The Gym Rat

Three days had already passed since that day. The entrance ceremony still felt like yesterday, yet the weekend had crept up on the academy. For most people, it was a sweet Sunday meant for rest. But I hadn't slept a wink all night, thanks to the pain radiating through my entire body.

"Augh—"

Ever since signing the streamer contract, I'd been fighting someone every single day without fail. Yesterday, I'd planted my fist in the face of some punk from District 6. Thanks to my rising stats, I was winning fights without taking a single hit, but the accumulated fatigue had finally caught up with me. My right shoulder, the one I used for punching, was especially wrecked.

I groaned and pushed myself up, rubbing my shoulder. Maybe I'd been pushing too hard. Even pro MMA fighters didn't fight every single day. In that sense, I definitely needed a rest day—especially since I might have to fight every day from now on.

These missions really had no limits. It seemed like even a single punch wasn't enough to satisfy them anymore—they wanted me to beat someone until they bled. I'd expected at least two weeks of entertainment from the same scene, but this constellation got bored way faster than I'd thought. Gods were no different from humans. Just like viewers who demanded more intense stimulation after getting tired of the same thing, the missions kept escalating.

Of course, the difficulty hadn't reached an unmanageable level yet. But if I left it alone, I'd soon be stuck with missions I couldn't possibly complete. Even now it was already excessive—any more would be unacceptable. I had no intention of becoming a raging lunatic.

In that case, it was time to put my long-delayed plan into action. So far, I'd been completing missions by ambushing thugs. Those guys were human too—they wouldn't show their faces in District 6 for a while. I couldn't chase them to the ends of the earth either. That would just make me the villain. It made more sense for me to lie low for a bit.

That's why I'd prepared this operation in advance. The guidebook had mentioned a key rule:

If I used this rule properly, I might be able to escape the cycle of violence. I turned to Lens.

"Lens, it's true that constellations each have their own designated area, right?"

Lens dropped down from the sky and answered.

[That's right. Each constellation has their own jurisdiction. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fact that you encountered that one in the back alley wasn't a coincidence.]

"Then if I know their jurisdiction, the odds of attracting specific constellations should go up."

[Well, yeah……]

I opened the guidebook and double-checked the information. This was crucial for the plan.

I snapped the book shut. It was Sunday, 5:30 a.m. I'd been waiting for the right timing, and today might just be it—the perfect day to execute the plan I'd been putting off.

I pulled my gray hood over my head.

"Lens, get ready. We're heading out soon."

[Where to?]

"The training center. Right now."

With that, I opened the dorm door and stepped outside.

*

When it came to raising hunters, the quality of training facilities was by far the most important factor. Raven Academy was famous for having the world's best training center. The interior was equipped with state-of-the-art analysis gear, various cardio and strength machines, and weight training equipment. Normally it would be packed with students, which was why I'd deliberately chosen the early morning……

But the sound of heavy breathing already echoed through the training hall.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!―"

A woman with a ponytail, wearing a tight-fitting tracksuit, had just stepped off the treadmill and was chugging water. It was Kim Jeong-a. As the freshman representative and now the class vice-president, she likely had the highest physical abilities among the female students. Her personality—bordering on exercise addiction—was another reason for her strength.

After all, how many students would come to the training center at the crack of dawn? Even as I thought that, Kim Jeong-a put her earphones back in and stepped onto the treadmill again.

Well then, time to get to work. I turned away from her and approached a squat rack that still had someone's weights loaded. The bar looked pretty heavy…… maybe around 150kg. Before lifting, I checked my streamer information.

With one point each added to Agility and Charm, my stats were now comfortably above average. With these numbers, 150kg should be no problem. But……

"Hup!"

I started lifting the barbell with zero regard for form—deliberately rounding my back and spreading my stance wide to make injury as likely as possible. All of this was part of the plan. Just like every constellation had different tastes, they had different personalities too. The one I was targeting today absolutely hated inaccuracy and couldn't resist correcting people. In other words, they were the ultimate backseat driver.

If I kept exercising with this terrible form, they'd be dying to get involved in my stream. The fewer people around, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠harder it was to attract constellations even with the 'Broadcast Genius' trait. That's why I'd chosen the early morning. And then the narration came.

Perfect. The constellation that had just shown interest belonged to the benevolent god faction. Most benevolent gods didn't care much about humans, but this one was different. They enjoyed watching the desires of people who wanted to become fitness freaks. That was exactly why I'd been doing exercises with deliberately wrong form—to lure them in. If I kept making them unbearably frustrated, they'd eventually request a streamer qualification review.

While I was thinking that, a girl's voice came from behind me.

"Hey, you."

"Yeah?"

Kim Jeong-a was standing right behind me.

"You're gonna get injured doing it like that."

Then she started giving me advice. What the hell? I kept going with the wrong form, putting on a reassuring expression.

"It's fine. I've been exercising like this since forever."

"Don't be ridiculous! This won't do. Come here—I'll check your form."

"No, really, it's fine."

"Hurry up!"

Oh. So that's how it was. If Kim Jeong-a corrected my form, the plan would fall apart. The constellation would think they didn't need to step in since she'd already given me the advice. To prevent that, she needed to stay away…… but I had no choice. I'd have to be blunt and drive her off.

"Mind your own business!"

"What? Mind my own business? I was just trying to help!"

Kim Jeong-a's eyes widened in shock. Sorry, Kim Jeong-a. My life was on the line here.

"Fine, do whatever you want! If you get hurt, it's not my problem."

Looking thoroughly offended, she spun around and went back to her spot. ……Was she gone? Alone again, I resumed squatting.

"Huaaah!― One! Two!"

I deliberately stuck my butt out and spread my feet wide. And then…… I fell!

Thud!―

With a loud crash, I hit the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠training hall floor. Now, would the constellation react?

"Hey! I knew this would happen!"

Instead, Kim Jeong-a came running over.

"K-Kim Jeong-a! Why'd you come back?!"

"I can't just watch this! Get your form right—I'll help you."

"This isn't what you think it is, okay?"

"What isn't?"

"N-no…… never mind."

I couldn't exactly explain! If I kept refusing, she'd get the wrong idea about me. "……Fine. I'll take your help." I had no choice but to let Kim Jeong-a coach me. I'd just pretend to learn, and once she left……

"Aagh! Don't touch there! I said I'm hurt!"

"You're hurt? That's what happens when you exercise like that!"

"I didn't get hurt from exercising."

Just as I barely finished one set under her coaching, the training center door opened and someone new walked in.

"Jeong-a! Done with your morning workout?"

A high-pitched voice that hadn't gone through puberty yet. The guy, drenched in sweat, was looking for Kim Jeong-a—it was Ahn Gyeong-tae, the newly elected class president. He approached and asked, "Jeong-a, if you're done, wanna go grab drinks together……" His voice trailed off when he noticed me. Kim Jeong-a spoke up.

"I'm done, but I'm helping Yeonjun with his form right now."

"Ha Yeonjun? What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd try some morning exercise for once."

I answered. Ahn Gyeong-tae gave me a subtle look of displeasure. He probably had a thing for Kim Jeong-a. He'd been planning to slowly build common ground by working out with her every morning…… and now some obstacle named me had shown up and ruined his mood. In that case, maybe I could use him.

"I'm thirsty too. How about you two go together and grab a drink for me as well?"

At the mention of going together, Ahn Gyeong-tae's face lit up.

"Should we? Let's do that."

He decided on his own without even asking Kim Jeong-a. She reluctantly put her hands on her hips and warned me firmly.

"But Ha Yeonjun! You better exercise exactly the way I showed you, got it? If I catch you doing it wrong again……"

"Got it."

"When I get back, I'm checking on you secretly."

I smiled and nodded. A moment later, they left together. Now there was no one left in the training center to get in my way.

Alright…… now then. I started squatting with incorrect form again. The message appeared right after.

They were probably feeling as frustrated as if they'd eaten ten sweet potatoes. But it wasn't enough yet. I had to make them even more frustrated. Frustrated enough to want to get involved in my stream!

I ignored their reactions and kept going. Then……