Free Web NovelChapter 140: A sudden start
’No, really, what made his heart flutter? I literally can’t think of anything!’
Blake tilted his head as he turned on the faucet, cool water rushing over his hands.
He scrubbed absentmindedly, but well, he couldn’t think of anything that could’ve made his heart flutter.
Normally, he could at least pinpoint a reason. There was always something, yet this time his brain was completely blank...
The only thing he knew was that Myles was still standing behind him.
The awareness lingered at the back of his mind while he rinsed away the soap.
Blake dried his hands and finally turned around.
Myles was indeed still there, waiting for him.
"Are we going to be seatmates again?"
"Seatmate privilege is way too far from your reach right now."
He sounded dramatic, but considering the current circumstances, it wasn’t weird.
Myles stared at him for a moment, and Blake simply shrugged, walking out before the conversation could become any more awkward.
’Wow, look at what I actually managed to do.’
Out of every possible thing he could have asked for, every opportunity that had presented itself, every insane possibility available to him...
He had chosen training.
Honestly, it was probably the smartest choice.
His current situation was becoming increasingly dangerous, and now it was, of course, worse, since he had no skills to rely on yet.
At some point, he needed actual combat capabilities.
Preferably before somebody punched him hard enough to rearrange his internal organs, or well, just shoot him to death.
Finding someone willing to teach him for free was an opportunity he couldn’t ignore.
Even if it had come completely out of nowhere.
That was honestly the risky part.
Myles hadn’t seemed particularly opposed, but Blake was still aware of how sudden the request had been.
For now, though, he would have to postpone his infiltrations, at least for a little while, at most two weeks.
Of course, that raised another issue.
How exactly was he planning to trust his learning abilities?
The answer was simple.
He wasn’t, or at least not entirely.
Thankfully, there was a catch.
Spoon had explained something important earlier.
Anything newly purchased wouldn’t be affected by the penalty.
That single statement had immediately sent Blake searching through the available skills.
Most of them were absurdly expensive, while others were completely useless.
A few were interesting but not for a time like this.
Then he found it.
"A Quick Learner Is Quickly Loved!"
The effect was excellent!
The skill dramatically increased learning speed whenever the user was around someone they loved.
Blake had stared at the description for almost a full minute.
Then he bought it.
Because honestly, the situation practically couldn’t have been more perfect.
He loved Myles, and he needed to learn how to fight.
The skill required learning around someone he loved.
Everything aligned so neatly that it almost felt suspicious.
Sure, all he could afford was the B-rank version.
But who cared, B-rank wasn’t low by any means.
He certainly wasn’t rich enough to complain.
Unfortunately, purchasing the skill meant something else.
He would eventually have to check the favorability level next time, again.
The thought alone made him sigh.
Blake rubbed his eyes as he entered the classroom and returned to his seat.
The day continued normally after that.
Or at least as normally as possible.
Still, one question remained stuck in his head.
What exactly was Myles’ teaching style going to be like?
For some reason, Blake couldn’t picture it.
Would he be patient?
Strict?
Encouraging?
The type who shouted instructions?
The type who silently judged every mistake?
There was only one way to find out.
***
Somehow, impossibly, they managed to start the training on the very same day Blake asked.
Blake still wasn’t entirely sure how that happened.
One moment the idea existed, the next they had actual plans.
Now it was afternoon.
The tryout day.
Technically, Blake already had PE clothes with him, which saved him from looking completely unprepared.
The location surprised him a little.
They were at a gym... an actual gym with private rooms people could rent.
For some reason, he expected to go at Myles’ house.
The moment they entered, Blake felt slightly intimidated.
Machines lined the walls.
Weights occupied entire sections.
People far larger than him casually lifted objects that looked capable of crushing furniture.
’W-wonderful, exactly the environment I want to embarrass myself in.’
"Start warming up," Myles said.
"That’s it?"
"Yeah."
Blake expected a longer explanation.
He received none.
Instead, Myles began listing exercises.
Jogging in place.
Arm circles.
Leg stretches.
Shoulder rotations.
Basic mobility work.
Nothing particularly difficult, so Blake followed along without much trouble.
The exercises weren’t intense enough to cause problems, and years of running around during missions had left him in reasonably good condition.
But well, then the warm-up ended...
They moved toward the machines, and everything immediately became worse.
"Adjust the seat."
"Like this?"
"No."
Blake adjusted it again.
"Like this?"
"No."
"Then how?!" frёeωebɳovel.com
Myles silently fixed it himself.
"Oh..."
They started with relatively simple machines.
Or what Blake assumed were simple machines.
Apparently, there were specific ways to sit.
Specific ways to grip.
Specific ways to position his shoulders.
Specific ways to move.
Specific ways to breathe?!
Every time Blake thought he was doing something correctly, Myles found another problem.
"Straighten your back."
Blake straightened his back.
"Not that much."
"Keep your elbows closer."
"Don’t lock your arms."
"Control the movement."
Blake was beginning to suspect that exercising consisted entirely of being told he was wrong.
At first he thought Myles would go easy on him, since well, he forgave him just some hour before.
Maybe overlook small mistakes and focus only on major issues.
But that assumption died within twenty minutes, since well, there was no such thing as going easy in him. Myles corrected everything.
Every tiny detail, awkward movement, mistake and bad habit.
As they progressed through different exercises, the difficulty slowly increased.
Leg press.
Lat pulldowns.
Rows.
Bench press variations.
Enough equipment to make Blake question why humanity had invented so many ways to suffer.
’I was a guy who went to the gym, but... not even I knew this many exercises existed!’
His stamina initially held up well.
After all, he had endured far crazier situations.
Running across those weird underground hallways.
Sneaking through dangerous areas.
Escaping from situations that absolutely should have gotten him caught.
Compared to that, lifting weights should have been manageable.
In theory.
In practice, his muscles strongly disagreed.
Sweat began sticking his shirt to his skin.
His arms felt heavier after every set.
His legs complained whenever he stood up.
Meanwhile, Myles looked completely unaffected.
Blake was becoming increasingly convinced that Myles truly did belong to a different species.
Eventually they moved onto another exercise.
Blake completed the first set, even if barely.
The second felt significantly worse.
By the third, he was reconsidering every decision that had led him to this point.
He lowered the weight.
Raised it.
Lowered it again.
But his arms trembled...
"Again," Myles said.
"Again?"
Blake groaned dramatically.
Then did it again.
Several minutes later, he finally reached his limit.
His body officially declared bankruptcy as he collapsed onto a nearby bench, breathing heavily.
"Nope."
Myles looked at him.
"Nope, I can’t."
For a few seconds neither of them spoke.
Blake wiped sweat from his forehead.
Honestly, he felt terribly exhausted.
Still, a small sense of accomplishment lingered beneath it.
He had survived, that counted for something...
Eventually, Blake glanced toward Myles.
"Was I..." He hesitated. "Um. Decent enough?"
Myles didn’t even need time to think.
"No, not really."
"You know, there are nicer ways to answer that."
"You’re weak by every standard."
"Watch it, I just started speaking with you again, don’t make me change my mind."
Blake scratched the back of his head.
Honestly, he should have expected that response.
By Myles’ standards, who wouldn’t be considered weak?
The guy probably treated physical training as a hobby.
Actually, calling it a hobby might have been underselling it.
Still, hearing it out loud hurt a little.
"Fine," Blake muttered. "Maybe I’m weak."
"Maybe? ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Blake rolled his eyes.
"Okay, definitely weak."
Yet despite everything, a smile threatened to appear.
Because underneath the brutal honesty, he had actually learned a lot.
Far more than he expected.
Blake slowly stood up from the bench, not too fast...
Future Blake was going to hate Present Blake, that much was guaranteed, still, he faced Myles and nodded.
"Thanks."
As they prepared to leave, Blake glanced around the gym one last time.
The machines no longer seemed quite as intimidating.
Still terrifying.
Just slightly less so.
The path ahead suddenly looked much clearer than before.
Unfortunately, it also looked much longer.
There was a lot of work to do.
A lot.
And judging from today’s experience, Myles intended to make sure every single weakness was exposed and corrected.
Blake wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or terrified.
Probably both.
Still, if he wanted to survive everything waiting for him in the future, there wasn’t really another option.
So he would endure.
Train.
Learn.
Improve.
And hopefully, somewhere along the way, become strong enough that Myles wouldn’t immediately classify him as weak.
Though considering Myles’ standards, that goal might take a while.
