Chapter 41: No. 41: Money Laundering {1}
Despite visibly struggling to withstand the pain, Bruce was still able to tolerate it to an extent.
Having suffered constant pain in his past life, he felt that the pain back then was far worse than anything else.
Compared to that, this was far more tolerable.
Subsiding over time, Bruce’s body eventually calmed, allowing him to breathe properly once more.
Relaxing against the crooked couch, he sighed in relief, having feared that he might’ve made a mistake by taking two pills at the same time.
However, upon checking the notifications that had appeared while he was in pain, he realized that might not have been the case.
As he read through them, another set of notifications appeared before him.
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[Analysis Complete!]
{Task Requirements Status:
~Burn off excess body mass (✓)
~Get a haircut (✓)
~Upgrade all base Stats above average (✓)
~Upgrade your wardrobe (✓)
~Get ripped (✓)}
[Congratulations on Completing Second Main Task!]
[Random Gift has been Rewarded...]
[Random Gift: Diamond Skin]
[Congratulations on completing Main Task before the Time Limit.]
[Bonus Reward of 500 Rebate Coins has been Rewarded]
{5% of amount earned has been deducted}
{Current Rebate Coins: 267.75 » 742.75}
[Congratulations on breaking past the halfway point of the Affinity Level with the current limit of Bonded Targets]
[Additional Base Stat has been Rewarded]
[Bonus Stat: Endurance]
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"Whoa!"
Stunned by the rewards, Bruce hadn’t expected them to be this generous. His attention was immediately drawn to the Gift and Bonus Stat.
"Didn’t know it gave these kinds of rewards as well. I wonder what they’re capable of. Also, isn’t Endurance similar to Stamina?"
Wondering out loud, Bruce enquired of the System, causing another screen to pop up before him as though replying to his question.
[Description: ...]
{Stamina: Refers to Host’s ability to perform at peak condition before exhaustion sets in. Higher Stamina increases the amount of strenuous activity Host can perform at peak condition within a given period of time.}
{Endurance: Refers to Host’s ability to continue performing under fatigue over extended periods of time. Higher Endurance significantly slows the rate at which Stamina is consumed while reducing the time required to recover from Stamina depletion.}
"Hmm! So, basically Endurance helps complement Stamina, making it more effective while also allowing one to last longer during prolonged battles or strenuous exercise. Interesting!"
Roughly summarizing it after reading the descriptions, Bruce turned his attention back to the rewards.
"This is the first time I’ve gotten a reward for completing a Task before the time ran out. Does it have anything to do with the difficulty, or is there another reason entirely?"
Considering he hadn’t received a similar reward the first time he completed a Main Task despite beating the time limit then as well, he concluded that the System probably viewed this Task as more difficult than the previous one.
After all, other than coming up with the idea of relying on the System Shop items to beat the time limit instead of depending solely on physical exercise, he suspected that relying on the pills alone might not have been enough to meet the requirements before the deadline.
Or perhaps acquiring enough Rebate Coins to purchase the pills would’ve been difficult had he not planned his approach with Summer properly.
Or maybe the reason was something else entirely.
Regardless, he was glad he received the bonus rewards, as he’d feared the System might get stingy again and simply congratulate him for his efforts instead of actually rewarding him.
Relieved that wasn’t the case, Bruce got up from the ground upon realizing the pain had completely faded.
Doing so far more easily than ever before, he felt frighteningly lighter and more agile.
Making his way to the bathroom, he was even more surprised by the figure staring back at him in the mirror.
Having somehow taken off his shirt while struggling to endure the pain, he was now bare-chested before the mirror.
His physique, fully exposed before him, left little to the imagination.
A body that was just beyond fit, yet not enough to be classified as heavily muscular, stood before him in the reflection.
Instead, his pecs and biceps were defined enough to be easily noticeable even from a distance, while his abs were shredded to the point of looking as though they had been carved from stone.
A jawline so sharp and well-defined that Bruce was worried it could cut through paper.
With eyes so intense and seductive that he feared he might swing the other way if he stared at himself for too long.
"Damn! I’m gorgeous!"
Nearly shouting upon seeing his reflection, Bruce took a moment to flex his newfound muscles before wondering what could’ve caused the transformation to become so pronounced.
Recalling how the System had seemingly glitched for a second after he took the pills, notifying him of a "Mysterious Catalyst," Bruce pondered for a bit.
Concluding soon after that it likely had something to do with the Mana within him, another question surfaced in his mind.
"Then why didn’t it happen before?"
If it was truly the Mana that caused the pills’ effects to suddenly change, then why hadn’t the same thing happened yesterday or the day before when he’d first used the pills?
"Maybe it has something to do with harnessing Mana?"
Realizing that the state of the Mana within him had likely changed after learning to harness it recently, as he was now able to access his inner Mana without needing to concentrate nearly as much as before, he suspected it had entered an active state instead of remaining dormant, making it easier to access and control.
Now that it was active, it likely affected whatever entered his body as well.
After all, it was now able to boost his strength, speed, and much more whenever he willed it.
So, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assume it could also enhance things that produced similar effects, complementing them in the process... right?
Unsure whether this was truly the case, he strongly suspected it was, while still remaining uncertain.
Deciding against racking his brain over something he couldn’t verify, Bruce chose not to dwell on it any further.
Glancing back at the mirror, his eyes lingered on his hair a little longer.
"I wonder if I should change the colour."