The tiny Spider-Man beside Nathan froze, its eight limbs stiffening in surprise. It watched in awe as Nathan casually lifted a barbell weighing 15 tons—a weight that bordered on his limit. Even lifting it required immense control. Yet, Nathan's arms were steady, his posture perfect, like a precision machine engineered for power.
His feet grounded, back straight, arms extending with no tremble. He pushed the massive magnetic barbell overhead with flawless form, ensuring optimal compression on his chest and triceps, maximizing the exercise's effectiveness.
Veins bulged across his forehead from the pressure as he slowly brought the barbell back down. Boom! The weight crashed into the safety locks, shaking the floor. The sheer force radiating off his body caused the entire gym to seem smaller in comparison.
Despite the overwhelming load, Nathan repeated the motion. Each repetition sent waves of pressure through his body, stretching his pectorals, tearing muscle fibers that would soon regenerate stronger. His breath was ragged, and sweat drenched his skin, yet he pushed on.
Minutes passed.
Nathan's arms began to strain, his body glistening from the intense workout. When his muscles finally reached the point of failure, the system monitoring him reacted instantly. The magnetic field disengaged, suspending the steel bar in the air.
The electromagnetic pull vanished. Nathan's arms suddenly felt weightless. He sat up, every fiber in his body screaming. His shirt clung to his soaked skin, and his arms trembled slightly from the aftermath. He could feel it: his chest muscles had undergone minor tearing, and now began their cycle of recovery.
"This... was just the first set for chest," he muttered between heavy breaths. "Still got back, shoulders, core... arms and legs left to go. Today's plan isn't letting me off easy."
After a brief rest, Nathan returned to training.
He entered a zone of pure focus, cycling through muscle groups with terrifying intensity. Each exercise was loaded with near-unimaginable weight—dumbbells, resistance cables, squat racks overloaded with iron slabs. The ground beneath him shook with each squat, the air echoing with booming crashes as if a storm had descended inside the training chamber.
From a distance, he looked like a lone warrior carrying a mountain.
His body groaned with protest, but Nathan continued, driven by resolve. Sweat poured off him like rain. Muscle after muscle was stressed, broken, and rebuilt on the spot. Only someone with his enhanced physiology could withstand such intensity. An ordinary person would've collapsed long ago.
Finally, his body reached its limit.
With one last heave, Nathan finished his final squat set and collapsed onto the ground. His body was steaming, face flushed, veins prominent across his skin. He resembled a burning furnace—overloaded and drained.
The little Spider-Man cautiously crept up beside him. It looked at Nathan's battered figure, concern in its shiny, black eyes. The creature nuzzled his forehead gently.
Nathan gave it a weak smile. "I'm okay... just wiped out from overload training. Need a breather."
The little spider blinked, visibly relaxing.
"I haven't forgotten about you," Nathan chuckled. "I'll build a personalized training rig for you too. You'll train with me... become stronger, just like me."
The Spider's eyes widened in horror, glancing at the monstrous equipment around them. It backed away slowly, shaking its head.
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "What's this? Don't want to grow stronger with me?"
The Spider immediately shook its head, then nodded, then shook again—clearly panicking.
"Don't worry," Nathan grinned. "I'll make sure it suits you. Daily overload training. I'll invest every resource to make sure you grow."
To emphasize, he added, "I'll make you the strongest spider in the world."
The creature froze. Then slowly, hesitantly, it stepped forward and pointed at the equipment. Then at itself. It nodded once.
Nathan smiled. "That's the spirit. Power is earned. Understand?"
The Spider stood tall—or at least as tall as a spider could—its posture proud. It lifted its two front legs, mimicking a human showing off biceps.
Nathan laughed aloud. "You've got heart."
Despite his fatigue, Nathan pushed himself upright. "Today's session met expectations."
But as he took a step forward—he collapsed. His knees gave out with a loud thud.
Startled, the little Spider leapt in the air.
Nathan winced. "Okay... maybe not fully recovered."
He sat back down, heart pounding.
"I should've gained some serious strength after today... I'll test it later."
Right then, his stomach growled loudly.
"Hah... time for nutrition."
After recovering a bit more, he moved to the cafeteria. Kurt had already prepared a mountain of high-nutrient meals. Nathan devoured it all—plate after plate, bowl after bowl.
When he finally leaned back, satisfied, he looked down at the pile of empty dishes. "My metabolism's through the roof."
Once fed, he made his way to the testing room.
He clenched his fist and punched an alloy sandbag with full force.
Boom!
The machine next to it blinked as numbers began climbing fast.
"15.5 tons."
He narrowed his eyes. "Half a ton increase from a single training session."
Anyone else would've been shocked. But Nathan just frowned.
"Still too slow. I need faster results. Strength alone isn't enough—I'm chasing something higher."
He paused, reflecting.
Then, an idea sparked. "Electric current... That might be it."
"Electrically stimulating the muscles can create explosive bursts of strength and accelerate recovery. It could amplify the training effect massively."
He stood quickly, fire in his eyes. "If done right, this could revolutionize everything."
Without wasting a second, he sprinted into the lab.
He began pulling up data, schematics, and research papers. His mind entered a hyper-focused state.
"Targeted electric stimulation—known as muscle function electricity. I need to calibrate it perfectly for my body. No margin for error."
He dictated as he worked:
> "Use high-frequency, narrow-pulse stimulation for hypertrophy. Must not exceed pain tolerance threshold."
> "Hormones like GH and testosterone regulate muscle growth. Their effects increase via IGF-1, MGF, and MyoG during electro-stim training."
> "Peak improvements seen after 3–4 weeks. But I'll condense that."
Minutes turned into hours as he built the prototype—a bodysuit embedded with smart electrodes across every major muscle group. The suit mapped directly to his physique, delivering tailored current to each muscle based on need and intensity.
Once finished, Nathan stood before the mirror, wearing the electric muscle suit.
Every inch was sleek, dark, and covered in responsive fibers.
"Perfect," he muttered.
He activated the suit.
Instantly, a surge of tingling current danced across his biceps. His muscles responded, contracting slightly—stronger, sharper.
Even though he was already fatigued, the stimulation triggered a sensation of renewed energy.
The monitor beside him showed live data.
"Strength increase in localized arm muscles... muscle cells showing enhanced activity... yes, it's working."
His eyes glinted. "This could change everything."
Just as he was about to shut off the console, something caught his eye.
A strange fluctuation in the readings.
His body tensed. "What is this...?"
He stepped closer, staring at the anomaly.
"This is...?"
Something within the readings sparked an unexpected discovery—a new layer, perhaps, of his Spider physiology awakening... or something far beyond that.
To be continued...
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