Chapter 42

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Since the system released no information during this period, Roger finally raised his SAN Value back to 11.

Although his condition remained on the edge of the Rift, he could clearly feel his nightly nightmares decreasing.

Moreover, he hadn't stopped working out; through continuous weighted training, his Physical Function successfully broke past 9, reaching 9.1. This novel is originally published on TianTian Kan XiaoShuo, accompanying you in reading, www. ttks. tw, offering you a seamless reading experience with no errors or misordered chapters.

Adding the 10% status bonus, his actual Physical Function had reached 10.

Compared to a month ago, Roger was now completely transformed—not only had his muscle mass surged, but his appetite had surged too.

Fiona's food could no longer satisfy him; to keep from being so hungry, he'd stocked up on carbs in his garage.

Fortunately, he currently had a food delivery job; otherwise, his few hundred dollars in savings wouldn't have lasted a week.

To test his current physical condition, Roger spent money today to visit a gym located on the city's outskirts.

It was a mixed crowd—large numbers of Black people, people of color, and a few white people gathered here. Far less clean than downtown, but significantly cheaper.

"Huh!"

"Ha!"

"Whoa."

In the afternoon, the gym was filled with muffled grunts and the hum of machines; massive bodies lined every machine, drenched in sweat.

Roger changed into a black tank top and athletic shorts, staring at his reflection.

His limbs and body lines were sleek and efficient, every muscle finely sculpted like stone carvings, as if formed by the golden ratio—visually pleasing.

To be honest, he hadn't examined his own physique in a long time; he hadn't expected it to look this good.

Yet compared to those massive bodies built with tech and extreme methods, he was indeed leaner.

But a difference in build didn't mean a difference in strength.

Roger scanned the room, finally settling on the bench press.

Just as he was about to sit down, someone called out to him.

"Hey, new guy," said a Black man, 1.9 meters tall, wearing a basketball tank top, blocking Roger with his large hand: "Next is my turn."

Roger stared at him: "You're cutting in line?"

The Black man grinned, revealing white teeth: "You're so tiny, waiting a bit won't hurt."

As he spoke, he compared his arm to Roger's.

The implication was clear.

Seeing himself disrespected, Roger immediately sneered: "Wanna test it?"

"What, wow, you planning to step into the ring and fight Laolei?" The Black man was surprised but kept his mocking smile: "I'm afraid one punch will KO you—I'd have to pay your medical bills."

Other gym-goers, sensing the tension, stopped training and turned to watch.

"Kid, don't waste time. Let me use it. After I'm done, it's all yours."

Laolei didn't want to wait any longer—he moved straight toward the bench.

But then Roger said: "Scared? Then let's compete on bench press—see who can lift more weight."

"You're serious?" Laolei stared, wide-eyed, then clenched his fist into a bodybuilder pose: "You really wanna bench against Laolei? My triceps are almost bigger than your head!"

"Have you ever eaten water-injected pork? Same as your build—looks huge on the outside, but full of water inside." Roger crossed his arms.

"F**k you!" As a regular at the gym, Laolei hated most when people mocked his physique.

He exploded: "Fine, if you wanna compete, let's compete. But if you lose, get the f**k out of this gym."

Roger spread his hands: "Fine, I accept."

Instantly, the Black men began whistling and cheering for Laolei.

"Laolei, go straight for 100kg—scare the hell out of this fool!"

"Yeah, 100kg, knock him out!"

A few white men, seeing this, started cheering for Roger: "Don't be afraid of this guy—he's all show, no substance!"

"Don't embarrass the white race, buddy!"

Seeing the atmosphere heat up, Laolei's emotions rose—he loaded 100kg onto the bar.

That was 1.4 times Roger's body weight.

Facing this daunting challenge, Laolei took a deep breath and lay down on the bench.

His Black buddies had already added the plates—they waited for him to begin.

"Come on!" Laolei roared, gripping the bar tightly.

Everyone held their breath.

The next moment, Laolei's face flushed crimson from exertion, veins on his neck bulging like writhing earthworms.

Then he bellowed and pushed upward!

The 100kg barbell actually trembled as it rose!

"Nice job, bro!" The Black men erupted in cheers.

"You're the one!" Someone gave a thumbs-up.

The white men frowned—they hadn't expected this guy to be so strong.

Remember, the Professional Football League's rookie test standard was 102kg—though it required multiple reps, it showed how high this weight was for ordinary fitness enthusiasts.

But this wasn't over—Laolei lowered the bar and pressed it again.

"Whoa! Rookie level! He should join football tryouts!"

"Bro, he's like a beast!"

Laolei climbed off the bench amid applause, glaring at Roger: "Listen, buddy—if you can do what I just did, I'll admit defeat. Understand? If you can't, get out!"

Roger didn't answer—he simply lay down on the bench.

"The skinny guy is surely cursing himself right now."

"I bet he'll shake like an epileptic, his arms trembling nonstop!"

"Hahahaha!"

The Black men immediately switched to mocking mode.

The White men wanted to fire back, but seeing the numbers, they held their tongues.

Yet Roger didn't overthink it—he gripped the barbell with both hands and lifted it slowly.

One second later.

The noise in the room halted like a paused CD player; everyone stared at Roger, eyes wide.

Because they realized this man, far less imposing than Laolei, had actually lifted a hundred-kilogram barbell!

"Holy shit, he did it!"

The White men's scalps prickled with excitement, feeling the thrill of an overtime touchdown.

"Damn, he can only do it once!" the Black men quickly tried to recover.

But the moment they finished speaking, Roger lowered the barbell and lifted it again!

"God! He did it three times in a row!"

"My god, he doesn't even look tired—he's even easier than Laolei!"

The White men clapped loudly and whistled at the Black men.

The Black men's faces darkened, but they had no rebuttal against the facts.

Laolei stood with hands on hips, teeth clenched tight.

Shit, I shouldn't have boasted like that!

Then Roger set down the barbell and called to Laolei: "Come here. I don't feel enough challenge—add ten more kilos, to 110."

At these words, everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"Did I hear that right? God! He wants to add more weight!"

"Damn, Laolei just ran into a wall."

"Could he be a powerlifter?"

Laolei was annoyed by Roger's orders.

But he was now more curious whether Roger could truly lift 110 kilograms, so he stepped forward to help add the plates.

Roger stretched his arms, then gripped the barbell tightly.

Under everyone's fixed gaze, he grunted:

"Up!"

The 110-kilogram barbell rose slowly, finally held aloft.

The entire room fell silent.

Laolei stood stunned.

Damn, he never imagined the skinny guy he mocked was this terrifying!

"Clang!"

Roger dropped the barbell, feeling clear muscle soreness—he knew he had reached his limit.

If he hadn't lifted 100 kilograms first, he could've pushed 110 kilograms multiple times in a row.

But regardless, he now had a rough sense of his own level.

Although pressing 110 kilograms was not considered elite in the U. S. fitness scene, performing multiple consecutive presses at that weight was absolutely elite!

Though he still couldn't compare to professional powerlifters on the stage, remember—he wasn't just gaining strength.

Agility, speed, endurance, stamina—all were included in Physical Function.

That meant, at this moment, every dimension was nearly touching the entry-level athlete standard.

Just as the crowd cheered for Roger, his pocket suddenly vibrated.

Roger pulled out his phone from his pant pocket and saw it was a message from Zoe.

He opened it, only to find two English letters.

"he"

"What's this?" Roger instinctively thought of several words.

he, her, hero, hello, heart… and the most dangerous one: help!

"Zoe, what are you trying to say?" he immediately replied.

After a long dozen or so seconds, his phone received another message.

It was from Zoe.

"Sorry, I sent the wrong one."