Chapter 2: The Promotion... Actually Worked?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 2: The Promotion... Actually Worked?
[Gym Level 0]
A square window suddenly appeared.
The blue, translucent window had the word "Gym" written on it.
"What is this?"
I reached out toward the window floating before my eyes.
Is this some kind of prank?
The blue window shifted its position to follow my hand every time I moved.
In that moment, it clicked.
It was a status window, just like the ones I’d seen so many times in web novels and webtoons.
Wait, is this actually a status window?
I gulped.
I swallowed hard without even realizing it.
The world isn't turning into an apocalypse or something, right?
I looked out the window.
No matter how much I stared, there were no signs of anything unusual. No gates were opening in the middle of Seoul, and no emergency situations were breaking out.
"Phew."
But what kind of ability was "Gym"?
Usually, in these stories, you could see the details of an ability by clicking on the text.
I clicked on the word "Gym."
Ding!
As expected, a new window popped up.
[Gym Level 0]
[A beginner-level gym. It hasn't officially opened yet, so it is lacking in many areas.]
[Gym Skills – None]
[Affiliated Trainer – Jae-ho Choi]
It was just basic information.
A gym, huh?
The explanation was so sparse that I was still confused.
"What does this even mean?"
It seemed like I’d gained an ability, but I had no idea what it actually did. It didn't feel like my body had gotten any stronger.
"It’s not like my house changed either..."
I looked around the room. I checked to see if anything had been altered, but everything was exactly the same.
Just as the question marks in my head were multiplying...
Ding!
[Basic Quest – A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body]
[The foundation of exercise is bodyweight movement. Build your strength through exercise.]
[5kg Dumbbell Exercises – 30 reps]
[Barbell Squats – 30 reps]
[Kettlebell Swings – 30 reps]
[AB Slide Exercises – 30 reps]
[Success Reward: 10 Health Points (HP)]
"Now we're talking."
It wouldn't be a status window without a quest. In the novels I usually read, quests popped up all the time.
"If it gives Health Points, then that must mean..."
There was a shop where I could spend them. I didn't know what I could buy yet, but...
"There's no harm in earning them."
I had already made up my mind to exercise and even bought the equipment. I wanted to change. I wanted to build my confidence and self-esteem.
And now, a status window had appeared, urging me to work out. There was no reason not to do it.
However...
"That's a hell of a lot of exercises."
My arms were already tingling, and I hadn't even managed ten reps with the dumbbells yet. And now I had to do thirty?
It was dizzying.
I was so frail people called me a "scrawny anchovy."
"I'm supposed to do all this in one day?"
No way. Right?
Feeling skeptical, I picked up the dumbbells.
Ding!
[Starting Trainer Development Program.]
[Please follow the system's guidance.]
[Always keep your wrists straight when gripping the dumbbells.]
I gripped the dumbbells following the system's instructions. I stood there with a dumbbell in each hand.
[Maintain good posture when lifting the dumbbells.]
[With your arms relaxed at your sides, lift them until they reach shoulder height.]
[One rep is counted when you alternate both arms.]
"Ngh!"
I completed one rep. Just doing one with proper form made sweat pour down my body.
"Was this always this hard?"
It looked so easy on TV, but doing it myself, the difficulty was no joke. My thin arms trembled violently.
[Repeat 10 times.]
"Aaaargh!"
Ten reps. It might be an easy number for people who were good at working out.
But for me, it was a distant, towering goal.
"I'll! Do it! No matter what!"
[5kg Dumbbell Exercises – 4/30]
[5kg Dumbbell Exercises – 5/30]
[5kg Dumbbell Exercises – 6/30]
I felt lightheaded. I was straining my face so hard that my vision started to spin.
My body really is this weak.
I realized it once again.
"Huff, huff."
It was only ten reps. Even though I’d only done ten, my arms and chest were stinging.
"Ah, my muscles are cramping."
I felt like I was going to die. This was actually going to kill me.
"I'll do... huff... the rest later. Huff."
[You have completed 1 set of Dumbbell Exercises.]
[Proceeding to 1 set of Barbell Squats.]
However, the system wouldn't leave me alone.
"Hey, let me rest a bit."
[Proceeding to 1 set of Barbell Squats.]
The system nagged me to do it immediately. It felt like being scolded by a personal trainer.
"Squats? Now?"
[Place the barbell on your trapezius muscles and stand in a squat position.]
[Bend your knees without wobbling. Push your hips back so your knees do not go past your toes.]
[Be careful not to lean your waist forward or let your knees slide forward.]
"Fine, fuck. I'll do it."
Curses spilled out of my mouth automatically. I grumbled as I grabbed the barbell.
"One... agh!"
"Hup! Twoooo!"
Sweat dripped down in streams. Every single rep was an overwhelming struggle for me. I hadn't even reached five reps before my thighs started shaking like leaves.
"Aaaaagh! You son of a bitch!"
I grit my teeth. I moved my body with the sole desire to hit that number. My body screamed. It felt like it was telling me to stop and rest.
I've done a lot already. Usually, the only exercise I do is breathing, right? Isn't this enough for now? Maybe I should just take a break and—
...I decided to throw those weak thoughts away.
A system had appeared. In this ordinary world, I had gained a skill that was basically a cheat.
If I collapsed without even finishing the most basic quest the system gave me, I wouldn't be able to achieve anything with that kind of mindset.
I decided to change. I decided to use exercise as a chance to change myself.
You pathetic idiot.
After cursing at myself, I pushed through.
"Te-e-en!"
I finished the first set.
[Next is the Kettlebell...]
"Status window! You motherfucker!"
*
A day passed.
I was drenched in sweat. The sun that had lit the world had set, and the moon had risen. I had definitely started in the afternoon.
"It's already 7:00 PM."
Just how many hours had I been working out? It had been almost five hours. Since my physical condition was so poor, I had to rest for a long time after each set just to recover enough energy to continue.
My muscles ached. My body was trembling.
If I tried to cut corners because it was hard, the system wouldn't recognize the reps. So, I maintained my form until the very end.
Because of that, I had pushed my body to its limit. A scrawny guy who knew nothing about fitness had just hammered out three full sets with perfect form. It was only natural that my body felt wrecked.
"Ha, haha. Anyway, I succeeded."
After many twists and turns, I successfully finished my first workout. My whole body throbbed with muscle pain.
[5kg Dumbbell Exercises – 30/30]
[Barbell Squats – 30/30]
[Kettlebell Swings – 30/30]
[AB Slide Exercises – 30/30]
Still, the moment I saw the completed quest window, a profound sense of accomplishment washed over me, making the pain feel a bit more bearable.
Exercising and moving my body...
It might be better than I thought.
[Quest Completed.]
It was over. I had cleared my first quest. For the first time in my life, I, a man who had lived a life completely detached from fitness, had crushed a full workout routine.
[Your body recovers as a reward for completing your first quest.]
[You have earned 10 Health Points (HP).]
[You have earned points for the first time.]
[The Gym Shop is now open as a reward for acquiring points.]
A Gym Shop. It was just as I expected. I knew it would show up. My body was aching, but it was worth it.
"Show me the shop."
As soon as I spoke, a new window appeared.
[Gym Shop Level 0]
[Items for Sale]
[Text Promotion – 10 HP]
[1kg Dumbbell – 100 HP]
[Treadmill – 50,000 HP]
...
[3,500 sq. ft. Han River View Apartment – 99,999,999 HP]
The prices were astronomical. To get a single 1kg dumbbell, I would have to repeat what I just did ten times.
"It's expensive."
Even if I was paying with my own effort, I’d rather just buy it with money.
The only thing I can buy right now is the 'Text Promotion' menu.
What was this?
[Text Promotion]
[Sends a text message to one random person nearby.]
[The success rate is low because the Gym Level is low.]
[Success Probability – 20%]
Promotion? Why would I even need promotion? If this was my own private gym, I didn't exactly need to promote it. I didn't need to bring in other members.
What was the point of giving me a promotion option?
Seeing as the price matched my points exactly, it seemed like a quest designed to make me buy this...
Just as the question formed in my mind...
[It is recommended that you purchase the Text Promotion.]
The promotion option started glowing as if telling me to buy it. It was blinking brightly.
"Hmm."
I stroked my chin. Usually, in these situations, it was best to buy the recommended item. Even in the games I used to play, the "GM Recommended" items always had the best efficiency.
Besides, it was the only item I could afford.
I clicked on Text Promotion.
Click.
[First purchase completed.]
[Starting Text Promotion.]
[Sending a message to one random person.]
[The success probability is low due to the low level.]
[The promotion success probability is 20%.]
Text Promotion. It said it sent a promotion to one person. A 20% success rate. If it failed, did that mean I had to work out all over again?
Good grief.
[A Trial Version is provided as a first-purchase bonus.]
[The 20% success rate increases to 100%.]
[The nearest guest will visit shortly.]
"Huh?"
A guest was visiting?
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
"Who is it? At this hour?"
It was 7:00 PM. An awkward time. There was no one who should be coming over right now.
"Who is it?"
I opened the door.
A woman I had never seen before was standing there with a shoulder bag. She looked to be in her mid-160s in height. She had a toned body with curves in all the right places, visible even through her shirt.
With her large, round eyes, a sharp nose, lightly made-up face, and red lips, she was a woman anyone would call a beauty.
What was going on? There was no reason for such a beautiful woman to come to my house.
"How can I... help you?"
Then, something unbelievable came out of her mouth.
"This is the gym, right?"
[Starting 1-time Trial Version.]
The promotion... actually worked?