Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 3: How to make it hard?
Previously on Titan King: Ascension of the Giant...
A hundred push-ups—an easy enough assignment.
Orion dropped to the floor without hesitation, planting his palms firmly to begin the exercise.
Even though his massive frame carried significant weight, the innate physical power of a giant made the movement feel nearly weightless.
The hundred repetitions were finished in no time.
[Newbie task completed, reward: Strength +1]
As a voice resonated within his mind, Orion observed his arms becoming more defined. A surge of new power flowed through him.
"Not bad at all. Time for a test."
Searching his vicinity, Orion’s eyes landed on a massive stone.
[Irregular Granite Boulder]
[Weight: 1500 pounds]
Approaching the rock, Orion moved into a crouch and locked his arms around its base.
"Heave-ho, up!"
Dust sprayed as the boulder shifted, and the yellow soil beneath his feet gave way by half an inch.
Thud!
He let go, and the heavy mass slammed back into the dirt.
Orion shook out his hands, realizing he had reached his current capacity. He could lift it, but only with extreme effort.
Still, considering he couldn't budge it previously, the +1 Strength bonus was clearly working.
While Orion was reflecting, the interface flashed with a fresh notification:
[Newbie task triggered, do 500 push-ups, time limit 10 minutes, Strength +1]
"Alright, let's see what I can do."
Orion felt a surge of excitement. If he kept knocking out tasks at this rate, he would soon be the most powerful giant in the entire tribe!
However, once his excitement cooled, he felt a bit intimidated.
Five hundred push-ups in just ten minutes?
The difficulty had spiked compared to the first task, primarily because of that strict ten-minute window.
That meant he had to maintain a pace of roughly 0.8 reps every second.
Looking down at his immense body, he worried it might be too much to ask.
"Hold on, the system didn't say the form had to be perfect."
A clever thought struck Orion.
The deadline was fixed, but since there were no rules regarding technique, he could take a few shortcuts.
Orion immediately hit the deck, bracing himself with his hands. Rather than using his chest and arms, he kept his upper body still and focused entirely on pelvic thrusts, driving his hips toward the ground repeatedly.
"1, 2, 3..."
"289, 290, 291..."
"...499, 500!"
He finished the set rapidly, and the system's notification chimed right on cue.
[Newbie task completed, reward: Strength +1]
"Excellent!"
Orion felt a fresh wave of vitality wash away his exhaustion.
He felt confident that another attempt at the boulder would be much easier now!
Furthermore, he had successfully exploited a loophole in the newbie missions.
But then, the screen flickered again:
[Newbie task triggered, do 1000 push-ups, must be standard form, time limit 30 minutes, Strength +1]
Orion blurted out, "Holy shit."
Damn, it didn't take long for the system to patch that exploit.
The new requirement was a thousand reps in half an hour. It sounded more generous, but it was actually more grueling.
It was the difference between a 14-second sprint and a 4-minute kilometer. The longer duration was a far greater test of stamina.
For a giant weighing 500 pounds, performing a thousand perfect push-ups in thirty minutes was nearly impossible.
Orion paused, feeling a bit stuck.
Wait, the tribal shamans usually kept various brews; perhaps there was something helpful in the house!
He began digging through the storage bags left by his parents.
"There’s so much junk in here, let me see..."
[Vibrating Eggplant]
[Length: 17 inches]
Effect: A rare item from the Black Forest, known for its high-frequency vibration.
Description: A lady's favorite.
...
[Sexy Bra]
[Size: FFFFFFF]
Description: Only the sail of a large ship would require this much cloth.
...
[Beast skin condom]
[Durability: 0/100]
Description: For some odd reason, there is a hole in the tip.
...
"Is this really the world I was reborn into?"
"My parents have some very strange hobbies. And why on earth is there a condom?"
After a rather awkward search, Orion finally pulled out what he needed.
[Endurance Potion]
[Attribute: Alchemical Product]
[Effect: Boosts stamina and physical power for 30 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of fatigue.]
"This is the one!"
Orion popped the cork and downed the liquid.
The orange-red tonic scorched his throat as it went down, sending a wave of heat through his limbs and filling him with renewed vigor!
"I can feel it!"
Orion dropped down and began his sets immediately.
The sensation was incredible; he was moving so fast his body seemed to blur!
The thousand push-ups were finished in record time.
Orion stood up and brushed himself off, genuinely impressed by the alchemist's work. He wasn't even winded after a thousand reps.
[Newbie task completed, reward: Strength +1]
That familiar power-up returned, followed by a new prompt on the screen:
[Newbie task triggered, do 100 one-handed push-ups, Strength +1]
Orion didn't waste a second and started right away.
The potion was still active, and he wasn't going to let a single second go to waste.
...
[Newbie task completed, reward: Strength +1]
...
[Newbie task triggered, do 200 one-handed push-ups, time limit 5 minutes...]
[Newbie task completed, reward: Strength +1]
...
[Newbie task triggered, do 200 one-handed push-ups with each hand, time limit 10 minutes...]
[Newbie task completed, reward: Strength +1]
By utilizing the endurance potion, Orion cleared every one-handed challenge, earning +3 Strength and bringing his total score to 11!
Fantastic—now lifting that 1500-pound rock would be child's play!
Just as Orion prepared to test his strength, a final prompt appeared that left him completely stunned.
[Newbie task triggered, do 10 push-ups without using hands, Strength +1]
Push-ups without hands?!
If I can't use my hands, what else could possibly support my weight...
Orion stopped, his gaze drifting downward toward his crotch.
"Could it... actually hold me up?"
"But it won't work while it's soft; it has to be rock hard."
How was he supposed to get it hard right now?