A somewhat grimy razor sat on the sink. Its blade was even coated with yellowish-brown mineral deposits and rust.
Obviously, Don Quixote, the sort of guy who turned long sleeves into short sleeves and short sleeves into underwear, wasn't about to spend money on replacement blades.
But even a partially rusted blade could easily slice through rough skin and draw blood.
Li Wei picked up the razor, removed the blade, and lightly ran it across his arm.
A sense of resistance came from the blade, as though it weren't scraping across a human body but something tougher than the blade itself, like a steel cable.
Li Wei started by making only the lightest strokes. Then he gradually applied more force, but all he could manage were faint white lines across his forearm.
Still, Li Wei felt this was probably the limit for now. If the blade were any sharper and he used a little more force, it seemed he could still cause a tiny amount of damage.
"But this seems to be only a Bronze-level body," Li Wei said, suddenly recalling the mythological lore in one of the books he'd read for fun. "Are there even higher levels, like a Silver or Gold body?"
As he turned around, he accidentally knocked over the razor and toothbrush standing on the sink.
But the instant they toppled, he reacted and caught both of them in midair, one in each hand.
"Is this what 1.4 Agility and 1.5 Spirit are like?" Li Wei stared in astonishment at the two things in his hands. "My Agility went up by 0.2 in one go, and even my nerve response speed improved."
After putting the blade back in the razor, Li Wei was already looking forward to seeing what results he'd get at the gym the next morning.
The next day, Don Quixote woke early as usual and left home, weighed down by his worries.
Li Wei had made a small change to his schedule that day, moving his morning part-time job to the afternoon. He'd arranged to go work out at the gym with Michael.
Around 10:15, after finishing his schoolwork and arriving at the gym, Li Wei was surprised to find it much busier than usual. The front desk was empty, while Michael was craning his neck from the edge of the crowd to see what was happening in the middle.
He walked over and tapped Michael on the shoulder.
"What's going on?" He pointed toward the center. "Why are there so many people today?"
"Oh... Li Wei, you're here. They've got an event today," Michael said, turning to greet him. "A bench press competition. The winner gets cash and protein powder."
Li Wei looked toward the area Michael had pointed out. Sure enough, a crowd of hulking men surrounded the center of the weight room, where a massive Black man weighing over 110 kilograms, with arms thicker than Li Wei's thighs, was attempting a 160-kilogram bench press.
"What's the first-place prize?" Li Wei asked Michael.
"Five hundred dollars, plus a tub of hydrolyzed whey protein," Michael said, gazing at the weight room with envy. "They're so strong. I wonder if it's possible to get to their level without taking anything."
"Probably a little difficult," Li Wei said casually. "Last time, I saw them talking about their experiences with taking steroids."
"Then forget it. I want to be a doctor, not go into sports... Oh, right." He thought for a moment, then pointed to a young Black man near the front of the weight room. "You wanted to join Franklin High School's football team, didn't you? Take a look at his build. He's the team's defensive tackle, and he's up next."
Li Wei turned to look. A huge guy, about the same height as him but probably weighing at least 130 kilograms, was rubbing his hands together and bouncing with excitement.
"Contestant number 14, Manu!"
Manu, from Franklin High School's football team, let out a cheer and stepped up.
His face was far too mature and mean-looking for his age. He looked like an underdeveloped silverback gorilla.
At the judge's signal, he roared as his friends slapped his back, then walked up to the bench press rack to attempt 165 kilograms.
"165 kilograms! First attempt, successful! Manu takes first place!"
When Manu pushed the record up to 165 kilograms, the atmosphere instantly heated up. Everyone cheered for the promising young high schooler.
"Manu, you're good enough to make it into the NCAA, aren't you?" one of his teammates laughed, embracing him as he stepped down. "Which college are you planning to go to?"
"If I get the chance, I'm definitely going to Ohio State. It's the strongest football school in America right now, after all," Manu said with a proud laugh. "If I play for a few years and get lucky, maybe I'll even make it to the NFL."
At the edge of the weight room, Li Wei watched Manu basking in the crowd's cheers, then suddenly turned to the gym's front desk. "Can I still sign up? I want to win that five hundred dollars too."
It wasn't entirely about showing off. He wanted the five hundred dollars and protein powder, too.
More importantly, he felt like he could lift more than 165 kilograms.
"You can..." The receptionist looked at Li Wei as if he were a scrawny little chicken. "But... what's the point of signing up now? You can lift 165 kilograms too?"
Hearing Li Wei's exchange with the receptionist, a Latino man with a bushy beard nearby let out an exaggerated cry.
"Look who wants to challenge Manu! This is a bench press competition, not a math contest, and it's not the Panda Takeout break room! Bruce Lee, did you get lost on your way here?"
The people around them burst out laughing.
"Hey! Screw you!" The white receptionist glared at him and swore, then apologized to Li Wei. "Listen, man, if you want to sign up, I can sign you up, of course. But... there's no point. You can't beat Manu."
At that, Li Wei's intention to keep a low profile was thoroughly extinguished.
"Sign me up," Li Wei said with a shrug. "By the way, lifting 165 kilograms is enough to be the best in this gym? I thought I'd walked into a women's gym."
Li Wei's words had clearly made everyone furious. Curses rang out from every side, especially from the bearded Latino who'd started the taunting. If his friends hadn't held him back, he looked ready to jump in.
As if to add to the excitement, the system popped up with a quest:
[Quest received: Duel!] [A knight's dignity allows no one to defile or insult it. A true knight should defeat his opponent fairly, in the area where the opponent excels. For the honor of a knight!] [Quest reward: Strength +0.1]
"Shut the hell up!"
The receptionist roared, silencing the crowd.
He looked at Li Wei helplessly. "All right, man. Since you're the one who wants to sign up... Number 15! Li Wei!"
"Li Wei... maybe you shouldn't..." Michael tried to talk him out of it. "Last time, you could only bench 110 kilograms, right?"
Instead, Li Wei handed Michael his big water bottle. "Fill this up for me, thanks. I'll take it home to drink."
He strolled forward nonchalantly and examined the 165-kilogram barbell Manu had just lifted.
"How much do you want to add?" the judge asked as he came over. "If you lift 165 kilograms too, you can still win because you weigh less."
Li Wei looked around the room, pausing especially on the bearded man he'd clashed with. Then he suddenly smiled.
"Hey, Beard," he said. "If I can lift 220 kilograms, will you run a lap outside with your bare ass hanging out?"
"Little monkey! If you can lift 220 kilograms," the bearded Latino shouted defiantly, "I won't just run a lap with my bare ass hanging out. I'll jerk off while I'm running!"
"But if you can't lift it, then you'll run outside with your bare ass hanging out, shouting that I'm gay. Deal?"
"Did you all hear that?" Li Wei asked the crowd. Then he turned to the judge. "I'll make sure you're convinced. Set it to 240 kilograms! Get your phones out, everyone. Someone's about to go viral on TikTok!"
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