Chapter 21: No.21: Getting Ripped
’Hmm! Guess a gym might not be such a bad idea after all.’
Thinking this, Bruce also recalled something as he glanced at the screen’s time limit.
"Now that I think about it, the time left before summer vacation comes to an end and resumption starts is roughly seven days as well. Is this why the System made it mandatory? I see what you’re trying to do there."
Sensing an upcoming Face-Slapping Marathon, a smirk crept onto Bruce’s face as he realized why the System had made the deadline for his Glow Up Task roughly the same as when he’d resume school.
Considering what the former Bruce had been through in school just for being friends with one of the top five beauties on campus, and the humiliation he’d silently endured so as not to worry Summer and cause her to go on a punching spree against those who hurt him, in turn worsening the situation as they’d only bully him in secret instead, Bruce could already imagine their reactions upon seeing the campus’s only fatty suddenly undergo a full-blown ugly duckling transformation.
Shaking off the thought, as he first had to actually complete the Task before anything else, Bruce decided to focus on the matter at hand as his hand hovered over the faded clothes in his tiny wardrobe upon opening it, contemplating what to wear or whether to buy another outfit entirely.
"It won’t really be a wise decision to buy new clothes in my current state since I probably won’t be able to wear them again in a week’s time once the Main Task is completed."
Picking one of the clothes that was still fairly manageable, Bruce confirmed his pits weren’t emitting any foul odour before finally stepping out of the room as he headed towards his destination to begin his path to the ultimate glow up.
....
Standing before an enormous building that easily dwarfed his entire figure in comparison, Bruce stood before one of the only gyms in the entire city.
Taking a moment to admire the sight, he soon snapped out of his daze and decided to enter the building.
Upon doing so, the refreshing air greeted him, with a faint scent of raspberry lingering within as the air-conditioning cooled the bit of sweat that had begun forming on his way there.
On stepping inside, a muscular man spotted his jelly-like figure and greeted him with a cheerful smile, completely disregarding his oversized physique.
"Welcome, young man. Are you here to get your rep on and lock in so you can get as ripped as me? If so, kindly follow me to the gym registry, where you can fill out your membership and choose the duration you intend to use it for. At an affordable price, of course."
The muscular man said while flexing his muscles to encourage Bruce to join. Striking different poses as he awaited Bruce’s reply, the muscular man maintained his practiced and jovial smile throughout.
Based on his tight gym tracksuit and the name tag attached to it, Bruce concluded the man was likely a worker at the gym.
Looking at the man, who seemed like he was practically glitching due to the number of poses he kept switching between every few seconds, Bruce awkwardly returned the smile as he replied.
"Uhh...! Yeah. It’s my first time here, so I’d really appreciate it if you could."
Smiling even brighter upon hearing this, the muscular man beamed as he extended a hand for a handshake.
"Haha! Well then, since that’s the case, I’ll gladly show you the way. The name’s Jones, by the way." He said while pointing towards the name tag on his spandex tracksuit. "If you need anything while you’re here, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll gladly help as long as I’m able to."
Shaking his hand in return, Bruce followed the muscular Jones to the gym’s reception, where he was warmly greeted by a slender female receptionist as well.
"Morning, sir. I see Jones was able to rope you into joining as well." Extending a tablet towards him, she added, "Here’s a list of what we have to offer here. Hopefully, it suits your liking."
Taking the tablet from the receptionist, Bruce studied its contents for a while as he listened to her continue.
"Within it contains the membership contract, as well as the duration period you choose to engage in your exercise."
Pausing after noticing he’d gotten to that section on the tablet, she continued as Bruce nodded to signify he understood.
"Upon becoming a member, you can either choose the normal procedure, which involves an instructor coaching you alongside some other members at no additional charge, as it’s already included with your membership. Or you could select a personal Elite Instructor from the list of available ones and receive private coaching from highly recommended professional Hunters that’ll help build more than just your muscles, but also prepare you for life outside the city barriers."
Getting to this part, she became a bit hesitant before adding,
"However, due to them being professionals in their field, they each charge an additional fee for their services, as time is essential for people like them. Not to mention, even after choosing them, they can only render their services to you if they agree to do so. But not to worry, any amount paid will be refunded should an Elite Instructor happen to refuse training a member."
Listening to all this as he scrolled through the list of available Elite Instructors, Bruce glanced through their ratings and recommendations, unable to find anyone that met his requirements.
Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly stumbled upon one at the bottom of the list that had the lowest ratings and extremely poor recommendations.
Yet, a slight smirk appeared on Bruce’s face upon seeing it.
Returning the tablet to the receptionist, Bruce casually informed her of his choice as the image he’d selected remained displayed on the screen.
Upon checking his choice, a subtle gloomy expression appeared on the receptionist’s face before fading soon after as she inquired.
"Are you sure this is the Instructor you want, sir? You’ve seen the ratings and recommendations. And though I’d rather not speak badly about an Elite Instructor... the one you selected is extremely picky about who she chooses to coach. Despite having the highest price compared to the other Elite Instructors, she’s never accepted anyone before, which is mostly why her ratings are so low. So honestly, I’d advise you to choose someone else. But if this truly is your decision, then I have no say in it."
Sighing inwardly as she saw Bruce simply confirm he had no intention of changing his mind, she gestured towards the pyramid-shaped holographic object on the counter.
"Kindly scan the QR code to make your payment for the type of membership you’ve selected and the private coaching."
Not hesitating in the slightest, Bruce casually scanned the code and first paid the 500 Kepto for the premium membership, which was surprisingly a one-time payment that allowed him to enjoy its benefits for as long as he desired.
Brightening up upon seeing Bruce was actually a paying customer, the receptionist added.
"You don’t necessarily need to pay the full price for the private coaching, at least not until the Elite Instructor of your choice actually agrees to teach you. Then you can either pay the displayed price or bargain for something more affordable."
Secretly relieved, she was glad Bruce didn’t turn out to be one of those people who would feign interest, look around for a bit, then vanish like a puff of smoke to avoid paying for something beyond their paycheck.
Nodding in understanding, Bruce paid the absurd 2.5 million Kepto fee for the private coaching.
Funny enough, it was merely half the full price.
Upon doing so, he was escorted to a room where he could change into his premium gym tracksuit, reserved exclusively for premium members, as well as the private training quarters equipped with all the gym equipment required, a sauna, a steam room, and several other privileges unique to premium members.
’Damn! These guys sure know how to give a guy his money’s worth.’
Thinking this as he admired everything before him, Bruce decided to take a quick shower again before changing into his spandex tracksuit.
Meanwhile...
As Bruce was shown into his private coaching section, another worker was tasked with relaying the information to the Instructor he’d selected that someone had chosen her training program.
Pausing upon reaching the Instructor’s designated quarters, the worker briefly stood frozen in awe at the sight before him.
Within the chambers of a gravity-tempered room set to fifty times the average gravitational force, a lightly tanned lady in her late twenties could be seen performing multiple pull-ups with several weights attached to her, each weighing about fifty tons or so.
Her figure was toned yet feminine, neither too ripped nor too slender, but instead emphasizing her defined abs and biceps while still accentuating the ample bosom visible through the sports bra she wore.
Coupled with her short brown hair with greenish undertones, merely gazing at her from afar was enough to leave a lasting impression on anyone who saw her.
Snapping out of his daze, the young man straightened his posture as he informed,
"Excuse me, Miss White. Someone chose your training program again, ma’am."
Stopping upon hearing this, Miss White casually dropped to the ground, completely disregarding the weight and tempered gravity around her, causing the sturdy structure to tremble subtly.
Taking a towel from a nearby bench, she wiped away the bit of sweat she’d worked up before briefly glancing at the young man.
Her golden-brown eyes carried a hint of intrigue at who would willingly choose her absurdly priced training program again despite her low ratings.
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