Chapter 3: Push-ups, Power-ups, and Pulling an All-Nighter!
Late at night, in a dimly lit room, Noah was on the floor, focused on his push-up routine. His arms moved steadily up and down, and the count in his head kept rising.
"49… 50… 51... Come on... just a few more!"
At push-up number 62, Noah's muscles screamed in protest. His arms gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily. Despite the fatigue, a small smile crept onto his face as he opened his status panel.
Unlike earlier in the day, the panel was now filled with a long list of his activities.
Description:
You completed a run of 2,024 meters with an average pace of 4 minutes 42 seconds per km.You performed a total of 89 bodyweight push-ups.You executed 103 bodyweight squats...
...And a few more of his physical exercises for the day.
Seeing the progress made Noah grin in satisfaction. Sure, it wasn't a massive boost, but improvement was improvement, and he could feel it in his aching muscles. "At this rate, I can push my strength to 1.2 within the week... but even that still feels a bit slow."
He stood up, stretching out his stiff limbs. "Maybe it's time to hit the gym tomorrow, sign up for a membership. I'll give it a solid year of effort. If I can't reach superhuman levels, I'll just accept being ordinary." He chuckled at the thought, rubbing his sore arms.
It was already 10 p.m. when he glanced at the clock. After a quick wash, Noah lay on his bed, eyes half-closing in exhaustion, but an idea hit him just before sleep took over.
"What if staying up late counts as mental training? Wouldn't that boost my willpower?"
His body begged for sleep, but curiosity got the better of him. Noah forced his eyes open, swung his legs over the bed, and began pacing, keeping himself awake. For the next five hours, despite his mind drifting and his body pleading for rest, Noah held on.
By 4 a.m., his body finally surrendered, and he passed out cold.
When he woke up the next day, it was noon. His head throbbed, and his muscles screamed at him for the abuse, but he couldn't wait to check his panel.
Description:
You engaged in continuous activity for 21 hours, 13 minutes, and 12 seconds, resulting in 3.21% long-term damage. Recoverable when physical fitness reaches 1.5.Willpower consumed: 96.7%, limit increased by 32%. Repeat three times to increase spirit by 0.1.
Noah was floored. "Staying up late actually made me stronger?! I knew it! Maybe this whole 'cultivating immortality' idea isn't so far-fetched after all," he mused, laughing to himself.
After a quick wash and a big breakfast, Noah checked his fridge. It was filled with everything a growing superhuman needs: proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins. He'd stocked it the night before, thinking about his future self.
"Time to eat right, train hard, and live a little." He chowed down on his food. Sure, he was trying to reach his peak, but that didn't mean he had to suffer while doing it. After all, if he could afford good food, why not enjoy it? Training didn't have to be misery 24/7. But then again…
"Wait, what if starving builds willpower too?" He paused, mid-bite, considering the idea. Nah, no way. There were limits. "If eating garbage made you stronger, I'd rather stay weak," he muttered with a grin, taking another big bite of his food.
Once he was done, he cleaned up and geared up to hit the gym. He'd taken leave from school, giving himself a solid three days to focus purely on improving his stats.
After a quick search on his phone, he found a gym nearby called "Mains." It was a well-known chain, and it had a solid reputation. Plus, it was only 1.8 kilometers away—perfect for a quick run there.
Without hesitation, Noah bolted out the door, running full speed towards the gym. His sore muscles protested at first, but as he ran, he noticed something. Even though he hadn't recovered fully, his strides felt lighter, his pace quicker.
Description:
You completed a run of 1,824 meters at an average pace of 4 minutes 17 seconds per km. Physical limit increased by 0.1 after 132 repeats.
Noah was stunned as he compared his stats from yesterday to today. The improvement was undeniable. It took him 365 repeats to boost his endurance yesterday, but today, he only needed 132 runs. "I'm really getting stronger… and faster."
He arrived at the gym and stood outside, grinning from ear to ear. His journey was just beginning, but it was clear: this path of hard work and constant improvement was already paying off.
And there was no telling just how far he could go.
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So, this is my first time doing this. I hope you guys can help me improve by providing your feedback, and some stones would be nice. (づ ◕‿◕ )づ
Testing to see if this will be good. If this reaches more than 1k views, I will upload more chapters!
3 chapters, for now; more will be published later.