My Pro Boxer System

"Strength training?" I asked, not fully understanding what she meant.

"Yeah. Right now, you can float like a butterfly, but you can't exactly sting like a bee, can you?"

"I guess not."

"Right. So far, you've mostly been doing basic training to improve your footwork, but you're also going to need power if you want to win some fights. That's what the strength training is for."

My muscles burned as I powered through the sit-ups, planks, and squats, wondering what fresh hell Alexa was cooking up for me. When I was finished, without a moment to breathe, I was transported to where I would do my strength training.

The space before me was a mountain trail, stretching as far as the eye could see. The dirt beneath my feet was loose, with small pointed rocks. I could hear the sound of birds chirping in the distance.

This place made it look like we were still on Earth. Are we still on Earth?

"What is this?" I asked Alexa, who was standing next to me with a childlike wonder on her face.

She made to rush off as if she had completely forgotten why we came here, but I managed to grab her by the arm in time.

"We didn't come here to goof off, remember?" I told her, making it clear that her usual behavior wouldn't fly this time. "Where are we, anyway?"

"Can't you just relax for once? Ahem. Anyway, this is where you'll do your strength training."

I glanced around again, and I still didn't see anything that could help me with my strength training. I began to feel a little suspicious of her.

"Are you sure it's this place?" I asked.

When she said strength training, I expected intense power lifting or something, not whatever this was. Maybe there was a catch to it.

"Of course it's here!" she shouted, her cheeks puffing out as she began to pout.

"Alright then, what exactly does this 'training' entail?" I asked, folding my arms as I waited for her explanation.

"Your first training involves running a five-mile run. Every ten minutes into the run, the gravitational force will increase by 1g."

"The gravitational pull?"

"Yes. You see, this place is no ordinary place. Here, the gravity is always increasing around this time of day, and it will continue like this for the next couple of hours. Also, bear in mind that the Earth's gravitational pull is only 1g, so when it increases to 2g, you'll feel twice as heavy. When it increases to 5g, you will feel five times as heavy."

I could feel a slight headache coming on from her explanation as I tried to wrap my mind around all she was telling me.

"But what is the point of all this?" I asked. "I don't get what this exercise has to do with strength training."

She sighed.

"The heavier you are, the more pressure it puts on the muscles in your body. With this one exercise, you'll be training every single muscle in your body all at once."

The realization dawned on me.

"Oh, okay, I understand it now."

Considering it takes me thirty minutes to complete a three-mile run, it would take longer since my weight would be increased due to the gravitational force. If I go all out, I could finish it in an hour or so. I readied myself to begin the run, but I was immediately stopped by Alexa.

"That's the wrong way," she said with a smile of amusement on her face.

"What do you mean?"

She raised her finger upwards.

"You're supposed to be running up the mountain, not down."

I felt a surge of anger well up.

"You expect me to run three miles up the mountain?"

INITIALIZING QUEST IN…

3…

2…

"It's best you get going now. It goes without saying that you'll get punished if you don't complete this quest."

Putting my grievances aside, I took off in a sprint up the mountain. The way I saw it, right now was the only time during this run that I'd be in top form. A quick start could be the deciding factor in this, but then again, I might end up tiring myself out too quickly.

I adjusted my pace to conserve energy while ensuring I was running at an adequate speed. After the first ten minutes had passed, I felt an immense weight bearing down on me.

My knees almost gave out under the sudden pressure, causing me to trip. Luckily, I managed to grab onto a tree before that happened. My muscles erupted in spasms. It felt warm, as if my body was slowly heating up.

I could feel the difference as I took my first steps back on track. It took more force just to lift my legs. My mind hadn't adjusted to this change yet, so I tripped over every rock or tree root I encountered.

Things only got worse as the next ten minutes rolled by and the gravitational force increased to 3g. The change was immense; my entire body felt as if it was on fire.

My posture slumped, my knees bending uncontrollably as my arms swung lifelessly like a pendulum. It took almost everything I had to keep moving. My thighs burned until I began to lose all sensation in them.

The winding road up the mountain felt like it would never end. Behind every corner was another long stretch of path as far as the eye could see. The only saving grace was the smoothness of the path before me.

Within an hour into the run, I was left crawling up the mountain. My knees scraped against the dirt-pocked road as blisters began to form on the palms of my hands. My muscles vibrated into a series of spasms as system notifications popped up every couple of minutes.

[IMPROVEMENTS]

+----+

Power: 1 → 4

Speed: 10 → 12

Endurance: 7 → 12

+----+

My body collapsed on the ground a few times from sheer exhaustion. Each time I woke up, the gravitational pressure had increased by at least 1g. I dragged my body up the mountain like a worm, wiggling my way forward. Only my face was not fully pressed against the ground. The muscles in my neck burned more than any other.

Sharp rocks dug into my flesh, creating lines of cuts all over my body. Soon, I was dragging along a small blood trail with me. My mind spiraled from the sheer agony, but instead of wallowing in it, I pushed the pain out of my thoughts and continued to make my way up.

I kept telling myself that all of this meant something. That the little pride I always spoke about would mean squat if I didn't show up to my fight in top form. Just once I wanted to be the one who won at something.

I climbed until I came upon a clear area that had a red line drawn on the ground. I immediately knew that was where the finish line was. Squirming like a worm, I fought my way towards the line. At any moment now, the gravitational force would increase again, and it would rise to 10g.

"You better hurry up; you only have ten seconds left until the next increase!"

Alexa appeared over me like a ghost. I pressed my fingertips into the soil and dragged myself across with only the strength of my fingers.