Shit! I'm dying! I'm dying! Nightingale thought in desperation and wheezed like a seventy-year-old smoker suffering from chronic lung failure.
When Joel had said he would personally transform him into a "sleeping giant," he hadn't been joking in the slightest. Evidently, the man was a creature of pure passion and once he got fired up, there was no stopping him.
"Ten more reps!"
"Ten more?! You said that then sets ago!"
"No excuses, young man! Even a girl can do better than this!"
That was an outright lie. If there truly existed a girl who could handle this kind of torture, he was ready to kneel and kiss her foot on the spot.
Nightingale gasped, barely managing to lift the barbell again. His arms trembled uncontrollably and screamed in rebellion. It felt as though they might tear clean off his shoulders. Still, he refused to stop, forcing his body to endure as he pushed through the burning strain.
Joel folded his arms, grinning like a proud drill sergeant watching a recruit break through his limits.
"That's the spirit! Don't think! Just push! You'll thank me later when your body starts to evolve!"
Nightingale gritted his teeth.
'Evolve my ass! At this rate, I'll evolve straight into a corpse. Wait… would that even count as ascension?'
Concepts such as Heaven and Hell had existed long before the rise of modern civilization and the advancement of technology.
In the age preceding the Black Mire, countless religions once held sway over humanity's beliefs. But with the sudden emergence of supernaturally enhanced humans and Demi-Godlike beings like the Saints, humanity's understanding of faith began to waver.
The line between the divine and the mortal started to blur, and soon, mankind began to forget the gods and even become gods of their own.
By the time the Black Mire had fully engulfed the world, the old gods were nothing more than myths buried beneath the rubble of human ambition. The Saints, the Awakened, and the Espers had become the new symbols of transcendence. Even then, despite all the scientific models and spiritual reclassifications, humanity never truly let go of its obsession with ascension. Whether through divine enlightenment or physical evolution, people still yearned to rise beyond their mortal limits.
A fact Nightingale was currently embodying against his will!
Suddenly, Joel clapped his hands, jolting him out of his thoughts.
"Alright! Take a breather. You've earned it, champ."
'Finally!'
Nightingale collapsed onto the mat without hesitation.
Joel laughed heartily and tossed him a towel.
"That's just the first phase! Once your body adapts, we'll move to Advanced Titan Conditioning!"
'No. I'll rather take my chances with chronic lung failure, thank you very much.'
Despite his weary thoughts, Lu Song could already feel the lingering benefits of his brief workout session, even as he was bone-tired and utterly exhausted.
'Hmm? Who is that?'
His gaze wandered unintentionally and came to a halt.
A short distance away, a woman was performing squats while holding two dumbbells. She was, without exaggeration, the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her raven-black hair cascaded down to her hips like liquid silk, framing a face so serene it almost felt unreal. Her eyes, which was equally as dark, held a depth that seemed to pull the air around her into nothing. Her flawless skin was smooth, pale, and luminous, seemingly transcended the boundaries of humanity and its many flaws.
She appeared to be in her late twenties and was dressed in form-fitting black leggings that accentuated her curves her ample curves, snapping to her body tightly. A sleeveless crop top exposed her stomach and shoulders for all to see, showcasing her slim waist and skin.
Nightingale could only watch, momentarily spellbound, as she continued her squats with perfect rhythm.
His mind went blank.
It was as though he wasn't thinking at all. Though that was far from the case. Quite the opposite really.
'W–What's going on? Someone like that exists here? More than that… why does she seem so familiar? Have I seen her before? No, impossible. If I'd ever known someone like that, my life would've turned out very differently.'
While he was still lost in that confusing swirl of thoughts, Joel caught sight of his blatantly rude staring and frowned. Then, following his line of sight, realization dawned in his eyes.
"Ah," Joel muttered, a knowing grin forming, "it seems Ms. Vespera has graced us with her presence again."
On the mat, Lu Song blinked.
"Vespera?"
Joel raised an eyebrow.
"You mean you haven't heard of Ms. Vespera? The Mistress of the Veil?"
Lu Song's expression remained blank.
Joel let out a sharp breath through his nose, clearly holding back his frustration.
"She's one of the strongest Saints in the world! Young man, do you genuinely live under a rock?!"
It was almost funny how often people had asked him that. Still, Lu Song wasn't about to accept defeat so easily. He quickly stood up and replied, trying to correct his earler blunder:
"Of course I know who she is! I was just wondering why someone like her would come to a place like this, of all places. No offense, Mr. Joel."
To his surprise, Joel merely folded his arms and chuckled.
"None taken. Honestly, when she first started coming here, I wondered the same thing. But as it turns out she's full of surprises."
Nightingale smirked.
"Let me guess, she comes here to hide from her crazed fans?"
Joel snapped his fingers with a grin.
"Ah, so you already get the gist of it. In that case, I don't need to explain much."
His eyes widened.
'Hold on... I simply said that as a joke. She actually comes here to hide from her crazed fans?'
"As absurd as it sounds, that's exactly the case," Joel said, lowering his voice slightly, as if afraid someone might overhear. "You'd think a Saint of her caliber would be locked away in some citadel in the Mire or research facility, but no... she shows up here every few weeks, works out like a regular human, and then disappears before anyone can even blink."
Lu Song blinked like it was truly absurd. "You're telling me that one of the strongest Saints comes here just to… squat?"
Joel shrugged, the corner of his lips twitching upward.
"That's what I said at first. But apparently, she finds it 'grounding.' Something about reconnecting with her humanity, whatever that means. Not really my business anyway. In fact, it's actually good for me. Ever since she started coming here, her fans have been flooding the place just to gawk at her in person. More eyes mean more clients, and that means more profit for instructors like me."
Then his brows knitted together in displeasure.
"However, most of them don't do anything but stare at her. Male clients at best get erections, and at worst, some even try to touch her inappropriately, so she usually beats them mercilessly and sends them packing. As for the female clients, they sometimes become discouraged and disheartened by her beauty. If you constantly see a five-star beauty, it's only natural to compare yourself, whether you like it or not, and feel envious."
Joel then glanced around to make sure no one was listening before continuing in muted whispers,
"I probably shouldn't say this as a dedicated trainer, but even if their hard work in the gym pays off, they'll never look as good as Vespera. At her level of attractiveness, it's 80% genetics and only 20% conscious effort."
"I probably shouldn't say this as a dedicated trainer, but even if their hard work in the gym pays off, they'll never look as good as Ms Vespera. At her level of attractiveness, it's 80% genetics and only 20% conscious effort."
Contrary to popular belief, becoming an Esper didn't automatically improve a person's appearance. If someone was unattractive as an ordinary person, they would remain so upon awakening. Unfortunately, genetics still held the final say in matters of beauty.
That was hard truth of the matter.
If she wanted to work out, why not just go to the Association? Or… was she the type who secretly enjoyed attention? Maybe that's what she meant by 'grounding' — by reminding lesser people that they were nothing but ants. That didn't sound very Saint-like.
As if to confirm his sarcastic thought, Ms. Vespera finished her last set and stood upright, setting the dumbbells aside. Then she reached for a towel and dabbed away the sweat on her skin.
For a moment, their eyes met.
"...?!"
Nightingale's whole body froze.
Those dark, glass-like eyes seemed to pierce through him, as though she was looking past his flesh and straight into his soul. It wasn't a glare, nor was it hostility. It was something much worse.
Awareness.
This entire time, she 'knew' he had been staring.
Before he could even think of averting his gaze, she arched a brow subtly, then returned her attention to her workout, as if he were utterly inconsequential.