Ivan soon controlled his breathing. He massaged his aching calves and thighs. Then, he relaxed for a while to recover somewhat from the aches. He got back on the treadmill and continued running. He lasted eighteen minutes before he decided to give up.
He took some minutes to relax and prepare his mind for the next round of exercise. He got off the bench where he was seated once he felt he had had enough rest. He went for the cable rope pull machine.
He sat down on the bench attached to the cable rope pull machine. He adjusted the weight to 90kg and the rope height to be at his face. He began to exercise in ten-minute intervals. After ten minutes, he would adjust the ropes to come lower, aiming to train different muscles in his body.
He spent just 20 minutes behind the cable rope pull machine. His back muscles and arm had become sore because of the exercise.
'I need an ice pack,' he mused.
He was the only visitor in the gym today. So he had the luxury to express himself to an extent. He rested his back against a stability ball, which became pinned against the wall.
"I have to be persistent. I have to be better."
Ivan got up and stretched his body. He still felt guilty and traumatised about the child who died helplessly in front of him. This was his initial and primary motivation. He had been asking himself why he chose to fight after picking Black Riot, but the best answer he could think of was that it was because he was angry with himself.
But after the call with Roger, he realised something. The inconspicuous reason he chose to fight was that he was afraid. He was afraid to die. He was afraid to die helplessly like that child. He understood why he was angry with Merlin_13; he had put a lot of faith in the powers of S-rank characters like Merlin_13, hoping that they would do everything to keep him alive and keep others alive.
Seeing the phantom of the legendary S-rank hunter appear beside him had kindled the most furious burst of anger from within his mind. He wanted to scold the S-rank hunter for cheating in the game and endangering humanity.
'I still won't forgive him. I don't believe that what he did was necessary. Surely there must have been better ways to give opportunities to humanity,' Ivan mused as he slowly approached a loaded barbell.
He stopped before the loaded barbell, bending forward to reach for the handlebar. A warning label caught his attention.
Dear gym customer, kindly measure your weight and get an estimate of how much weight you can power lift.
Ivan looked to his left. The label had an arrow that pointed left. He saw a weighing machine that had a display attached to a stainless steel bar attached to the weighing board. Ivan stepped on the weighing board. His weight appeared on the attached display: 78kg. The display indicated that Ivan was a first-timer with a maximum powerlifting capacity of 120kg.
Ivan did not agree with the machine. He still went for the loaded barbell he approached earlier. The barbell had a combined weight of 150kg loaded on it. Ivan had an idea of the posture to use for lifting the barbell. He squatted and grabbed the barbell, preparing for a deadlift.
Hia! Ivan grunted and lifted the barbell from floor to hip. His whole body shook vehemently. He was overwhelmed and involuntarily held onto the barbell. His fingers suddenly let go of the weight. Ivan was struck by hypoxia in the brain, and he blacked out, falling with his back to the floor.
Fortunately, the gym instructor was nearby. She rushed and got behind Ivan, catching him before he collapsed to the ground. Ivan recovered in the instructor's arm.
"What the hell! Why did you hit that heavy weight without having someone close by? Do you have a death wish?" The gym instructor scolded Ivan.
Ivan got back on his feet. He apologised for his stupidity. The gym instructor had always been close by, monitoring every exercise Ivan was doing. She went to quickly grab a drink, not expecting that Ivan would stupidly try to deadlift almost two times his weight as a first-timer.
Ivan made the decision to end his visit for the day. He used the gym's changing room to change his sweaty clothes to a cleaner one that he had packed in his kit bag. He departed the gym.
At home, Ivan had a shower before having a nap.
===
In Section 2.6, three S-rank human characters were gathered in a luxurious room. They were in a meeting.
Flux, a lady with long natural white hair that cascaded below her hip, was seated at the head of a rectangular table. She had a beautiful oval-shaped face with clear blue eyes. Her skin tone was pale and could be compared to being as white as snow. She wore a dress whose colour could be said to be brown with a tinge of black like a tree's bark. While seated, it was evident that she was almost two metres tall. She was a tall beauty.
To Lady Flux's right was seated the S-rank hunter named 50 Guns. He was dressed in an oxblood-coloured two-piece suit with a tie that was a darker shade. 50 guns had a charming average look. Average compared to S-rank characters but outstanding to other characters.
On Lady Flux's left was the character Old Curler. Old Curler wore a white dress that had a flowery hem and was fitted with a black corset. Just like Lady Flux, Old Curler was a beauty to behold.
Lady Flux began the discussion. "Humanity witnessed a lot of special characters emerge yesterday. If we should be honest with ourselves, what that signifies is trouble. And we are already stretched thin in resources to deal with any troublemaker."