Utopian System

Elio stumbled several times, his legs numb from the cold, but each time he got up and kept running.

The icy air burned his skin, his muscles screamed in protest, every movement a battle against his own body.

Resistance: 100/500... 80/500... 60/500...

The numbers flashed in his book, a grim countdown to potential failure. Fear began to settle in his stomach, a cold, heavy weight that threatened to drag him down.

What if he didn't make it? What if he had waited too long to make this decision? The idea of failing, of dying here, alone in this frozen tunnel, terrified him to his core.

But it wasn't just about him. He thought of his family, his friends, the entire city that depended on him... Even the ungrateful ones, he couldn't fail them. Not now, not like this. The weight of their expectations pressed down on him.

With a cry of determination that echoed through the tunnel, Elio found reserves of energy he didn't know he had. He ran faster, ignoring the searing pain in his muscles, the burning in his lungs. Each step sent shockwaves of agony through his body, but he pushed on, driven by desperation and an unyielding will to survive.

Resistance: 40/500... 31/500... 22/500...

The cold seemed to chase him, an invisible beast threatening to devour him. But Elio didn't give up. He kept running, each step an act of pure will. His legs moved mechanically, driven more by desperation than strength.

The frozen tunnel stretched endlessly before him, a constant reminder of the distance he still had to cover. Hours had passed since he started his race against time, hours that felt like an eternity of torment.

With each step, he felt his resistance diminishing. Although the rate of loss had slowed as he moved away from the ice barrier, it was still a constant threat. His armor, once reliable protection, now offered barely any comfort. The cold seeped through, biting into his skin, seeping into his very bones.

Elio: 49.99 Resistance / 10.96 Armor Resistance

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The number blinked in his peripheral vision, a silent warning of how close he was to the limit. But it wasn't just his resistance that worried him. Elio remembered, with a pang of panic, that he had spent more than 6 stamina points on his run to the barrier.

After retreating, with only 3.5 points left, fatigue began to settle in his muscles like lead. Every movement was a struggle, his body begging for rest that he couldn't afford to give.

Stamina: 1

"I can't... I can't give up," he gasped, his voice barely audible over the sound of his labored breathing and faltering steps.

Elio slowed his pace, hoping to stretch his stamina to the maximum. With trembling hands, he searched his pocket. His fingers, numb from the cold, found one of the provisions he had brought with him. A lesson learned from his last obligatory visit to the sea of monsters: Bring food.

But eating while running proved to be a challenge in itself. The food was hard and cold, almost frozen. Each bite was a struggle. The taste, normally comforting, was now barely perceptible in his dry, cold mouth. It was like trying to eat ice, each swallow a painful reminder of his dire situation.

Despite his efforts, the help provided by the food was minimal. His stamina wasn't recovering with the speed he desperately needed. It was practically impossible to notice any improvement.

Elio: 45.67 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

Stamina: 0.5

Panic began to grow in his chest, a suffocating feeling that threatened to overwhelm him. His stamina was dangerously low, and his armor's resistance was exhausted. Each step felt like torture, his body screaming for him to stop, to rest, to give in to the cold.

'How long have I been running?' he wondered, his mind clouded by exhaustion. Doubt began to invade his thoughts, each negative idea a weight dragging him down. 'Maybe... maybe it was a mistake to run so fast. Perhaps I spent too much energy unnecessarily'.

But he couldn't afford the luxury of stopping. The cold was still a constant threat, though less intense than before. If he stopped, if he passed out here, he knew his resistance would be completely depleted.

It would be the end.

Elio pushed forward, each step a battle against his own body. His muscles screamed in protest, begging for rest.

Elio: 34.56 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

Stamina: 0.2

The world around him began to blur.

The edges of his vision darkened, and sounds became distant, as if he were listening through water. Elio fought to stay conscious, knowing that passing out now would mean dead. The tunnel seemed to stretch and warp before his eyes, playing tricks on his exhausted mind.

"Just... a little... more," he said between broken gasps, each word a monumental effort.

But his body was reaching its limits. He was no longer running; his movements had been reduced to a staggering advance. Each step was a colossal struggle, his legs shaking under his own weight. Each movement requiring more effort than the last.

Elio: 23.45 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

Stamina: 0.01

The intense cold still bit his skin, a constant reminder that he still wasn't safe. Elio could feel consciousness slipping away from him, like water between his fingers. He fought furiously against the fatigue, refusing to yield. His vision swam, the world tilting and spinning around him.

"Not... not now," he growled, forcing his body to take another step. "I've come... too far..."

But the System was relentless. Without stamina, there was no consciousness. It was an absolute, unbreakable rule.

Elio felt his legs finally give way. He fell to his knees, the impact barely registered by his numb body. He tried to get up, his arms shaking with the effort, but it was useless. His muscles had nothing left to give, every fiber of his being crying out for rest.

"No... please..." he pleaded, though he wasn't sure who he was talking to. The System? The Creator? Himself?

His vision darkened completely, the cold of the ground against his cheek the last point of contact with reality. And then, darkness enveloped him completely.