Chương 36: Road to 100 Push Ups

After figuring that nothing he did was wrong, Cassius walked over to the weights he had set in a corner of the room. He put on the whole 'Newbie 1' set, then got into perfect push-up form while looking like a taller, buffer Jackie Chan. His appearance was superior as well, though he wasn't one to gloat about something so superficial.

Leaning low to the ground, Cassius began to count.

'1…'

Again.

'2…'

Again.

'3…'

Again.

'7…'

Again.

'28…'

Each and every push-up strained every muscle group in his upper body, as he had definitely been worrying about nothing when it came to obtaining the Idle 1 Benefits. It was clear that the Idle Evolution System would continue adjusting the weight of his Newbie 1 Equipment just enough to push him to his limits.

If yesterday the 'Newbie 1 Equipment Set' had a total weight of roughly 1,500 pounds, then now it was around 3,000. It surely wouldn't be long before the weights became heavy enough to crush through the floor…

Cassius was already surprised that it held up this long, but considering the nature of this new world, there were likely many improvements made to things like infrastructure compared to what they were in his previous world.

After working up a sweat.

Cassius let his body slowly fall to the ground. He could feel the fatigue that had built up in his body, yet he could also feel a lot of it disappear with each passing second. By the end of a thirty-second resting period, his body was ready to go again. From push-ups to sit-ups to squats—Cassius completed them all, and did so with… extreme difficulty.

'Everything looked so easygoing in novels, but reality is so different… Haiz… Why am I so unlucky…?'

Even though Cassius thought like this, he learned to find a bit of joy in pushing himself to new heights. It made him feel a sense of accomplishment that he never was able to experience because of his extreme hyperthyroidism, which had barred him from even attempting to change himself for the better.

It wasn't like Cassius hadn't still tried to work out even when he was told straight to his face by a doctor that no results would come from it. However, just as the doctor had said would happen, nothing he did made a difference. He still remained morbidly obese, with his appearance akin to that of a goblin's.

Now, however, Cassius had the potential for improvement. And though it was incredibly tough and taxing on both his body and mind, he would still cherish and thrive on this chance.

After finishing up all the inside exercises for the day, Cassius took a minute to recuperate, then he sauntered over to a different corner of the room, where a heavy wooden katana lay embedded in the ground. While picking it up and surprisingly feeling no difference in its weight, the Idle 1 Benefit rang out.

*Ding!*

[Idle 1 Benefit: 3 AP] - [✓]

"With that out of the way, I just need to swing 150 times, then get my work clothes on and leave before 6:30," Cassius commented, a small smile gracing his lips.

With his Newbie 1 Equipment still equipped, he swung the Newbie 1 Training Sword around like a madman. Contrary to the day prior, 1,000 odd pounds no longer posed much of a challenge to him. It still pumped the veins in his arms and upper body, but it was nowhere near as coma-inducing as yesterday.

Cassius made quick work of the swinging task for Daily Quest #2, then he wiped himself off and put on his modest work uniform while glancing at the system notifications.

*Ding!*

[150/150 Sword Swings] - [✓]

[15/720 minutes] - [_]

After adorning himself in a buttoned dress shirt and a pair of long khaki pants, Cassius viewed himself in a nearby mirror. There, he saw someone with medium-length, slightly curly black hair, a thin nose, a chiseled jawline, and a pair of striking blue eyes that glowed with a docile lethality.

For a moment, he was left standing there in shock. He knew that the Charisma stat worked in miraculous ways, but he hadn't expected it to make him look like a model straight out of a runway magazine. The difference between his self a few weeks ago and now was like the difference between heaven and earth.

"It's no wonder Miss Sasha was unable to figure out who I was," Cassius commented casually as he rolled back his sleeves, unintentionally showing off his veiny forearms. "I really have changed… both inside and out."

His eyes glazed over as he took another moment to gauge his current self before heavily exhaling. His expression hardened, then softened. Walking away from the mirror, he approached the door to his room and opened it, only to once again be greeted by the charming sight of his stepsister in pajamas.

Yet, like a deer in headlights, the moment she saw him, she ran for the hills, her soft steps on the stairs echoing through the house.

"Hmm…" Cassius momentarily glanced at Aya's reddened figure bounce down to the bottom of the stairs and run toward the door, where she then made her flustered exit.

After making it down the stairs himself, though in a far more relaxed manner, Cassius caught a whiff of a heavenly pomegranate perfume. He looked toward the source of this divine scent, his eyes quickly making out the backend silhouette of a voluptuous woman. Cascading down her curves was her bright golden hair, its strands shimmering under the rays of sunlight seeping in through the windows of the front door.

To Cassius, she appeared kind of… sad.

Approaching the beautiful, dazed figure in a casual way, he spooked her a little, saying, "You worry a lot about Aya, don't you?"

After the initial jolt, Sasha's flickering eyes of sparkling gold settled on the tall, handsome blue-eyed young man standing to her right side. Perplexion formed on her beautiful face as she thought about what he had just said.