I Tamed the First Rank Chapter 31
- HoshiMiya
- Jun 21, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Aug 7
“……”
“You won’t, right?”
“……”
“You won’t, right?”
“……”
“You won’t, right?”
“..... I won’t.”
A joke that Park Seung-gi made a while ago came to mind.
〈Maybe it’ll be a dungeon date or something.〉
They say that words become seeds of a possible future. In Yoo-shin wished that jjamppong soup would splatter on Park Seung-gi on the day he wore new clothes.
“But there are no rats in the dungeon, so what can I do if I go!?”
“If it doesn’t work out, I’ll try my best to acquire the skill to transform into a bat.”
“Does that mean you won’t help me at all?”
“Basically.”
Although I suddenly became tearful, it seemed like Hyeon Gyu-ha had no intention of letting me get away.
Even if your ability were rated as F-level, the process of obtaining a hunter’s license was not difficult as long as you were awakened. All you needed to do was pass the written exam and physical fitness test and complete dungeon environment training. The problem was the physical fitness test.
In Yoo-shin was a typical couch potato who really hated working out.
A hunter who was unaware of the situation quietly intervened. His name was Jeong Min-jae. He was a young man who looked at Hyeon Gyu-ha with envy from the time he was introduced and waited for a chance to talk.
“The test isn’t that difficult. You just need to study hard for a few days for the written exam questions, and the cutoff line for the physical fitness test is just above average.”
Hyeon Gyu-ha glanced down at In Yoo-shin.
“Yoo-shin-ssi, for how many seconds did you run 50 meters in high school?”
In Yoo-shin’s pupils trembled slightly.
“…… 7 seconds.”
“How could you shave off 4 seconds? It was 11 seconds. The average for high school boys is 8 seconds, so you’re far behind. Plus, you only did two push-ups.”
“Well, I was just, you know, doing it casually! But how did Gyu-ha-ssi know about that……?”
“It’s thanks to the vice chairman of Yangsa.”
“……”
You asked the vice chairman of a large company, just to secure physical evaluation data from my high school days……?
In Yoo-shin was not the only one who was speechless. Hyeon Gyu-ha asked Jeong Min-jae, who just averted his eyes awkwardly.
“Do you think it will be easy to achieve?”
“…… I’m sorry, In Yoo-shin-ssi.”
Even Jeong Min-jae, who had given him some hope, disappeared. Hyeon Gyu-ha strode up the stairs with In Yoo-shin at his side.
“Although we can legally slack off since it’s our first day, we can go out and patrol diligently to see if any surprise gates have been discovered in downtown Seoul.”
“So, where are we going……?”
“We have to match our training uniforms and even get the sneakers as a set.”
“……”
“From now on, I’ll also plan your diet. Eat only what I give you. Since we’re already working out, should we take a body profile picture too?”
“……”
In Yoo-shin tried to think in a positive direction. If I exercised, my health would improve, so it wouldn’t be a bad thing. Even if I broke up with Hyeon Gyu-ha later and had trouble finding a job, if I had a hunter’s license, I could work as an odd job laborer in dungeons…… I enjoyed exercising. I enjoyed exercising. I enjoyed exercising……
* * *
Even climbing the subway stairs required F-grade physical strength and left him panting at times. Hyeon Gyu-ha made him run on a treadmill to start training his basic physical strength. It was okay up to this point. My vision turned yellow, but I could endure it.
The problem came after that.
“Posture is important for all exercises, including squats. Straighten your back, and don’t bring your knees too far forward. I’ll use psychokinesis to help you maintain your posture, so don’t forget to maintain it well.”
“I feel like I’m going to die from so much pain from stretching my muscles! My muscles are really sore—they hurt so much that I can’t see straight!”
“No one has ever died from doing squats.”
“If I become the first—!”
“Then I’ll wake you up with a kiss.”
Protein supplements.
“Let’s do it ten more times for the last set. Alright. Ah, you’re doing just fine. One, two, two, two, three, three, okay, just like that. Four. Oh nice. Good.”
“Why are you counting the same numbers over and over again!?”
“I’m not counting the ones with incorrect posture.”
Protein supplements.
“Doesn't exercise have a routine? I heard that if you work your upper body hard, you have to rest for maybe 48 hours before doing it again?”
“Here is the potion I prepared for such cases, Master.”
“What?”
“If you drink this potion, your muscles will recover without the need for a separate rest period. There is nothing better than this for building your body in a short period of time. It is a legal drug that even athletes take. It’s really, really expensive, but it’s not a waste at all if it’s for Master.”
“Uaaaaghhh.”
Protein supplements.
He was locked up in the gym and tortured every day, but there was no one to support him. Rather, the other hunters seemed envious of In Yoo-shin, who was receiving one-on-one training from Hyeon Gyu-ha.
Even Lee Hye-yeon, whom he trusted, betrayed him.
“When it comes to muscles, the more, the better, Yoo-shin. It’s rare for Gyu-ha to personally take care of your health, you know? He absolutely wouldn’t lift a finger to help anyone else even with a knife at his throat. You don’t know when that guy might change his mind again, so milk this for all it’s worth now. Only then will you be able to exercise well on your own later.
Lee Hye-yeon was lifting a barbell next to him as she spoke.
Though her body was petite, she had the strong body of a martial artist. She could easily do 700 kilos in the Big 3 (squat, bench press and deadweight) with her eyes closed. She was not the only one—the hunters here didn’t even bother to rest during the waiting period, but instead came to the physical training room and trained hard.
“Save me……”
The fear of being caught between gym rats and crushed to death by their muscles made In Yoo-shin want to cry.
“Don’t cry, you’ll lose muscle.”
“Huaghhhh.”
* * *
The refrigerator, which used to only contain bottled water and alcohol, had recently become quite diverse. Green vegetables, tomatoes, mushrooms, low-fat milk, almonds, mixed-grain rice, salmon, chicken breast, etc.—these were all meal menus for In Yoo-shin.
Hyeon Gyu-ha grilled chicken breast steak and put brown rice, sweet potato, avocado, and fruit salad into the lunch box. He also brought unsweetened yogurt and walnuts as snacks.
Since today was Friday, an off-duty day, he decided to go on a date with In Yoo-shin at the gym. We would face each other up close, constantly share sweat and conversation, and eat the packed lunch that I brought myself. It’s a great date idea.
“Yoo-shin-ssi, I’ve come to pick you up.”
Running all the way to the rooftop room in a single dash with a grin, he knocked on the front door, but it was silent. I don’t feel his presence. Hyeon Gyu-ha immediately opened the door by infusing his mana into the handle.
“Squeak. Squeak!”
6-se was irritated when she woke up to a rattling sound. But Hyeon Gyu-ha couldn’t even hear her.
There was no In Yoo-shin. Disappeared in front of him.
Thud. The lunch box slowly slipped from his hands and fell on the floor.
In an instant, his eyes which cleared of all emotion fell vacantly.
* * *
“No, In Yoo-shin! I haven’t seen you lately—why is your face so……!”
“Seung-gi-ah…… Waaah. Half of my face is gone, isn’t it?”
“You look really healthy now. What kind of workout have you been doing lately? Your shoulders look wider, and your clothes fit you perfectly.”
“Ah, really?”
Yoo-shin was intrigued when he heard that his body had improved. When he was taking a shower, he noticed that his once soft stomach now showed very subtle traces of abs.
After all, was the answer to everything muscle?
‘Gasp. I shouldn’t think like this...!’
He hastily shook his head, trying to escape from his muscles, which felt brainwashed by the torture in the fitness room.
[I’m only going to rest today. ㅠ I’ll be answering all of your phone calls, so don’t destroy Seoul. ㅠㅠ]
Soon it was time for Hyeon Gyu-ha to knock on the door of his rooftop room. After sending him a text message so that he wouldn’t get surprised, Yoo-shin grabbed Park Seung-gi and started complaining. He was frantically stuffing tteokbokki, green onion pancakes, sundae, fish cakes, and makgeolli into his mouth.
“I’m not even allowed to eat snacks freely, and—wow, your department’s tteokbokki is the best! Protein supplements taste so gross, and I’m so sick of chicken breast, but the seafood pancake with lots of squid is really delicious.”
“Hey, either tell the story or eat—don’t do both.”
“Do you know the pain of having your diet controlled?”
The lab room slave and the gym escapee slave competitively ate tteokbokki in a corner of the gate department’s festival booth.
Even if I ran away from home, the only person I would meet was Park Seung-gi, but when I came to school, there happened to be a festival today. It’s already university festival season but I didn’t even notice the time passing because I was locked in the fitness room.
“By the way, did the professor actually let you go outside?”
“I sold you out by saying that because you’re Hyeon Gyu-ha’s lover, I had to make a good impression beforehand and lay some groundwork.”
“……”
While In Yoo-shin glared at him, Park Seung-gi quickly popped the last boiled egg in his mouth.
“Seung-gi-hyung, you said you couldn’t go out today, so what’s going on?”
Many students greeted Park Seung-gi, who was well-connected and, while being overworked in the lab, also did assistant work and even acted as the professor’s drinking companion.
Since he grew up in the same orphanage from a young age, he was an easy guy for In Yoo-shin. However, Park Seung-gi was a friend that Yoo-shin was proud of, having received a full scholarship, graduated from college early and worked tirelessly in graduate school even in difficult circumstances. Even though he sold him out.
‘If I had gone to college, I would have been enjoying the festival atmosphere by now, right?’
Maybe I was feeling vicarious satisfaction from him.
The area outside the booth was bustling with students and visitors. Across the street, the school’s broadcasting department was filming a live broadcast of the festival, and laughter broke out seemingly because there was an interviewee with witty remarks.
After escaping from the sweaty muscles, it was nothing short of heaven, no matter how noisy it was.
‘Since Gyu-ha-ssi is going to make me manage my diet again starting tomorrow, today I’m going to eat everything spicy, salty, sweet, and stimulating that’s good for my tongue but bad for my muscles, heavily seasoned with MSG until I lose all my muscle. Makgeolli too! Soju too! And cola!’
Suddenly, the commotion outside the booth grew louder. Yoo-shin could even hear a sound that was almost like a scream. The student sitting next to Park Seung-gi tilted his head.
“Has a celebrity come or something?”
“It’s still daytime, though? Isn’t the stage performance starting at 5 o’clock?”
“Well, I guess they came early.”
Regardless, In Yoo-shin inhaled the flat dumplings soaked in tteokbokki soup. When I arrived earlier, I spotted a booth selling fish cake soup. Next to it was one for corn cheese. Just thinking about it made my mouth water.
In Yoo-shin was so absorbed in his happy daydreams that he didn’t notice that his surroundings had suddenly become quiet.
“Hey, hey.”
Park Seung-gi spoke in a low voice and urgently tapped him with his foot.
“What is it?”
The chopsticks fell out of his hand as he raised his head curiously.
Hyeon Gyu-ha was standing in front of the booth.
***
HM: this became hilarious….
PA: Yoo-shin doing mukbang thinking he can get away... (ᴗ_ ᴗ。)
Editor M: That last scene came out of a horror movie, I swear. Anyway, here’s an interesting insight into some gym terms, according to our translator: ‘3 대 #’ is a common Korean term referring to the total weight lifted in the three main powerlifting exercises: squat, bench press, and deadlift. It’s super convenient that English calls them the ‘big three’!
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Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: PsycheAsylum, Editor M
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