The Acknowledgment - Volume One

Making Bank And Enemies

                Winter ran, at a frightening pace around the block, multiple times within minutes. He thought back to his idea and tried to work out what he'd do with all of that money, and resources. He imagined incredible things, like space stations, communication satellites, and even mana-powered generators and engines. All of these possibilities brought Winter joy that he could provide renewable resources to his community and country. Without even thinking he finished his Daily Quest.

~>System<{" [Daily Quest: Train to Become a Formidable Opponent] Has Been Completed [For Today],"}>it Rang with a pleasing ding<~

                "Oops... I got lost in thought and ran more than I was supposed to," Winter mumbled, coming to a slow stop, breathing as if he was jogging for a minute or less.

~>System<{" [Daily Quest]: 100/100 Pushups [Complete]. 100/100 Sit-Ups [Complete]. 100/100 Squats [Complete]. 11/10 KM Run [Complete]. Caution, if the [Daily Quest] remains incomplete, penalties will be given accordingly,"}>it displayed to Winter<~

                "Hm? Wait, why is it keeping track of the extra exercise even though I've already completed it?" Winter thought to himself, walking up into the garage, "Maybe I should try pushing myself to the limit. I still feel quite energized," He thought to himself, stretching out before starting again. Several Minutes passed, and Winter was breathing heavily, and sweating profusely.

~>System<{" [Daily Quest]: 200/100 Pushups. 200/100 Situps. 200/100 Squats. 10/10 KM Run. Caution, if the [Daily Quest] remains incomplete, penalties will be given accordingly, "}>it Displayed to Winter, but never increased over these<~

                "The numbers won't go any higher than 200. Is it the same for running?" Winter thought to himself, walking back out to his sidewalk. "I can't run 100 km, so I'll try running up to 20 km," he thought, getting ready for another run. "Are you safe doing all of that running?" Asks an older lady, Ahjin. She wasn't hunched over, or old by any means, rather she was just progressing in age with everyone else. "I think it'll be just okay, ma'am," Winter replied, looking over at her. "Okay, then. Just stay hydrated," she replied just in time before Winter Dead sprinted off down the street.

                Around the same time in another city, further north than Winter's cozy city was a large, luxurious apartment building. In one of these many rooms was a man, standing by a fax machine and talking on the phone. He was a large and muscular man with a cruel smile and black hair in a buzz cut. He wore black pants, a red undershirt, and a grayish-blue jacket with a flaming skull imprinted on the back. A woman walked in, with a formal suit. "Mr. Billy. What business do you have so early in the morning?" She asks as she opens the door. "Laura, can I ask you something?" Billy asks, "Sure, ask away," Laura replied. "What happens if I killed someone?" Billy asks again. "Are... Are you being serious, sir?" She asks awkwardly, sweat running down her face. "Laws of this country are similar to those of the United States in its golden age. So, you would stand trial in that district," She began, "The Scavenger guild would probably negotiate to give you a light sentence," Laura explained, trembling as she sensed the boiling blood under Billy's skin. "That's good to hear," he replied, "Some bastard murdered my older brother," Billy explained, suddenly turning to anger in his tone. "I won't rest until I see that scumbag!" He explained through gritted teeth, crushing his hand with one hand.

                "All eight members of the strike squad, including my brother, died while only one hunter survived," Billy thought, scowling at the wall in front of him, "The Survivor was an E-rank. Bobby isn't the type of person to give up his life for a weaker teammate. Also, they weren't even an official member of the squad, he was a filler. That bastard must've set a trap to kill Bobby!" Billy thought, looking down at the fax machine. "This is why I always told him he can't do anything without me," He added. "I need to visit another city for a couple of days. Can you clear my schedule?" Billy asks, looking at the two papers that were just printed off. "But Mr. Billy, the guild's activities will be at a standstill if you take a sudden leave of absence," Laura explained, "What does my schedule look like?" He asks, "You're completely booked for the next two months," she responds. "A whole two months... I won't even have time to arrange a funeral," Billy explained, looking out at the early morning of the city. "All right. Make sure my schedule stays free after that date," he explained, looking down at his papers. "Are you sure about this?" Laura asks, "More importantly," Billy began, "I hope that fucker doesn't die before I get to them in two months' time," he ripped up the papers.

                Back, in another part of the city, Winter returned to his backyard. Holding a new, more powerful key to use. "Now that I've done twice as much as what was required, the Daily Quest tuned into a hidden quest," Winter thought, looking down at the new key he obtained, "I kind of knew I'd get a better reward this time, but I can't believe I got an S-rank item," he added.

~>System<{" [Item: Key to The Demons' Castle]. [Rank: S]. [Type: Key]. This Key Allows The [Player] to Enter The Dungeon: [Demon Castle]. This Item Can be Used Anywhere,"}>it displayed over the item Winter held in his hand<~

                "I wonder if hidden quests are only given when I've exceeded the requirements for the Daily Quest," Winter thought aloud, admiring the craftsmanship in the key. "This could be a one-time thing. I did choose a 'random blessed loot box,' so I probably won't get the 'random cursed loot box'," he continued to himself. "Oh well, I should just enter," he used the key. Like fire, it spread from the point Winter used it from, Like glass it cracked and was broken in shards. He steps through, with electricity sparking around him. On the other side was a completely different, yet familiar world. Large buildings were on fire, with plumes of smoke rising and blocking out the sky.

                "If the key's rank is the same as the dungeon's rank, that means this is an S-rank dungeon!" Winter thought, looking up at the burning buildings, "I have no chance of surviving this!" He thought. "Oh please," Ultima scoffed in annoyance, "It's not a given that the dungeon's rank doesn't match the rank of the key, or how hard it was to obtain the item" It explained. "But it sure does seem to be that way..." Winter replied, "Since the E-rank key led to an easy dungeon that felt like it was E-rank," he explained. "What if the item's rank is actually equivalent to the rank of the dungeon?" It asks unconvinced. "I still have that teleportation stone I obtained from the instant dungeon, so I'll use it as soon as things get too dangerous," Winter thought, "The only thing I can do in this situation is to give it my all," he thought. "If I want to clear dungeons for hours on end to make money, I need to know exactly how powerful I am," Winter thought walking through the fiery streets of a strangely familiar city. Near a larger building, 3 sets of red eyes could be seen balled up on the ground. Then, the large dog stood up. Its name was [The Gatekeeper of Hell Cerberus] in deep red text. Cerberus was a huge black dog with three heads and glowing red eyes. The Center head and the left head had fiery orange hair and brown horns. The right head wore a gray mask that left only its eyes, ears, and mouth exposed. A mane of brown fur. All three have razor-sharp fangs and four pronounced fangs.

                With no fear, Winter approached it and even stood his ground, "If I give up because I'm scared. I won't be able to become any stronger," He thought with his daggers in his hands. "I'm going to become even more powerful than before!" Winter thought, looking up at Cerberus. "I can't let myself die here. I will level up," Winter smirked.