Chapter 31: No.31: Joy In Suffering
Managing to regain his balance as he’d nearly lost it after seeing the notification mid-squat, Bruce sighed inwardly as he finally calmed down soon after.
Thinking from a more rational point of view, it made sense that he didn’t get rewarded for merely increasing his Affinity with Naomi.
For one, the Affinity Level was still relatively low, so there probably wasn’t really much to gain in the first place.
After all, he’d only earned about five Rebate Coins as his first reward before, when Summer’s Affinity Level was still relatively low. Yet hers had been about fifty at the time.
Not to mention, it was because of an Emergency Task that he’d received it. So, he likely wouldn’t have received a reward then either had it not been for the Emergency Task the System issued.
Regaining his composure, Bruce decided to focus on his exercises to take his mind off it.
Funny enough, despite all the internal protests and complaints, Bruce couldn’t deny that he was actually having fun.
Sure, it might be straining and gruelling, but contrary to all that, it was an entirely new feeling for him.
Having spent nearly his entire life trapped within the four walls of a hospital, forbidden from doing any strenuous activities for fear of worsening his condition, Bruce had never really been able to do something as mundane as getting exhausted from exercising.
The closest he’d come was the occasional routine exercises performed by patients to ensure their bodies were still functioning properly.
Even then, it was only for a few minutes, mainly involving stretching, walking, or jumping for those who were able to.
As such, finally being able to experience something like this for himself instead of merely reading about it in novels was nothing short of blissful.
Which was mainly why he’d decided to give it his all despite knowing the worst Naomi could probably do, should he truly be unable to continue, was kick him a bit before eventually losing interest.
It wasn’t like she was going to kill him or something...
’Hopefully not.’
Shaking off the disturbing thought, Bruce pushed his aching joints and limbs, which screamed in protest for him to stop, to their utmost limit.
Deciding to go all out, not because someone told him to, or because he had to, but because he wanted to.
And at the end of the day, wasn’t that what truly mattered?
Regardless, his arms trembled as he struggled to complete the push-ups he’d been tasked with.
"79..."
His own weight, coupled with the increased weight from the straps, crushed down against his core as he struggled with all his might to keep going regardless of his condition.
"85..."
The more he did, the worse it got.
Feeling as though his chest was about to collapse and his arms were about to give out, yet he kept at it nonetheless.
A subconscious smile found its way onto his lips as he drew closer to his goal, creating a striking contrast between his strained expression, which looked as though he was on the brink of collapse, and the crooked smile that suggested he was actually enjoying himself.
"90..."
Sweat streamed down his face as though he’d been drenched in water, yet he still continued pushing through.
Watching this, Naomi became even more stunned by his determination.
Having already completed all the exercises she’d planned for today, she had lightheartedly told him to do another hundred push-ups, half expecting him to finally give up while secretly wondering what excuse he’d come up with to weasel his way out of doing them.
Contrary to her expectations, Bruce didn’t protest.
Simply dropping down, despite looking as though he was on the verge of passing out, he began his push-ups.
Slowly...
Yet he kept going.
Like he simply didn’t know when to quit.
Naturally, she intended to stop him.
Yet, on seeing his conviction, she secretly wondered if he’d really be able to do it.
"98..."
"9...9..."
Upon reaching this point, it seemed his body had finally reached its utmost limit as his arms wobbled at an alarming rate, threatening to give out should he continue.
Noticing this, Naomi quickly decided to stop him before he did any permanent damage to himself.
"That’s enough for now. You can rest. You don’t have to go any further."
Yet, as though possessed at this point, Bruce was unable to register anything Naomi said.
His entire mind searched desperately for something...
Anything...
That would give him the final push he needed to complete the workout.
Gritting his teeth as the veins in his neck bulged as though they were about to burst, Bruce’s entire body shook as he remained suspended just above the floor.
Unwilling to fall...
Yet unable to go on...
He closed his eyes and focused harder than he’d ever done before.
As he did, his mind suddenly went blank as everything around him seemed to drown in darkness, leaving him completely alone within the endless void.
Then...
He sensed something.
A faint, warm light gleamed from somewhere deep within.
Unsure what it was exactly, Bruce reached toward it anyway.
He needed something right now.
And this was the only thing he could find.
The moment he touched it, a cool, refreshing sensation surged through his entire body, washing away the exhaustion almost instantly as though he had suddenly been reborn.
However, before he could make sense of what was happening, his consciousness was abruptly pulled out of the dark space, returning him to reality.
Yet the refreshing sensation remained.
It enabled him to effortlessly complete the hundredth push-up while feeling as though he could do another hundred...
Maybe even a thousand in his current state.
"Whoa!"
Surprised, Bruce stared at his arms in a daze, not expecting such a thing to happen.
Looking toward Naomi for an explanation, he became even more surprised to find a bewildered expression frozen on her face as she stared back at him.
Regaining her composure soon after, Naomi shook off her unnecessary thoughts before asking,
"Just to be sure... did you feel anything... strange? Or out of place while trying to complete the workout? Something you just couldn’t explain or wrap your head around, but for some reason gave you exactly what you needed to finish the task?"
Seeing the shocked look on Bruce’s face at how she already knew, Naomi received all the confirmation she needed.
Sighing soon after, she sat down, her expectations having been exceeded over and over again by the same person in such a short period of time.
"You really are something, kid."
Shaking her head as she said this, Naomi sighed once more before gesturing toward the seat opposite her.
"You might wanna take a seat for this one."
Hearing this, Bruce wondered what all the suspense was about as he sat down as instructed.
Noticing he’d taken a seat, Naomi continued.
"You already know about the radioactive substance known as Mana that appeared after the Rifts, right?"
Seeing him nod in response, she continued, her face turning stern.
"Then you also know how too much exposure causes mutations in living organisms, while in humans it causes only one thing..."
"Death!"
Comments