2026-07-06 11:02:35Morning came far too quickly, bringing thin rays of sunlight that peeked shyly through the faded curtains of his bedroom.
When Gatot opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was not the mold-stained ceiling above him, but a blue holographic screen hovering directly in front of his face.
It floated there without moving, as though it had been waiting for him to wake up.
[Daily Quest: Preparation to Become Stronger]
Push-ups: 0 / 100
Continuous Running: 0 / 1 hour
[Time Remaining: 03:00:00]
[Warning: If the quest is not completed within the time limit, the Player will receive a Penalty.]
Gatot blinked repeatedly, hoping the strange image would disappear.
It didn't.
The digital text remained exactly where it was, and the countdown continued ticking away second by second.
"What the hell is this..." Gatot muttered hoarsely.
He tried to move, but every joint in his body protested immediately.
His entire body still felt weak, and his head throbbed from the lingering trauma of the elves' sword strikes, memories that remained painfully vivid in his mind.
Forget running for an hour or doing a hundred push-ups.
Simply sitting up on the edge of the bed made the room spin violently around him.
Gatot let out an irritated grunt mixed with fear.
He pulled the threadbare blanket over his head, ignoring the blue glow that easily shone through the fabric.
He decided to go back to sleep.
To hell with the System.
To hell with being a Player.
What he needed now was rest.
He needed to recover his sanity.
Tick... Tick... Tick...
Time continued to pass beneath the darkness of his blanket.
Gatot fell into a deep sleep, completely consumed by overwhelming exhaustion, utterly unaware that the countdown on the holographic screen had reached its final seconds.
3...
2...
1...
[Daily Quest time limit has expired.]
[Player has failed to meet the requirements.]
[Initiating Penalty Zone.]
Bufff!
A violent gust of wind slammed into Gatot's entire body.
The warmth of his mattress vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling dampness that pierced straight through his skin.
Gatot jerked upright in shock.
His eyes flew open.
He was no longer in his tiny bedroom.
There was no bed.
No curtains.
No cracked concrete walls.
He was standing in the middle of a vast, dense forest.
Towering ancient trees stretched toward the sky, surrounding him on every side and casting the forest into an eerie twilight.
The smell of damp earth and moss filled his nose.
"W... what is this? Another dream?" Gatot whispered, his voice trembling as his hands touched the thick grass and soft soil beneath him.
It felt far too real to be a dream.
ROAAARRR!
A thunderous roar exploded from behind the nearby brush.
The sound shook the treetops and sent vibrations through the ground beneath Gatot's feet.
It sounded like the roar of a lion.
Only far deeper.
Far larger.
And filled with terrifying hunger.
The roar shattered every last trace of doubt.
This wasn't a dream.
It was real.
Just as his eyes widened in shock, a blood-red holographic screen replaced the calm blue one floating before him.
[Penalty Zone: Hunting Grounds of Wild Beasts]
[Objective: Survive for 02:00:00]
[Failure: Death.]
"Damn it! Damn it! How is this even happening?!" Gatot shouted as the silhouette of a four-legged predator the size of a minivan emerged through the bushes behind him.
Its crimson eyes glowed in the darkness.
Without thinking twice, Gatot sprang to his feet.
The dizziness and weakness vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of adrenaline that flooded every muscle in his legs.
He turned around.
Then he ran.
As fast as he possibly could.
Gatot sprinted through the dense forest, leaping over massive tree roots and crashing through thorn-covered bushes without caring as his skin was torn open.
Tears of terror streamed from the corners of his eyes, mixing with the cold sweat pouring down his face.
He cried while cursing himself over and over, hating his own stupidity for ignoring the System's warning.
"Help! Somebody, please help!" he screamed hysterically between ragged breaths, even though he knew there wasn't another human being anywhere in this cursed place.
Behind him, the predator's heavy footsteps thundered closer and closer, effortlessly snapping tree branches beneath its enormous weight.
Meanwhile...
Yasmin stepped out of her bedroom wearing her neatly pressed school uniform.
She slung her backpack over one shoulder and glanced toward her brother's closed bedroom door.
"Big Bro, I'm leaving for school!" she called loudly enough for him to hear.
When no answer came, Yasmin walked over and knocked on the wooden door several times.
Silence.
Curious, she turned the doorknob.
It wasn't locked.
The door swung open.
Her brows immediately furrowed.
The room was completely empty.
The bed was a mess.
The blanket lay crumpled on the floor.
But Gatot was nowhere to be found.
"Where did he go? That's strange. He almost never leaves this early," Yasmin murmured to herself before closing the door again and hurrying off so she wouldn't be late for school.
Back in the hellish forest...
"Ahhh! I'm going crazy! Somebody help!"
Gatot's hoarse scream echoed through the trees.
His throat felt scorched dry.
His chest burned with unbearable pressure.
He had no idea how many miles he had already run, climbing endless hills and racing down steep slopes.
His T-shirt had been ripped apart in several places, exposing skin scraped raw by whipping branches.
The morning gradually gave way to noon.
The sunlight piercing through the forest canopy grew hotter with every passing minute, adding to Gatot's misery as he reached the very limits of his endurance.
More than once, the predator nearly caught him, forcing him to dive and roll across rough ground to escape.
His legs felt like blocks of lead.
Every step was pure agony.
The beast behind him made no attempt to kill him outright.
Instead, it deliberately exhausted its prey, savoring every moment.
Exactly like the elves had done two days earlier.
Tick... Tick... Tick...
The familiar digital chime echoed inside Gatot's mind once more, signaling that the grueling four hours had finally come to an end.
[Penalty Zone has ended.]
[Returning Player to original location.]
Bufff!
Gatot was thrown back onto his bed.
He lay there gasping for breath, clutching his pillow tightly.
His clothes were completely soaked with sweat, mucus, and tears that had begun to dry against his cheeks, leaving behind an uncomfortable stiffness.
Every inch of his body hurt.
From the top of his head to the tips of his toes.
Every muscle cramped violently after being forced to run nonstop for four straight hours without rest.
The holographic screen lit up once again.
Its gentle blue glow now seemed far friendlier than the blood-red display from before.
[You have successfully survived the Penalty Zone.]
[Penalty completion compensation is now available.]
[Would you like to claim it now or later?]
Gatot stared at the screen with utterly exhausted eyes.
His voice came out as little more than a whisper from a man who had barely survived.
"Now..."
Puk.
A solid object suddenly materialized in midair several inches above his chest before dropping gently into his limp hands.
Gatot raised it to eye level.
It was a fresh red apple.
Its smooth skin gleamed as though it had just been picked from the finest orchard.
Gatot stared at it and let out a dry, bitter laugh.
He had nearly died after being chased by a giant monster for four straight hours.
And the System rewarded him with... a single apple.
"Fine... next time I'll finish that damned quest so I don't get another penalty," Gatot muttered as he bit into the apple with what little strength he had left.
Its sweet, refreshing flavor spread across his tongue, slowly restoring a small measure of energy to his battered body.
As he chewed, Gatot looked back at the holographic screen, which now displayed his empty status window.
His thoughts drifted toward an uncertain future.
Was being a Player really nothing more than completing daily workouts and running away from punishments like this?
Or was there something far greater, something far more terrifying, that the System was preparing for him behind the title of Player?
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17
Gatot leaned his back against the plastic chair rest while continuing to stare at his cracked phone screen. His fingers moved constantly, scrolling page after page on the official Indonesian Hunter Association forum site. Finding a new job for tomorrow was his top priority now. For an independent hunter officially still registered at E-rank, the options available on the digital bulletin board were incredibly limited and degrading. Most of the offers placed him purely as cheap bait or a living shield, exactly like the trap scenario that had nearly claimed his life yesterday.After filtering out a dozen dubious offers, Gatot's eyes locked onto a few vacancies in the rear-route logistics section. The open jobs were merely positions as magic crystal miners and cargo haulers for the leftover remains of slaughter inside gates that had already been cleared by the primary raid team. The pay was obviously nothing compared to the frontline fighters, but for Gatot, this was the most sensible ch
16
"Brother, did you make a lot of money today?" Yasmin stared without blinking at the array of food laid out on their small wooden table. There was a bucket of crispy fried chicken that was still warm and a sweet cheese martabak."Huh? Yeah," Gatot jolted from his daydream. He forced a thin smile so his sister would not become suspicious.Without another word, Gatot quickly finished the pieces of fried chicken and the remaining rice on his plate. His turbulent thoughts made all the delicious food taste completely bland on his tongue. The moment the last spoonful entered his mouth, he stood up immediately, brought his dirty dishes to the kitchen sink, and washed them hurriedly under the rushing tap water.Yasmin, who had just taken a bite of a chicken drumstick, turned to him with her mouth somewhat full. "Are you done eating, Brother? There's still a lot left. It's a waste if it isn't finished right now.""Just save it in the food cabinet," Gatot replied from the kitchen without tur
15
An excruciating pain suddenly struck Gatot's solar plexus, forcing him awake from the darkness. Someone had just landed a solid kick right there.Ugh!Gatot groaned, curling up reflexively on the surface of the ceramic tiled floor, which felt incredibly cold. Both of his hands clutched his stomach, while his breath caught for a few seconds from the sudden impact."Wake up! Don't just comfortably sleep here!" a deep voice barked from above.Suppressing a wave of surging nausea, Gatot forced himself into a sitting position. He blinked repeatedly, trying to dispel the remaining dizziness that still spun around his temple from the blow of the iron mace inside the cave. He looked around, trying to process this unfamiliar environment. Where is this?This was definitely not inside a gate. There were no stone walls or the metallic stench of monster blood. In front of him, several people in crumpled clothes sat cross-legged on the same ceramic floor. They all had tattoos decorating their
14
Gatot still stood frozen beside the monster's carcass, busy processing the new current of energy rushing warmly beneath his skin. Instead of feeling broken and exhausted after gambling his life against the Spotted Cave Behemoth, his body felt remarkably lighter and more powerful. It was as if every cell within him had just been renewed.Beside him, Gery still stared at him, the remnants of terror not yet fully vanished from his face.Crash!The sound of collapsing stone echoed from the direction of the barrier wall. The stone wall that had tightly sealed the cavern hall suddenly shifted upward. From behind the billowing dust, the five senior hunters who had betrayed them stepped back inside. Upon each of their backs sat a large, bulging backpack, emitting the clink of precious metals from within, the spoils of looting the cave's side route."Hohoho! Just as I thought, this gate boss turned out to be weak," the group leader laughed freely, his eyes instantly sweeping the hall befor
13
Gery's panic reached its absolute peak when he saw the hot steam begin to gather within the Behemoth's dual jaws. His brain froze, yet his hands moved entirely out of his control. In a reflex action triggered purely by desperation, Gery gripped the hilt of his expensive weapon and threw it with all his might toward the center of the room."B-Brother! Catch!" Gery screamed, his voice splitting into a high-pitched shriek.The silver sword sailed through the air, spinning and reflecting the dim, magical light of the cave. The moment the weapon left his hand, Gery immediately curled back into a ball, pressing his body against the stone wall with his knees tucked tightly to his chest."Can that sword even kill the monster? And... will he kill me with it afterward?" Gery murmured hoarsely, lamenting his own stupidity for just handing a weapon to the terrifying, fake E-rank figure before him.Gatot saw the flash of silver hurtling toward him. Utilizing his remaining agility points, he va
12
The Spotted Cave Behemoth lunged forward with a speed that completely defied its massive body weight. The swing of its front claw, coated in a thick crust of stone, sliced through the air, aiming directly for Gatot's head.Whoosh!Gatot ducked low in an extreme dodge. The wind from the claw's swipe whistled sharply over his hair, smashing into the stalagmite pillar behind him and shattering it into pieces. Without losing his momentum, Gatot thrust his body forward, launching a bare-fisted strike packed with sixteen points of strength directly into the monster's solar plexus.Boom!The sound of a dull impact echoed loudly. The Behemoth's giant frame shuddered slightly, taking two steps back. However, its rocky skin was simply too thick. Gatot's raw punch left only a tiny crack on the surface of its outer scales, while Gatot's own knuckles instantly bruised and began to bleed fresh blood.In the corner of the room, Gery could only press his back tightly against the cold stone wall.
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