The next day came.
Hyunjin didn't waste a single second.
The moment his eyes opened, he was already moving, no laziness.
"Yesterday wasn't enough" He stepped into the center of the room again.
"This time, six hundred."
Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, Every movement pushed beyond and straight into strain.
By the time he crossed four hundred fifty, his muscles were already screaming, his breathing turned uneven.
But he didn't stop.
Five hundred, his arms shook violently now, sweat pouring down his face, dripping onto the ground in rapid succession.
Six hundred, his body collapsed forward, barely catching himself before hitting the floor completely.
He ran again, target was seventy kilometers.
The road blurred, as he forced his body forward, step after step, pushing past the point where his lungs begged for mercy.
His pace improved "Eleven seconds in 100 meters race."
His chest burned like fire, his throat felt dry, like sand scraping against it every time he inhaled.
But he kept going.
When he finally stopped, he didn't collapse like last time.
He stood there.
Then at his house.
He forced himself into breathing drills.
Deep inhale, slow exhale.
He controlled it and forced it.
Even as his lungs trembled under the pressure.
"Push it," His vision blurred slightly "Past the limit."
His breaths became violent, his body was fighting back against him.
At one point, he nearly choked on his own breath.
Gasping, like a man on the edge of drowning.
Later that day.
A delivery truck stopped in front of his house.
Hyunjin stood there, staring at the massive steel box sitting on the ground.
"Six hundred kilograms, 400k Won wasted.." He stepped forward, gripped it, and lifted or tried to.
His muscles tightened instantly, veins bulging as the weight refused to budge at first.
"Move.." His teeth clenched, his entire body strained as he forced it upward, inch by inch.
Step.
Step.
It took him three full minutes.
Three minutes of pure struggle just to get it inside.
When it finally dropped onto the floor with a heavy thud.
He stood there, breathing hard, Staring at it "Pathetic." The word slipped out.
His eyes darkened "Even back then," His fists clenched tightly "Vasco could lift eight hundred kilograms."
A laugh escaped him "And now? Probably a ton."
Silence.
Then, something snapped "Tch." His fist slammed into the steel.
Bang.
The sound echoed through the room.
Again.
Bang.
Again.
BANG.
Each punch grew heavier, more violent than the last.
Just anger and frustration.
His knuckles split open quickly, blood smearing across the cold metal surface.
But he didn't stop didn't even slow down, his hand began to swell.
Tiny fractures forming beneath the skin, pain screamed through his nerves
But Hyunjin ignored all of it "I need,"
BANG.
"To be,"
BANG.
"Stronger!"
BANG.
Blood dripped to the floor.
Still, he kept punching.
...
Two days left.
That thought lingered in the back of his mind as night fell.
"I need a income.."
His gaze shifted toward the desk "This world.. doesn't have what mine did, here only dragon ball."
No familiar stories, classics, masterpieces he remembered and somehow he remembered everything Nerde thing, novels, anime, manga, games.
He sat down, picked up a pen and began "The first one," His fingers moved smoothly, almost naturally like he was doing it, in his all life "A comedy." A story people would love.
"KonoSuba." He wrote.
Line after line, hours passed without him realizing it.
Until the first volume was complete.
He leaned back slightly "Done."
...
Morning came.
Hyunjin's eyes opened slowly, he sat up "There it is."
That same feeling, stronger.
His body had already adapted again, but still not evolved yet..
His grin returned "Good." He stood up "Then let's go even further."
..
Eight hundred reps.
His body moved like a machine now, faster and more efficient than before but the strain still came.
And he welcomed it.
Then he ran, eighty kilometers, his legs pounded "10.50 seconds.." He breathed out
Now to breathing drills.
Pushing his lungs until his vision darkened.
He could endure it longer due to the evolution he had last time.
Then.
The steel box, he stood in front of it again.
Observing.
Then, he punched.
BANG.
The steel had given slightly.
His eyes narrowed.
BANG.
A small dent formed.
A slow smile spread across his face "I see."
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each punch pushed the metal further inward.
Until, he could visibly bend it, like it wasn't untouchable anymore.
His knuckles split open again, blood running freely, but he didn't even flinch because, he's used to it now.
Didn't even care.
All that mattered was, progress.
And as he continued to strike, over and over.
----
(2 days later, First day of J-high)
The alarm rang.
Hyunjin's eyes opened, he reached out, turned it off, and sat up at the edge of his bed, letting out a yawn as he rolled his shoulders.
He stood up and walked straight to the bathroom, The mirror greeted him the moment he stepped in.
He just looked, he was shirtless.
His body had changed, not dramatically at first glance but the details can, Four abs, clean and defined, sat firm against his torso Not exaggerated or bulky, just solid and real.
His arms they had shape now, curves Tight muscle lines that followed naturally down toward his wrists.
"In two weeks huh, this world's amazing." Satisfaction on his face.
"But still not enough." He turned slightly, angling his body to look at his back through the mirror.
His brows furrowed "Incomplete." The imbalance, lack of depth, he straightened again.
...
Water ran down his body, washing away.
Afterwards.
Dressed in his pants and undershirt, Hyunjin stood in front of the mirror once more, comb in hand.
He opened a small box sitting neatly on his desk.
Styling cream, he took a small amount, rubbing it between his palms until it spread evenly across his skin, then his fingers moved through his hair, starting from the roots, dragging upward.
He adjusted the layers, lifting the volume at the top, letting the strands fall where they wanted and guiding them just enough to shape the look.
The fringe settled slightly over his eyes.
A wolf style that didn't look styled fully, he leaned slightly toward the small fan on his desk, letting the air pass through his hair, locking it in place without stiffness.
After a few seconds.
He stepped back "Good enough."
Now at the kitchen.
He opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk and the sandwich he had prepared the night before.
Nothing fancy.
He sat on the couch, eating, slowly chewing.
No TV.
When he finished, he placed everything aside neatly.
Then moved again.
His uniform came next.
He slipped on his shirt, adjusted the collar, then picked up his tie, His fingers worked smoothly, tightening it just enough to sit perfectly at the center.
His jacket, shoes polished, he slipped them on, tying them securely.
Bag, key, everything in place.
He stood at the door for a brief second, hand on the handle, thinking something.
Then he opened the door and stepped out.
The walk would take thirty minutes, he had an hour before class.
So he didn't rush, his pace was slow.
The morning air brushed against his face.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.
Opened it and counted "260,000 won."
Enough, If not, there were always ATMs.
He slipped it back into his pocket without a second thought.
His gaze lifted forward again "I can remember everything about my past life, not a single piece of information is missing, however, I can't recall all my memories of this life, only a little bit of it."
"Strange.. Anyway, I think the PTJ Entertainment arc is finished, and so is the Wallet arc, now I'm at the Stalker arc.." Hyunjin got creeps thinking about it.
And Hyunjin has already met the requirements for the second year at J-High.
"And it's been around four months since the plot, so Vasco also figured out why Lil Daniel wasn't losing weight."