Jacob cleared his throat and tried to behave normally before the imposing man who showed him an irritated face.

“Mr. Adam sent me here.”

Kaelen scowled, then muttered, “So it's finally the day, huh….”

He looked intensely at Jacob, making him uneasy, and shook his head in disdain.

“Thin arms, flabby stomach, chopstick legs. What kind of training should I give him?”

Jacob felt offended at being appraised so directly but held his complaints within. He knew better than to react to this insult.

Kaelen inwardly smiled at this silence and lack of reactiveness, yet his tough stance didn’t change.

“Follow me,” he said, walking to the right towards the cardio equipment on this floor.

 He pointed to a treadmill and said, “Show me what you got.”

Jacob didn’t know the purpose of this action, yet he simply walked forward and started walking.

“Are you an 80-year-old geezer with one foot in the grave?” he barked. “Move those legs! Give me your best!”

Jacob started regretting coming here.

‘How can this ill-tempered muscular freak have any patience to teach me anything? First of all, what is he supposed to teach me?’

He still followed Kaelen’s words and increased the speed. From walking, he began jogging, but Kaelen’s face didn’t change. Then he increased the speed and began running, and Kaelen’s scowl slightly eased.

He ran for a minute, then looked at Kaelen but wasn’t instructed to stop, so he continued running. That one minute changed to five, and soon ten minutes passed. 

Jacob’s calves were on fire, and his knees started hurting. Yet the tough old man’s piercing gaze didn’t change, and he stood beside him with folded arms.

At this point, the receptionist walked over and handed the old man a bottle of water.

“Dad, you must be thirsty. Have some,” she gently smiled.

He looked at his daughter, and that scowl turned into a small smile, “Thank you, dear. Now get back to work while I see what this chopstick is made of.”

She smiled and walked back while Jacob's mind remained filled with complaints.

‘He’s simply standing while I’m burning my muscles at this point! I need that water!’

After five more minutes of excruciating pain, Jacob's legs finally gave in and simply stopped moving. Naturally, he fell face flat on the treadmill moving at high speed, rolled back, and fell on the ground. He didn’t get severely injured due to his strong body, but he got many bruises.

“Aah,” he moaned in pain while trying to move his legs, but they felt numb and didn’t respond. He didn’t know how he managed to run at fifteen minutes at his full speed. What kept him going was simply sheer will and a piercing gaze that threatened to poke holes through him.

“How weak. Even a baby could do better!” Kaelen mocked and began walking away toward the stairs at the left side of the entrance. 

Before taking the first step, he looked toward Jacob who was still sprawled on the ground and shouted, “Do I have to repeat myself? Get your lazy ass here this instant!”

Jacob’s mind stopped complaining. He was physically exhausted at this point. The only thing that relieved him was that he had run more than 10 km this time, so at least one requirement of his Daily Quest was done.

He followed Kaelen to the first floor and saw all kinds of strength training equipment. There were dumbbells, barbells, different weights, and complex machines. 

Jacob’s heart dropped at the thought of having to go through more intense physical torture. He stood at the second floor’s entrance, earning eyeballs from some students working out on this floor. 

Kaelen walked to the dumbbell rack and looked back. His permanent scowl worsened, and he yelled, “If you wanna give up, be a man and tell me! Either way, I gave you a chance and it’s not my fault you didn’t take it.”

Jacob woke up from his entitled mindset. He had been looking at things the wrong way since he always had someone to help him.

In the dungeon, he had Bob who was a reliable partner. Adam had his back in school and even helped Jacob at the military base. Back in the forest, William didn’t make things difficult for him.

‘But everyone’s not nice. This Kaelen Blackthorn doesn’t owe me anything. It’s my wish to get stronger, and I’m the guy who should be eager to follow his words and do my best. What’s the use of complaining like a little bastard? My enemies won’t care that I didn’t train enough because I found training difficult!’

Jacob slapped his cheeks lightly and shouted back, “Coming.”

He walked forward in pain since his calves were exhausted. But he knew that this pain would be worth it if he could learn how to get stronger from the hulk before him.

Kaelen slightly nodded and waited until the boy walked with measured steps while Jacob’s face twitched at the jolts of pain his claves sent him with each step.

“Okay, pick the heaviest weight you can and give me a hundred sit-ups,” Kaelen said.

Jacob looked at Kaelen with some apprehension. Then, he saw the rack and began thinking about what was practically possible for him. He took a 10 kg dumbbell and sat on a nearby mat. After getting into position, he held the dumbbell up with both hands, tightened his core, and began doing sit-ups.

It took him five minutes, and his stomach started hurting, but he didn’t complain one bit after realizing that Kaelen was not a man with sympathy.

“Done, sir,” he said with a relieved smile toward Kaelen after putting the dumbbell back in the rack. This way, another requirement of his Daily Quest was completed.

“I knew this boy was a weakling,” Kaelen shook his head with faint regret. The few people working out on this floor wore smiles watching this interaction.

“Okay, return to whichever hole you crawled out of. I’ll tell Adam you’re too weak to learn anything here.”

Jacob remained standing there dumbfounded. He didn't know what had gone wrong. He stayed still while Kaelen shook his head again and walked toward the staircase to return to his office.

Jacob rushed toward him, ignoring the pain in his body, and said, “Wait a minute! I did everything you asked me to!”

His face was filled with righteous indignation as he reached Kaelen. The tall man turned back, and his imposing demeanor suppressed Jaocb’s momentum and made him silent.

“Are you deaf?” he asked. “Did you not hear what I just said?” he yelled. Seeing Jaocb’s confused face, Kaelen got enraged and roared, “Pick your HEAVIEST weight and give me a hundred sit-ups!”

He looked hard at Jacob and questioned him, “Is that the heaviest weight you can lift?”

Jacob became silent.

‘I just picked up 10 kgs but didn’t expect him to get so mad over it. I guess I can’t take the easy way here.’

“No sir,” he shook his head. “Can I try again?” He looked up hopefully.

“Show me.”

That was all Jacob needed. He returned, picked up a dumbbell weighing 50 kg which was the heaviest dumbbell in the gym, and kept it beside the yoga mat. After getting into position, he grabbed the weight while tightening his core.

‘1… 2… 3….’

He began counting and starting going for his limits honestly. Kaelen nodded seeing the boy wasn’t irredeemable and had the decency to do things truthfully.

‘52… 53… 54…’

This time, Jacob’s core burned. His abdominal muscles screamed in pain. But he was like an emotionless machine, driving his slaves to work without mercy. His back hurt, and his stomach ached, but Jacob didn’t give up.

‘I’m not a common man! I’m a hunter! I’ve even got a system! Why should I limit myself like ordinary people?’

He was convinced he could do more and be more. After all, he did not know the physical capabilities of hunters in this world. His mind was still stuck with knowing the mortal limits of humans in his past life. But there were extraordinary hunters in this world, and he decided to test out the limits of strength of this world.

‘97… 98… 99…’

“100!” He put aside that dumbbell and lay down on the mat, sweating buckets.

“Not terrible,” Kaelen nodded, this time with less anger on his face. “Now follow me.”

His words sent Jacob into a spiral of emotions. He didn’t feel he could move a muscle, but this man wanted more from him?

‘I really want to ask you: are you human?’

Still, Jacob decided to persist, and he stood up. Kaelen brought him to another mat and handed him an empty weighted vest with slots to add more weights. He pointed at a stand beside him where small 1kg weights were present.

“Give me 100 push ups wearing the heaviest weighted vest you can use.”

Jacob didn’t even bother retorting to this statement in his mind. He knew he could not cheat in front of Kaelen if he wanted the other party’s help. So he honestly wore the weighted vest, added as many weights as the vest could carry, and got on the new yoga mat.

‘Here goes nothing. 1… 2… 3…’

With perfect form, he did one push-up after another, earning a nod from Kaelen. But Jacob didn’t see it as he was facing the ground and was using everything he had to get this done.

A few minutes passed by, and Jaocb reached the fifties. A few more minutes later, he finally reached the finish line.

‘98… 99… 100!’

His arms gave in, and his face greeted the mat. After taking a few breaths, he rolled over and faced Kaelen who was standing behind his head.

“Sir, please tell me it's over.”

The surrounding people had long stopped working out and were looking at Jacob in amazement. They eagerly looked at Kaelen in hopes he could nod and agree. After all, Jacob looked totally spent this time, and there was very little he could do.

“Hmm…” Kaelen considered it but shook his head to the dismay of everyone. “Rest five minutes, then give me 100 squats wearing this vest. This is the last one.”

Jacob closed his eyes in despair.

‘I really want to give up. Man, this hulk is not giving me any leeway! I came here to get stronger! Not suffer physical abuse!’

He looked at Kaelen’s cold face and noticed how strong the old man looked. Despite having white hair and a white beard, and at the age of being a grandpa, he was fitter than anyone he had seen in this gym.

‘But if I give up now wasting this opportunity, what will Mr. Adam think of me? Will he continue helping me? What will I think of myself? Am I a quitter?’

Jacob nodded with some resentment in his eyes but with greater resolve.

“I’ll get it done, sir.”

The onlookers gasped! They felt sorry for him but had to nod at the kid’s grit.

Jacob wiped the sweat from his face five minutes later and got up. At this time, the receptionist from downstairs came up and handed him a towel.

“You might need this,” she said gently.

“Thanks,” Jacob looked at her gratefully with a smile but didn’t notice Kaelen’s face, which again turned angry. He looked between his daughter and Jacob and made the decision he had made countless times before.