Chapter 15: Secret Training
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: Secret Training
Fame and power must be acquired in equal measure.
If you have power but no fame, you will only be envied or suffer from injustice. Conversely, if you have fame but no power, you will only be exploited by the greedy.
What kind of bullshit is that, you ask? Because that’s exactly the mess I’m in right now.
The incident where a C-rank hero and an Awakened nobody took down two B-rank villains caused a bigger stir than I expected.
Lee Yu-na received attention as a rising star because her older sister is the clan leader of Square Garden, while I received attention simply because I’m handsome.
… …
Isn't this a bit much? I worked my ass off to catch those villains, yet all anyone talks about is my face.
Park Sung-jun, seemingly determined to make a fortune off this, worked me to the bone.
Knowing full well I wasn't doing any actual work anyway, he packed my office hours with interviews and media schedules.
I drew a firm line and told him I wouldn't do it, so he didn't go as far as putting me on TV talk shows, but he didn't stop the cameras from swarming the clan office.
Thanks to that, the broadcasts I was looking forward to with streamers were pushed back indefinitely.
Seizing the opportunity, Park Sung-jun ditched all the streamers we had as candidates and is now scouting for the top-tier ones, so God knows when that will actually happen.
"I didn't really do much. Most of it was Hero Lee Yu-na's doing."
"Hero Lee Yu-na said something similar. You’re both so humble."
The interviewer smiled as he responded.
Usually, an interviewer would be a woman, but in this world, it’s a man.
When I first started doing interviews, I hoped for a sexy woman in a tight suit, but so far, I haven't seen a single one.
Watching a male interviewer nod with sparkling eyes and speak in a soft, gentle voice only makes me feel more uncomfortable the longer I look at him.
If they’re going to send a man, at least send someone cheerful or cool! Don't send a guy who's acting all coy!
Barely maintaining a smile, I finished the interview, only for them to ask me to pose for photos to be used in the article.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Um… could I request a specific pose?"
The photographer who came along asked me to put both hands inside the gap of my shirt as if I were about to rip it open.
It’s the pose Superman strikes when he’s changing clothes.
"Are you… serious? Like this?"
"Yes. Please express the strength bursting forth from within a fragile masculinity. And give me a bit more of a frown."
… …
This isn't a prank, is it?
I’m worried a humiliating photo of me is going to end up immortalized on the internet.
The body owner’s looks are so good that even doing something stupid might look somewhat decent, but I feel like I’ll be dying of embarrassment when I look at this photo later.
After I humored him a few times, the photographer got overexcited and started demanding even weirder poses, so I just gave him an awkward smile.
"Sorry, I’m not used to this kind of thing, so I can't do any more."
I’m not taking any more, you bastard. You’re just trying to get a shot to mock me with.
He looked disappointed, but since I drew a clear line, he relented, took some normal photos, and left.
They were just simple shots of me sitting at a desk working or looking at the camera, but personally, I hope they use those.
After finishing the shoot, I returned with a bright smile while inwardly cursing them to never come back, only to find the staff members grinning at me.
Seeing how annoyed I was, they handed me candies and snacks to cheer me up.
The next shoot was scheduled for an hour later, so I had some free time to catch up on the work I’d been putting off.
Park Sung-jun probably thinks of me as a total salary thief, but I’ve been gradually increasing my workload.
As I approached Han Ju-hee, who was working, she noticed me, greeted me, and showed me an internet article.
"Manager, the interview from yesterday is up."
On the monitor, a photo of me with a dashing smile was plastered front and center.
Since Park Sung-jun was accepting requests from any media outlet, photographers from not just newspapers but even magazines I’d never heard of had come by.
Reading the article, the actual interview I gave was nowhere to be found; instead, they had turned me into a hero specialized in anti-personnel combat.
The interview content was so exquisitely stitched together that if you just read the text, it sounded like I had beaten all the villains myself and rescued Lee Yu-na.
As I scrolled down the mouse wheel and saw the comments, Han Ju-hee panicked and quickly scrolled back up.
No matter the world, things turn into a mess once anonymity is guaranteed.
I was already used to it, having browsed various communities while investigating this world.
"T-This one is a bit crude. There are plenty of good comments on other articles."
"It’s fine. That’s just how it is."
I stopped Han Ju-hee from trying to contact the magazine and was about to head back to my room when a staff member spoke to me.
"Manager, a delivery arrived. It’s waiting in your room."
It seems the items I bought at the auction have finally arrived.
Entering the room, I saw people in full tactical gear holding packages; they set them down as soon as they saw me.
Since the items totaled nearly 200 million won, even the delivery service delivered them like an armed escort.
After thoroughly verifying my identity, the woman had me sign for them and left after a sales pitch, asking me to keep using her company in the future.
It’s a bit of a novel experience, having someone dressed like special forces give me a sales pitch.
Since I’d verified the items while confirming my identity, I immediately began combining the ingredients.
Precision scales, stirrers, and other lab tools had arrived long ago and were sitting in my office as decorations, so making it wasn't difficult.
After following the recipe, a pink potion was born, just as I’d seen in the game.
It was a bit thick, and even though I hadn't heated it, bubbles were rising on their own. Despite the pretty color, it didn't look very appetizing.
Well, it’s not like it’ll kill me.
I gripped the antidote I’d bought alongside it and downed the potion in one go.
The taste was… not great, and I didn't feel anything strange yet.
Just in case, I kept the antidote in my hand, but nothing happened until the next shoot was over.
Is it actually working?
Since it’s an elixir that provides a bonus to growth rates, it’s hard to tell immediately.
Still, since I wasn't rushed to the hospital, I suppose the medicine was made correctly.
Now, I just need to work out hard at the Center and check the effects.
Since I need to take it regularly, I turned all the ingredients into medicine, and by the time I was done, it was well past quitting time.
I stopped by the shooting range before heading to the Center, but no one was there.
Damn it, Park Sung-jun, just you wait. I can't even train because of you.
No, I can do shooting practice, but I can't do the focus training with Sung Hee-na.
After firing off a few rounds in anger to reach 100% on Level 5, I headed to the Center.
I expect I’ll be able to support heroes with a gun even while they’re fighting monsters now, but I still have a long way to go.
A monster isn't going to just leave someone standing still and shooting alone, so I need to practice trick shots too.
I need to be able to hit targets even while dodging attacks and when my posture is broken, so I really need to push my shooting precision to the absolute limit.
I thought it wouldn't be difficult with the experience I’ve gained and an Awakened’s physical abilities, but the problem is this damn body just won't grow.
In the end, it’s a problem that can only be solved by training hard at the Center.
Having taken Rahiya's Elixir, I entered the Center, thinking about growing my abilities from now on.
But there was another problem.
"Are you Hero Jeong Yeon-yu? I’m a fan, could I get an autograph?"
"I’m not a hero… and it’s not Yeon-yu, it’s Jeong Yeon-woo."
Which bitch started this 'Yeon-yu' nickname?
Because the pronunciation is similar, people calling me by the nickname as if it were my name are popping up everywhere.
I had intended to work out hard at the Center, but as I was warming up, people started gathering one by one and kept talking to me.
"The Center is a place for exercise. Members, please don't interfere with Member Jeong Yeon-yu’s workout and go back to your own exercises."
It’s Jeong Yeon-woo.
Seeing that even the trainer calls me Yeon-yu, it seems the name has spread quite far.
However, despite the trainer’s intervention, people continued to cling to me.
"Yeon-yu’s skin really is like condensed milk, so fair."
Especially the middle-aged women, who pushed in with their relentless sociability.
Honestly, since they’re people who manage themselves while working out, they’re attractive even at their age, but I need to raise my stats while the medicine is in effect.
Just as I was starting to get annoyed, someone stepped in between me and the crowd.
"Members, you know our Center’s regulations, right? And if you crowd around and make him uncomfortable like this, Member Jeong Yeon-woo might move to another gym."
A slender waist, firm glutes emphasized by tight leggings, and breasts whose volume couldn't be hidden even from behind.
Juna was blocking the members.
And she called me Yeon-woo. I was grateful just to have my name called correctly.
Whether the threat of me moving gyms worked, the people looked around tentatively and began to disperse.
However, they occupied the machines near me and only pretended to work out, their eyes fixed on me.
The gaze of beautiful women with great bodies is nice, but having this many people staring at me in silence is a bit terrifying.
Juna seemed to feel the same way, looking on with a displeased expression before saying something to the trainer who was supposed to handle me today and approaching me.
"Yeon-woo, I’ll move you to the private training room."
"There’s a private training room?"
There was no mention of that when I first joined.
"It’s a place set aside for the owner’s acquaintances, so it’s not open to general members, but since you’ve been inconvenienced because of us… and besides, you wouldn't be able to focus in this atmosphere, right?"
The sound of shutters—click, click—could still be heard as they continued to stare and take photos.
"You are not allowed to take photos of other members."
While the trainer was speaking to the people, Juna guided me further inside.
"The space isn't large, so some machines for your routine might be missing."
"It’s fine. I can just use the ones outside when I need to."
I need to show my face occasionally so they get used to me; over time, that kind of behavior will decrease.
Even if the space is small, they probably have all the essential equipment I spend the most time on.
When Juna opened the door, a space large enough for one person appeared.
"We call it a private training room, but it’s a space shared with others who have permission. But so few people use it that even if your times overlap, there will be at most two or three people, so you won't have any trouble using it."
"That’s great. Thanks to you, I get this wonderful place all to myself."
"Thank you for being so positive. Then, I’ll look after you today."
Oh, is Juna finally going to train me?
Juna, with whom I’d had no contact other than greeting her in passing, stayed by my side and watched me work out.
When I was doing simple bench presses, she spotted me from above my head and let me do my own thing without a word.
Other trainers were annoying because they subtly tried to teach me or show off their knowledge, but Juna clearly sensed what I wanted and didn't interfere.
As I thought, she wasn't excluded from the rotation because she lacked experience; she was a top-tier trainer.
She even seemed to manage the Center on behalf of the owner, as I saw her giving instructions to other trainers earlier.
She’s a capable woman.
Working out while catching glimpses of her large underboob as she stood over me to hold the barbell made life feel worth living.
Since today was a day focused only on strength, I didn't need to use the large machines for agility training, so I finished all my exercises inside the private room.
As I was doing flexibility exercises to finish up, Juna, who had been watching from the side, spoke up.
"Shall I help you?"
"Yes, I’d appreciate that."
I nodded to the capable woman who spoke up at exactly the right moment. Juna moved behind me as I was doing a split and lightly placed her hands on my shoulders.
"I’ll press down slowly."
With… with what?
As she leaned her body toward me to gradually add weight, something other than her hands pressed against my shoulders.
When soft, pillowy sensations pressed against my back, I reflexively braced myself to savor the feeling.
"You’re tensing up too much. Relax your body."
Leaning against me, Juna whispered into my ear, her mouth naturally close.
In a situation so arousing I wondered if she was doing it on purpose, 'Junior' in my crotch began to react.
I was supposed to lean my body forward, but worried that I might get crushed if I wasn't careful, I focused on my growing Junior and slowly lowered my upper body. Juna then spread her legs, which had been bracing her, and leaned her entire upper body against my back.
"You’re doing great."
"Yes, you too, Juna."
"I’m glad I could be of help."
I couldn't help but praise her for the way her breasts were rubbing against me so well.
Juna, who had been pressing against me with her chest, counted the seconds as if whispering in my ear and then hugged me from behind.
I’d had some slightly naughty thoughts, but Juna, seemingly without any ulterior motive, slowly released her weight and helped me sit up.
Still, the sensation of her breasts pressed firmly against my back while she hugged me didn't fade.
Staring at my crotch, which was as excited as could be, I hesitated for a moment before Juna stood up.
"Well then, good work today. There’s a shower here, but it’s communal, so if you’re uncomfortable, you can use the men’s shower you usually use."
Hey, you’re just leaving?
Activating the 'tease them and leave' move typical of the people here, Juna gave me a bright smile and left the training room.
I stared blankly at my crotch, which was standing pitifully, then sighed and stood up.
Right, well, that happens.
It can happen.
Let’s see how long it keeps happening.
Honestly, I wasn't thinking about anything, but since she started the fire, I’ll save it for later and head to the shower.