you've got nowhere to run now."
"For so many years now, you've been stealing ancient relics from our kingdom, and now today the heavens have judged you."
"That's right. You'll pay for your crimes."
The angry voices came from those who surrounded him and those who stood at the entrance of the opened alley.
But despite this, they did not act, aware of just how threatening the Mole was.
He was not the type to give up so easily. That had been made clear in all their previous encounters.
Two years ago, the Mole appeared in their kingdom and had been plundering their treasures ever since.
He did not provide reasons as to why he did so. He just did it as though he were a farmer who had come for his harvest.
But today he was finally within their reach, and he would pay the price for all the crimes he had committed.
The Mole slightly raised his head, looking at the magnificent blue sky.
Everyone immediately tightened their grip on their swords.
Just then, a smile adorned his lips.
Still looking up, he said,
"It is done."
Done?
What was done here?
His plundering?
His life or theirs?
The officers surrounding him, much like those at the entrance of the alley, had mixed emotions.
Tintless dropped his head and, with a calm yet sweaty face, stretched out his hand toward the blocked passage.
On top of the gigantic wall, one tiny hand appeared to be climbing from the other side.
A minute later, the climber stood on top of the wall.
He, just like Tintless, had little hair sitting on his head, but bore a yellow colour on his hand sized body.
The officers, seeing this, stumbled back a little.
"How?"
They could not believe that the dancing tiny being held in his hands the ancient purple relic they were preventing The Mole from stealing.
"See what I meant? I was merely a diversion. Then my little friend, there, went on the real hunt."
Tintless's voice was one of a satiated person.
He looked at the tiny being.
"You did well, friend."
Seeing the two exchange nods, seemingly ignoring the presence of the officers, the men in black uniforms moved all at once.
Even those at the entrance of the alley forced themselves in.
Unlucky for them, the tiny being extended his hand and pulled Tintless up from the ground, saving him from the swinging swords.
Looking at the angry men from above, Tintless and the tiny yellow boy wore smiles on their faces; Tintless's was more like a grin.
When Tintless got the relic from the tiny boy, the wall where they stood trembled, and from it black-clad assassins emerged.
Unlike their previous foes, these guys were never loquacious.
Actions spoke for them, and they were as lethal as—
The platform beneath them opened wide, revealing more assassins who had their spears held high.
The tiny yellow boy nervously flared his hands as he fell.
Tintless, who was rather calm despite the danger, grabbed his tiny friend and shut his eyes.
Tic!