Chapter 118: Renovating the Gym
Everyone looked at him as he leaned back in his chair.
"Gromda."
"Mm?"
"How strong are you?"
She tilted her head. "Strong."
"I know you’re strong."
"No. I am strong."
Silas pinched the bridge of his nose.
"The gym."
She immediately understood. "It breaks."
"It... breaks?"
"The heavy things."
She mimicked lifting something before making a snapping motion with her hands.
"Crack."
"Oh..." Anna nodded.
"That explains the bent leg press."
"The what?"
"The leg press."
"You already broke something?"
Gromda lowered her head slightly.
"Maybe."
Chloe quietly added.
"The squat rack also looks... different after I checked it."
Silas slowly stood.
"Let’s go."
A minute later, they were back inside the gym. Silas finally inspected everything carefully.
The reinforced bench press had a visible bend in the steel frame. Several weight plates had cracked around the center. One of the cable machines had its steel cables stretched almost beyond recognition. Even the pull-up bar...
"...How?"
Gromda pointed.
"I pulled."
"...Of course you did."
The system spoke.
[Observation.]
[Current facility designed for ordinary humans.]
[Recommendation: Upgrade to an Awakened-Class Training Facility.]
Silas looked around once more. It wasn’t just Gromda. He himself could already outgrow this place. Soon, Chloe’s strength would catch up. Even Alpha, if he continued improving, would eventually require better equipment.
"This won’t do."
Anna folded her arms. "I was thinking the same. We’re awakened."
"We need a gym built for awakened."
Gromda’s ears twitched. "Bigger?"
"Bigger."
"Heavier?"
"Heavier."
Her eyes sparkled again.
"...Very heavy?"
Silas grinned.
"As heavy as they can make it."
She looked like she’d just received the greatest gift in her life. Without another word, Silas took out his phone and called Raymond. The call connected almost immediately.
"Good morning, Mr. Ashard."
"Morning, Raymond."
"I assume everything is satisfactory?"
"It is. Mostly."
Raymond’s tone became professional.
"Is there any issue?"
"The gym."
"The gym?"
"It’s too weak."
There was silence for a while before he answered.
"I’m sorry?"
"One of the girls accidentally bent a bench press."
Raymond laughed politely.
"I’m sure it isn’t that ba..."
Silas switched the camera.
"..."
Raymond stared at the twisted steel frame.
"...I’ll be there in fifteen minutes."
True to his word, Raymond arrived less than twenty minutes later. He walked into the gym carrying a tablet before stopping completely. His eyes slowly swept across the room.
He looked at Gromda, and she awkwardly waved.
"Hello."
Raymond swallowed. "Good morning."
Silas scratched his cheek.
"So... Can we renovate?"
Raymond slowly nodded.
"Not renovate. Rebuild."
"What?"
"This equipment is commercial-grade."
He tapped one of the cracked weight plates.
"It isn’t defective. It’s simply... not meant for people like you."
He looked toward Silas.
"I’ll contact our specialized contractors."
"You have specialized contractors?"
"We’ve renovated homes for awakened before."
"Then let’s do it."
Raymond immediately began making calls.
Within an hour, the quiet estate became lively once more. Several large trucks entered through the gates. Workers wearing uniforms marked Titan Forge Engineering stepped out alongside structural engineers, awakened architects, and heavy-equipment specialists.
One elderly engineer entered the gym, looked around, then looked at Gromda.
"You did this?"
She nodded proudly. "Mm."
"Excellent."
Everyone blinked.
"Excellent?" Silas repeated.
The old engineer chuckled.
"Means she actually uses it." He tapped the wall. "We’ll reinforce the entire room. Triple-layer awakened steel. Mana-conductive flooring. Shock-absorption foundations."
He continued walking.
"We’ll also widen the space. Install gravity-adjustable lifting platforms and replace everything with awakened-grade equipment."
His smile widened.
"And..." He looked directly at Gromda. "I’ve always wanted an excuse to install a five-ton bench press."
Gromda slowly looked toward Silas in confusion, and he explained it.
"I think he just became your favorite person."
The giantess nodded immediately. "Favorite."
The elderly engineer laughed heartily.
"I like this young lady already."
Workers immediately got to work, measuring walls, scanning structural supports, and discussing expansion plans.
The peaceful mansion echoed once more with the sounds of construction. Standing in the middle of it all, Silas folded his arms with satisfaction.
"This feels like a worthwhile investment. We’re not just building a gym anymore. We’re building a headquarters."
The words immediately attracted everyone’s attention. Even Raymond paused in the middle of a call. The elderly engineer raised an eyebrow.
"A headquarters?"
Silas nodded. "Think about it."
He spread his arms.
"This estate is huge."
Everyone instinctively looked around. The gym alone occupied almost an entire wing of the mansion. There were unused rooms, land, facilities... Unused everything.
Silas continued.
"We’re awakened. We’ll become stronger. We’ll attract attention. We’ll make enemies."
"We’ll probably travel to other worlds."
The room became silent. When he put it like that, it sounded terrifyingly reasonable.
"We need a place capable of supporting that."
The elderly engineer slowly stroked his beard.
"Hmm." The old engineer laughed. "I understand."
He pulled up a holographic tablet.
"If we’re doing this properly, then we shouldn’t just upgrade the equipment. We should redesign the entire facility."
Silas immediately became interested.
"Go on."
The engineer enlarged a blueprint of the estate. The gym section appeared, then expanded again. Soon, an entire section of the estate was highlighted.
"This entire wing."
"The whole wing?"
"Yes."
He pointed at several rooms.
"These guest rooms. Storage rooms. They can all be converted."
His fingers moved rapidly, and the blueprint changed. Within moments, a completely new layout appeared. The old engineer smiled proudly.
"Awakened Training Complex."
The first addition was obvious: The gym. But this wasn’t going to be a normal gym anymore.
The engineer zoomed in.
"Weight Room."
The current gym nearly tripled in size. New equipment appeared throughout the blueprint.
"Adjustable Gravity Training Platforms. Awakened-grade bench stations. Mana-resistant lifting equipment. Impact-resistant flooring. Reinforced walls."
He looked toward Gromda.
"The strongest equipment currently available can support twenty tons."
Gromda’s eyes sparkled.
"Twenty?"
"Tons."
The giantess looked like she was about to cry from happiness. Silas had never seen someone become emotional over weights before, yet here they were.
The second addition surprised everyone.
"Combat Hall."
The engineer expanded another section and a huge indoor arena appeared. The room would be large enough for full-contact sparring, furnished with shock-absorbing walls, self-repairing flooring, observation rooms, medical stations, and protective barriers.
Anna immediately approved.
"We need this."
Chloe nodded. "Definitely."
Having their own combat arena sounded perfect. The third addition was something Silas personally wanted.
"Archery Range."
The engineer enlarged a long rectangular section extending beneath part of the estate.
Silas leaned forward.
"Oh."
The old man grinned.
"One hundred meters, expandable to three hundred. Indoor and outdoor sections. Automated targets. Moving targets. Mana-resistant targets."
Silas immediately fell in love.
"I want it."
"You already have it."
"I want it more."
The engineer laughed.
"Understandable."
The fourth addition became Chloe’s favorite.
"Mana Training Chamber."
The blueprint displayed several circular rooms. Special crystals would line the walls. Mana concentration could be adjusted. Different elemental environments could be simulated, and even low-level gravity manipulation.
Chloe stared.
"I want that."
The engineer nodded.
"Most awakened do."
The workers had already begun. The old gym equipment was removed first. Massive machinery rolled into the estate.
Several workers possessed strength-enhancement abilities, while others specialized in earth manipulation. One man casually touched a wall, and the entire structure separated cleanly.
Within hours, the mansion sounded like a battlefield. Entire walls disappeared. Concrete sections were removed. Steel supports were installed. The estate seemed to be transforming before their eyes.
At one point, Silas walked through the construction zone with Raymond. The man appeared surprisingly excited.
"To be honest, Mr. Ashard. This project is already becoming famous."
"What?"
Raymond smiled.
"The company is fighting over who gets assigned here."
Silas blinked.
"Why?"
Raymond looked at him like he’d asked why water was wet.
"Because you’re Silas Ashard."
"...That doesn’t explain anything."
"You’re the nation’s first youngest confirmed S-Rank, with another S-Rank as your girlfriend."
"Oh."
"And the giant orc lady."
"..."
"And Nurse Anna."
"Why is Anna included?"
Raymond immediately became professional. "I refuse to answer."
Anna smirked from nearby, and Silas suddenly became suspicious.
By evening, the project had already become ridiculous. Workers moved everywhere.
Blueprints floated in holographic displays.
Engineers argued over weight limits.
Architects debated aesthetics.
Several awakened contractors tested structural integrity by punching reinforced walls. One accidentally punched too hard, and the wall exploded. The contractor immediately pretended nothing had happened.
No one believed him.