Fear gripped his weak heart - would he lose everything he had worked so hard for in mere hours?
His heavy breathing produced a chaotic rhythm he called heartbeat. However, his mind had not entirely given in to the temptation of giving up. His hands increased their grip, and his nails almost drilled into his own flesh, leaving a hint of a drop of blood right on his fingers.
Stand up, Johannes. This is no time to feel panic. It is time to act.
A weak stance formed by his legs made its way onto the ground. Unable to know whether his legs would give in to the horror of losing his progress, his toes hesitated as if they were about to plunge into a deep sea of cold water.
Slow but steady, his feet touched the uncharted grounds that were just as familiar as they were new to him. His face twitched slightly, and an unnerving shudder ran down his spine. Johannes felt as if he had done something of the utmost intensity, yet he did the same as when he would work out.
However, he knew that the stakes had been totally different today. The thrill sparked his drive. It was something new for Johannes, whose life had been restricted by the shackles around his heart.
I'm going to stand here for as long as I have to. This will be the receipt for every second I have worked on my body.
Determination flickered inside his eyes, barely able to betray the mix of primal fear and alarming anxiety he felt. As he stood there, his mind revolved around the various things he had experienced.
Starting with the horrible loss of his father, the system's shenanigans, and his abilities, he reminisced like an old man looking back on the good old times. After his gaze focused again, a great idea entered his mind - he could just watch TV while trying to reach the system's quest goal.
To his luck, there was an ongoing documentary about his favourite Diver, rank number #15 - Siegfried von Hammerstein. His name is so unnecessarily cool. A glimpse of envy tiptoed into his mind. I mean, I like my name. But seriously? Von Hammerstein has such a nice ring to it.
He was unstoppable now. He had entered his fanboy mode, which he had always sought to hide so badly. I love the persona he portrays during those media events. He's always so dedicated to being an upstanding hero.
As the hours went by, his documentary concluded, and he watched whatever catchy show was running on the flickering television. But at some point, his legs felt like the awful green jelly he had occasionally received when he ate the local cuisine of the hospital.
A feeling of literally green disgust clouded his mind. Nevertheless, it had been something that averted his thoughts from the pain he felt in his legs, at least for a few more minutes.
The clock indicated that it had already been 8 PM. A burning sting kept developing under his skin. It was almost painful enough for him to tap out. I came far. But why hasn't there been any system notification? What am I doing wrong?
Johannes' forehead suffered from pearls of sweat slowly running down. If only they had not been perfectly aligned with the vertical line above his eyes, he could feel a bit more comfortable. At this point, he had already been standing for multiple hours without any assistance. The lack of feedback made his anxiety reach new heights.
As he desperately pondered, a quiet yet confident knock disturbed his thoughts.
"Are you okay? The other nurses talked to me. What are you doing there? Do you understand that you are sick?" a gentle voice asked, echoing right through the thin door.
"Uhm... I am challenging myself." Barely able to hide his pain, he hushed out a silent moan of effort. "I... ugh... recently got a lot healthier. Don't worry. Don't pay it any attention," he added.
"You know? We all watched over you for the last few days whenever we had time to do so. Especially I visited your door whenever I could. Don't overdo it, okay? I know you are going through a lot, but there has to be a limit to your stubbornness." As the nurse spoke these words, a sense of uneasiness occurred to her. She did not want Johannes to feel pressured to stop, his newfound standing and breathing had been proof for a change inside his body.
"No, oh. I did not mean to demotivate you. I just want to see you live." Her quiet voice was barely audible, swallowed by shame as she criticized the fragile man.
Johannes found this to be really considerate, but he remained unfazed by her words. He never even considered to stop - instead, he just wanted to keep standing until he leveled up. Time was slipping, and he was not going to stop standing.
"Yeah, don't worry about that," his heavy breath interrupted his voice. "I know you meant good. Thank you." He tried to be as kind as he could, considering how much she seemed to care for him. "I mean, that's nice. But after standing for hours, I can barely even breathe. Please just come back later."
"I'll keep checking on you, okay? If I notice something weird, I'll call the doctor. You know he'll give you a stern lecture if you bring yourself into danger." she replied and waited for a bit. Eventually, she went back to the other patients.
Finally. What's the time again?
The clock was ticking - but it was not ticking him off this time. Johannes was grateful for its continuous movements, knowing this hellish procedure would eventually find an end. It had almost been 12 AM. God damn. Time really is of the essence. Why does this stupid system not send out an update? ... It's nearly laughable how much I struggle to stand still.
As the clock's hand slowly circled the plastic timekeeper, Johannes's shaking legs eventually gave in. Due to his condition, he was barely able to cushion the fall onto the hard ground.