Kael regretted his decision to exercise the moment he tried to get out of bed.
His arms felt heavy, his thighs ached, and even sitting up required more effort than it should have. He managed to get one leg over the side of the bed before stopping to catch his breath.
"...Seriously?" Kael muttered.
He stared at his legs as if they were responsible for the whole situation. Yesterday, he had completed a few squats, wall push-ups, and marching exercises. Nothing too difficult, at least not when he looked at the list. Yet his body was acting as though he had spent the entire day fighting monsters.
Kael rubbed his thighs and slowly stood up. The moment he straightened his back, another wave of soreness hit him, making him grit his teeth.
’So this is what happens when you spend most of your life sitting behind a counter.’
He had always known he wasn’t particularly fit, but there was a difference between knowing something and having his entire body remind him of it every time he moved.
A soft sound came from the other side of the apartment. Noah was awake, and Kael immediately forgot about his aching legs. He shuffled toward the living room, trying to move faster without making his body protest too much.
Sera was already beside the crib. She leaned over to check their son, then picked him up when his little cries grew louder.
"Good morning, Noah," Sera murmured as she adjusted him against her shoulder. "Did you sleep well? Because your father clearly didn’t."
Kael stopped in the doorway and frowned at her.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Kael asked.
Sera looked over her shoulder. Her eyes moved from his stiff posture to the way he was holding his lower back.
"Why are you walking like that?" Sera asked.
"I’m walking normally," Kael replied.
"No, you’re not," Sera said.
"I’m just a little tired," Kael insisted.
"You look like an old man who lost a fight with a staircase," Sera teased.
Kael opened his mouth to argue, then decided against it. He had no convincing response, especially when standing still was already becoming uncomfortable. Sera’s lips twitched as she tried not to laugh.
"Did you exercise yesterday?" Sera asked.
"Yes," Kael answered.
"How much?" she asked.
"Just a few exercises. Squats, wall push-ups, and some marching in place," Kael explained.
"And you did all of them?" Sera asked.
"Of course," Kael replied.
"How many?" Sera asked.
Kael hesitated, and Sera raised an eyebrow at him.
"Kael," she said, waiting for an answer.
"Three sets of squats. Two sets of wall push-ups. Then I marched in place for a while," Kael admitted.
Sera stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.
"You haven’t trained properly in years, and you decided to do all that on your first day?" she asked.
"It wasn’t that much," Kael argued.
"Your legs disagree," Sera replied.
"They’ll get used to it," Kael said.
"They probably will, but that doesn’t mean you should make yourself miserable in the process." Sera shifted Noah to her other shoulder. "You can’t expect your body to change overnight."
Kael knew she was right. He just didn’t like hearing it when he had barely started.
Yesterday, seeing the training menu had made him excited. For the first time, he had a clear way to improve himself. He wanted to become stronger, earn money, and make sure neither Sera nor Noah had to worry about their future. It had felt natural to push himself, but now he was beginning to understand that enthusiasm couldn’t make up for a lack of preparation.
"Fine," Kael admitted. "Maybe I did a little too much."
"A little?" Sera repeated.
"All right. I did too much," Kael corrected himself.
"Better," Sera said.
Sera carried Noah toward the sofa and sat down. The baby had quieted, but he was still making small noises against her shoulder. She gently patted his back while Kael lowered himself onto the opposite end of the sofa with a quiet groan.
Sera glanced at him again.
"Does it hurt that much?" she asked.
"Only when I move," Kael replied.
"So, all the time?" Sera asked.
"Pretty much," Kael admitted.
This time, Sera laughed. Kael gave her an offended look, but it only made her smile wider. After a moment, she became more serious.
"You need a routine that you can actually maintain," Sera told him. "Something small enough that you can do it regularly without exhausting yourself."
"I was planning to train every morning," Kael replied.
"Every morning?" Sera repeated.
"That’s the idea," Kael said.
"And what happens when Noah keeps us awake half the night? Or when one of us needs to go out? Or when I have something important to do?" Sera asked.
Kael looked at her. "I can adjust the time."
"That’s part of it, but I’m talking about more than the time." Sera glanced down at Noah before continuing. "We have a baby now. Some days will be easy, and other days will be a complete mess. If your plan only works when everything goes perfectly, it isn’t a good plan."
Kael leaned back carefully and considered her words. She wasn’t telling him to stop training. She was asking him to think about how it would fit into their lives. He had been so focused on becoming stronger that he hadn’t considered what his routine would demand from the people around him.
"You’re right," Kael admitted. "I was thinking about what I needed to do, not how we’d manage everything else."
Sera looked slightly surprised by how quickly he accepted it.
"That’s not a crime," she said. "But you should talk to me before deciding how our days are going to work."
"Our days?" Kael asked.
"Yes, our days." Sera adjusted Noah’s blanket. "I’m taking care of him, helping with the apartment, and figuring out what I want to do next. I don’t mind sharing the work with you, but I also need time for myself."
Kael turned toward her. Sera didn’t sound angry, but there was something firm in her voice that made him pay attention.
"I love Noah," Sera continued. "I’m not complaining about looking after him. But I don’t want every day to become feeding him, changing him, cleaning up, and then going to bed whenever he finally sleeps. I have things I want to do too."
Kael remained quiet, giving her room to explain.
"I haven’t figured everything out yet," Sera admitted. "I need time to think about my own plans, and I want to be able to leave the apartment sometimes without feeling like I’m abandoning you with a problem you can’t handle."
"Is that what you think would happen?" Kael asked.
"I don’t know. You’ve been trying hard, but you still ask me what to do with Noah half the time," Sera replied.
"That’s because you know more about babies than I do," Kael explained.
"And you’ll learn. But I can’t be the only person who knows how to handle everything," Sera said.
Kael lowered his gaze. Since Sera arrived, he had been trying to help wherever he could, but he often waited for her instructions when he wasn’t sure what to do. He had treated childcare like a task he could complete with enough effort instead of a responsibility they both needed to understand.
If he wanted to become a reliable father, he couldn’t keep depending on Sera to guide him through every difficult moment. He also couldn’t expect her to put her own plans aside just because he had decided to become a hunter.
"Then let’s work it out together," Kael said. "You can tell me what you need time for, and we’ll figure out how to share things. You shouldn’t have to ask permission to do something for yourself."
Sera studied his face before responding.
"You’re saying that now. What happens when I tell you I want to spend an afternoon outside?" she asked.
"Then I’ll look after Noah," Kael replied.
"And if he cries the whole time?" Sera asked.
"I’ll figure it out," Kael said.
"And if you can’t?" she pressed.
"I’ll call you and ask for help," Kael replied. "But I’ll try first."
Sera smiled faintly. "That sounds more realistic."
"Thank you for your confidence," Kael said.
"You’re welcome," Sera replied.
They shared a quiet laugh. Noah chose that moment to make a small noise, drawing both their attention toward him. Sera checked his diaper and sighed.
"Speaking of sharing responsibilities, I think it’s your turn," Sera told Kael.
Kael looked at the baby, then at his own sore legs.
"Can’t we negotiate?" Kael asked.
"No," Sera replied.
"Not even a little?" Kael tried again.
"He’s your son too," Sera reminded him.
"That argument is becoming very effective," Kael admitted.
"Good. You’ll remember it next time," Sera said.
Sera carefully handed Noah over. Kael settled the baby against his chest, supporting his head as he had been taught. Noah squirmed and made an unhappy sound, but Kael adjusted his hold until the little boy became calmer.
"All right, buddy," Kael murmured. "Let’s see what you need."
Sera watched him for a moment before getting up.
"I’m going to make breakfast. After that, I want to check a few things on my phone. There are some matters I’ve been putting off," Sera explained.
"Go ahead," Kael said. "I’ll handle him."
"You don’t have to prove anything," Sera reminded him.
"I know. I’m not trying to prove anything. You said you need time, so take it," Kael replied.
Sera seemed to consider that answer. Then she nodded and headed toward the kitchen.
Kael looked down at Noah. The baby was awake now, staring vaguely in his direction while his tiny fingers moved against the blanket.
"Your mother has a point, you know," Kael told him. "I thought being strong meant being able to do everything myself. Turns out, I can’t even squat without regretting my life choices."
Noah responded with a small grunt.
"Exactly. At least someone understands me," Kael said.
Kael spent the next several minutes checking whether Noah was comfortable and whether he needed feeding. He wasn’t as quick as Sera, and he still had to think about each step, but he managed without calling her over.
When Sera returned with breakfast, she found him sitting comfortably with Noah resting in his arms.
"Look at you," Sera said. "You survived."
"Barely," Kael replied.
"But you managed," Sera added.
Kael gave her a small smile. He knew there would be plenty of things he still needed to learn, and he wasn’t going to become a capable hunter just because a mysterious system had given him a training menu. He would have to work at it gradually, while making sure he didn’t leave all the family responsibilities to Sera.
After breakfast, Kael opened the training menu and reviewed the exercises. His sore muscles made it clear that he needed to slow down, so he reduced the number of repetitions and added rest days. Instead of forcing himself through a full session every morning, he would start with short workouts and increase the difficulty only when his body could handle them.
He also made a note to discuss their weekly routine with Sera. They could decide when he would train, when she could have time for herself, and how they would handle days when Noah refused to cooperate with anyone’s plans.
It wasn’t a perfect schedule, but it was a start.
A faint notification appeared in front of him.
[Family Care Task Completed.]
[Reward: Family Care Efficiency +1%]
Kael glanced at the message, then closed it before Sera could notice anything unusual. The reward was small, but he didn’t mind. He had spent the morning learning something that the system couldn’t teach him by simply displaying a list of exercises.
He needed patience and consistency, but he also needed to understand that being a father wasn’t a competition to see how much he could endure alone.
Kael looked at Sera, who was now checking something on her phone while finishing her tea. She had her own plans to make, just as he had his own goals to work toward. They were both learning how to build a life together, and neither of them had to do it alone.
For the rest of the day, Kael decided to let his body recover, take care of Noah, and work with Sera on a routine they could both live with. He still intended to train again the next day, but he would be more careful about how much he asked of himself. If he wanted to become stronger and protect his family, he needed to build his strength steadily rather than push himself until he could barely get out of bed.