Entering the Game with a Cheat Physique

Episode 7 Highly Developed Muscles

Episode 7 Highly Developed Muscles

After ten long days before the school started.

Now it’s time to attend lectures as a magic department student.

I gathered with my classmates for the [Introduction to Elementals] course.

Everyone was quietly focusing on the instructor’s words.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Angelina, the instructor for [Introduction to Elementals].”

A mage in a stylish pointed hat and robe smiled gently.

Then, clap clap clap… the students’ applause followed.

“First, I’ll call attendance. The order is based on the first-year academic rankings. Penelope─”

A wide, grassy plain, a sky where white clouds drift lazily, a warm spring breeze carrying pollen.

While Angelina’s roll call echoed across the training grounds on the first day of the new semester,

────────────────

【Strength has increased!】

【Stamina has increased!】

【Agility has increased!】

────────────────

I continued training silently.

‘It’s not going up as much as usual.’

As expected, I can’t exactly work out openly during lectures.

I’m just lightly working my body, so the speed at which my strength, stamina, and agility are increasing is slow.

‘Well, I should be grateful that I’m growing even this much.’

The workout I’m currently doing is dumbbell curls.

Originally, I would actually lift and lower a dumbbell in my hands.

But, I can’t do that now, so I’m roughly using a nearby rock as a substitute.

Amazingly, even this is enough to have an exercise effect.

────────────────

【Ultimate Physique】

※ Celestial Martial Body: A destiny born for martial arts.

Stats (Strength, Stamina, Agility) grow rapidly with every movement of the body.

────────────────

‘The Celestial Martial Body isn’t triggered only by proper exercise.’

The standard for moving the body is extremely lenient.

Even just moving the body lightly causes stats to grow, albeit minutely.

Therefore, even with such a simplified workout during class, I can stat-farm.

─ What the hell is he doing?

─ He’s working out even here. Seriously, he’s nuts.

─ Leave him be. He’s a lost cause anyway.

My magic department classmates are still backbiting me.

But whatever, I kept working out.

In this world, you gotta be shameless to survive.

“……And lastly, Herak.”

“Yes.”

Angelina’s call.

I answer naturally without stopping my arm movements.

Angelina’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked at me.

But then, she just shrugged.

It was a signal she was overlooking it.

‘What the hell did the director say, I wonder?’

To let me get away with fooling around like this during class.

“Alright. Now that attendance is checked, let’s begin the lesson. Today, we’ll be learning about ‘Variations in Magic Casting’.”

*Snap!*

Angelina snaps her fingers.

At the same time, a huge boulder *thud*—falls into the center of the grass field.

‘That’s massive.’

Just by looking at it, it seems too heavy to lift with human strength.

And the hardness seems so solid, first-year students wouldn’t even be able to scratch it.

“You all learned the Wind Gun in your first year, right? You should have memorized everything, from the elements, ranks, and properties to how to cast it. Am I right?”

“Yes!”

Angelina raised her arm at the students’ response.

And, like that familiar gesture for shooting a gun in her past life, she extended her thumb and index finger, and folded the other three.

“This is the original way to cast the Wind Gun. It’s a lower-level spell, but its power varies depending on the caster. You’re all capable second-years now, so you should at least be able to make a scratch on this rock. Right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, good.”

At the clear affirmation, Angelina smiled softly.

Then, she shifted the position of her fingers.

Lowering her index finger, she laid her thumb on top of it. The remaining three fingers, conversely, were extended, pointing to the sky.

It was the position of what people call a ‘flick on the forehead.’

“But, the moment you change the casting method, the power drops sharply. Casting magic in your own way, not the original way. At first, you won’t be used to it, so you won’t get your usual power, but…”

Angelina’s fingers tensed, drawing back.

Casting the Wind Gun in her own way.

“…once you get used to it, you’ll get even more power than the original.”

*Shhh-thunk!*

The faint sound of wind gathering at the tip of Angelina’s index finger was briefly heard.

Then, the shot of wind hit the rock.

*Bang!* *Crumble…*

The rock was shattered with one blow.

—Whoa. What was that?

—The rock… in one go…

—So this is what an instructor is like.

—Just by changing the casting method, it becomes so different?

The students gasped in awe.

Having fully acknowledged them, Angelina flicked her fingers again.

The shattered rocks were then magically restored to their original state.

“From now on, the task given to you is simple. Transform and cast the Wind Gun in your own way, and make a scratch on that rock. If it’s difficult, you can follow my way.”

“Do we have to do it by today?”

“No. You don’t have to get it done this week. I’ll give you plenty of time, so focus on succeeding. If there’s even a little crack, it’s a pass. I don’t think it’ll happen, but if you do it today…”

“……”

A pregnant pause, heavy with meaning.

Amidst the rapt attention of all the students.

Angelina offered a carrot with an alluring smile.

“…I’m granting complete freedom until this assignment is over. You can do whatever you want. So, work hard, understand?”

“Yes!”

“However, I think it might be difficult to accomplish alone. So I’ll be pairing you into teams of two. Of course, the grade will be for the team, not individual.”

Teams of two, huh.

Tch— I clicked my tongue without realizing it.

‘This is going to be a pain.’

Since my practical score is already down the drain, I could just skip this.

I was planning on just playing dumb and working out, but if I get paired with someone, it’s going to be a nuisance.

And if it’s not individual grading…

‘I’m going to get nagged, aren’t I?’

“Team selection will be based on the academic gap between students. Now, first…”

Teams are formed as Angelina calls out the names.

I quietly look around. Just who will I be teamed up with?

‘If they’re forming teams based on academic gaps.’

…Since I’m a scrub, there’s only one person who’s most likely.

“…and finally, Penell and Herak.”

“…!”

A guy’s eyes widen the moment he’s called.

Long, cherry blossom pink hair, accented sideburns, and sparkling pink eyes.

Penell, the top student of the magic department, second year.

“…Ohoho. Hello, Herak?”

He’s giving me an enigmatic smile while looking at me… it seems like he’s thinking something strange.

‘Of all people, it had to be Penell.’

I’m going to get hit with a barrage of attention and won’t be able to work out.

I hope he gets switched with someone else.

Well, of course, that’s not going to happen…

“Instructor!”

“What is it?”

That voice, catching Angelina just as she was about to leave.

A plain-looking girl with roughly braided pigtails.

She was the friend of Fennel, the one I’d seen in the library before.

“I want to be on the same team as Herac. Please put Fennel with someone else.”

“Hmm? Why is that, Miss Berry?”

Angelina’s head tilted.

A look of utter incomprehension on her face.

I felt the same way.

‘Is she crazy?’

Teaming up with me is just adding another dead weight.

Why would she voluntarily lower her evaluation score?

But the extra called Berry, as if she couldn’t back down, raised her voice even more.

“Fennel, as top of the class, deserves to be in a better team. I’ll go with Herac instead.”

“……Hmm. Well, if Miss Berry says so herself.”

Angelina shrugged and gave her permission.

The one who widened her eyes was actually Fennel.

“B, Berry? Why are you doing this?”

“Fennel. You’re trying to get tangled up with Herac again, aren’t you? I know it.”

“No, that’s not……”

“Absolutely not. You’re the top student in our year. After getting scolded for being pushed back by those knight-department guys, are you going to lower your score here? That’s not okay.”

“But……”

Berry firmly pushed Fennel, who looked like she wanted to argue.

Then she sent her back to her original team member, and stood before me.

“Hello.”

“……”

Along with a greeting mixed with a strange scoff.

Berry’s dark eyes were narrowed slightly. Meaning she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be on a team with me.

And yet, she came here herself, saying she would team up with me.

Even going so far as to send away Penel, who’s supposedly my friend.

Ultimately, considering this whole situation, the only answer I gave was this:

“You like me?”

“No, I don’t?!”

She flared up—with an intensity that could kill a man with just a glare, if such a thing were possible.

Except, I’m the one who’s dumbfounded.

“You think I’d let you and Penel be on the same team? She’s precious. She needs to get good scores. You can’t be a hindrance!”

“Why are you worried about that? You’re so nosy.”

“Hmph! What do you know?”

Her tone, as she pouts, is fierce.

If that’s how she feels, then why even become a team in the first place, I wonder?

‘Does she like Penel?’

Why is she going through all this trouble, changing teams to look after her friend’s score?

Shaking my head, I went back to exercising.

“…Hey, are you doing that again? You said you’d been exercising recently, are you going to do that even during class?”

“It’s none of your business.”

I throw a listless reply back.

I wish she’d stop bothering me and focus on her own assignment.

Since I can’t manipulate magic anyway, I might as well stick to working out.

Let’s just go our separate ways.

“Hmph. I don’t want anything to do with a guy like you either….”

*

Quite a bit of time passed since Angelina left her seat.

─Challenge!

─I, I’ll challenge too!

─Should I give it a try?

Many of the others approached the central rock during that time.

It’s only been a few hours since the casting method changed. It’ll be difficult to adjust so quickly, but…

…I’m giving you complete freedom until the end of this assignment. You can do whatever you want. So, give it your all, understood?

That means the carrot Angelina dangled is just that tempting.

Tempting enough that everyone can’t help but take a swing.

But if it were that easy, this wouldn’t be a weeks-long assignment, would it?

─ Woah, damn. Not even a scratch.

─ The way we’re casting it now, it doesn’t even have its proper power.

─ Is this… even possible…?

Everyone’s realized the difficulty of the assignment given in the first lecture and are horrified.

While they go back to their places and sigh, practicing the wind gun.

“… Shit.”

My teammate, the extra character Berry, was scowling.

“Please…”

The shape his fingers make is awfully familiar.

It’s the same “forehead flick” pose Angelina used.

Seeing the other cadets doing the same, it must be easier to just copy the instructor.

Not that you can copy the power along with it, though.

“… Aah!”

Failure.

The wind gun Berry worked so hard to practice just *pffshsh*… deflated, making a balloon-losing-air sound as the projectile crumbled.

Droop─

Berry’s shoulders slump.

He hasn’t stopped even for a single moment since we became a team, but the result is a complete defeat.

Berry hasn’t once managed a decent cast.

─ Hey. At least it does *something,* right?

─ Yeah. It’s not gonna scratch a rock but casting it itself isn’t impossible.

─ So this is what they meant by “varying your magic casting.”

Compared to him, the other cadets are all making their own progress.

Even if they can’t scratch the rock yet, they’re all at least managing to vary their wind gun casting.

There aren’t many others as unable to do even that as Berry is.

“… Haa.”

Berry lets out a deep sigh, slumping down into his seat.

Doesn’t matter what they’re doing, I’m still working out.

────────────────

【Strength increased!】

【Stamina increased!】

【Agility increased!】

────────────────

‘A real dumbbell curl would be great.’

Even just doing this, strength, stamina, and agility are going up, imagine how good it’d be with actual workout equipment.

But the knight department training grounds are off-limits for a mage like me, so it’s impossible. Such a shame.

“…Hey.”

That’s when a voice pierces my ears.

Berry’s glaring daggers at me.

“You’re so carefree, huh? Just exercising?”

“Then what should I be doing?”

“Anything at all.”

A face full of discontent.

Berry’s frustrated and starts grumbling as if she’s about to lose it.

“You’re a mage too, you know.”

“I can’t use magic though.”

“That’s something to be proud of.”

“Is that why you ripped Penel off of me and are being so fussy?”

I shrug.

“……”

Seeing I’m unfazed and calmly keep exercising, Berry shuts her mouth.

Her lips are chewed, her gaze is trembling—she seems upset.

“If it’s so hard, why didn’t you just give Penel back to me? You know, if you keep this up, you won’t get a good score.”

“I know.”

“Then why?”

“……You don’t need to know.”

She says that and glances towards Penel.

Penel was over there, laughing with the team, casting Wind Guns.

Completely different from the struggle Berry’s going through right here.

“…I’m happy as long as Penel’s happy.”

“Wow, what a great friendship.”

“Whatever, it’s fine. Didn’t really expect anything from you anyway. …I’ll handle it myself. Doesn’t matter if I don’t get the points. I can make up for that later.”

He says that but his face is pretty crumpled.

Clearly worried about the score for this assignment.

‘Seriously.’

If that’s the case, why’d he even ask to team up with me?

Berry, undeterred, tries to cast a Wind Gun again.

If I leave him like this, he’ll burn through all his mana and end up bedridden.

Honestly, that’s not really my problem, but—

‘…Annoying.’

Doing my workout and having someone pull this kind of aggro beside me is just frustrating, it lowers my efficiency.

My muscle growth is urgent, it’s gonna be a problem if I keep getting interrupted like this.

‘Guess I have no choice.’

I’ll have to get rid of it somehow.

“Hey.”

“What.”

“Anyway, all we have to do is break that rock, right? It’s a team combined score, so you’ll get points too, right?”

“……What’s with the sudden nonsense?”

“Just saying it for your own good.”

I toss the rock I was holding aside, carelessly.

Stand up from my spot and start walking towards the rock in the center.

“Wait, what are you doing? Are you going to try and take that on?”

“Yeah.”

“A, are you crazy…? How do you think you’ll do that? You can’t use magic, can you?”

“It’s because you look like you’re about to die beside me.”

“…….”

He shuts his mouth tight at my blatant comment.

Seems like it pricked her conscience a bit too.

“……Wh-what does that matter. You can’t even cast a Wind Gun anyway.”

“No. I can.”

“What? How?”

Berry’s face, a picture of confusion.

I smirked at her and declared,

“I’ll show you. My magic.”

“……?”

“Just wait and see.”

I loosened my shoulders, stretching.

The closer I got to the center, the more eyes I drew.

My classmates’ gazes, first puzzled, then morphing into scorn.

Penel’s eyes, wide, then sparkling with sudden light.

Taking in all their attention, I curled up a sly smile and stood before the rock.

I raised my arm. Extended my hand toward the rock, mimicking the ‘flick’ position Angelina had taken.

My index and thumb locked taut.

My muscles twitched, from my back of my hand, to my wrist, to my elbow, to my shoulder.

Ready to obey my command, instantly.

A situation no one expected.

That I couldn’t do it.

That I couldn’t use magic.

That’s what everyone thought, surely—

“Let’s see what happens.”

There’s absolutely no need to worry.

Because highly developed muscles are indistinguishable from magic, you see.