"Bro, I'm also glad to hear your voice. I managed to meet with the ladies, and they are fine. They lost their phones and their apartments during the flood and attack," Roger said.
Ivan sighed in relief. He said, "That's good to know. Have they been moved to another place?"
"They haven't, but they have received emails from the Disaster Relief Ministry to be on standby. The relief workers will soon attend to them."
Two notification sounds rang out on Roger's end. Roger paused.
Roger corked back his head, his expression unclear to Ivan. He said, "The girls just messaged me. They got themselves new phones."
Ivan said, "Honestly, it shouldn't come as a surprise, but it is indeed surprising."
"Where are you? Or where are you heading to?" Roger asked.
Ivan was walking down the street.
"Uhh." Ivan deliberated if he should reveal what he had been up to a while ago. He decided against that.
He said, "I'm heading home. I just went out to get some necessities. I'm yet to receive a report about my car. Did I tell you that I was at the crux of the attack?"
Roger's eyes widened. "You have got to be kidding," he said, horror evident in his tone
Ivan said, "I kid you not. The street was first flooded. Cars' engines got jammed, and they couldn't move. People had to escape the cars because it was getting flooded. Then the Merlin_13 happened; parents got selfish and abandoned their kids in the cars to die. I had to help save some kids."
"Bro!" Roger interjected with an exclamation.
"The last kid I saved got blasted to bloody pieces right in my face. It was traumatising, and I was so angry with myself, at the selfish parents and at the heartless aliens. Everyone had to flee the scene to save dear lives."
Roger said, "Bro, that's a lot to unpack. And here I was thinking that me surviving a small stampede which was caused by the information of the alien attack was a big deal."
Ivan said, "I think we and the ladies should meet up this night to talk and take some air."
Roger nodded. He said, "We should, definitely. Usual spot, no?"
Ivan said, "The usual spot. Wait, the restaurant survived?"
Ivan was asking about the restaurant he and his friends usually visited. It was an outdoor restaurant named Gustav's al fresco restaurant.
Roger said, "Bro, I'm starting to think that place uses some kind of juju. It was unscathed during the whole commotion. I stopped by a few minutes ago and spoke with one of the waiters. The waiter informed me that the entire staff remained inside to survive the commotion.
"He said no one dared to barge into the place or accidentally crash into the place with their car. I was kind of mad. I wanted something to happen to the place."
Ivan laughed. He said his closing words, "We will catch up later today at the place. Don't forget to tell the ladies. I will be a bit busy sorting out some things."
Ivan arrived in his apartment. He checked his phone again after ending the call with Roger. He was yet to receive an email from the Disaster Relief Ministry concerning his car. He cooked himself a nice meal for the afternoon. He cooked himself a classic spaghetti dish.
Strangely, his appetite for food had grown ravenous. When he was cooking the dish, he felt that one pack wouldn't be enough to feed him, and so, he cooked two packs. He didn't serve out the food on a plate. He took the pot from the kitchen and walked into his bedroom. Here, he sat on the floor and wolfed down the poor delicious spaghetti.
After finishing the meal, he wasn't satisfied. He desired to cook more, but he was too lazy to do so. He just kept the pot in the sink, awaiting to be washed. He opened the lone window in the bathroom to have some fresh air.
He sat on a chair close to the window and looked at the sky. He reflected on his recent achievement and thought about what to do next. He remembered the checklist he made for himself before leaving for the gaming hub. He found a pen and a jotter from the chest of drawers beside his bed. He penned the list on a page.
He picked up his phone and searched for a well-equipped and cheap gym around him. The second point on the list was for him to improve his physique. He soon found a gym that he could afford. Exclusive membership for a month cost 750 gp [game points]. Ivan looked at his savings of 5000 gp. He felt that he could chest the cost.
Ivan changed his attire into a grey jumper and joggers. He took the last good kit bag he owned and packed a change of clothes. He departed for the gym.
Moments later, a gym instructor was showing Ivan around the various sections and equipment of the gym. After the introductions, the gym instructor advised Ivan to do some light push-ups and stretches before starting other exercises.
Ivan stretched his limbs and flexed his joints. He was nervous about doing push-ups. The best he had done was 8 push-ups. But today, he was feeling confident. He got down on the floor and heaved himself up and down. In the blink of an eye, he had done 25 push-ups and didn't look like stopping soon. He went on to do eighty push-ups before he felt his biceps and triceps ache. He stopped at 85 push-ups.
'Is this the strength that comes with being an F-rank martial artist? Amazing.' Ivan mused.
He stepped onto the treadmill and set the speed to 10 mph on a zero-degree incline. He ran for 10 minutes before he started to feel aches in his thighs and his calves. Ivan stopped the treadmill and got off the machine. His breathing was heavy. This was the first time in a long while that he had done serious exercise. He was grossly unfit for exercise.
It was because of the enhanced physique that came with being a special character that made him last ten minutes on the treadmill. If not, he would have collapsed within two minutes.
'This stuff is tough. How do people like doing this regularly? My thighs are killing me.' Ivan's thoughts flared up with lamentations.