The 157th Day — The Power of Muscle

"Hahaha!" A boisterous laugh echoed through the Olympian palace. The castle in the sky, built above the heavens, was a realm for gods alone, a place no human could ever enter at will. The palace, constructed beautifully from pure white marble, was filled with warm sunlight. It was overflowing with fruits and wine, kept immaculately clean without a single speck of dust. The master of that celestial palace—a golden-haired middle-aged man with a rugged, muscular physique—Zeus, the god of the sky and lightning, was watching a scene reflected in a mirror while being served by his handmaidens.

"Zeus, what are you doing?" A dark, gloomy aura heralded the arrival of a figure in black armor who called out to him. It was Hades, the god of death.

"You've come at a good time, brother. Look at this."

"Is that a mirror reflecting Tartarus? You truly have poor taste."

"It is the fate of the foolish who rebelled against us. Look at them suffering. Isn't it a spectacle?"

Tartarus was hell. The mirror showed, in real-time, the sinners who had been defeated by the Olympian gods and imprisoned, receiving their punishments. Those burning endlessly in fire, those supporting massive cities on their backs, those having their hearts pecked out by eagles... Most were Titans. They were a race of giants, gods of a generation older than the twelve Olympians, and Zeus had been at the forefront of subjugating the Titans to seize power. That was the very reason he had surpassed his brothers, Poseidon and Hades, to become the master of the palace.

"Ah, Sisyphus! That human has completely lost his mind. Look at him hugging that boulder as if they’re sharing a lover's embrace. Hahaha!"

Zeus was amused, but Hades, unlike him, remained wary.

"Brother, you may dismiss other humans, but Sisyphus is not one to be underestimated."

"Are you, the ruler of the Underworld, saying you are wary of a mere human?"

"I have seen countless humans. When faced with death, humans are weak and beg for their lives. But he... he was the first to defend himself so boldly. Think of what he did. He is by no means an ordinary human."

"You have grown weak, brother. There is no need to worry. That human will never reach the 'summit' anyway."

"If you say so, I shall accept it, but..."

"More importantly, what brings you here?"

Hades felt uneasy about Zeus's attitude of leaving Sisyphus neglected in Tartarus, but since he had an important matter to discuss, he decided to set that issue aside for now.

"It is a grave prophecy. The Mother of Earth has left a prophecy that the embers of war will soon rise in Olympus."

"Gaia?"

Zeus's face, which had been smiling leisurely just a moment ago, was instantly stained with rage.

"...That senile old hag!"

His anger was justified. Gaia was the mother of the Titans; this was not a prophecy, but a declaration of war. Zeus was now in a position where he had to prepare for a war against the Titans. The time for amusement was over.

"Brother, light the beacons. Summon the gods!"

Zeus left the audience chamber with Hades. By then, the human named Sisyphus had already vanished from his mind.

"Haa, haa, haaa."

Sweat poured from my hair. The floor of the altar where I exercised was soaked with my sweat. If I kept this up, I’d slip and fall. When did my hair get this long? I thought I should cut it soon. Or maybe tying it up would be more comfortable.

"It hurts so much. Am I doing this right...?"

Rolling on the floor would be comfortable, but I couldn't just lie there. I knew that if I didn't do cardio after strength training, the effectiveness would be halved. I started running to finish my routine. It was hard to go down to the grass, so I just circled the altar. My mouth had been parched for a while; not a single drop of saliva came out.

"Haa, haa. I really want a drink of water."

It had been 100 days since I started exercising. In that time, I had used the materials at the starting point to build all sorts of gym equipment. Even in my past life, I had never exercised systematically. Just going to a gym for a few months was all I had done. I tried my best to recall my memories and crafted equipment out of vine ropes and wood. It was inconvenient that I had to keep making new ones because of durability issues. In the corner of the starting point, the remains of broken and discarded equipment were piled up. From barbells and dumbbells to squat machines, Smith machines, high-pulley machines, chest press machines, and leg pull machines. The grass at the starting point was littered with various types of stones, making it easy to adjust the weight. And above all else. : ) If I placed Wilson properly on the altar steps, it was easy to adjust the intensity I wanted. He was an all-around friend who even helped with my workouts.

"Whew. Wilson, aren't you thirsty?" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠: ) "You don't get thirsty in the first place? I'm truly envious."

If I could just drink my fill of cool water, I would have no other wishes. No, that's not true, I have many other wishes. I have to get Wilson to the top, get out of here, beat up the Olympian gods, and return home...

How great would it be if everything I wished for came true? No matter how desperately you want something, sometimes it just isn't meant to be. Still, I had no other choice but to do the work in front of me, so I just did it.

Resting did relieve my thirst. It was the same principle as my wounds naturally healing. It felt unpleasant, like being hospitalized and unable to drink water, relying on an IV drip for hydration. Instead, I chewed on grass I’d plucked. If I chewed it long enough, a little bit of juice would flow out.

"I wish I could go into the sea and swim. Wilson, have you ever seen it? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The sea." : ) ?

"There's a reason Corinth is famous for its lodging industry. It's a gateway terrain surrounded by sea on both sides. Adventurers taking ships to the Mediterranean have to stop by, and pilgrims, adventurers, and even heroes using the land routes pass through. In the summer, it's bustling with festivals."

To think I would miss the rivers and seas I used to see so tiresomely.

"In the south, Spartans mainly came for trade. They were loud-mouthed warmongers. Their bodies were truly amazing. Maybe I should have learned their workout methods." : o

"Right. They probably just spouted nonsense about how you'd get stronger if they threw their kids into the mountains and made them run from wolves."

Since I had the knowledge of the modern world, I intended to make full use of it. They say if a person repeats the same action for three months, it becomes a complete habit. I had consistently repeated the workout methods I knew to build my body. I built stamina with cardio like running and jump rope, and applied load to my muscles before the heat faded. I alternated between upper body days and lower body days, two days each. I did it meticulously so that no muscle was left untargeted. If I felt a part wasn't being stimulated, I spent my spare time building new equipment. It might not have been systematic, but by now, my body must have definitely recognized that it was 'using its muscles.'

"Ouch, I don't know if I've gotten stronger."

Since I was in a space where wounds healed over time anyway, I ignored minor dislocations or injuries and continued to exercise. Thanks to that, my whole body felt like it was being torn apart.

"Still, after doing this much, I must have gained some strength. Let's try it."

Finally, I decided to break through the devilish S-curve section with Wilson.

—*Grrr-rr-rr.* "...Somehow, it feels good."

Something had definitely changed. I cleared the first floor, which had given me such a hard time and taken days at first, in just three hours. Is this... the power of muscle?

Even after finishing the first floor, I had energy to spare. It was distinctly different from three months ago, when I had to endure and rest several times before climbing up. I headed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the second floor.

"Here it is, the devilish section."

It was a spot where I had to bend in an S-shape to break through because of the obstacles. "Hup." I carefully controlled Wilson and pushed. I made sure not to slip, and I was careful of the protruding parts of the floor. When Wilson tried to bounce away, "Huuup...!" *Clench.* I stretched my left arm with all my might and held on with pure grit.

The struggle with Wilson lasted only a moment, then—*Whoosh!* 'Strength went in!' It was a sensation I had never felt before. The feeling of my brachialis and biceps responding to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my call, causing my muscle fibers to contract sharply. : ) ! Wilson, responding to my grip strength, also let out a pleasant rumble and defied gravity.

"I did it, I did it!"

That was how I finally crossed the devilish section with Wilson. It was the moment my three months of training bore fruit.

"Let's go."

I had never climbed the remaining sections before, but they didn't seem that difficult.

On the 157th day, I finally cleared the 2nd floor with Wilson. "Whew." There was a pole here, too, where I could lean Wilson against. As I straightened my back for the first time in a while and took a rest, my whole body tingled.

"Now it's the 3rd floor, Wilson." : ) b

I shared a high-five with Wilson. "It suddenly got incredibly cold."

The 3rd floor I had just entered. The scenery changed drastically. "Is it snowing?"

Is this also the power of magic? The 3rd floor was a 'snowy mountain.' The angle of the slope remained the same, but the snow, piling up to my ankles, made it hard to see the obstacles. On top of that, there were traps where the ground was frozen in parts, causing Wilson to slip. And the cold that kept sapping my stamina. A considerable hardship was expected.

"Wait, snow?"

I scooped up a handful of snow and held it in my hand. It melted away softly. I hurriedly put it in my mouth, and *gulp*, it turned into cool, refreshing water, pleasantly moistening my esophagus.

"My god. Wilson, it's water, it's water!"

How long had it been since I drank water? Forgetting the cold, I buried my face in the ground like a dog and scooped up snow for a long time. Until my lips were chapped and lost all sensation.

"I shouldn't just do this; I need to melt it and store it."

I ran all the way back down to the starting point. I couldn't stop laughing. I made a few baskets out of vines and climbed back up. I scooped up snow, filled them, and went back down to melt them in the sunlight, repeating the process.

"Ohhh." *Drip.* Perfectly finished drinking water. Happiness wasn't far away. People become happy when they regain what they have lost.

"I'll collect more and give Wilson a bath, too."

He was filthy from rolling around for so long. "Wilson!"

I returned to him with a joyful heart.