Chapter 2

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 2

Chapter Title: Three Facts and the Gym

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There were three facts I'd uncovered.

One.

The Era of Success game had become reality.

I'd acquired Athletic Talent, the Achievements system had activated, and I could now view my own status window—or anyone else's.

Two.

My coworkers' favorability toward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me was polarized to the extremes.

I'd thought we got along decently, but it ranged from as low as -6 to as high as 70.

The favorability from Mi-yeon, the prettiest woman at our factory, was a whopping -6.

-6?! Not even +6, but negative six? It carved a deep wound into my heart.

"This is too much. I never even showed any interest... never made a move... never treated her badly..."

In stark contrast to the women, the men's favorability toward me was surprisingly high.

It averaged around 50, and went up to a solid 70.

Unexpectedly, the boss's favorability was the highest of all.

The most diligent slave? Someone to exploit? And for a long time?

"You're the worst one."

In some ways, it hurt more than Mi-yeon's -6.

Still, the promise of a red bean bun softened my heart a bit. Red bean buns were my favorite among all breads.

Finally, three.

"It's gone."

The Era of Success app that had been installed until last night had vanished.

I tried accessing the Play Store to redownload it, but it wasn't there.

I searched for Era of Success on Naver, but found nothing. I checked the communities, with the same result.

It was like a desert mirage, as if it had never existed from the dawn of time.

It was simply gone. There was no trace of Era of Success anywhere.

"Maknae-ya."

"Yes?"

"Something up?"

It was Ji-seong hyungnim.

"What're you thinking so hard about?"

"Ah... uh... Nothing."

"You feeling sick or something?"

"No, I'm fine."

Ji-seong was in his early thirties, married with a family to support.

He was second only to the boss in favorability, and he looked out for me like a little brother.

"He's a good hyung and all."

But he was a nightlife junkie. Saving up his pocket money just to blow it on hookers was his hobby.

"Jinseong-ah, how about a drink after work?"

"Booze?"

Normally, I'd say yes.

"Sorry, can't today. I've got something to do tonight."

Today wasn't normal. Era of Success had my head in a total spin.

I was prioritizing thoughts about my future over drinks.

"In the first place..."

I glanced at Ji-seong's status window.

He had impure motives. Having dinner together might just lead to awkward pressure to lend him money.

Sol was a hooker's name. His wife's name was Baek Jin-ah.

"Tsk tsk."

I clicked my tongue in pity, shook off the thoughts, and tried to focus on work.

But...

"Ha..."

I couldn't focus for shit.

My head was so crammed full of Era of Success that there was no room left for work.

"You sick?"

"Something wrong?"

"Why so spaced out today?"

"You look pale."

There were endless questions.

"Good work today."

I bolted the second I punched out.

I wanted to leave before anyone could invite me out for drinks.

Once I got back to the dorm, I let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm exhausted."

After taking a quick shower, I flopped onto my mattress like a sick pig.

"Oink, I'm so tired."

I told myself that just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one hour, or even thirty minutes, would do.

I desperately needed a quick nap to shake off this brutal fatigue.

I set an alarm for thirty minutes later and closed my eyes.

"I'll take a short nap, and then head to the gym."

But the very moment my eyes shut...

The alarm blared.

"Ugh, I feel like I'm dying."

I killed the noisy alarm, dragged myself out of bed, and started getting ready.

I was so exhausted that I could have easily slept straight through until morning.

I was dreading the idea of working out like absolute hell.

"The game actually became real for once... I finally got this chance... I have to do it..."

Honestly, without the Era of Success system, I would have told the idea of exercising to fuck off.

Even basic breathing exercises would have felt like too much work; I would have completely ignored it.

"People who manage to work out while holding down full-time jobs are absolute legends. Mad respect to them."

Once I was ready, I headed out. My destination was set.

"Welcome."

A man in his mid-forties, covered in thick muscle, greeted me warmly.

It was Park Man-bok, the owner of Manbok Gym.

Manbok Gym was only a ten-minute walk from my workplace along the main road—and it was the only 24-hour spot nearby.

"Is it your first time at our gym?"

"Uh? Yeah, it's my first time here."

The truth was, it wasn't just my first time at Manbok Gym. It was my first time at any gym, ever.

I had lived a life completely detached from exercise. I hadn't even tried Taekwondo as a kid like everyone else did.

"You'll need to register as a member to use the facilities."

"How much is it?"

"It's 80,000 won for one month, 150,000 for two months, or 200,000 for three months."

"..."

My pupils quaked in shock.

"That's pricey."

My monthly living expenses were only 150,000 won. Dropping 80,000 on a gym membership left me with just 70,000 won of wiggle room.

"Personal Training is 500,000 won. That includes eight sessions a week."

"Gasp?!"

I nearly keeled over.

The 80,000 won had already left me shaking—what the hell was this?!

I only managed to save 500,000 won a month in total—how could PT cost that much?!

"Uh, no PT for me. I'll just sign up for one month for now."

"Understood. One month will be 80,000 won."

"Here you go."

I pulled the 80,000 won out of my cheap wallet and handed it over.

I always used cash, since I had given my debit card to my parents.

"If you pay in cash, we only charge 70,000 won."

"Nice! Thanks."

My tone instantly brightened. Ten thousand won off was a sweet deal.

There was no VAT on cash transactions, so 70,000 won it was.

"I really have to go hard now."

I had already planned to hustle thanks to the Era of Success system.

Now that I had made a financial investment, I was even more determined.

I needed to squeeze out at least two or three times the value of my money.

My motivation was fully ignited.

"Make sure to wear proper workout clothes and bring your own indoor shoes."

"Got it."

"You're a gym newbie, right? Let me quickly explain how the machines work."

I went and changed, slipping into my old sneakers.

I had washed them clean, but...

They were still cheap, worn out, and uncomfortable.

"Eh, this will do for now. I'll buy new ones when payday comes."

Comfortable shoes were essential for a proper workout.

I couldn't swing for anything pricey, but buying cheap ones was definitely doable.

"Are you looking to diet, customer?"

"I want to lose fat and build muscle."

"Ah, that's a big decision."

I followed Park Man-bok's lead.

"You made a smart choice."

"Yeah?"

"Bodybuilding rocks. It boosts your confidence, improves your health, and makes it easier to get girls."

"I'm definitely going to grind."

"I'll be cheering you on."

Park Man-bok stopped in front of the scale.

I stepped onto it, checking my height, weight, and muscle mass.

The results were brutal.

"How pathetic."

I couldn't help grimacing at the numbers.

I was 169cm tall, weighed 95kg, and had a laughable amount of muscle mass.

Honestly, it was a shocking reality check.

"I really thought I was under 90kg..."

When had I packed on this much weight?

"I'm just a 95kg pig, huh..."

Just a bit more and I would hit 0.1 tons.

I glanced over at myself in the mirror.

I had shaggy hair and pudgy cheeks.

There was no way I would rate myself favorably looking like this.

I suddenly understood exactly why the women's favorability toward me sucked so much.

"Why... why did I live like such an idiot... why did I never notice... I had no clue."

The reason was simple.

Life had been too harsh. I didn't have the mental slack to care.

Personal grooming requires spare bandwidth that I simply didn't possess.

"I have to burn this fat off, no matter how hard it gets."

I ground my molars in determination.

"Huff... huff..."

I felt like I was going insane.

"Guh, heuk..."

Thanks to Park Man-bok's help, the stretching was actually doable.

But even just from the stretching, my body was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already heating up.

Honestly, I was getting a bit tired. Sweat was already beading on my forehead.

Then came the cardio.

I started with a slow walk. Once I was used to the rhythm, I picked up the pace.

"Run for three minutes."

I hadn't even signed up for PT, yet here he was coaching me.

"Take big inhales through your mouth, and exhale through your nose."

"Heuk... snoop... heuk... snoop..."

"Good. Keep your legs straight. Keep your hips twisted."

Park Man-bok coached me diligently, staying right by my side.

Cardio was just the start. He went on to explain the machines and proper form in immense detail.

"It's quiet in here today, too..."

The gym was unusually empty.

"It's because you're a new customer..."

To him, I was just a total noob who didn't know the first thing about exercise.

As a veteran, he simply couldn't leave a newbie hanging.

"But most of all, it's that fire in his eyes."

My gaze burned with absolute determination.

I had the will to diet and the drive to build a better body.

If I didn't have the will, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wouldn't have visited the gym in the first place.

I was clearly dead set on changing my life.

"He's really grinding."

I felt half-dead from the effort, but I followed his instructions as best as I could.

Of course, internally, I was thinking something completely different:

"I want to quit."

I wanted to stop right then and flee back home.

But I couldn't. I was so close to clearing the achievement.

Achievements were essentially like video game quests.

Completing them rewarded me with Points.

And those Points could be spent in the shop on special growth items.