Chapter 262: Cannot Fail
The vaulting horse stood before him. He took a running start and propelled himself into the air, flipping over the top and landing on the mat behind it.
As he progressed through the series of obstacles, he could feel the blood pumping more through his veins. And with each passing movement, the sweat poured from him as a reminder of the effort he was putting forth.
After completing the course, he stood in the center of the room, panting heavily.
'Five percent is only... manageable,' he thought to himself, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.
He looked around the facility, considering the challenges he still needed to face. While this warm-up left him drenched in sweat, he knew it was only a prelude to what lay ahead. As such, he moved to the control panel once more and cranked the gravity settings up to ten percent.
Immediately, he felt the change. Every step felt like he was wading through a swamp. It was enough to make him grunt as he tried to shake off the sudden heaviness that enveloped him. It felt like his muscles were covered in lead, and even just walking presented an arduous challenge.
This was not good. If he couldn't even handle ten percent, one hundred would put him in the hospital.
He turned to the dumbbells lined up against the wall and picked up a pair of two hundred pounds (approximately 91 kg). This shouldn't be too difficult for him, but as soon as he gripped the first one, he felt the weight bearing down on him like an avalanche.
It was so heavy that he gritted his teeth as he attempted to lift one. Straining against the added gravity, the dumbbell barely moved.
This was frustrating now, so he dropped the weights and decided to switch his focus to the bench press, a machine he had used countless times before on earth.
He loaded six plates on each side and lay on the bench, ready to test his strength. As he brought the barbell down, it felt heavier than any lead he'd come across. He pushed with all the strength he could muster, managing to get it up five times before the weight pinned him down for a moment.