Mutation Abyss-Chapter 31: Workouts

Theo's smile faded a little as he answered, "I got bullied a lot growing up... mostly because of our poor background. I studied at a prestigious school through a scholarship program, so I always stood out, but I guess not in a good way."

He let out a breath. "I guess I turned to food for comfort. Sweets and cold desserts were my favorite. At first, it helped me cope, but then I just kept eating more and more. Next thing I knew, I was obese, and the bullying got worse."

Theo was honestly surprised he hadn't craved sweets since the meteorite incident. Maybe it was because he had been too busy surviving... too focused on reaching his mother to even think about food cravings.

"It's strange," he murmured. "Ever since that day, I haven't even thought about sweets. It's like... my body doesn't even care anymore."

Calix raised a brow. "Well, stress can kill your appetite. Or maybe your body knows it has bigger things to deal with now."

Theo gave a short nod, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Yeah. Feels like everything changed overnight."

As Theo stood up, his system's screen popped up again.

[Ding! Next Task: Strengthen core muscles. (0/1 session)]

He quietly groaned. 'Can't I just rest for five more minutes?'

But the moment he blinked, another alert flashed:

[Warning: Skipping the session will result in a penalty.]

"Alright, alright," he muttered.

[Core Strengthening Task: Hold plank position for 60 seconds.]

"I thought you were heading back inside?" Calix asked, raising a brow when he saw Theo drop back down to the ground.

Theo got into position, elbows and toes digging into the grass, as he muttered, "Just one minute. I can survive this... I think."

Calix laughed and joined in, settling beside him. "Oh, then let me join the suffering."

Thirty seconds in, Theo's arms were shaking, and his abs felt like they were on fire.

"Why does one minute feel like a lifetime?" he groaned through clenched teeth.

Calix, barely breaking a sweat, smirked. "Welcome to core workouts, beginner."

When the final seconds ticked down, he collapsed face-first into the grass.

[Ding! Task Completed: Strengthen core muscles. (1/1)]

[Progress: 2/5 tasks completed for Daily Quest.]

"Finally," Theo groaned. "One down, a hundred more to go."

"A hundred?" Calix asked, raising a brow.

"A hundred push-ups!" Theo muttered, barely lifting his head.

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"Oh, that's easy! Let me do it with you!" Calix said cheerfully. The man was just as sweaty as Theo, but somehow looked more energized, like he was just warming up.

After catching his breath, Theo dropped into push-up position.

"Easy push-ups," he whispered to himself. "How hard can it be?"

By the time he hit twenty, his arms were shaking. At thirty, he was gritting his teeth. At forty-five, he collapsed face-first into the grass, panting hard.

'System... I'm begging you,' he thought, his cheek pressed against the cool ground. "Fifty is good, right? I'll do the rest tomorrow. Please don't kill me today."

"Come on, Theo! You got this!" Calix grinned as he powered through his own set. "Just fifty more!"

Theo let out a weak whimper as he rolled over. "That's not helping..."

A moment later, a cold chime echoed in his head.

[Warning: Daily Quest incomplete. Penalty will be applied.]

Theo stared up at the sky in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me..."

Calix finished his set and looked over at Theo, who was still lying in the grass like a wilted flower. "You know," Calix said, wiping sweat from his forehead, "we used to do way harder stuff back in military training. Hundred push-ups were just warm-ups."

Theo groaned. "Good for you. My arms feel like noodles."

Calix chuckled and offered a hand to help him sit up. "Take a five-minute break. Then continue. No point in pushing yourself till you pass out. What matters is consistency, not killing yourself on day one."

Theo nodded slowly. "Yeah... break sounds good."

They sat side by side, catching their breath.

After a moment, Calix turned to him. "So, what's your plan now?"

Theo looked at him, confused. "Plan?"

"Yeah. The AMSO offers are tempting, aren't they?" Calix said, casually stretching his arms.

"Free housing, gear, training, even pay. As an Awakened Meteor Survivor, don't you want to hone it properly? Get real training? AMSO's the best place to start."

Theo stayed quiet for a beat. His fingers dug lightly into the grass as he thought about it.

Calix continued, "You don't have to decide now, but think about it. The world's not what it used to be. It's dangerous out there, and getting stronger isn't a bad idea."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I watched the midnight news. They're starting to work on some kind of temporary medicine for infectees, but they didn't share much. Maybe they'll release more info if it shows results. Still... it makes me wonder. What if they do manage to create a cure, but by then, we've already eliminated everyone who was infected?"

Theo looked thoughtful before finally speaking. "If the infected person is still physically intact, no missing limbs or destroyed organs, a cure might work. But if someone's already lost half their body or has massive tissue damage... no medicine can fix that."

He paused, sitting up straighter. "From what I know, even a temporary cure wouldn't reverse the damage. At best, it could stop the infection from spreading, give the body a fighting chance. But it wouldn't regenerate lost flesh or bone."

"The meteorites... the virus or pathogen from them. It's alien. Completely unknown. Developing even a basic treatment will take years of study. And if they do manage a temporary fix, it'll likely come with a short time window, maybe just hours or days before the infection progresses again."

Calix stared at him, blinking. "Wow. You really know your stuff."

Theo gave a small smile. "I actually just graduated in biochemical engineering... a few days before the meteorite incident happened. Talk about timing, right?"

Calix blinked in surprise. "Whoa, seriously? And here I thought you were just a quiet guy with no clue about all this science stuff."

Theo chuckled, shaking his head. "I had plans, you know. I wanted to work in a lab, maybe go abroad for research or something. My mom was really proud... but then, everything just went to hell."

He paused for a moment, eyes fixed on the sky that was starting to lighten, but before Theo could say more, quick footsteps echoed from behind them.