The slums were silent again, save for the distant skitter of rats and the drip of rainwater from crumbling rooftops. Izuku leaned against the alley wall, his chest heaving as he fought to steady his breath. The adrenaline of the confrontation had faded, leaving his frail body trembling with exhaustion. His throat burned with thirst. His stomach clenched, hollow and desperate.
Then, without warning, a voice echoed in his mind—cold, mechanical, and utterly devoid of emotion.
[System Initialized.]
[Host Identified: Izuku Arashi. Age: 7. Status: Slum Dweller (Untouchable).]
[Curse Detected: Heaven's Forsaken.]
[Penalties Applied: Growth Rate Suppressed (90%), Pain Sensitivity Amplified (300%), Qi Access Permanently Sealed.]
Izuku stiffened. Golden text flickered before his eyes, searing itself into his vision like divine scripture.
[Daily Quest Generated: Basic Survival.]
[Objective 1: Consume 200 Calories (0/200).]
[Objective 2: Hydrate with 500ml of Water (0/500).]
[Reward: +0.1 Vitality (Reduced to +0.01 due to curse).]
A map materialized in his mind, glowing faintly. It highlighted a trash pile three alleys away and a cracked rainwater cistern near the slum's edge. The system's directives were clear, clinical, and utterly indifferent to his rage.
"A game," Izuku muttered, his voice raw. "Even now, they mock me."
But he pushed himself upright.
The trash pile reeked of decay. Izuku sifted through rotting vegetable peels and moldy bread, his small hands shaking. Every movement sent jolts of pain through his body—amplified threefold by the curse—but he didn't stop.
[Spoiled Cabbage Detected: 45 Calories.]
[Rancid Meat Scrap Detected: 62 Calories.]
He forced himself to swallow the fetid scraps, bile rising in his throat. The system's counter ticked upward.
[Calories Consumed: 107/200.]
Next, the cistern. Izuku crawled toward it, his knees scraping against rough stone. The water inside was stagnant, green with algae, but he cupped it in his hands and drank.
[Contaminated Water Ingested: 320ml/500ml.]
[Side Effect: Low-grade Poisoning (Fatigue +10%).]
Izuku ignored the notification. Fatigue was nothing new.
By dawn, he'd completed the quest.
[Daily Quest Complete.]
[Vitality +0.01.]
[Current Vitality: 0.21 (Average for Age: 3.0).]
The reward was laughable. At this rate, it would take years to reach even a normal child's vitality. But Izuku's amber eyes hardened as he stared at the stat screen.
0.01 today. 0.01 tomorrow. 0.01 every day after.
It was a mountain. But mountains could be climbed.
The system pulsed again.
[Suggestion: Beg at the Temple of Celestial Mercy. Compliance may temporarily reduce Growth Suppression to 80%.]
A holographic arrow appeared, pointing toward a gilded spire in the distance. Izuku knew what it meant—kneel, pray, and trade his pride for a fraction of his stolen potential.
He turned away.
"I'll earn it myself," he said, tearing a strip of cloth from his sleeve to bandage his bleeding palms. "One 0.01 at a time."
The system did not argue. It simply issued the next quest.
[Daily Quest Generated: Strengthen the Body.]
[Objective: Perform 50 Push-Ups (0/50).]
[Reward: +0.1 Strength (Reduced to +0.01).]
Izuku dropped to the ground.
His first push-up took ten seconds. His arms shook, his bones creaked, and the amplified pain brought tears to his eyes. But he did not stop.
By the tenth, blood dripped from his nose.
By the twentieth, his vision blurred.
By the thirtieth, he collapsed.
[Progress: 30/50.]
[Penalty: Muscle Fiber Damage Detected.]
Izuku dragged himself upright.
"Again."
To Be Continued in Chapter 5 – The Weight of a Single Step