“Huff… huh… hngh.”

Clang- Clang-

Hansik moved like a machine.

I couldn’t.

After exactly five minutes of swinging the pickaxe, I was already out of breath.

By the ten-minute mark, I was sprawled on the ground.

“You’re weak. That’s all the stamina you’ve got?”

“No, it’s not like my HP is going down, so why is this so exhausting?”

“HP is your life force, dumbass, if it goes down you’re getting closer to death. Still, you didn’t get a debuff, did you? Exhaustion, I mean.”

I didn’t.

“Haa, what do I do with this little bastard’s whining? You’re whining like this when you’re not even exhausted?”

“It’s hard, what do you want me to do! Don’t talk to me, I feel like I’m gonna puke.”

“You’re not even nauseous, punk. It only counts once you’re exhausted and your HP starts getting shaved down by dot damage.”

“I can’t do it. I can’t do it anymore.”

Still, I’d stacked up 25 experience.

Which meant I had to do this forty more times just to gain one level…

Could I even do that?

Maybe I really was just built to be the Delivery Lord.

“Aren’t you ashamed looking at your summon? Jeez, the summoner is worse than the summon.”

“My summon is insanely good.”

As always, Hansik threw his arms up in victory.

“As motivation, want a tip? I’ve done it myself, if you keep training while exhausted and leave your HP at 1, the constellation gives you its blessing and all your stats go up by 1.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s a pretty famous hidden quest type of thing, plenty of people can’t do it, but I’ve never seen someone succeed and say their stats didn’t go up.”

“Is that so?”

All stats plus 1 was huge.

Right after awakening, a former Olympic gold medal weightlifter had a Strength stat of 10 and a marathon runner had a Constitution stat of 10, so physical stats of 10 or higher were basically superhuman territory.

Of course, ability stats like Intelligence, Wisdom and Luck frequently awakened at 10 or higher.

Anyway, my current stats were like this.

+——+——+——Stats——+——+——+

Strength: 6

Agility: 4

Constitution: 3

Intelligence: 17

Wisdom: 25

Luck: 3

#Distributable Points : 0

+——+——+——+——+——+——+—

My physical stats, Strength, Agility and Constitution were 6, 4 and 3, but my Constitution really was especially low.

“Any other, other tips?”

“I do know a few more, but conditions for constellations giving rewards differ by constellation, so some people get it and some don’t. Still, dying and coming back after exhaustion is definitely real, it’s even posted as an official tip on Huntthreads. You haven’t read it?”

“No.”

“So your basics are trash. You say you’re gonna be a hunter and you didn’t even read the tip posts properly?”

Tch.

I’d never seriously thought about becoming a hunter.

Lately, I’d been thinking I’d just half-ass it and leech using the Delivery Lord route.

But with the possibility of a hundred million skeleton soldiers, last night I even ran my fantasy circuit, becoming the strongest hunter in the world rather than just in Korea, wiping out gates across the planet, rising as the great hero of all humanity and marrying the most beautiful woman on Earth.

My Bella…

Hunter…

It was the kind of job that made every man’s heart twitch, that much was true.

“So basically, if you do something hard, push past your limit and keep going until you’re right on the brink of death, your overall stats go up, right?”

“Yeah. But you can’t do it anyway. Let’s just grill some clams.”

That made my pride flare up.

“Want to bet?”

“Oh? Fine, let’s do it. Even on Huntthreads, people who succeed are counted on one hand. It’s beyond just fighting yourself, only complete lunatics can do it.”

“You said you did it, Taesu hyung.”

“I’m a lunatic by default and back then I wanted to die, so I did it.”

“……”

“But you don’t actually die from exhaustion. Your HP doesn’t drop from 1 to 0.”

So I wouldn’t die, at least?

“You’ll have to endure pain like your whole body is breaking apart. And during the process, your Constitution or Strength stat might go up too, so it’s not a bad idea to try once.”

Clang- Clang-

Hansik was still mining barnacles.

A summon that never got tired.

Meanwhile, the summoner had pathetic stamina.

Embarrassing.

“If I win the bet, what will you do for me?”

“If you lose, what will you do?”

“I’ll grant a wish.”

“This is really damn childish, but fine.”

“I’m starting. No backing out.”

“Yeah. Fighting.”

For some reason, Taesu hyung triggered a weird competitiveness in me.

It wasn’t just me.

There was definitely something irritating about him.

I would succeed and flatten his nose no matter what.

I gripped the pickaxe.

Clang!

Clang!

Since my Strength stat was higher than Hansik’s, my swings hit harder.

Of course, Hansik kept such perfect textbook form that in terms of efficiency, Hansik won.

Clang!

I clamped my mouth shut and copied Hansik.

No need to overpace.

This was like a marathon.

I could do it.

Clang!

It felt like the ten minutes I’d given up on earlier had long since passed.

Sweat poured off my body.

Even holding the pickaxe was hard.

My breath climbed to the tip of my throat and it felt like my lungs were going to burst.

No, it felt like they were already on the verge of bursting, swelling until they crushed down on all my organs.

“Ngh.”

It hurt.

Clang!

But I didn’t stop.

“Hup.”

Clang!

* * *

How much longer did I keep going after that?

Thoughts slowly vanished.

I focused only on the barnacles breaking off in front of my eyes.

I focused only on breathing.

I turned away from the pain itself.

Throb.

Then, when my muscles cried out in a surge, I had no choice but to face the pain.

“Guh-ack.”

Clang!

I felt like I knew where every muscle in my body was.

Because every different spot was screaming.

My bones and joints were the same.

Beyond a mere ache, it felt like I’d been dunked into boiling water.

Clang. Clang.

* * *

When I came to my senses, I was still swinging the pickaxe.

What, did I pass out?

No.

I was still standing and the barnacles were still piling up.

Hansik beside me was the same.

Was it some kind of trance?

“Hup… uh-uhp.”

The moment I became aware, nausea surged up.

Something actually rose, but I swallowed it back down.

Bitter.

My throat stung.

If I dropped to my knees and vomited here, it felt like I’d never be able to stand again.

‘It’s a fight with yourself.’

Could I beat myself?

Taesu hyung was right.

I was weak.

A total, absolute weakling.

A cowardly wimp who’d never once gotten into a fistfight in my entire life.

Sure, I’d gotten the crap beaten out of me before, but I’d been too scared to swing back, a true loser.

If I couldn’t even beat someone like that, hunter my ass.

So why was it so hard to win?

Clang! Clang!

“Hoo…”

He said something after that.

Taesu hyung must have said something, but the pulse screaming in my veins drowned it out.

My ears felt muffled, like when a plane takes off.

How long had I been doing this?

Then, as I tried to lift the drooping pickaxe again, my arm started trembling.

It felt like I wouldn’t be able to raise it over my head.

If I forced it, my arm would snap like a rotten branch, crack.

It felt like my body was rotting away.

I felt like I was going to die.

Like I’d reached death.

That was when it happened.

[Your body has reached its limit. Status effect 'Exhaustion' has been applied.]

[All speed -50%]

[All stats -50%]

[Stamina recovery speed -50%]

[HP is reduced by 1 every 5 seconds.]

[If you rest, Exhaustion will be removed.]

So this was the exhaustion Taesu hyung had talked about.

It didn’t feel like my body was mine.

It felt like my soul had already left it.

[Rest!]

Then, a neon green message flickered in front of my eyes.

Was I allowed to rest?

But he’d said after exhaustion hit was when it really began.

This was only the start!

“Grahhh!”

I lifted the pickaxe with everything I had,

Clang.

I smashed down on the barnacles with the pickaxe’s weight.

Tremble tremble.

Each joint in my fingers spasmed and I couldn’t put strength into the hand gripping the pickaxe.

Should I stop?

[Rest!]

A sweet whisper.

How nice would it be to lie down like this.

I wanted to take one big breath.

Oxygen… oxygen….

Shut up.

“Grahhh!”

I lifted the pickaxe again and brought it down.

Clang!

It was too hard.

Absurdly hard.

My eyelids fluttered and it felt like my insides were melting.

Tremble tremble.

What if I damaged my body and could never walk again?

What if I ended up half-paralyzed?

What if Taesu hyung tricked me?

What if he was joking?

What if I died from this?

I might die.

No.

I would die.

It was this hard, so wouldn’t it be weird if I didn’t die?

My whole body hurts.

Everywhere hurt.

It hurt.

It hurts…

I want to stop….

[Rest!]

“Hhhk… nghh….”

I couldn’t do it anymore.

I wanted to drop the pickaxe and collapse face-first.

I wanted to sleep deeply for one long stretch.

I never should’ve started something like this.

Why did I stupidly do this…

Then, through my muffled ears, I heard a shout so loud it felt like my eardrums would burst.

“Endure!”

Taesu hyung had brought his mouth right up to my ear and was yelling.

“Break it!”

It felt like my body was going to break.

“The laziness inside you!”

I want to rest.

“Fear!”

I feel like I’m going to die.

“The limit you set for yourself! The defeatist mindset! Break it with that pickaxe in your hands!!”

“Uaaaaaah!!”

Clang!

He kept shouting.

“If you stop here, you’re nothing! Don’t stop!”

“Grrraaaah!!”

Clang!

The vibration traveling from the pickaxe into my fingertips burrowed into my whole body.

It felt like every nerve network was snapping.

“The pain you feel is fake! The real pain is when I was too weak and I lost someone precious! The defeatist mindset that I couldn’t do anything!”

Because I was weak.

Because I was worthless.

I lost someone precious.

“Break it!”

“Guhhrrr!!”

CLANG!

Just like the pickaxe’s blow crushed the barnacles, it felt like my body was about to shatter too.

My bones creaked and my muscles tore then melted away.

But Taesu hyung’s shouts swallowed my pain and filled my will even more strongly.

“Your limit isn’t decided by you! Break your limit!”

The voice roaring right into my ear was like thunder.

In this moment, the laziness inside me.

Fear.

Defeatist thinking.

All those negative emotions exploded outward.

The sound of the pickaxe felt like the sound of the limit line I’d created collapsing.

“You’re not ending here! You’re not trash! Prove it!”

“Hoo… hoo….”

But I couldn’t even imagine pushing further.

Then,

[HP has fallen to 10%! Rest immediately!]

Wait, 10%?

I still had 10% left?

It felt like it wouldn’t be strange if I died right now.

“You’re strong! Believe in yourself! You’re someone chosen by the constellation!”

Yeah.

I’m strong.

“Uaaaaaah!!”

Clang!

I brought the pickaxe down one more time.

My fingertips trembled and metallic blood seeped from my bitten lip, wetting my throat.

I’m alive.

I won’t die.

I won’t die.

“Break the egg that’s blocking you and come out!”

Break the egg.

I…

Yolk?

“Uaaaaah!”

Clang!

The limit was something I’d made.

And I would break that limit with my own hands.

I believe in myself.

I’m someone chosen by the constellation.

But then… my mom.

Suddenly, I missed my mom.

“Mooooom!!”

Clang!

Crunch….

In an instant, a massive cluster of barnacles collapsed in a rush, like an iceberg breaking apart.

It wasn’t over yet.

I was still alive.

“Uaaaaaah!!”

But my hand wouldn’t lift anymore.

In the end, the pickaxe in my hand slipped and dropped to the ground.

“No, not yet. Not yet. I can still… do more!!”

But my weakened arms couldn’t hold out any longer.

As it felt like all sensation was draining away, my blurring vision flashed.

[Warning: HP is at 1. Rest immediately.]

The text that was usually neon green now blinked in a vicious red.

[Warning: HP is at 1. Rest immediately.]

“Haaa.”

The corner of my mouth lifted into a grin.

“I did it… I won… right?”

“Haha, you crazy bastard, you actually did it.”

Taesu hyung’s voice was right beside me.

In that moment, my body began to feel warm, as if after a cold winter, soft spring sunlight was wrapping around me and all pain started to fade away.

[Constitution has reached its limit. Constitution +1.]

[Strength has reached its limit. Strength +1.]

['Skeleton Star has acknowledged your will. All stats +1.]

['Skeleton Star is moved by you and grants you the 'Indomitable' trait.]

['Indomitable': When HP is at 10% or lower, all stats increase by your Luck stat.]

That’s… a lot….

“Drink.”

Taesu hyung brought a water bottle to my mouth.

Like pouring water onto cracked earth, I gulped it down, glug glug.

“The Lee Dusik I knew a moment ago is dead.”

Taesu hyung said it meaningfully.

“You broke your limit and were reborn. I didn’t think you’d pull it off. Congrats, punk.”

“You’re making me cringe, but I won the bet.”

“Yeah. I admit it.”

[While resting, the status effect 'Exhaustion' has been removed.]