Special Training from Hell
"Ah... I'm so sleepy I could die..."
"That's on you, isn't it?"
After morning PT, I forced my drooping eyelids open while eating breakfast. The languid fatigue that hit after exercise tormented me even more. My body and mind weren't actually tired. Thanks to my trait, the physical exertion from last night's bedroom workout and the mental strain of pulling an all-nighter felt like nothing at all.
It was just that my routine of never skimping on sleep for over twenty years had backfired.
"On me? Bullshit... Who was the one who wouldn't let me sleep?"
I shot Blanc a glare loaded with resentment. But he didn't look remorseful in the slightest. He calmly shoveled the rest of his breakfast into his mouth and spoke while chewing.
"The guy who claimed to be the least interested was the first to make a move, so of course! If you'd at least given me a heads-up, I wouldn't have hounded you like that!"
I didn't care what he said—as long as he swallowed his food first. It was turning my stomach; I couldn't even finish breakfast.
"And even after I grilled you all night, you didn't spill a single detail."
"I told you. It was a drunken fluke with Gwangnyeon-i."
"You don't seriously expect me to buy that, do you?"
Sigh... Arguing further would just loop back to our predawn chat. I scanned the four roommates surrounding me. Surprisingly, there wasn't a whiff of awkward tension between the guy whose crush got stolen and the thief himself.
Last night, when I walked into the room, their reactions were way more chill than I'd expected—I was stunned. If anything, the vibe was congratulatory. It eased up a bit when they heard it wasn't an ongoing thing, but there was hardly any jealousy aimed my way. Especially Blanc; I'd thought he was seriously into her after taking that kind of hit.
Come to think of it, it's been less than two days since they met these guys... Not enough time for deep feelings to set in, huh?
One-night stand. Gwangnyeon-i had only given me the green light once. If I pushed for a second, it'd be one of two outcomes: she'd boldly say yes, or I'd never get another shot. Given her usual bold personality, the odds favored the former—but absolutes didn't exist in this world.
Of course, I had zero intention of leaving it at one night with her.
Whether it becomes one time or two... it'll all depend on my moves.
I stuffed the rest of my breakfast in my mouth and left.
*
As all the trainees warmed up for morning training, Gwangnyeon-i spotted me from afar and grinned ear to ear. She even gave a little wave when our eyes met.
What the hell? Her smiles made me uneasy. A friendly wave aimed right at me? Straight-up terrifying.
Did she fall for my sex skills last night or something?
Hmm... plausible. Not to brag, but last night's satisfaction level had to be over 90 points easy. Play this right, and round two might not be far off.
"Trainee Park Chanyoung! Follow me."
What? Brack called my name. Gwangnyeon-i, sure—but him? No reason for that. Puzzled, I approached.
"You called, sir?"
"Listen as you follow."
Thud, thud... Brack walked ahead, briefing me. But we were heading away from the training grounds? This wasn't toward the field or the camp either. I hustled after him, racking my brain for his angle.
"Trainee Park Chanyoung. Your endurance and stamina are decent enough, but your agility and flexibility are disastrously low. Do you know why?"
Brack flipped through the papers in his hand—my profile from the fitness test, complete with background and nationality.
The reason for my shitty agility... only one answer.
"...The fat?"
"You know it. You're severely morbidly obese. I can't fathom how you got assigned to combat duty."
Twitch! It stung a bit, but I kept a straight face and mumbled, "I see..." to brush it off.
"But now that you're in the camp, the instructors have no intention of cutting you loose easily."
I started piecing together what he wanted. No mentions on day one or two—I'd thought I was in the clear. But nope! This delayed strike had sweat beading down my back.
"Carrying that much weight and still exceeding averages in endurance? Lose the fat, and you'll shine—no doubt! If you lose it."
"Haha! Won't three months here melt it off automatically?"
"No! That level of obesity will hinder all future training! So for a case like yours, I've prepared a special program."
Hell training, in other words? Zero interest in the details. Don't wanna know. So don't shove it on me...!
"Duration: 14 nights, 15 days. You'll be exempt from group PT and do one-on-one custom training with me. It's already the shortest I could make it, given the circumstances—bear with it."
Brack beamed like he was doing me a huge favor. Free 24/7 personal training for two weeks? With all sincerity: no thanks! I'd planned to shed this slowly over three months here plus three back home—six total. Now in 15 days? This fat? Even six months would be brutal! Halved to half a month? The hell awaiting me flashed in my mind. I was genuinely, deeply afraid.
"Even so, 14 nights is too much!"
"I wanted to handle your unique case myself, but with only one other instructor... She'd have to manage all the trainees alone. It was a dilemma. But this morning, she came to me first with the proposal! A special training just for you, 'for your benefit'!"
"She... you don't mean..."
Her name dropped, and that smiling face popped up.
"Her, who else? Only one instructor besides me."
"Gwangnyeon-i... that fucking..."
bitch! I barely swallowed the rest.
"Rejoice! She stayed up all night crafting the program for you! Even volunteered to cover my duties solo for two weeks—stuff she'd been dumping on me! It's brutal-looking, but she has her reasons. Out of respect for her sacrifice, I adopted the whole thing!"
My neck cramped. That beaming face from breakfast... her mug floated up. Right now, I could charge and stab her.
What the hell did I do?! Hate my name? Is 'Park Chanyoung' the problem?!
Run... gotta run... Brack was the type to follow through. Once it started, no stopping.
Thwack!
"From today, you'll change. Not by your will—mine."
As I spun to bolt, Brack's thick, meaty hand clamped my shoulder. No escaping that grip, instinct screamed.
Torture! You said I was prepped for torture! This is torture!
I mentally raged at the angel who'd given me the system, but no salvation window appeared. Just dragged away by brute force. Toward the gaping maw of hell.
*
Brack was ex-trainer, right? Spot on. He knew exactly how to push human limits.
"Move! Move! Right leg only and it'll cramp—making it worse later!"
Grraaah...!
Splash! Splash!
As he said, I powered my left leg too, churning water. I'd suffered ignoring him early on; now I knew listening paid off long-term, bone-deep.
Splash! Splash!
"Fat floats! Don't panic—focus on limbs!"
"Hup! Pwah!"
I surfaced, gulped air, and cleaved water with arms and legs. Now I got why swimmers had insane cores. Everything burned, but my lower back throbbed worst.
Why swimming suddenly? My weight risked joint damage from land PT, so Brack dragged me to the river downstream of the Shelter. Dodging sun heat? Not a perk. When I asked, "What if I exhaust mid-training and drown?" He said, "I'll save you—pass out underwater worry-free." Terrifying premise: training assuming blackout. No quitting by collapsing like on land.
I seriously considered dying once and rewinding... but
Splash! Splash!
"Pffft! Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Immortal or not, drowning sucked. Today I learned how agonizing true lung-filling death was.
Euthanasia! Please, just euthanize me!
Endless river in nose and mouth. Survival instinct squeezed every last drop of stamina. The evening backlash terrified me. Please, let Natural Healing exceed expectations...
"Aerobic! Full-body! Low injury risk! Perfect exercise—hard to beat!"
Swimming's benefits? Sure. Want to do it? Hell no.
Splash! Splash!
That damn... Gwangnyeon-i... fucking...
Despite limbs quaking from overwork, grudge wouldn't fade. Meals and sleep here meant no seeing her for 14 days. Exactly 14 days later. Wait for it. Grind... teeth ground.
"Alright, warmed up—now the real start?"
"Huh? The... real start?"
Wasn't an hour ago the beginning?! Limbs shaking now, and not even started? Bluff?
*
Crackle, crackle! By the lazy river, warm campfire crackled soothingly. Look up: Milky Way. Turn: blue moon on water. Poetic vista begging a cheesy verse.
...If not for the musclebound guy beside me, his bald head gleaming in firelight.
Flutter, flutter.
"Yesterday's fitness test must've glitched. Way better than recorded! Hmm... Testing fifty at once—errors inevitable..."
Brack eyed my profile. Yesterday's results were accurate; sudden stat jumps fooled him.
"Tonight: kettle-lepto-maguseptosaur chest and stamina-boosting herb stew!"
Bowl of stew handed over. Who else called it full name instead of "chicken"? Gwangnyeon-i's fault—that name now evoked wild sex, dizzying my head.
"Low carbs, protein-focused nutrition! No need to spoon-feed you, I see."
Thwack!
Spoon-feed? From a baldy dude? Hell no—even a woman would be iffy. Am I crazy?
I snatched the plate politely but firmly with both hands. Brack eyed me dubiously and smacked his lips.
Why try feeding me, man to man? Brack's tastes...? ...Maybe physical pain wasn't the only risk this fortnight. I scooted away, cold sweat dripping. Shit, bad sleep tonight too?
But my fears missed the mark. Reason for the spoon-feeding? Different.
"Fascinating. After full-day intense training and one long break, muscles should've seized—limbs unresponsive by now."
Brack stared at my arm shoveling food.
"Moving fine."
Twitch! I froze my ravenous guzzling. Post-swim hunger and rest's allure blinded me. Normally, I'd have clocked it when he offered to feed me!
"Faking weakness during? No... experience says you hit limits."
Gulp!
Was my trait busted?...
"One possibility... Trainee Park Chanyoung. Feel anything in the air? Like mana, say."
...What? Mana?
Chance to bullshit!
Out-of-left-field, but instinct screamed deflection opportunity. No guilt tricking him—couldn't spill on system/trait anyway.
"Something, yeah... Can't pin it down yet. Feels different from Earth's air, though."
"Hahaha! Knew it!"
Brack lit up. I sighed huge relief inwardly. Good thing this world had magic.