Three months after the Eren vs. Team Stan showdown.
Stardust guild.
Gravity-altering gym facility.
"95… 96… 97…"
A young man with white hair was seen doing weighted pushups with extreme difficulty. He had blue highlights in his hair that were even more prominent than before after his breakthrough into official ranker.
This white-haired teen was gasping for breath when he performed his routine. Not because he was closing in on his 100th push-up. But it was because he was closing in on 100th pushups while being subjected to almost thrice the Earth's gravity.
His normally pale skin had become red due to the rigorous activity. The enhanced gravity also had its effects on his Rank 1 caliber body. And yet, he didn't want to stop.
"98… 99…"
Eren took a long breath and pressed his lips against each other harder before making his shaky arms push him against the ground one more time.
"100!"
Eren imbued his mana into the vest and it came off quickly. He then rolled on his back and started taking long breaths. He had been sweating it out in the gym for the last 2 hours now. He did push-ups as part of his post-workout exercises.
'I… I finally did 100!'
This was a personal best for Eren in the last three months as an official ranker. He couldn't help chuckling while huffing and puffing, which induced a choking effect.
Cough. Cough. Cough.
Eren still laughed when he felt the bun his workout brought all over his body. It was as if someone had lit fire all around him. In some way, this burn made him feel better and in control.
Reece and Miranda have been watching Eren's workout for the last few minutes now. The guy was totally beat and he was still going at it. Miranda had puzzled expressions on her face. She couldn't help asking the one girl who was supposed to know more about Eren than anyone in the Stardust guild.
"It's been three months since he broke into official rank, Reece. Why is he still working out like non-rankers?"
Reece was helpless when she was asked a question like this. She shrugged her shoulders before replying in a downcast tone.
"I… I don't know. He says exercising gives him peace of mind. He jogs for miles on end without saying anything to anyone. Being an official ranker has changed him for the worse. He doesn't give me enough time anymore."
Reece said while pouting. She hmphed to nobody in particular before adding on.
"Umm. He also said that the grind is real. I don't know what that means. When I asked, he said it was just something stuck in his head from old memories."
Miranda chuckled when she heard Reece had started considering Eren's lifestyle change to be her inconvenience. She patted her shoulders before saying.
"Hehe. From the looks of it, he is just enjoying being high on serotonin.
Don't worry. Three months are already over. He has already signed a binding contract with the Stardust guild. He'll have to spend plenty of time with us in the Gilaahan."
Reece's eyes sparkled when she heard the captain remind her that Eren would be joining the team soon. Miranda has taken him into her team. And the guild master didn't see any reason not to give her the new recruit, since her team had had a vacancy of two.
"Captain, go easy on him, would you? He only had a month to practice all his spells."
Reece said to Miranda with puppy eyes while the latter got herself busy watching Eren's stretching routine. He was going to come out of the glass-for-walls facility soon.
"Reece, you know I can't do that. We have to know where Eren stands to give him a role that suits him in Gilaahan. Otherwise, he'd face even more difficulties there."
Miranda said sternly. She wouldn't compromise her work ethic to allow Eren to be part of her team just like that. He had to earn his rightful spot.
The runes on the glass walls dimmed when the gravity inside the gym facility was brought back to normal by Eren. He then stepped out in his regular gym outfit.
Miranda and Reece got a bit intimidated by Eren when he walked out of the facility and approached them. The guy didn't care about his looks. He only had his sweatpants on. His bare torso was still laden with sweat. His shoulder-length white hair glistened with some more sweat. And he was a bit red all over because of the workout.
Eren had started looking drastically different from his 3-month-old self. The scrawny teen was no more. He was still slim and his muscles weren't bulging. But one could tell that his body was like a sheathed weapon.
He had shapely arms that would swell when he was working hard on the runic weights. The progressive overload of weighted workouts had made his arms treat ordinary weights as worth a fart.
Eren's collar bone, chest, abs, and shoulder muscles also gained prominent definitions. This was the work of three months that he had put into his body. His workout also consisted of martial arts practice that he was mostly used to doing away from both the guild and his house. Therefore, Eren looked normal and part of the crowd, while gaining enhanced strength, agility, and responsiveness even for someone of his ranking status.
Eren was still working like he used to even after becoming an official ranker-- serving the official rankers mana-infused beverages and assuring their sync rates were optimal. He wouldn't say no to extra money just because he broke into official rank. He didn't have the slightest bit of shame in serving other Metas.
But all that would all change soon. Eren wouldn't have to do jobs meant for non-rankers once he becomes an official member of Team Miranda. Why would he do menial jobs when he could earn even more by being part of the team?
Eren stopped when he was just about a meter away from Reece and Miranda before asking playfully.
"Hello, ladies. Do you like what you see?"
Eren said and chuckled as he observed Reece and Miranda both looking at his body with unflinching gazes. Eren's question pulled them out of their reverie and made them see a smirk on his face.
"Cough. Today is supposed to be your test day, Eren. Are you ready? We can reschedule if you want more time."
Miranda was the first to get her wits back together. Hearing her suggestion, Eren shook his head in denial– the sweat drops in his hair falling off of it in the process– before responding.
"No need. I'm used to my spells now. I'm ready when you are."
Eren replied and used his white towel to wipe the sweat off of his face. Miranda pursed her lips before scanning him from head to toe.
"Not before you hit the shower though."
Eren stopped wiping his face when he heard that. He assumed that wiping the sweat off would be enough to carry on with his daily activities. That's what he had been doing these three months.
"Dueling is up close and personal. I'd prefer breathing when we start our test if you don't mind."
Miranda provided her explanation, which made Eren feel like he was getting dumb in guessing what the other person was thinking. He was still thinking about his workout and his spells even after coming out of the gym.
"Alright. Give me 5."
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