Free Web NovelChapter 18: Mr. Confident And His Secrets
David threw himself into the reps, chasing the burn instead of dreading it, the twenty-rep count Mrs. Walbury had assigned him already blown past by the time he realized it.
Three days into this, and something in him had shifted from just enduring the pain to actually pushing through it.
"That’s plenty," Mrs. Walbury said at one point, watching him load another plate onto the bar. "You don’t have to prove anything today."
"One more set," David said, already lying back on the bench.
She let him, mostly because arguing with him at this point seemed pointless, though she kept a closer eye on his form after that.
He worked steadily through the morning — bench presses, water breaks, easy stretches of conversation between sets — until he found himself racking 60 lbs overhead, arms trembling, breath ragged, and setting it down with a heavy clank that echoed slightly across the room.
Mrs. Walbury stared at him for a second, genuinely startled. It wasn’t just the bench press — he’d also finished his full stretch on the treadmill without stopping once, something she clearly hadn’t expected from a guy three days removed from barely surviving a jog.
David sat up, chest heaving, sweat soaking through his tank top, muscles aching in a way that felt different from the pain of his first day — not punishing, exactly. Earned.
’Huh,’ he thought, catching his breath, genuinely a little stunned at himself. ’Didn’t expect this much progress this fast. Guess those plus-ones actually add up.’
He pulled up his stat screen, glancing over the numbers.
[Player Stats Updated:
Strength: 17.
Agility: 12.
Endurance: 13.
Stamina: 14.
Penile Strength: 11]
’Still pathetic in the grand scheme of things,’ he thought, ’but leagues ahead of three days ago.’ Small comfort, but a real one.
His thoughts were cut off as Mrs. Walbury suddenly pulled him into a hug, arms wrapping around him before he could brace for it.
"You just completed 80 reps! I can’t believe you actually beat the benchmark I set for a beginner," she said, laughing, clearly delighted.
David froze for half a second, acutely aware of the warmth and softness pressed against him, before awkwardly patting her back. "Thanks," he managed.
She pulled away after a moment, glancing at him with an expression somewhere between impressed and amused. "You good? You’re kind of red."
Beside her, a faint notification flickered into view.
[Temptation Level: 15%.]
David blinked at it. ’That’s up. That’s — wait, that jumped like three percent just now.’
[Note: Temptation Level rises under varying conditions. In this instance, target was genuinely moved by player’s demonstrated determination. This does not indicate romantic interest — only that target holds player’s effort in high regard.]
"Ah—" David waved a hand quickly. "I’m fine. Just — exhaustion. Feels like my whole body’s on fire, honestly."
"That’s not fine, that’s dehydration," Mrs. Walbury said, already heading toward her bag. "Hang on, let me grab you some water."
The moment she turned her back, the system chimed in.
[Present opportunity for advancement toward Quest objective.]
’Shut up,’ David thought immediately. Then, curiosity getting the better of him: "Actually — what’s the threshold? For, like, susceptibility. What percentage would someone need to be at to be open to... you know. Romantic stuff."
[Between 30 and 40 percent, the possibility becomes plausible — something that might surface subconsciously. From 50 percent onward, it occurs more frequently and consciously. By 60 percent, target is generally receptive to player.]
’Seventeen percent,’ David thought, glancing at the faint number hovering just under her name. ’Long way to go.’ Still, twenty felt achievable if he kept at it.
Before he could think further, Mrs. Walbury was back, holding the water bottle out to him. "Here."
"Thanks," he said, taking it, drinking deep enough that some ran down his chin, wiping it away after with the back of his hand.
"You should take a real break," she said, watching him with genuine concern. "Not push through everything at once."
"I’m not pushing myself," he said. "Just trying to get to something better."
"There’s nothing wrong with that," she said gently. "You did great for a beginner, genuinely. But your body needs recovery time — a few hours, at least. Come back in six, and we’ll pick up from there."
"You’re really good at this," David said, and meant it. "The whole trainer thing."
She smiled, waving it off. "Just doing my job."
[Temptation Level: 16%.]
David clocked the shift immediately — up one point from before — and decided, against his better judgment, to keep pushing the conversation. "Can I ask you something? Kind of random."
"Sure."
"How does someone like you — I mean, a Hunter — end up working as a gym trainer? Feels like a weird career pivot."
Her expression shifted, surprise flickering across it. "Wait — I never told you I was a Hunter. How’d you know that?"
David had already thought this through, thankfully. "Did a little research before signing up. Wanted to make sure the place was legit, you know? Found your profile, saw you’d been registered as a Hunter applicant at some point. Figured I’d ask."
"That’s a little intense for a background check," she said, though she was laughing as she said it.
"Hey, don’t judge me. I like being thorough."
[Temptation Level: 17%.]
She sat down on the bench beside him, some of the earlier guardedness easing out of her posture. "It’s not that deep, honestly. I did Awaken, thought I’d build up my rank like everyone dreams about when it first happens. Turns out that’s not really how it goes for most people. Whatever skills I picked up just... never really got used the way I thought they would."
David nodded slowly, letting the silence sit a moment before deciding to push his luck one more time. "Can I tell you something? Kind of personal."
"Okay..." she said, curious now.
"I don’t really want to just give it away for free," he said, grinning slightly. "Feels like it should cost you something. A good story of your own, maybe."
She laughed, shaking her head at him. "Oh, so from you wanting to tell me, now we’re negotiating?"
"What can I say? It’s quite a valuable secret," David said, grinning. "You’re gonna like it."
He reached out, tapping her shoulder lightly, playful and easy. "Trust me."
Mrs. Walbury raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she leaned back slightly, giving him a slow once-over, clearly unbothered by the confidence and mildly entertained by it instead. "Confident boy, aren’t you."
"I try," David said.
"Alright, fine," she said, shaking her head with a small laugh.
"Let’s hear this so-called valuable secret, then. But it better actually be good. So... what exactly do you want from me, in exchange for this apparently very valuable secret?"
"How about a challenge?" David said.
Mrs. Walbury tilted her head. "What kind of challenge?"
"You mentioned cooking’s kind of your thing, right? Let’s put it to the test. You versus me. Winner decides who’s actually got skills in the kitchen, loser covers the cost of dinner."
’Let me cook,’ David thought, thoroughly pleased with his own wordplay. Out loud, he added, with far more confidence than his bank account currently supported, "I genuinely feel like I’d win this."
’I’m literally betting money I don’t have on a cooking contest,’ he thought, immediately regretting the five hundred dollars currently pinned to a quest he hadn’t even finished. ’Great plan. Great financial decision.’
Mrs. Walbury laughed, shaking her head. "Wow. Are you seriously doubting my cooking?"
"No, no doubts about it," David said, laughing. "Just — I don’t know, you kind of gave off C*rdi-B energy for a second there. Like, ’I don’t cook, I don’t clean, but I got this ring.’"
He gestured playfully at her hand, grinning.
"Get your ring shot, or whatever the line is." He had to say that before anyone would assume he actually liked C*rdi. He did...but mostly for her curves.
Mrs. Walbury glanced down at her palm, then folded her fingers over it, covering the ring with a small, amused smile.
[Temptation Level: 19%.]
"Really?"
David caught the number out of the corner of his eye, holding onto the small win quietly.
"It’s just a hunch... hehe."
"A hunch, huh?" she repeated, unimpressed but smiling. "Alright, big talker. You’re on."
"You sure? I’ll give you a moment to rethink and count your losses." David said.
"Your confidence might be the death of you one day, you know that?"
"Noted," he said. "Still on for the bet, though."
She laughed again, waving a hand. "Fine, Mr. Confident, you’ve got yourself a deal. Now — don’t think you’re getting out of this. What’s the big secret you promised me?" freewebnoveℓ.com
David paused for effect, letting the moment stretch just slightly. "Alright. The secret is — I’m a Hunter."
Silence.
Her expression shifted the moment the words left his mouth — whatever easy warmth had been sitting there a second ago folding into something quieter, harder to read. David couldn’t quite place it, and the pause stretched a beat too long for comfort.
Then the notification flickered into view.
[Temptation Level: 26%.]
David blinked. ’That’s — a seven percent jump. That’s a lot more than I expected from just... saying a sentence.’
***
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