Chapter 38: Motivation

Holy shit...

It took me a while to calm down and process what had just happened.

Through this experiment, I had confirmed a few more things.

First, I could use the Punishment system in a rather creative way to push my citizens far beyond their usual limits by overriding their natural mental restrictions!

If used correctly, this could potentially unleash an incredible amount of power from them, allowing them to overcome situations that would otherwise be beyond their physical capabilities.

Second, I could potentially use the Quest System to enhance their training as well.

For example, people always had this kind of reaction when it came to training.

"I’m too lazy to train today..."

"I’m so tired. I want to give up already..."

That was one of the biggest problems with training. Even when someone’s body was still capable of doing more, their mind would eventually tell them to stop.

As a result, most training sessions rarely pushed someone to their true physical limits.

But if I could utilize the Punishment system properly, every training session could be pushed to the absolute maximum. There would be no need to rely entirely on sheer willpower anymore!

Of course, I would only ever do something like that if they gave me their full consent first. I wasn’t going to turn my citizens into unwilling training machines.

And yeah...

Let’s never do anything that stupid ever again...

Even though Gopuro had gained the powerful [Enraged] skill from the ordeal, that didn’t erase the fact that my carelessness had put him in genuine danger.

I needed to create a proper safeguard, something that would prevent the Punishment system from causing excessive harm while still preserving its incredible ability to push my citizens beyond their normal limits.

Maybe I should add a clause to future Punishment description?

Something like...

"Automatically terminate the punishment if there is a risk of severe or permanent harm to the body."

Yeah.

Something like that should work.

I definitely wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

However, before I could calm down and properly think things through, Gopuran suddenly stepped forward and boldly snatched the quest scroll.

I couldn’t react fast enough.

[Ding! Gopuran has accepted your "Strength Demonstration #5" quest!]

"NO WAY!"

I panicked.

But when I looked into her bright eyes and saw the fierce determination burning within them, I immediately understood what was going through her mind.

"Yeah... you realized the true power of this Quest System too, didn’t you?"

She had been watching Gopuro closely the entire time.

And now that he had gained the powerful [Enraged] skill, this clever goblin girl clearly wanted one for herself too.

Even after witnessing how completely exhausted Gopuro had been afterward, she had apparently decided that the risk was worth the reward.

And before I could stop her, she threw herself into the challenge.

Her arms began pumping furiously as she blasted through the push-ups, determined to reach the impossible target.

One after another.

Faster and faster.

Unfortunately...

It still wasn’t enough.

She failed.

The moment the time limit expired, the quest punishment activated.

I could only watch helplessly as the System began enforcing it.

Haha, good luck, Puran...

May the System be with you.

****

And so...

For the next few minutes, even though I already knew exactly what was going to happen, it was still terrifying to watch.

Gopuran pushed herself with everything she had. Her big chest slammed wildly against the ground at lightning speed as the System ruthlessly forced her through the grueling punishment push-ups. The sheer repetitive force actually cracked the hard earth beneath her with each impact!

Meanwhile, I kept a nervous eye on her status screen, my Castle Points at the ready.

If her HP dropped too low, I would intervene without hesitation.

Fortunately, it never came to that.

After another intense, sweat-drenched burst of push-ups, Gopuran was able to unlock the [Enraged] skill too.

[Ding! Gopuran has unlocked a new skill: "Enraged" by pushing far beyond his physical limits!]

"Hell yeah..."

Gopuran immediately collapsed onto the ground as soon as the system spared her.

And now, both goblins lay sprawled across the dirt, drenched in sweat, their chests heaving as they desperately gulped down air.

And yet... they were grinning.

Both of them wore huge, exhausted smiles, as though they had just won the greatest and most glorious battle of their lives.

I stared at them for a moment.

"Damn... These two really are built differently..."

I decided to let them rest for a full hour before giving them two extra Powerstones each.

After all, after everything they had endured, they more than deserved the reward.

The moment the Powerstones appeared, both goblins eagerly snatched them up and immediately tossed the glowing stones into their mouths, chewing away with obvious delight.

*****

One hour later...

I had to admit, the [Carnivorism] skill was ridiculously overpowered!

[Carnivorism Lv.1]

Description: After consuming meat, grants a significant boost to Stamina Recovery and HP Regeneration. The duration depends on the type and amount of meat consumed.

As I fed them more thick cuts of steak, their stamina recovered at an astonishing rate. The exhaustion gradually melted away from their bodies, their breathing steadied, and the strain in their muscles disappeared.

Before long, both goblins were back to full health, looking completely refreshed and ready for more action.

Still, even though their status screens showed that they had recovered completely, I decided they had already done enough intense physical activity for one day.

There were still several experiments I wanted to run, but this time, they wouldn’t require raw strength or serious physical effort.

Instead, I had prepared something much more lighthearted.

Something fun.

"Alright, you two... surely you can handle this one, right?"

I materialized a new quest scroll on the ground in front of them.

The two goblins immediately noticed it and stared at the strange piece of paper, their eyes widening with curiosity.

Then they picked it up and began reading.

[Quest: Let’s Become Artists!]

Prerequisite: None

Quest Info: Your ruler wishes to evaluate your artistic capabilities! Dear followers, prove your worth with your best drawings!

Quest Type: One-Time

Objective: Using sticks or stones on the ground, draw your best versions of the following: the sun, the moon, a tree, a flower, and three random animals from the forest.

Time Limit: 20 minutes

Reward: 1 Chicken Drumstick

Punishment: None