Chapter 34: Chapter 34 – Hugh: Enticement

Well, from the cars in the parking lot, the sports complex was definitely busier in the mornings on Monday than on Sunday, but I still found a parking spot in the front. Walking inside wasn't quite as intimidating, either, since I'd worked out there yesterday.

I went first to the room with the aerobic exercise equipment, choosing a bicycle this time. My research had indicated that low impact was better than running, and, even though I wasn't sure that mattered considering my ability to just increase my constitution, I figured it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.

I hadn't ridden a bicycle in many years, but it was like riding a bicycle - I chucked to myself - especially considering there was no way for these devices to tip over. The advice I'd read online was to pedal at low intensity for 5 minutes, switch to medium for 3, alternate between high for a minute and medium for 3 for the next 20 minutes, and cool down with a final 5 at low intensity.

Well, the website had given ranges like starting with low for 5 to 10 minutes. Considering how out of shape I was, I shortened everything to the very minimum of those ranges.

Thirty-three minutes later, I was a huffing, puffing, sweaty mess. Exercising sucked. Those last five minutes of "cooldown" had been the most miserable of my existence to this point. But the important thing was that I'd stuck it out. I hadn't quit. If I could just make myself keep doing this every day, it might just end up saving my life sooner rather than later.

I actually wondered if I should be asking Nat to come along with me, but, frankly, I'd prefer to keep her far from any fighting. And, yeah, a small voice inside me told me that was really her choice to make, but I had a hard time leading her into any activity that was likely to end up with her being hurt.

I glanced at my phone. It was almost a quarter till eight. First class was at nine thirty. Fifteen minutes to shower. Fifteen minutes of total commute time to get from here to the dorm and walk to class... I had a little over an hour to recover from my exercise and conduct my strength tests.

The plan was for that last part to not take all that long, but I was feeling a little bit of time crunch. Okay. I'd rest for a half hour. I set an alarm and found a nice, comfortable bench.

When my phone started dinging, I wasn't really ready to get up, but I forced myself to do just that and head to the room with the weights.

I was not an expert with exercise equipment at all, but my understanding was that using free weights, especially with the kind of tests I had planned, was best done with a person standing over you to help in case you got into trouble. I'd almost rather have my chest crushed by a falling bar than ask some random stranger to do that for me, though.

Fortunately, there were machines that performed the same function but were perfectly safe to use alone. Internet research for the win.

I'd looked up the max one-rep bench press lift for an average male who was my weight and found that I was expected to lift 217 pounds. That sounded awfully heavy to me. Luckily, there was a beginner number listed, 167. Still sounded heavy, though.

I set the machine for 150. That was seventeen pounds below what I should be lifting. Should be doable, right? Nope.

I got it about halfway up, but that was it. So I adjusted the weight down to 140, reconsidered it, and changed it to 130.

Success. Barely.

After a moment's concentration to place my free point into STR, I set the machine back to 150 and cleared it no problem. Same with 160, though it was definitely more difficult. A couple more attempts revealed I could make 170, but 180 was just a bit out of reach.

Forty pounds. Adding a single point to strength upped my lift by forty pounds. That seemed significant. My guess was, though, the more below average the starting point, the more the point would add, and I was woefully under average.

I pulled up my stat sheet.

On one hand, it was incredible. By adding three points to various stats, I'd significantly and measurably increased my agility, endurance, and strength. That was absolutely mind boggling.

But.

Was I maybe just the tiniest little bit jealous that Nat had already passed Level 7 and I wasn't even halfway from 4 to 5? Maybe.

Okay. Yeah.

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It wasn't her fault, though, nor was it the system's. No, the blame fell directly on me. The class I'd been granted was based on breadth not depth. Leveling up a single user, no matter how high, just was not the way to go. For example, when Nat eventually moved from Level 9 to 10, a feat requiring - if my calculations held up - 700 XP, she'd get me 100 XP. Just by signing ten users up at Level 1, I'd get that same 100 XP, and, by giving them each a single ten-point quest, assuming they got the same system quest that Nat and I did, they'd get me another 200.

It was like this system was some kind of multi-level marketing scheme. Recruitment was the name of the game.

Too bad I wasn't willing to do that. I'd just have to live with slow leveling and hope that it didn't come back to bite me in the behind.

Oh well. Since there wasn't anything I could do about it, I put it out of my mind, and, with my workout and system business concluded, I had just enough time to head back to the dorm, take a slightly longer shower than I'd anticipated, and get to class.

Mid-afternoon, after my three back to back to back courses were over, I received a text from Natalie.

<So, so sorry, but something has come up that I need to do. Did you already plan something big for tonight?>

No, I actually hadn't at all. Dinner was easy enough, but what could possibly be romantic and monumental enough to do on the night two people expected to lose their virginity? Mini golf just didn't seem appropriate. I'd been racking my brain all day to come up with something. I didn't want to admit that, though.

<Totally fine. We're off completely for tonight, then?>

She texted back immediately.

<I was kind of hoping you'd come with me tonight to the thing I have to do. I was also kind of hoping you'd still count it as the 3rd date. You did ask ;)>

I laughed and tried to come up with a clever reply, but she texted again before I had a chance.

<I know how you like your enticements, though. so this is what I'm planning on wearing.>

She sent a picture of a top, a skirt, and a pair of black shoes with maybe one-inch heels all laying on her bed. To be honest, the clothes weren't all that sexy or anything, so I wasn't sure what about it was supposed to be enticing. Her next text clarified exactly that.

<Of course, I'll only be wearing what was pictured.>

Ahh. There were two very important things missing from that picture - her bra and her panties. Wow. She was willing to go out with me in public commando and braless. That was surprising.

A picture followed before I could respond. It showed her from her lower stomach to her knees. She was holding the skirt up. All the way up. She was not wearing panties.

Natalie had just sent me a nude selfie.

That was amazing for two reasons. One, the obvious. I liked looking at her. The more pictures I had of her, the better. Two, I knew that doing this was outside her comfort zone. I mean, doing it obviously turned her on, but it wasn’t easy for her. But she was still willing to do it for me.

Gamer me, however, was a bit disappointed in her. If she would have let me know before she took the picture, I could have issued her a quest to get her some additional sweet XP.

I replied the only way that I could. First, I generated a quest for her to go without underwear tonight, which turned out to be worth a very respectable 150 points, and then I sent her a text.

<See you at six.>

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