Capítulo 38: Endless Abyss.

Hugo shuffled down the dorm hallway, his steps slow. His face was twisted in the kind of regret only a second social death could bring. He replayed the memory over and over—the stares, the whispers, the smirks at the gym.

Anytime he thought of how weird and disgusting he must have looked to the onlookers, his cheeks created new shades of the colour red.

He almost didn't want to believe it.

"Two social deaths in a week…" he muttered, voice thick with self-pity. "Might as well throw a funeral for my reputation."

He had experienced traumatizing embarrassment not once but twice in the short span of less than two weeks.

'Dear crazy author... why do you hate me so much. Why do you derive pleasure from writing these terrible scenes...'

Hugo prayed to the mysterious being above. His life was almost like a joke at this point.

The worst part of it all was that he knew this disturbing practice was going to continue. He had only taken the pill for one day out of the seven days it's effects would last for.

This meant that no matter what, as long as he exerted his muscles, he would feel that deadly rush of euphoric once again!

It didn't even have to be a workout. Just a simple action like running might make him go crazy with pleasure.

There was no stopping it!

"God, they're probably still talking about it." He shuddered, picturing his mortified expression etched into gym-goers' memories forever.

Thud.

The moment Hugo stepped into the dorm, he knew something was up. He could feel it in his bones.

Slap. Slap. Slap. Slap!

An unmistakable, rhythmic sound of slapping filled the hallway from Collins' room.

Hugo's eyebrows shot up so much they almost disappeared into his hair. 'Wait, is that what I think it is?'

His head hurriedly snapped to the left, where some adult yoga had been taking place some hours ago. A quick glance confirmed the yoga mats in the hallway were empty.

The yoga mats were actually empty! Hugo didn't need to be a genius to know what had happened.

'No. Freaking. Way.' The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Collins had actually managed to "seal the deal" with her! Such a gorgeous woman with mind blowing proportions had been bagged by a freshman!

Hugo paused, awe washing over him. 'This guy's Rizz must be on a whole new level!'

'If Rizz was a skill tree, Collins is maxed out and running DLCs,' Hugo thought, sighing. Compared to him, Hugo's skills with girls were like trying to master algebra without knowing how to count.

"Here I am, fumbling with my Casanova System, while he's in here and still bagging goddesses."

It felt so unfair!

Sighing, he moved across the living room and slumped into his room, ready to drown his sorrows with whatever snacks were left in his stash.

He wasn't in the mood to eat today and only wanted to snack on some light food. But his stomach had other plans, unleashing a deep, angry growl that shook him out of his thoughts.

"What the…?" he mumbled. For a second, he had thought a lion had been let loose on campus.

'Since when did I get this hungry?' A pang of hunger twisted through him, sharp and insistent, like his stomach was staging a protest.

He hadn't been this hungry in ages.

He pulled out his phone and opened his food delivery app, his eyes darting straight to the pizza section. 'A little midnight snack won't hurt,' he thought, adding a couple of pizzas to his cart.

But as he waited for his delivery, his hunger only grew more intense. "Okay, who turned my stomach into a black hole?"

Suddenly, it hit him. It was the Muscle Unlock Pills!

Apparently, they didn't just work his muscles but drained his entire nutrient supply like a high-maintenance pet. The hunger pangs were ferocious, like his stomach was clawing at him from the inside out.

Although this actually made sense as it was impossible to grow without sufficient nutrients, that doesn't mean it felt good!

It didn't feel nice one bit!

Finally, the pizzas arrived, and he attacked them like a starving beast. Cheese, sauce, crust—he demolished it all, barely taking time to breathe. He didn't even have time for water. All he could think about was biting the next slice...

But within five minutes of finishing, the hunger clawed back even harder, as if the pizzas had only tickled it awake.

It felt like a dragon had been woken from it's 1000 years slumber!

"Oh, come on!" he whined. "Is this some kind of curse?" Desperately, he ordered ten more pizzas with a wince.

He could practically feel his bank account weeping as he hit 'Order,' but he couldn't help himself. The hunger was all-consuming, like he hadn't eaten in days.

The pizzas came, and he devoured them again, barely pausing between bites. He thought maybe, just maybe, that would finally satisfy the hunger.

But fifteen minutes later, there he was, back on the app, hitting "Order" with trembling fingers.

It was like some unholy cycle. Every time he finished eating, the hunger would roar back with a vengeance, and he'd find himself hitting "Add to Cart" like he was possessed.

One hour later, he lay sprawled across his bed, utterly defeated. Pizza boxes were strewn everywhere, forming a fortress of his shame. He stared at his phone screen, his bank account balance blinking back at him in red numbers...

'Over a hundred bucks... in one night... just for pizza.'

Hugo groaned, reaching a hand to the sky like he was delivering a dramatic eulogy. 'Farewell, dear bank balance. You lived a good life. Tragically short, but valiant nonetheless.'

Exhaustion swept over him, his eyelids drooping as he began to drift off. His last thought before sleep claimed him was a desperate plea.

'Please, stomach… give me a break. If I survive the week without eating my entire savings... it'll be a miracle!'