CHAPTER 16
'Okay, that's… too much.'
His gaze narrowed as he stared at the daily quest.
For his entire fifteen years of living, he had never once thought about exercising his body.
He had never cared about keeping fit.
Yet his high stats confused him because he was already close to peak condition.
Could it be the rigorous jobs he had been taking for the past three years? That alone could explain why his attributes were like this.
But still, a hundred push ups, a hundred squats, a hundred sit ups, plus a ten kilometre run? That was far too much for his frail body to handle in one day.
With a tired sigh, he leaned his head back slightly.
'It's a necessary evil if I want to grow strong enough to vanquish my foes. After all, nothing good comes easy. You have to work your ass off for it.'
He clenched his fists tightly as he closed the tab and opened another one.
[Skills]
[Error: Skill tab locked until Host evolves.]
'Evolve? What am I now? A beast? Tsk.'
Even so, a faint spark of excitement stirred within him.
The strange rock had burned his ability book on the train and granted him this system in exchange.
If he managed to grow stronger and consistently completed the daily quests…
He paused, doing some quick calculations inwardly.
It would take approximately ten days to gather a hundred EXP.
Not too long, but in a world where danger lurked around every corner, he needed power quickly.
'Overpowered, huh? I wonder how long it will take before I reach that level.'
Clenching his fists again, he grit his teeth before dismissing the system screen entirely.
'… Stupid system. It didn't even bother giving me crazy stats or a broken skill that would let me bulldoze through my enemies easily.'
He chuckled dryly inwardly as he realised how foolish that thought was.
'With how weak my body is right now, dumping too many abilities on me would probably make it collapse. That reminds me of the comments I used to read on those online novels…'
His thoughts drifted back to about five years ago.
'How stupid can readers be? Always demanding an instantly overpowered main character.
They never want to wait for growth, progress, or mastery. They just want him thrown into battle against powerful enemies and expect miracles.'
He scoffed softly, then stared at his hands and shook his head.
'But now I get it. I understand their impatience.'
His chest tightened slightly.
'I can feel the anxiety growing inside me. I need to become strong quickly so I don't lose anyone I care about again.'
His grip tightened across his lap as a tear slid down from the corner of his eye.
'Van needs to be protected. No matter what, I will make sure no harm befalls him. Even if it means risking my life. He is the only family I have left in this world, so he must be shielded at all costs.'
The moment he finished declaring his vow inwardly, Van came jogging back excitedly with a plate of food in his hands.
"I'm back."
***
In a certain building within the confines of Wall Steel, a tense meeting was currently taking place among the overseers of the wall.
"Damn it. The refugees from Wall Rose have thrown us into a serious dilemma."
"I agree. Rations are no longer reaching the original occupants of the shelter. If this continues, a revolt might occur."
"But we can't abandon the refugees from Wall Rose. It wasn't their wish that the Abberants attacked. Heck, no one even knew they were coming."
"So what should we do? Keep them? At most, the rations would only be enough for a week. A month maybe, if support comes in."
The three men seated at the table clamped their hands into their hair in frustration as they thought hard about what to do.
"This is crazy, to be honest. Couldn't the Blue family create some tech to help us detect an Abberant threat faster? Aren't they the ones responsible for this world's technological advancement?"
"Exactly. If they had done that, at least we wouldn't have been caught unaware."
The first man glanced around at the others before exhaling deeply.
"No use crying over spilled milk."
"So what should we do now? Should we report to the Blade family?"
The first man vehemently shook his head.
"I'm sure they have already heard about what happened. The head of the Blade family put us in charge of this wall, hence we make the decisions here. Well, not all of them."
The second man lifted an eyebrow.
"You're speaking like you already have a plan in mind."
The first man beamed, his eyes gleaming slightly.
"I actually do."
"Well, spill it." The third man grumbled with an impatient frown.
"After months of observation, I realised that kids, especially children in their growth phase, tend to eat a lot.
The majority of the rations go to them, while adults usually know how to manage themselves."
The second man raised an eyebrow.
"Your point exactly?"
"My point is that we need to ease the tension in our shelters and also find a way to disperse the refugees. So why not achieve both at once?"
The third man tilted his head.
"What do you mean?"
The man paused briefly, scanning the expressions of his companions.
"I propose that the refugees from Wall Rose give back to society one way or another so the original occupants of Wall Steel will be more willing to accept them."
The second man frowned impatiently.
"Get to the point already and stop beating around the bush. Time is of the essence."
The first man nodded.
"I propose we send the adults out to the fields to work. They will till the soil until their hands ache.
As for the kids, specifically the teenagers who need more food to fill their bellies, they will be sent to the Aspirant Corps."
The other two men's eyes widened.
"I'm not against sending the adults out," the second man said slowly, "but the kids? Why send them to the Aspirant Corps, and for what reason?"
The first man shrugged.
"Do we really have any other choice? And I don't mean kids as in little children. I mean teenagers.
Specifically those aged fifteen to sixteen, or even seventeen. Anyone eighteen and above will be sent to work the fields."
The third man frowned.
"Till the soil? You do realise we aren't living in ancient times, right?"
The first man shrugged again.
"Ancient or advanced, agriculture is still vital to humanity."
The other two men sighed as they rubbed their temples.
"This is exhausting."
"What do you both think about this?" the first man asked, his brows knitted.
The second man exhaled and shrugged.
"At least the teens will be useful. The Aspirant Corps, huh? Most of the people there are kids anyway, especially at this time of the year. So yeah… I guess it works."
The third man rose from his seat.
"No objections. The idea is solid enough. Let the kids decide their own futures as well."
The first man smiled as he stood up too.
"Good. One of you will go in two days to break the news to them. A day after that, gather the kids and send them off."
"Okay," the two men replied in unison.