The whole point of the first push-up challenge had been to test the upper limit of their physical capability. Now that I knew 100 push-ups in just 24 seconds was already pushing their peak, completing 300 in under one minute seemed almost impossible, especially after they had already burned through so much stamina.
Still, I was dying to know, could the magical power of a quest override common sense and turn them into push-up machines?
(Come on, it's not that hard… right?)
As expected, both goblins froze like they'd just been asked to bench-press a mountain.
Gopuro even took one dramatic step forward, hand halfway stretched out towards the quest… then chickened out, pulling his hand back.
Seemed like, thanks to the previous quest, they was able to know their own physical limitation.
(That's excellent.)
But did that mean I would just give up? Of course not.
They could be refusing because the risk didn't feel worth the reward. So… what if I make the reward stupidly tempting?
I updated the quest.
New reward: 10 Powerstones (F)!
Both goblins' eyes widened instantly, flashing with raw greed.
Ten Powerstones! That was enough for one of them to level up again!
Gopuran's foot shot forward eagerly, her fingers twitching like she was about to snatch the scroll… only to freeze at the last second and retreat.
But Gopuro?
Oh, this glorious idiot didn't even hesitate.
The muscle-brained chad grabbed that scroll like it owed him money, eyes blazing with pure, unfiltered determination.
[Ding! Gopuro has accepted your "Strength Demonstration #5" quest!]
Gopuran turned to stare at him, narrowing her eyes. I caught the faint, sly curve at the corner of her lips and immediately understood what was happening.
(Aha! I see you, you clever little gremlin!)
Since her physical ability and stats were nearly identical to Gopuro's now, she had clearly decided to let him test the waters first. If he somehow managed to brute-force his way through 300 push-ups in one minute, she could do the same. If he failed… well, there was no point in her suffering the punishment.
Classic clever little strategist. Meanwhile, Gopuro was the living definition of a muscle brain.
Either way, the show was about to begin.
Gopuro dropped to the ground, planted his palms firmly, and exploded into push-ups with every last ounce of strength he had left. His arms drove up and down like pistons gone berserk, desperately squeezing out every drop of power.
One… two… three… four… five… six…
"RAAAAAAA!"
His arms swelled, muscles bulging like they were about to burst through his skin, thick veins popping out like ropes! The push-ups came at a terrifying speed. The poor dude was literally fighting for his life!
In just twenty seconds, he had already smashed past 100 push-ups. Only 200 more to go!
I watched in growing horror.
(Fuck! Don't tell me… he's actually gonna make it?!)
(I can't believe this. Did I seriously underestimate this guy? Just how freaking strong is he?!)
But luck was on my side.
Right at the end, exhaustion finally caught up. His pace slowed dramatically, and he only managed to squeeze out 250 push-ups before the one-minute timer ran out.
Thud!
Gopuro collapsed face-first into the dirt.
Phew!!!
I let out a huge mental sigh of relief. My precious Castle Points were safe!
[Ding! Gopuro has failed your "Strength Demonstration #5" quest!]
(Now then, Gopuro… how exactly are you going to handle the punishment?)
He had already burned through almost all his stamina on that insane attempt. In theory, there was no way he could do 500 more push-ups… right?
Nope!
Like an enraged, system-possessed beast, his eyes suddenly glowed a menacing red. His muscles pumped up even bigger, veins throbbing wildly as the System forcibly enforced the punishment!
The goblin chad shot back up and started hammering out push-ups like his life depended on it. Which, technically, it kind of did!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
His arms pumped furiously, chest slamming into the ground with terrifying force and speed.
100 push-ups.
200 push-ups.
And he was still going!
I was terrified. Gopuran was terrified too. She gasped, hands flying to her mouth in shock.
In a panic, I yanked open his status window. His stamina bar was plummeting at a horrifying rate.
Soon it hit zero.
Then his HP started dropping too! At the rate of 1% per 2 seconds. It then soon increased to 2% per 2 seconds.
(Fuck! This is too much!!!)
I was one second away from dumping every last Castle Point I had into [Lord's Blessing] just to level him up. I had 1100 points networth. So at least, 3 or 4 level ups were possible! This would give him a lot of stats too, so it would make push ups easier!
But right before I panicked and spent everything, Gopuro suddenly collapsed mid-push-up, nowhere near the 500 mark. His HP sat at 80%.
[Ding! The citizen doesn't have the physical capability to carry out punishment anymore. The punishment will be nulled.]
"Urrghh…"
He groaned weakly, his overinflated muscles rapidly deflating as foam bubbled at the corner of his mouth.
Phew!!!
I let out a massive mental sigh of relief.
That scared the absolute shit out of me!
Now, Goporu looked completely wrecked. His body was drenched in sweat, and he was breathing like a broken bellows, but at least he was still alive.
(Sorry, Gopuro… I'll compensate you handsomely later for my mistake.)
Just then, another notification popped up.
[Ding! Gopuro has unlocked a new skill: "Enraged" by pushing far beyond his physical limits!]
[Enraged Lv 1]
Type: Passive / Activatable
Effect: Enter an enraged state. While active, the user's Attack, Defense, and Speed stats are temporarily increased by 50%, stamina consumption is reduced by 90%, and all pain is completely nullified. Movement limiting negative status effects, such as stun, paralysis, and mind-altering effects like illusions, charmed… are immediately cured, and the user becomes immune to them for the entire duration of the skill. However, once the state ends, become completely unable to move for 1 hour. Afterward, suffer a severe penalty of -50% to all stats for 3 days.
Special effect: Can automatically activate when Stamina or HP falls below 20%
Duration: 2 minutes
Cooldown: 5 days