Mutation Abyss-Chapter 30: Pioneer Development

A loud ding! echoed in Theo's ears.

[Ding! System Alert]

He groaned and rolled over in bed, burying his face in the pillow.

[Good morning, Pioneer. It is currently 4:45 AM. Are you ready to begin your assigned Daily Tasks?]

Theo opened one eye and squinted at the glowing system screen floating in the air above him.

"...Seriously?" he muttered, his voice raspy as he still felt so sleepy.

The screen blinked again.

[Confirmation Required: Begin Daily Tasks? YES / NO]

He reached out sluggishly and tapped YES with a grunt, forcing himself to sit up. The sky outside was still dark, with no sign of the sun yet.

"Alright, alright, I'm up," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

[Daily Quest: Early Morning Workout - BEGIN

Reminder: Failing to complete tasks may result in system-issued punishment.]

Theo's head snapped toward the notification, eyes narrowing.

"Punishment? You didn't mention that yesterday!"

[Notice: As a registered Pioneer accepting daily quests, completing daily physical and mental conditioning is mandatory. Punishment: Increased fatigue and stat penalty for 24 hours.]

"You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.

Still, he stood up and stretched his body a bit. His muscles were stiff, and his body still ached from everything they'd been through the day before. But the threat of a stat penalty was enough to get him moving.

He put on his shoes and stepped outside his room. Theo sighed and mumbled, "This better be worth it."

"Ah, feels nice," he murmured with closed eyes, feeling the cold morning breeze brushing against his face.

He thought everyone else was still asleep at this hour, but he was wrong. As he walked out onto the paved area behind the mansion, he blinked at the sight in front of him.

There, in the open space near the poolside gym, were Calix and his father. Both were already up, doing light stretches. Calix was rotating his shoulders while his father reached down to touch his toes.

"Seriously?!" Theo muttered, blinking in disbelief.

Calix turned at the sound of his voice and gave him a grin. "Oh hey, you're up early too!"

Theo trudged over, yawning. "I thought I was the only crazy one being dragged out of bed by a system before sunrise."

Calix chuckled and asked, "A system? You mean like... an alarm clock?"

Theo gave a small nod, "Yeah, like an alarm clock, I guess. Anyway, why are you two up so early?"

"Old man wakes up before the roosters even crow," Calix said with a shrug. "He's been dragging me out with him since I was a kid."

"Discipline builds survival, especially now, young man," Andres said, standing straight and giving Theo a nod. "Good to see you're starting early."

Theo let out a weak laugh and began his own warm-up routine beside them, stretching his arms over his head. He muttered under his breath, "Looks like I'm not the only one being tortured this morning..."

Theo was already sweating as he moved through his stretches, trying to keep up with Calix and Andres. The sky was still dark, with no sign of the sun.

[Ding! Daily Quest: Morning Physical Training - 20% Complete]

[Keep going, Pioneer. Failure to complete the task before sunrise will result in light stamina reduction and 12-hour penalty restriction on the next EXP gain.]

Theo stiffened, almost groaning. 'What the hell... It's barely morning and you're already threatening me?' he thought bitterly, glancing sideways to make sure neither Calix nor Andres had noticed his reaction.

He forced a smile and jogged in place, pretending everything was normal.

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"You're already sweating," Calix commented.

"Yeah, trying to burn off the apocalypse stress," Theo said dryly, wiping his brow.

Another notification flashed in front of his eyes.

[Ding! Stretching phase complete. Transitioning to Light Cardio.

Requirement: Minimum 10-minute jog within the perimeter.]

Theo cursed under his breath and gave the two men a nod. "I'm gonna jog around the estate for a bit."

"Go ahead," Andres said approvingly. "It'll help build your endurance."

Theo gave a small wave and started jogging along the paved pathway near the garden. As soon as he turned a corner and was out of sight, he muttered, "You seriously want me to run before I even eat?"

[System Reply: Affirmative. Early physical conditioning enhances Pioneer development and grants hidden attribute bonuses. Failure to comply will trigger a penalty countdown in 5 minutes.]

"Alright, alright! I'm running, I'm running," Theo hissed.

He pushed himself into a light jog, then gradually picked up the pace, determined to complete the task before the sun rise.

A few moments later, the soft chime echoed in Theo's head, and the small screen blinked to life in front of him.

[Ding! Task Completed: [Run 5 km. (5/5)

Progress: 1/5 tasks completed for Daily Quest.]

He let out a heavy breath and dropped onto the cool, trimmed grass, wiping sweat from his forehead. Calix collapsed beside him with a grunt. Both of them were drenched, catching their breath in silence.

After a minute, Calix sat up and pulled off his sando, using it to wipe the sweat off his chest.

Theo glanced over without thinking, and Calix caught him staring. His eyes widened as he quickly covered his chest with his arms. "Stop ogling! You're creeping me out!"

Theo laughed, his first real laugh in a while. "Relax. I was just wondering if I'll ever look like that. You know... firm and toned muscles." He raised his arm with a small grin. "Help me up?"

As Calix reached out and pulled him to his feet, Theo silently wished the system had some kind of fast-track weight loss feature. Carrying all this extra weight really made every move feel ten times harder.

Calix smirked. "Keep this up every day and you'll be giving me some serious competition soon."

"I wonder how long it'll take for me to actually get fit," Theo muttered with a sigh.

"Few months, maybe. As long as you stay consistent and actually stick to it," Calix said, stretching his arms behind his head. "Regular exercise and a clear goal make all the difference."

He gave Theo a sideways glance. "But seriously, how did you end up overweight in the first place?"