"Huh?" Owen and the other staff in the film studio squinted at Ben when he made his confusing declaration of eating those...
He clarified. "I said…I can lift those weights."
Watching this eager-eyed boy, most of the staff members and Owen couldn't help but chuckle again… Big red shook his head. "Kid, I'm sure you're itching to prove yourself, but you're what, about 160 lbs? You see that bench press? That's 250 lbs there. Give me a break…"
"I can lift it," Ben repeated with confidence.
Seeing how sure Ben was, Jacob once again spoke up for him. "Give him a chance. Besides, at this point, what's there to lose? You said it yourself, it's not like we can get anyone else at the moment."
'Are they serious?' Owen squinted at them for a while…then snorted. "Well, why not? It's your studio Jacob, so since you vouch for the kid, I don't mind giving him a chance, even though he's going to embarrass himself. Having said that, I'm not going to have all my people run around and set up for nothing."
He pointed to the 250 lb barbell bench press. "Kid, do one rep of that first. If you can't even rep once, we have nothing to talk about, but before you start, know this." His face became grave. "If you're bullsh*tting me and wasting my time, there will be serious consequences. So...are you sure you want to do this?"
At that moment, Ben received some system alerts that caused his eyebrows to rise.
[Unique conditions detected]
[Floor Bosses detected]
[User has unlocked Favorability sub-system: male relations]
[Boss of Floor B1(Production): Jacob Leiberman]
[Target's current relations level: friendly]
[Title: Senile Old Man(user-appointed)]
…
Reading the last part, Ben smiled. 'As a corporate employee, it's always a good feeling when someone upstairs accepts your suggestions…'
More messages followed.
[Boss of Floor 11(Male's Health Magazine): Owen Murphy]
[Target's current relations level: unfriendly]
[Title: Mutated Fire Dragon(user-appointed)]
…
Noticing the abundance of sudden data, Ben looked around at the other staff members, but for all of them, the system screen only showed one thing.
[Corporate slave]
…
Ben nodded. 'They're the extras that fill in the background…'
He didn't realize that at the moment, his own status in the company was even lower…
[Challenge conditions met]
[Special Optional Challenge: Swole or Troll - Prove to the Boss of Floor 11 that you have what it takes, then fill in for his task]
[Reward: 1000 PUA Points, higher-level Tower access, and possible attention from figures of the higher Floors]
[Punishment: Loss of climbing qualifications for the Tower]
Seeing the punishment, Ben understood. 'If I f*ck up, this assh*le redhead's going to get me fired, but that's fine, because I won't botch this.'
The system even offered a summary.
[You've encountered a Wild Floor Boss who has offered you a challenge. If you accept, you would be jumping Floors, confronting a higher level Boss]
[Do you wish to accept the challenge?]
Ben's eyes flashed at the challenge. "Of course, I'm not a protagonist if I can't jump levels in a boss fight!' He glanced at Owen who'd been waiting for him to think it over. "I'll do it!"
[Challenge initiated]
Looking at Ben, Owen sighed. 'Whatever. It's in the devil's hands now…'
Then he instructed his slaves to make room for Ben to use the bench press.
As Ben prepared to take on the challenge, one thing bugged him. He was curious why the system was showing more data here than it did in Domina. He asked the system and she replied it was because he passed the tutorial stage, and also to shut up and be thankful or he'd be dropped.
…
Ben didn't quite understand, but he was planning to move on and not be a baby about it, because babies hated being dropped more than anyone.
…
As he prepared to sit on the bench press, Jacob put a hand on his shoulder. "Benjamin, are you sure about this? They created this feature for a bodybuilder after all. If you're not careful, you could get injured. Though, of course, I believe in your survivalist skills…"
Ben smirked. 'A feature with a bodybuilder? How original. I wonder how they choose these features. Do they have some algorithm making mindless selections?
Or perhaps some mythical marketing team in a hidden chamber in China…"
However, Ben replied with confidence. "Thanks for your concern Jacob, and your support, but trust me—I'll be fine."
Seeing his certainty, Jacob chose to trust in the young man.
Soon, Ben signed a document voiding the company's liability if he got injured, and he prepared to lift weights. As he did a few stretches and a warm-up on a machine, he remembered one issue that gave him pause. 'Wait, like other protagonists with special powers, should I be careful and hide my ability? If I don't, the government may capture me and use me for experiments…'
Then, he realized something. 'Nah, if I go by every novel that mentions that, on each new map change, there'll be a million new guys stronger than me, so forget it…'
Reassured, Ben set himself on the bench, and positioned his hands on the barbell.
Owen was keeping a close eye on Ben but only because he didn't want to be responsible if the kid got injured. He even instructed two of the corporate slaves to stand nearby...ready to lift the bar when it collapsed on Ben, which he was certain would happen.
Despite having no confidence, he still was strict about his standards as he yelled at Ben. "Remember, full range of motion! Don't alligator arm the rep!"
…
As Ben's hands touched the bar, he recalled something and looked at Owen. "Do you have chalk powder?"
Owen raised an eyebrow. "For grip?"
Ben shook his head, but didn't finish what he wanted to say due to the desire to keep his job. 'No, to leave handprints after I slap your faces.'
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