Max instantly felt like millions of ants were biting him directly to the bone. A terrible pain ran across his entire body. Gritting his teeth, he dismissed the system panel and lay back on the couch. The pain lasted ten seconds. If it hadn't stopped when it did, Max felt like he would've lost consciousness at any moment.
Fuck!!
His usual calm state of mind was broken. He felt terrible. His entire body felt like it had been hit by a train. He felt heavy, and when he tried to get up, his sore legs almost gave out. He barely managed to pull out his phone and set an alarm for 05:00 PM, then gently closed his eyes. He didn't even know when he fell into a deep sleep.
*BUZZ**BUZZ**BUZZ*
His eyes finally opened after snoozing the alarm three times. When he looked outside, the sun was going down, red in color. He understood he was late, but he felt like he could sleep a lot more. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up. He felt terribly heavy all of a sudden. Cracking his neck, he dragged his body to the shower. He was stinking for some reason. When he got naked, he finally saw what had changed.
His entire body had changed. There was no six-pack, but his body gave off a dangerous presence. There was no fake muscle or odd texture anywhere. Everything felt natural, solid, and perfectly balanced, like his body had been refined to the peak of what a human could reach. With a large manhood resting heavy in his crotch, the change felt unreal, yet once he put on clothes, no one would notice anything different.
I guess I gained weight along with strength. I was about 171 pounds (78 kg) before. I need to check how much I've gained now.
At six feet six inches tall, he had been very light for his height before. But seeing how much muscle his body had gained, he wasn't sure about his weight anymore.
After taking a shower, he applied deodorant and almost broke it in the process, using too much pressure without realizing it. Only then did he notice how strong he had become. He sprayed some body spray after that, then put on his newly bought classic three-piece suit. It was black, paired with a deep blue shirt and a slim tie.
It was a little loose when I bought it. If I get any bigger than this, I'd have to change most of my clothes.
Only his face looked a bit dull, with lackluster blonde hair and pale green eyes. Aside from that, he had a peak, manly body. Looking at his fit reflection in the mirror, he smiled faintly, satisfied with what he saw. He then picked up his phone. The time read 05:45 PM.
No calls from Machina and Jennifer?
*BUZZED*
His phone received a text from Blanka. Maxi, we'll be at the restaurant in about twenty minutes. After seeing the message, he sat down on his bed. It would only take him about ten minutes by taxi to get there, so he wasn't in any rush. He pulled out the number from the phone Machina had taken, planning to check on them.
[Updated]
[Side Mission: Purchase at least €20,000 worth of wardrobe for your doll.] [Passed]
[Passing Grade: B+]
[Reward: Charisma +30 (Passive)]
[Press here to get the rewards]
Wh…What?
Seeing another system pop up, he understood that both girls had probably just finished their shopping. But the reward this time was another passive. It didn't sound very dangerous, yet he still took a moment to think before pressing yes.
[Updated]
[Charisma +30 (Passive): Thirty status points have been added to your charisma. Human Limit: 100 | Current: 76]
Max didn't feel anything this time, which felt a bit shocking. The last two times, he had clearly felt something when accepting a passive reward. He read the panel carefully and realized that this reward was meant to make him more handsome.
*CRACK**CRACK**CRACK*
A soft popping sound came from his bones. At first, it didn't make much sense, but soon Max realized the bones in his face were slowly adjusting. There was no pain at all. Instead, it felt relieving, like gentle bone pops and quiet joint clicks settling into place.
In only about five seconds, he heard nearly fifty soft pops, then it stopped. He felt tempted to check what was going on, but he didn't. If it was something ugly, like bones moving under his skin, he really didn't want to see that.
Hmm? So I wasn't even at 50 in charisma before? Now I should look above average, right?
Max stood up and went to the mirror. At first glance, he looked almost the same to himself. But as his eyes stayed on his reflection, small changes slowly stood out. His jaw was a little wider, his nose sharper and better shaped, and his lips slightly fuller. His eyes no longer looked dull, carrying a clearer, brighter green shine. His blonde hair had shifted into a warmer orange-blonde tone.
He leaned a little closer, turning his face from side to side. The changes were subtle, but they were real. His forehead looked slightly shorter, and his skin tone had shifted from pale white to a faint pink. It still wasn't at Jennifer's level, but it looked healthy, clean, and full of life, all from just one day.
Fuck!! Everything has changed, yet it feels like nothing has changed.
Girls would freak out, right? What should I do?
Max stared at himself in the mirror and questioned it. If no one knew him, it would have been one thing, but the girls might notice and question his sudden change. That thought pulled him into deep reflection.
*BUZZ*
We'll be at Les Deux in about 10 minutes (Jennifer)
Maxiiii, we'll be at the restaurant in 10 minutes <3 (Blanka)
Two messages arriving at the same time pulled him out of his thoughts. He smiled at them, then made up his mind. Whatever came his way, he would face it head-on. There was nothing he could do about it right now. This was still him—maybe just a slightly upgraded version.
System, show me all the skills, items, and passives I have.
[Locksmith (God Tier): Touch to unlock any lock on Earth.]
[Driver (Master Tier): Any land vehicle can be driven skillfully.]
[Heavy weight imprint (Level 1): Allows imprinting of heavyweight fighter combat experience and movement memory. (Slot: 0/1) (Progress: 0%)]
[Palladium Credit Card (Elite Tier): All the illicit assets in the 3-kilometer radius will convert to legal assets for the holder.] [Press on the ground to activate.]
[Angel Machina 12 (Transcendent Archangel Frame Model): A dual-form Angelic Machina bodyguard unit capable of operating in both a fully human biological form and a mechanical combat form.]
[Length is a journey. Thickness is a destination (Passive): Your manhood has been perfectly calibrated. Length, performance, and control have been fully optimized.] (Permanent)
[Body Calibration (Passive): Your body has been perfectly updated, calibrated, and optimized to do heavy weight athletics of any kind.] (Permanent)
[Charisma +30 (Passive): Thirty status points have been added to your charisma. Human Limit: 100 | Current: 76] (Permanent)
Hmm? The third skill needs a heavyweight fighter? A boxer? No, MMA would be better. Someone with all-around skills, strong in everything. But how should I add it?
[Guide: heavy-weight imprint will work with the Host uttering the fighter's name; the system will detect it automatically.]
Seeing the guide pop up, Max immediately searched for the current best heavyweight MMA fighter. One name kept appearing on every website he looked at.
"Tom Aspinall?"
[Updated]
[Heavy weight imprint (Level 1): Tom Aspinall's combat experience and movement memory. (Slot: 1/1) (Progress: 0%)]
"Already?"
A sharp zap, like lightning, ran through his head. Memories of fighting and training flooded his mind, along with countless faces of opponents from when he was younger. It felt like he had lived another life, one spent only on fighting and training from start to end. In those memories, there was nothing else—only combat, knowing when to strike, where to hit, and how to finish it.
Wow, with this combined with my current physique, I'm really tempted to try it out. But I've got a party to attend.
Max went to the living room, his goal set on going to the party. He felt a strange confidence in his body, coming from the strength he had now. He took a deep breath, but it didn't take away the urge to hurt something. Before he realized it, his leg lifted toward the steel cupboard.
*BANG*
The steel cupboard door bent inward. His leg felt no pain at all, and Max realized just how flexible, fast, and powerful he had become.
*CLICK*
Locking the door behind him, he cracked his neck and wore a confident smile as he walked toward the elevator. He had become a human weapon, and a top-grade one at that.
Did I make any progress?
[Updated]
[Heavy weight imprint (Level 1): Tom Aspinall's combat experience and movement memory. (Slot: 1/1) (Progress: 1%)]