Chapter 6: Gym

“Hello.”

“Uh… hi. Is this your first time here by any chance?”

“Yes.”

Strictly speaking, it was my first time at ‘this place.’

As I took a deep breath, I could smell the strong scent of rubber in the air.

In addition to that, the air here was a mixture of various scents, accurately indicating where I currently was.

So, this place was somewhere like…

[Fitness Gold Gym]

A fitness center.

Or the source of all pain and groans.

I stood at the entrance of that place.

The person sitting at the counter couldn’t hide their surprise upon seeing me.

Nevertheless, without losing their sense of service, they promptly stood up and guided me somewhere with slightly stiff movements, which was quite impressive.

I glanced around to get an overall view of the floor layout. On the left side of the entrance, there seemed to be showers, shoe racks, and locker rooms, while the front was open on both sides.

I mentally captured the building’s layout like taking a snapshot and quietly followed the guidance towards what seemed like a reception area.

Inside, there was a large figure who seemed to be in charge, sitting at a table.

Upon seeing my tail, which revealed an unsettling presence behind me, he quickly swapped the chair with a sturdier one with a backrest.

But the problem was…

“….”

The chair looked too weak.

The sound of the door clicking shut.

As the counter staff went outside along with it, the muscular man, who proudly displayed his robust muscles, spoke first.

His voice was softer than expected.

“Welcome. I’m Kim Inho, the manager of Fitness Gold. Are you here to register?”

“Probably.”

“Oh, you can sit down and talk.”

It was a kind consideration, but unfortunately, without knowing the weight limit of that chair, hastily sitting down might lead to an unpleasant situation.

There should have been one or two chairs I could rely on.

This is why practical muscle compression is difficult.

“Is that chair sturdy?”

“Well, despite appearances, it can withstand up to 200kg. Don’t worry, you can sit comfortably.”

“Ah, then it’s okay.”

…So, could you please stop looking at me with that strange expression?

As if reflecting on my words for a moment, he hesitated briefly, then stood up and disappeared somewhere. It seemed like he went to get something.

I wondered how long I had to wait.

“Although it doesn’t have an opening at the back, I brought the sturdiest one available. Give it a try.”

As a steel-framed chair was placed there, I could finally sit down carefully.

The chair attached to the wall or made of metal frames can be sat on carefully, but the one made of plastic like the restaurant before is quite precarious.

Adjusting the tail slightly, she gently pressed her hips against the chair.

It’s fortunate that this one is intact.

───G-G-Groan…

…Is the chair screaming, or is it just an illusion?

It must be an illusion, right?

Anyway, she sat on the chair and placed the desk in front, pushing forward the protruding plank. There were some slightly worn-out papers stuck there.

With a look that seemed to demand a rough explanation, he continued speaking.

“We had an event where if people came with Manifestors, we offered a 40% discount, but there were many false entries, so we pinned this paper on one side of the shelf.”

“Are there really people like that?”

“Some even tried to video call with animal ears attached to their heads… it was quite a scene.”

They must’ve been going crazy.

After checking my ID card, I asked if such discounts were still valid.

And received a positive response.

“We can’t go back on what we’ve said once. But if you’re okay with it, would you be willing to take promotional photos for the gym later?”

“Um….”

“If you wish, we can draft an official contract regarding this matter and provide a firm confirmation through a lawyer.”

“Playing pranks on Manifestors might get us into trouble, but our guests need not worry too much.”

It was a grim joke.

Anyway, it was decided that this part would naturally be further discussed through more consultations in the future.

As he casually played with the pen on the contract, the thin yellow paper stuck underneath slipped off quietly. One sheet was taken by me, and the other by the other party.

And so, money was drained away.

Somehow, it sent shivers down my spine.

“Would you like to redo the InBody test?”

Nodding vaguely with such a thought in mind, I headed toward the machine, which was attached to the wall near the private room, so it didn’t take long to get there, and I could easily step onto the footrests while holding the switches in both hands.

And until that point, there seemed to be no problem.

“Excessive weight detected. Placing heavy objects on the machine can cause malfunctions.”

…As soon as I tried to shift the load slightly, it started making such noises.

The gym manager, moving his heavy body back and forth, touched the machine here and there, but only uttered perplexed sounds like, “Why isn’t this working?”

But fortunately, or unfortunately, everyone except me was perplexed, and after some adjustments to the machine, the InBody results could be obtained promptly.

Click.

-Height: 171cm.

-Weight: 216.3kg.

-Skeletal muscle mass: ■■■kg.

-Body fat percentage: 9.1%.

-BMI: ERROR.

-Body composition analysis…

-Extracellular fluid analysis…

.

.

.

“Sorry, it seems like something went wrong. No, how could there be issues already with the new one…”

“Hasn’t been a few days, yet the body fat percentage has slightly increased… Other than that, there’s hardly any difference from before.”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have any weighted vests here?”

Since it seemed like it had never been worn before, I started lightly stretching while checking the friction of the floor of the gym shoes that were won by auction, for the very reason, and began to loosen up my body.

I used to lift up to 2200 pounds in my prime.

“Wow….”

“Insane, is that a human?”

“No, what….”

Clang.

It feels solid but presses just right on the body.

As the barbell, supported by the weight plates on both sides, lightly presses against the pectoral muscles, the slight tilt caused by the weight of the plates can be felt.

After stretching and doing a few sets of bodyweight squats,

Rather than focusing on specific areas today, I decided to try out almost everything as if I were doing a thorough checkup.

And so, the first exercise chosen was squats.

Feeling a bit sorry for the others, I started off with a slightly heavier load within the permissible range. Roughly dozens of plates each weighing 25kg.

Because I had a painful memory of starting off with heavy weights in the past and ending up in a not-so-pleasant situation, I started off a bit lower this time.

Starting with a reasonable weight, about 210kg, for around 10 reps, 2 sets, I didn’t feel too strained,

“…What, what….”

So, I started with around 270kg for 7 reps, 1 set.

Feeling as if my body was on fire. The massive load on the lower body caused numerous muscle fibers to contract and relax, far surpassing the limits of a human.

After completing the target number of seven, as I gently placed the barbell back on the catcher, the gym manager, who had been watching from behind just in case, looked at me with a puzzled expression.

But with this weight, it’s only about 1.25 times my body weight.

I still have a long way to go.

I released the clips and enthusiastically loaded plates on both sides. The weight skyrocketed as I entered the realm of powerlifting.

Except for the lively music playing from the wall speakers, all sounds seemed to converge towards me, and the total weight on the bar exceeded 400kg.

I vaguely remember how much I used to squat when I was seriously working out before. I remember the digit 7 in the front.

I don’t know. All I remember is shooting guns all the time.

With a clang, over 450kg, more than twice my body weight, was loaded,

Although he didn’t say anything, the gym manager, who had become my helper without me realizing it, was quietly assisting from behind.

Considering the weight, I wondered if it was okay, but well, a partner’s role is always important.

After doing about 3 sets of 2 reps, I was already sweating profusely.

As I leaned slightly against the partition, listening to the music and drinking water, I heard someone speaking.

“…I’ve heard several times that the muscle density of Manifestors cannot be compared to that of humans.”

“Really?”

“I know some powerlifters who are E2 level lifter, so I have some idea. But… EM is definitely different.”

…Why are you all talking about things only you know?

Seeing my somewhat puzzled expression, he thought for a moment before adding an explanation.

“Oh, is it written differently abroad? I didn’t know. In Korea, it’s based on appearance for E and the number of physical characteristics for 2.”

“Then….”

“That friend is a white tiger. Both the ears and tail are clear, so Evident/2, hence E2. Its head is white too. It also has stripes….”

I see.

Sometimes I see strange English abbreviations on the internet and wonder what they mean. So that’s what they mean.

I vaguely understood what the ‘EM’ in ‘EM/IPN’ written on my identification card meant.

…Let’s ignore the fact that everyone sees me as someone who returned from abroad.

By the way, the space to put on more plates is getting scarce around this point.

It was probably a divine message from the muscles to stop around this time.

“Excuse me, but how much can you squat at maximum?”

“It wasn’t an official record, and I can’t quite recall the last time I did it, but I remember the first digit was a 7.”

“Wait, is that even possible?”

“Well, the first time I attempted it, the spring bar nearly snapped because of the weight of the plates.”

That happened when I was squatting.

I still vividly remember that moment. My skin on the back of my neck almost tore apart.

Later, some crazy guys I used to work out with scoured all over New York and managed to bring back a spring bar made of some new material that could withstand up to 900kg.

Anyway, luckily there were a couple of items that could handle up to 700kg here.

As I removed the plates, I said, “I don’t have separate preparations for lifting, so I can’t show you handling 700kg.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay. You don’t have to push yourself.”

After making a promise not to throw the weights on the ground, I did deadlifts.

Again, considering the weight limit and lifespan of the bar and my physical condition, I stopped around 600kg.

But still…

“…Phew. Everyone seems quite interested.”

“It’s impossible not to be intrigued by this sight.”

People who arrived before me to exercise were all wide-eyed and staring in this direction.

I could somewhat grasp the emotions they were experiencing.

When you come to exercise and see someone lifting not 3 sets of 500 but a single set of 500, it’s bound to raise a lot of curiosity.

But here’s the unfortunate fact,

“Bench pressing won’t work.”

“What’s wrong?”

Snap.

I poked the gym manager’s arm with my tail.

That’s the issue.

Despite undergoing many trials and training, my tail had become almost like a third arm, but it still interfered with my movements to some extent.

Perhaps I should have a hole drilled in the bench, like the one in my bed at home, so I can comfortably lie down.

When I was staying at the old Central Park HQ, the folks in the engineering department came and modified it for me, which was quite nice.

“Ah…”

“Well, it’s just one of those inconveniences.”

Similarly, I couldn’t do leg presses or leg extensions. In short, any exercises requiring simultaneous contact with both my back and hips were off-limits.

It was quite a headache, but given the physique I had acquired and how effectively I had used it so far, it was unavoidable.

Anyway, I tried various other exercises. There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy, but if I had to pick a few memorable ones,

“I still can’t hide all my muscles. Looking at my back, it’s clear…”

“That’s true!”

Like doing pull-ups with a 50kg weight vest on,

“Are you pushing yourself too hard?”

“There’s…a reason for that…!”

Or sprinting on the treadmill with the weighted vest on.

I did mention that they’d have to inquire about it later if the machine broke down.

Anyway, after finishing the workout…

“Ah, it feels refreshing to sweat like this after a while. Thank you for even being my spotter.”

“…Considering what I’ve witnessed, it’s more than worth it…”

My body and clothes were soaked in sweat.

Thankfully, the gym provided workout attire for members, so I could avoid the situation of my clothes getting damp.

At least for the upper body.

The lower body was a different story; the pants always got caught on my tail.

“I’ll shower when I get home. Thank you for today.”

“Take care on your way back.”

Leaving behind a dozen or so bewildered individuals, I headed to the changing room and put my sweat-soaked shirt into the laundry bin.

Putting on the shirt again while it was still damp with sweat wasn’t a pleasant sensation, but what could I do?

Anyway,

….

My stomach was already rumbling, signaling for food after burning some calories.

It seemed like finding a way to make money quickly would be a good idea.

…I should quickly retrieve the pay information from the other side.