Mark lay on the ground, sweating heavily. His whole clothes were wet, and his stomach rose and fell slowly and in a controlled manner, but every time he breathed, he felt his upper body was really sore. He was trying to get as much air as possible to recover.
He watched the ceiling with nothing to think about. At the corner of his eye, he saw Marc's veins and muscles popping as his skin turned red and sweat poured down his face while he did barbell curls.
After a few reps, Marc put the barbell down on the ground and stood up straight, looking at his muscular body and the lines on his arms. He began posing while looking at his own body.
Then Marc looked at Mark, who was exhausted, and smiled. He was proud of Mark because Mark never complained or said anything at all.
"You good, bro?" Marc asked, looking at the exhausted Mark still lying on the floor.
"I think." Mark's voice cracked as he answered, and he closed his eyes, embarrassed that his voice had just cracked.
Marc chuckled. "You can go back home and rest. I still have a few more sets before I leave."
Mark tried getting up. Even sitting up hurt his whole body. But he pushed through, walked up to Marc, and gave him a fist bump. Marc accepted it. With that, Mark left the gym with his bag and headed back home.
On his way back home, something was changing. Each step made him less tired. His muscles stopped being sore. His awareness shot up, and he felt like he was becoming something else.
That made him stop, very surprised. Mark began making a fist as he felt his strength multiply. It was so shocking because it had appeared out of nowhere.
'So now I can fly?'
Seeing this happen in real time, he decided to head home first and think about what he would do later. When he returned home, he knocked on the door.
"Mom, I'm back."
As soon as the door opened, his mother Debbie looked at him like he had done something wrong. She instantly questioned him about his whereabouts from a few hours ago.
"Where did you go?"
"Gym."
Debbie was shocked that Mark didn't even try to lie. She released her breath and began explaining what had made her act like this.
"Your boss just called me and said you weren't at the restaurant."
"Yeah, that's correct."
Debbie put her hands on her hips with an annoyed expression and said, "Why didn't you go to your job?"
"I quit." Mark answered honestly about what he thought, but not the true reason why he didn't go. It was because he didn't know where the original Mark worked, and even if he did, he still wouldn't go.
Mark entered the house and changed from his outdoor shoes to indoor shoes. As he was on his way upstairs, his mother stopped him by raising her voice.
"Where are you going? I'm not finished yet."
"Mom, I'm sweaty and smelly. Can you at least let me wash myself first?" Mark looked at her expression and decided to add another word, saying it softly, "Please?"
Debbie thought for a few seconds, then decided by shooing him away. "Alright, go take a shower."
"Thanks. Love you, Mom." Mark said what felt suitable for the situation, and with that, he headed upstairs.
Debbie sighed as she watched Mark's back. She shook her head and muttered, "Did something happen at work for him to be like this?"
In his room, Mark removed his clothes and wore only a towel covering his lower body. At the same time, he saw that his muscles were slightly more defined. He smirked, then grabbed his stinky clothes and shouted out loud as he left his room.
"Mom, where do I put my worn clothes?!"
"Put them in the basket in the laundry room!" Debbie shouted back.
"Okay!" Mark went downstairs and headed to the laundry room. It took him a while to find it. Debbie saw Mark casually walking with only a towel on, and it surprised her a bit.
After putting his clothes in the basket, he went to the bathroom and finally enjoyed a shower. The cold water fell on his body. If he were still sore, this would feel even more comfortable.
'What kind of training should I do first?'
His mind began thinking about the best kind of training that would help him grow. He especially needed a harsh environment and intense training.
'I don't think I have time to surpass my father Nolan, the Omni-Man. I should use every moment I have for intense training and only rest when I really need it.'
He knew the training would be harder than what he did today, but he had to do it. This was his choice, becoming Mark, so he had to do the insane thing.
Right after his shower, he headed back out and straight to his room, wearing new clothes. Then he went to the dining table since it was already close to dinner time. When he got there, the food was already prepared on the table. Mark took a seat, and Debbie instantly asked him about his well-being.
"What really happened with your boss?"
"Nothing. We just clashed heads, and I didn't like it. That's all." Mark answered using his previous life's work experiences.
"If that's the case, alright." Debbie accepted the reasoning behind why Mark didn't go to work and quit.
With that, they began eating what Debbie had cooked. Mark enjoyed it because it was delicious. In the back of his mind, he remembered his late mother. He smiled looking at the food because it felt very similar.
WOOOSH!
A middle-aged man with a muscular body and a trimmed mustache arrived at the dinner table. The man was Omni-Man, Mark's father, Nolan Grayson.
"Sorry I'm late. I was handling an enchanted flood in Egypt. I had to deal with it on the way here," Nolan explained to the two of them.
"Ah, Dad. I finally unlocked my powers. Can you train me?" Mark asked outright because it would be stupid not to ask someone who was very experienced.
"Sure," Nolan agreed in a flat tone with a poker face.
As they talked, Debbie finally remembered something and informed her husband. "Ah, I remember. Your publisher called. He wanted to see the progress of your book."
"I guess I can take a day off this weekend so I can write a book for them. I'll have to pick up some more keyboards and..." Nolan looked at his son as he planned. "Mark, your training will be this weekend. Is that okay with you?"
Mark gave a thumbs up without looking up as he took a bite of his food.
"Can you pass the potatoes?" Debbie asked since they were too far from her. She wanted to taste the potatoes she had cooked.