Goshiwon (2)

"Ugh..."

I woke up, stretched, and thought, Nice win.

Once I unleashed my full power without holding back, the hero didn't last long before dropping dead. Pretty obvious, really. Even in the original story, the hero barely scraped out a win after an epic prolonged battle with the Demon King. No way I'd lose to someone weaker than that old Demon King now that I'm leagues beyond her. Still, the hero was a hero for a reason. That final desperate strike right before he croaked left a little scratch on my arm. Gotta love that protagonist buff.

Hiding away back then? Best damn choice ever.

Wonder what happened to the expedition team?

Once the fight kicked off, they didn't give a shit and just started blasting magic everywhere like maniacs.

They probably bailed on their own. They were babbling something about waking up from a dream and heading out. Seeing the Demon King and hero duke it out up close? Bet they're thrilled.

"Tch."

I smacked my lips for a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠second and glanced around. What time is it? No clock or phone, so checking's a pain. Outside's pitch black, so probably around 8 or 9 PM.

Shuffle, rustle.Creeeak.

I threw on a plain white tee and shorts, opened the front door, and stepped out. The hallway lights were off—total darkness. Not an issue for me; my eyes could see through walls like x-ray specs on steroids.

Thud, thud.

I cut through the shadows toward the kitchen.

Time for ramen.

This goshiwon provides free ramen, rice, and such. Haven't eaten a single meal since leaving the Demon Realm. Tried grabbing food at the hotel, but ran into a monster right away and ended up rolling ass-over-elbows in a fight. So yeah, this counts as my first real meal.

I'm fucked—in a good way. Gonna demolish three packs of ramen and some rice on top.

Stepping inside revealed a spotless kitchen.

[4:52]

There was a digital clock. 4:52 AM? Fuck, how long did I sleep?

Four hours till I gotta head out.

To make the construction site call time, I'd have to bolt in four hours.

Hate working. Not that it was hard, but the thought alone made my body shudder. Still, gotta stack cash to survive. Bonus: no ID means no taxes. Tax evasion? Hell, I'd pay if I could, fuck.

"Sigh..."

I let out a deep breath and set a pot on the induction burner. Dumped it full of water, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tossed in the ramen—bubbles rose fast.

Thud, thud.

Then I heard footsteps heading to the kitchen. Someone else here in the dead of night besides me?

Glanced back—muscular guy with a slightly puffy face shuffling in.

"Huh?"

Face looked familiar. How could I forget? The PC bang asshole I booted out.

He lives here too? What kinda coincidence is this?

"Huh?"

He spotted me and let out a startled voice. I was a bit shocked too—bet he was too.

"Hey."

"Uh, h-hey..."

I greeted first; he mumbled back awkwardly. No hard feelings on my end. He got jumped by a monster, right?

"You... live here?"

"Yeah, moved in yesterday."

"I see..."

He hemmed and hawed, then spoke up.

"Hey... sorry about last time. I lost my mind and caused a scene..."

"Nah, it's cool. Don't sweat it. As long as you learned your lesson."

If anything, I'm sorry. Knocked him out cold with demonic energy.

"Thanks, man. Felt like shit about it after."

Figured as much—monster attack. Healthy body, healthy mind. Dude's got a good soul deep down.

"What brings you to the kitchen this early?"

"Heading out for a dawn workout. Grabbing my supplements from the fridge."

Dawn workout? Diligent guy. Even to my untrained eyes, his build looked brutal. Not newbie gains—years of grinding.

No wonder that shotgun blast sounded so beefy.

"Just woke up for some ramen."

"Ah... okay."

Mention of ramen made his face twist a bit. Fair—ramen post-sleep at dawn? Fast track to ruining your physique. Not that it matters for me; I could scarf ten tons and be fine.

"Enjoy... huh?"

He started toward the fridge but paused at my pot.

"Eating a lot, huh?"

"Eek?!"

I whipped around, startled.

"S-sorry... got carried away."

"N-no, it's fine."

I forced a reply and stared at the pot.

"Well, I'm off. Have a good one~."

He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grabbed his protein and left.

"..."

Gotta eat less in front of people from now on.

"Phew..."

Kim Hyeok-jin, protein in hand en route to the gym, exhaled deeply.

She's fucking gorgeous.

Not long ago, he'd caused a huge scene at the PC bang for no reason he could recall—and he still couldn't shake her from his mind. Partly guilt over the damage, but mostly that overwhelming beauty. Prettier than any celeb on TV. When he realized she lived in the same building, he nearly danced for joy.

Wish we could be friends.

No chance of dating, obviously, but just having a girl like that as a buddy would boost his swagger big time.

Thoughts swirling, Kim Hyeok-jin rode the elevator to the gym.

-This place is solid!

-Equipment's top-notch!

Huh? Crowded?

Kim Hyeok-jin hated packed gyms and picked ones with moderate crowds. But tonight, even at this dead hour, it was buzzing. Weird.

Thought about switching gyms but shrugged it off—too late to bother.

"Whoa."

Stepping in, he couldn't help but gasp. Eight years of gym experience under his belt, fueled by strict dieting and relentless effort. Even placed in bodybuilding comps multiple times. He'd draw envy elsewhere, but here his shoulders slumped naturally.

-Okay! One more!

-Tastes fucking great today?

Compared to the guys dominating the machines, he felt like a mangy mutt.

How does a human body even look like that?

Perfect muscle. Beyond comic book levels.

That's their casual state?

Even crazier: they weren't prepped for a show. If daily was this, comp-ready must be insane.

-Huh?

Someone using a machine spotted him.

-How'd you get in here?

-Oh right, forgot the distortion field.

-Fucking idiot.

They muttered among themselves; one got up and approached.

-I'll handle it.

Handle? What? Why's this monster—over 2 meters—coming at me?

He got a bit scared.

-Whoa?

The guy paused, eyeing his build with surprise.

-Hmm...

Then rushed up, eyes wide, inspecting him closely.

"Wh-what?"

One second the steps vanished, next he's staring holes through him—Kim Hyeok-jin panicked.

-How many years lifting?

"Huh? Uh... eight."

-Whoa, veteran!

The onlookers crowded in, poking and prodding.

-Damn, you grinded hard.

-Dawn session? Passionate too.

The praise hit a nostalgic spot.

Feels like my first gym days, with the vets eyeing me.

-Be real. You juice?

"What?"

BAM!

"...!"

The first guy slammed the floor—crack, fist print clear.

What the—? Humanly possible?

-Juicing?

"N-no! Never touched gear. Placed in naturals."

-Nice!

The guy grinned wide.

-Join our crew.

"Cr-crew?"

-Yeah, late intro. We're Logic of Power. Join, get a body like ours.

"F-for real?!"

Tempting. As a lifter, impossible to ignore.

"How though...?"

Even gear couldn't build that. And they seemed anti-juice, yet claimed natural path.

-Our special method. In?

"Uh... yeah!"

Fishy vibes, but those eyes terrified him into yes.

-Sweet choice!

-You'll end up like the team leader.

"Team leader...?"

-Yeah! Way buffer than us.

Better than them? Insane.

-Yo, grab that!

Someone handed over a tumbler.

-Drink. Our special protein.

"This?"

-Body secret. Chug.

Kim Hyeok-jin hesitated, then gulped it down.

Tasty? Smooth strawberry—almost sugary.

-Alright! Workout time.

-Follow. Deadlift 500kg for newbie warm-up.

"Five... hundred...?"

He backed up, but they yanked him along like a puppy.

-Yo, distortion on.

-Got it.

One flipped a wall lever—their forms vanished from the gym.