No.37: New Suffering
Finally reaching the gym, Bruce was mildly surprised that he didn’t feel out of breath or exhausted despite running most of the way there.
Though his Stats had increased a bit, his Stamina was still in the negatives, so he hadn’t expected to make it here without getting completely drained.
Shaking off the thought, he quickly entered the gym, bracing himself for what was to come.
Warmly greeting him as usual, Jones paused for a few seconds upon seeing Bruce’s figure.
“Uhh... Sorry, young lad, but have we met before? Your face looks awfully famili-...”
Confused by Bruce’s sudden change, he failed to recognize him immediately.
However, as Bruce awkwardly scratched the back of his head while thinking of a nice way to describe his previous appearance, Jones suddenly remembered and froze.
“Wow! Young Bruce, is that you?”
A bit surprised Jones was able to recognize him without any assistance, Bruce simply nodded in reply.
Beaming at the confirmation, Jones guffawed as he smacked Bruce on the back.
“Well done, kiddo. I knew you had it in you. Your efforts are paying off faster than I expected. But I guess that’s what you get for being the only one to last till the second day of Miss White’s brutal training. Gotta hand it to ya. You’ve got guts, kid. If you’re ever thinking of finding a place to work, there’s always a spot open for people like you here. Just give me a call. I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you.”
Smiling heartily as he spoke, Jones kept patting Bruce’s back while laughing at his determination.
Though a bit extravagant, Bruce decided to go along with it on realizing Jones was genuinely happy for him.
This led to Bruce being introduced to a few of Jones’ co-workers at the gym, all of whom congratulated him on his improvement and encouraged him to keep fighting so he’d be able to make it through Miss White’s training.
The scene soon drew the attention of a few other gym members, all of whom were left stunned upon realizing that the young man in the baggy clothes was actually the same plus-sized man they’d seen yesterday.
Leaving them to wonder, upon learning who his Instructor was...
Just what sort of gruelling training was she putting him through to cause such a drastic change in a little over two days?
Unaware of the troubled thoughts running through the other members’ minds, Bruce eventually managed to smuggle himself away from Jones’ company.
‘I didn’t know extroverts could be this lively.’
Managing to escape before he was delayed any longer, Bruce quickly headed to his quarters to freshen up.
A while later, he found himself staring at his reflection for a bit.
Having worn the gym tracksuit, it quickly adjusted to his current size upon coming into contact with him, making his still mildly pudgy belly more visible. The suit left no room for argument.
Making it seem like he was a few weeks pregnant.
‘Damn!’
Prying his eyes away from his reflection, Bruce was surprised to find Naomi standing at the doorway, quietly studying his figure.
Realizing he was cooked, Bruce braced himself for another round of torturous exercises, hoping he’d be able to survive them this time.
However, Naomi simply walked around him while examining his frame.
“Interesting! Was wondering what all the fuss was about when I heard the new member was improving at an insane pace. Now I see why.”
Poking at his shoulders a bit, she frowned slightly.
“Though I expected this to happen eventually, since you were able to sense the Mana within on your first try, I never expected it to happen this fast. It’s almost like the effects were supercharged when you used it.”
Intrigued by his sudden change, Naomi naturally suspected it was the training that had caused it.
Though she suspected as much, she couldn’t be certain either. Other than herself, Bruce was the first person she’d ever taught this to that was able to achieve results, so there wasn’t much to compare him against.
Not to mention, she had already been fit when she first used it, so the changes she experienced were far more subtle than his.
Still, she’d felt more agile and stronger after the first time, and the dull pain in her back from pushing herself too hard had faded as well.
With these in mind, she concluded that his changes were most likely due to it. However, as his body contained far more impurities than hers, the effects were much more pronounced.
‘His quick learning pace likely had something to do with the accelerated effects as well. But it’s too early to say for sure.’
With that in mind, Naomi asked Bruce whether anything unusual had happened last night that might’ve hastened the process.
To which he simply replied that he’d woken up to find himself like this.
Confirming her suspicions upon hearing his answer, Naomi fell into thought once more.
Noticing she’d already come up with her own explanation for his sudden change, Bruce decided to simply go with the flow, since she’d unknowingly made things much easier for him.
‘Guess today’s my lucky day.’
Glad he didn’t have to come up with an excuse after all, Bruce quietly waited for Naomi to finish thinking.
Finally making up her mind, Naomi glanced at him before walking towards a more open area.
“Change of plans. Since you’ve already sensed it once, there’s no need to put you through that much training again today. Instead, we’ll be focusing on helping you learn to sense it at will.”
With that, she gestured for him to sit down while continuing forward, instructing him as she spoke.
“The hardest part has already been settled, but that doesn’t make the next step any less difficult. Now, you’ll have to find a way to enter that state without exhausting yourself every time.”
Pausing briefly, a smile slowly crept onto her face as she added,
“Which, in my opinion, is where the real fun begins.”
Shuddering at the sight of her smile, Bruce realized he might be in for a whole new world of suffering, one that went far beyond physical exhaustion.