Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

The next day was Wednesday. Ivan began his day early, by 5 a.m. He meticulously cleaned himself before heading to the gym. He was determined to take self-improvement seriously. The harrowing gate raid, with its perilous encounters, had called almost every muscle fibre in his body into intense action. The profound nourishment he had received from the Vate Lord's Residence acted upon him like a potent performance-enhancing drug, causing his muscles and his mind to improve in remarkable leaps and bounds.

Ivan trained immensely, pushing himself to his absolute maximum. It seemed as though the equipment in the gym was no longer adequately tailored for his enhanced capabilities. Indeed, his physical attributes had grossly improved, meaning he was no longer at the level of an ordinary human being. Utterly astonished by the immense strength and boundless stamina that Ivan was exhibiting, his gym coach felt utterly useless, reduced to a mere bewildered spectator.

When Ivan commenced this monstrous workout, Miranda, his gym coach, initially assumed that it was merely an early burst of transient energy. She advised him to slow down, as the speed at which he was moving on the treadmill was far too rapid for someone who typically spent a significant amount of time in the gym. She felt that he would tire himself soon and leave the gym. She was utterly baffled to witness him maintain a consistent speed of thirty-three kilometres per hour for more than thirty minutes, and he was still continuing relentlessly.

'Did he experience a heartbreak? Ah, that's right, I never got to ask him if he had a girlfriend,' Miranda mused.

Ivan spent a full hour on the treadmill before moving on to other equipment. The sheer speed at which he exercised with the other apparatus continued to baffle Miranda. Her mind was utterly blown that Ivan could sustain such extraordinary stamina.

To the best of Miranda's knowledge, Ivan usually spent at most four hours in this gym, Escady Gym. A few minutes past 9 a.m., she had gone to procure breakfast from a nearby food stall, fully expecting that Ivan would have departed for home upon her return. She was mistaken; Ivan was still vigorously exercising in the gym with a consistently monstrous speed and unwavering stamina.

Miranda settled into a quiet corner of the exercising room, intently watching Ivan as she consumed her breakfast.

Once it was 11:45 a.m., Ivan's wristwatch alarm buzzed. The wristwatch was a new, sleek smartwatch that he had purchased yesterday from an online vendor. He had timed himself to stop exercising by 11:45 a.m. He had carefully planned his day and had no intention of failing to complete every goal he had set to achieve.

He took a refreshing shower in the gym's shower room before heading home. His next destination was the martial arts centre. He retrieved a meal which he had stored frozen in the fridge. He warmed it and ate it. The meal consisted of fried rice generously garnished with a variety of sweet vegetables and a large, succulent chicken leg.

Twenty minutes of rest proved sufficient for Ivan to recover to peak condition after his intensive gym session. This remarkable recovery was attributed to his vastly improved vitality, allowing him to recuperate much faster than before. He packed his black Zubon and a plain grey shirt into his kit bag. Draped in a dark grey oversized crew-neck t-shirt, perfectly matched with olive green cargo trousers with a relaxed fit, and a pair of grey sneakers, Ivan set out for Greg's Martial Arts Centre.

From today onwards, he was determined to pursue a black belt in Kali martial arts. He desired to acquire a significantly improved close-quarters combat style. He was aware of the inherent flaws in this particular martial art style, but to him, it was far better to be proficient in one discipline than to possess no proficiency in anything at all.

He arrived at the martial arts centre. He changed his attire to the one he had packed in his kit bag. First, he began training solo, diligently practising the fundamental basics of the martial arts on his own. Then, he proceeded to spar with Greg, who made himself unusually available on this particular day. The sparring sessions were a tight, intense competition between the two special characters, but Greg consistently seemed to possess a subtle edge over Ivan. The centre owner won all ten matches.

"You have gotten faster and stronger, with a noticeable improvement in your finesse," Greg complimented Ivan after winning the last sparring round.

Ivan wore a genuine smile on his face. He was delighted that he had improved so significantly. He felt that he should have been winning against Greg, but he couldn't quite pinpoint the subtle difference that consistently gave Greg the advantage over him. From their intense fight, Ivan discovered that he possessed a clear physical edge over Greg; his speed, agility, and coordination were undeniably superior.

Furthermore, he confirmed one crucial fact: Greg was indeed a special character. In one of the rounds, Ivan went all out, moving with incredible speed, effortlessly breaking every grappling lock that Greg attempted, and countering every strike. He had completely dictated the round, transitioning seamlessly from defensive to offensive, utterly suppressing Greg. Yet, Greg reached his hit points faster than Ivan.

Ivan left the gym at ten minutes past three in the afternoon. He was deeply satisfied with his progress. He had spent almost twelve hours dedicated to improving his physicality. He returned home feeling at ease with himself.

Ivan arrived home. He took a refreshing shower to wash off the sweat. He had worn his training clothes home. He changed back into his dark-grey oversized T-shirt and olive green trousers. He walked barefoot to his living room and settled onto his one-seater sofa to relax. In the past week, up to this very moment, this was the only time he had felt unburdened. He had successfully settled the misunderstanding with Daiyu, and he had informed his friends about his relationship with her.

Chioma felt a pang of surprise upon hearing the news. She had a strong hunch that Daiyu and Ivan were dating, but she had been too preoccupied with her fashion business to uncover the truth. Ivan allowed Daiyu to inform Chioma about the misunderstanding that had culminated in Ivan hitting Roger. This particular piece of information astonished Chioma. It felt like a celebrity scandal to her. She had never imagined that her friends would engage in such a significant altercation.

Twenty minutes passed, and Ivan was fully recharged once again. He put on his pair of grey sneakers, secured his car keys and phone in his trouser pockets before leaving his apartment to commence his cab-hailing service.