[Special Shoutout to our fan of the Month: Pedro_Sousa!!]
Hugo shuffled into the college gym's toilet, dragging his feet like a condemned man. The instant the door swung shut behind him, a smell slammed into his face with the force of a heavyweight punch. It was so awful it could knock out a skunk.
His first instinct was to gag, but he managed to clamp a hand over his mouth.
His eyes watered from the stench—something foul brewing inside one of the cubicles. The smell wasn't just bad. It was as if something had crawled in there, binged on expired protein powder and gym socks, and then died a slow, agonising death.
"What in the world...?" Hugo whispered, inching forward like he was approaching the lair of a sewer goblin.
Before he could retreat, the door of the cursed cubicle creaked open. Out stepped a bald guy, built like a tank but with the expression of a man leaving a spa day.
His cheeks were flushed, his eyes misty with what could only be described as satisfaction.
Hugo froze, blinking in disbelief. That wasn't the look of a man who just barely survived the aftermath of Taco Tuesday.
No.
This was... something else.
'Please tell me this guy didn't...' Hugo's thoughts trailed off in horror. The stink. The timing. The satisfied expression. His brain connected the dots, and none of them were good.
"That's a smell you only make after... some serious self-love." Hugo muttered to himself, half gagging and half chuckling in disbelief. He wanted to laugh, but the combination of disgust and shock made it hard to focus.
He shook his head violently as if the mental image would just disappear. Why was his life like this? He should've known better than to expect a normal day.
Hugo reached into his pocket and pulled out the System's latest gift: the muscle unlock pill. With a flick of his thumb, he opened the small container. What he saw next almost made him throw it across the room.
The pill inside wasn't just questionably shaped—it was... horrific. Bent at an odd angle, it looked either like a broken cock or a dysfunctional adult toy
"You've got to be kidding me," Hugo muttered, holding the pill between two fingers as if it were evidence in some twisted court case. "Why does the System keep doing this to me?"
He stared at it for another moment, debating his options. The System was sadistic. It loved making him suffer. Why else would it make every pill look like something out of a bad joke?
With a sigh, he popped it into his mouth and swallowed fast, hoping it wouldn't taste as weird as it looked. No way was he letting anyone catch him holding that thing.
He stood still, waiting for the familiar rush of euphoria like the last time he used an unlock pill back in the hospital. But... nothing happened.
His eyes narrowed. "Hello? System? Where's the life-changing sensation?"
Nothing. Not even a tingle. It felt like he had just swallowed a rubber toy for no reason.
'Great,' Hugo thought sarcastically. 'I've just eaten a chew toy. Maybe next time, they'll send me a squeaky one.'
He exhaled, catching another unfortunate whiff of the lingering stench from the cubicle. 'Gross.' He needed to get out of this place before it became part of him.
"Alright," Hugo muttered to himself. "Time to be a gym god!"
---
The moment Hugo stepped out of the toilet, the gym's atmosphere hit him like a tidal wave.
The air was filled with the heavy thump of bass, pumping so loud it felt like the speakers were personally slapping him in the face, yelling, "Work harder, you wimp!"
"Now this is more like it!" Hugo shouted, his spirits lifted by the buzz of activity around him.
He dumped his bag near the lockers and grabbed his headphones, switching from the generic workout playlist blaring overhead to his own carefully curated jams.
Nothing like a little personal motivation.
Feeling the excitement bubble in his chest, he pulled out his phone and opened his gym app.
'Time for squats.'
He made his way to the squat rack, loading the barbell with just the right amount of weight to make it look impressive without destroying himself.
This was the moment. Today, he'd unlock his inner Greek god.
He squared his shoulders, planted his feet, and took a deep breath. "Let's do this."
As he lowered himself into the first squat, *
a strange sensation bloomed in his muscles.
Warmth spread through his legs like a cosy blanket, wrapping every fibre of his muscles in bliss.
"Oh... whoa." His voice escaped in a strange half-moan before he could stop it.
'What the hell was that?'
He straightened, blinking in disbelief. That felt... good. Too good.
With cautious curiosity, Hugo went for a second squat. This time, the sensation hit even harder, spreading from his thighs to his calves and glutes like a wave of tingling happiness.
"Ohhh yes!" The words slipped out involuntarily, sounding far too much like someone having way too much fun.
He froze mid-rep, eyes darting around the gym. Had anyone heard that?
He couldn't handle another embarrassing situation—not after the orientation disaster. But thankfully, the gym's thunderous music kept his sounds drowned out.
Feeling a surge of confidence, Hugo went deeper into his reps, each one filling him with euphoric energy. It was like his muscles were singing with joy, begging him to keep going.
Soon, he was in the zone, squatting like a pro, completely lost in the rhythm of the exercise.
"Ahhh, yes! YES!" he cried out, forgetting entirely where he was. Each rep was a symphony of bliss, his body and mind in perfect harmony.
And then...
The music cut out.
The sudden silence was deafening, like the air had been sucked out of the room. Hugo, still lost in his workout-induced high, didn't notice.
"Ahhh! Yes! More! Just a little more!" he moaned, unaware that the entire gym had turned to stare at him in stunned silence.
Every head was turned his way, eyes wide with disbelief. Gym-goers exchanged glances, some amused, others horrified, all of them wondering if they'd accidentally wandered into the wrong kind of gym.
One guy dropped his dumbbells with a loud clang, muttering, "Dude, what the hell?"
Another whispered to his friend, "Is he... enjoying squats that much?"
Hugo had once again managed to find himself at the centre of an awkward disaster.
_____
[Yay! We finally got a contract! So grateful to all my dear readers that have been on this journey with me! Mass release coming soon!!!]
P.S: I had a fever today, so it took me a long time to write this chapter. Give me your feedback!