Chapter Two: Experiments, Part I

Physical Education was a lesson Elsie never particularly liked or enjoyed with gusto, despite the exhilarating feeling her body underwent as welcome relief to the hours she spent in front of a computer or her desk.

Neither was their coach a likeable person. A non-committal person by nature, Coach Jeanette Dawson only did the barest minimum her work demanded, never putting forth her best effort into coaching the students. The African-American woman was one Elsie could sympathise with, though she kept such sentiments to herself.

Now, however, Elsie genuinely wished to outperform herself, primarily to see if, like in a game, her physical training would increase her stats.

“Alright, we’re doing the standard routine today!” Said Coach Jeanette, “Five laps on the race track, 20 sets of push-ups and jumping jacks each, and then a round of soccer! Come on, chop chop!”

Her words masked her lack of enthusiasm well, but Elsie had heard it enough times to pick up on it. Yet she did not begrudge it, instead focusing on her task.

Never putting in her best effort up till now, followed by lots of inactivity every day, Elsie’s very bones burned under the strain as she struggled to keep up with the others. Throughout the lesson, Elsie felt the urge to simply lie down and cry crocodile tears, whimpering at the sheer abuse she subjected herself to.

Only the prospect of gain forced her onwards, and at last the gruelling training was finally over, and Elsie collapsed onto the nearest bench she could sit on as the Coach declared a break.

Greedily gulping down her water, Elsie felt as if her chest hammered with thunderclaps, her body so drenched in sweat the other classmates shied away from her strong body odour. She paid them no heed, and focused on her stat sheet.

Exercising has increased the following stats:

+2 Strength, +3 Endurance

Elsie could not feel the immediate changes to her body – tired as she was, but gains were gains, and she smiled despite her current state.

Then came the soccer game. This time, she was one of the attackers, and she and all the other players waited with bated breath for the coach’s whistle.

“Alright, make sure to play safe and avoid getting injured!” Shouted Coach Jeanette, “If you cannot play anymore, make sure to tell me quickly!”

With her reminder done, Coach Jeanette blew the whistle, and her team’s goalkeeper started the match as he kicked the football to the field.

The rest of the soccer match was a blur to Elsie, but throughout the match, she felt her body was lighter and stronger – though not necessarily faster, and she felt she had more stamina than before, failing to tire more easily in comparison to past matches.

In the end, her team still lost – one fact the infamous Leslie and Riley used to make snide faces at Elsie, but she ignored them in favour of her new gains.

Playing Soccer has increased the following stats:

+3 Endurance, +2 Agility, +1 Strength

And having washed herself and changed clothes, she studied herself in the mirror, hoping to notice any physical changes to her body.

And to her joy, she found her body more muscular than before – not overly burly like some fanatical bodybuilders, but well-defined and slimmer than before, and her skin had a far healthier complexion, the effects of years of consuming snacks and soft drinks flushing away.

“I wonder if I’ll actually end up sexier the more I train…” Elsie muttered to herself, “Oh, who am I kidding, of course I will.”

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The rest of the day passed uneventfully, none of the other classes proving as helpful as P.E., but Elsie was in the mood to celebrate her gains.

With her increase in stats and the changes to her body, the prospective improvements she could yet gain made her giddy with joy and great expectation, and she was sure as hell going to exploit it as much as possible.

Even better, she did not feel tired anymore from her P.E. lesson – her Gamer’s Body having purged her fatigue.

These powers are just too damn convenient, Were Elsie’s thoughts.

Having reached home, she quickly changed back into a set of sports clothes she used only sparingly – an orange T-shirt, black pants and sneakers – and hastily made her way to the nearest gym she knew was within her neighbourhood.

The gym in question was large enough for at least a hundred athletes, equipped with all manner of sports equipment from weights, dumbbells and poles to rowing machines, treadmills and cycling machines, shower and locker facilities.

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And having quickly stored her belongings, she went to work.

“Alright, Elsie, let’s see how far you can take your body today!”

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6.08PM

Nearly three hours of gruelling exercise had left her body fatigued beyond measure, Elsie using each and every kind of machine her non-membership status permitted her, and now her muscles ached with so much pain she was effectively numb, her lungs burning like they were on fire.

But at the end of it all, the improvements to her stats were worth it.

Training in the Gym has increased the following Stats:

+6 Strength, +6 Endurance, +6 Agility

She greedily drank of her blueberry-flavoured Sportade like a water tank being refilled, the ice-cold drink like the sweetest wine on her taste buds. After a nice drink and a round of cooling down, followed by a cold shower, Elsie took a few moments to admire her new figure.

Her muscles were more well-defined than before, and her curves became more shapely and pronounced with the lack of fat and presence of hard muscle beneath. Greater still was the lightness she felt in her step, as if she could run for a marathon and yet remain unimpeded by her own weight.

With her training done, she went back home and was treated to the sight of a scrumptious dinner prepared by her mother Stella; rice with chill con carne and simple lettuce salad.

“Good to see you’re home, Elsie,” Said Stella with a warm smile – one that instantly melts any heart, “Come on, you must be starving after spending so long at the gym.”

Her salivating mouth and growling stomach accentuated Stella’s point, and Elsie said, “I definitely am.”

As they ate dinner, Elsie stuffed herself with gusto in an eager bid to fill the bottomless pit her stomach had become, and it was only minutes later that she finished – Stella having barely eaten a fraction of her food.

“That was the fastest I’ve seen you finish your food,” Stella remarked.

“Well, what can I say? I was especially hungry from all the workouts I’ve been doing,” Elsie said, shrugging her shoulders.

“You didn’t show much enthusiasm for exercising,” Stella stated.

“No, I didn’t,” Elsie said, “At least until now.”

“Okay, and what convinced you to suddenly adopt a more active lifestyle?” Asked Stella.

Elsie knew that Stella never peppered her with so many questions usually, given that Elsie always retreated to her room to play her video games and had little interest in anything else. Now, with such a drastic change, it made sense Stella was curious and wanted answers.

But how do I explain it? I can’t simply say I’ve gained powers, no way she’d believe me, Thought Elsie with alarm, Come on, think, think…

Harrumphing awkwardly, Elsie then said, “Well… I was getting stir-crazy in my room, and I did feel the need to move around and get the kinks out of my body.”

“That does make sense, but you would easily settle for a long walk instead, not a gym session,” Stella pointed out.

Elsie winced, forgetting that fact of her daily life.

Yet, to Elsie’s salvation, Stella then sighed, saying, “No, I shouldn’t have made you uncomfortable like that. Sorry, darling.”

Elsie sighed in relief and hugged her mother, saying, “No, it’s fine mom. It’s only natural you were curious.”

Stella answered with a small kiss to the forehead, saying, “Go on now, and don’t let me keep you.”

Elsie returned the kiss and went upstairs, leaving her mother to finish dinner on her own.

“She’s definitely hiding something, but I don’t know what,” Stella muttered, “Oh well, not that I can just pry it from her.”

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Despite her Gamer’s Body healing her fatigue, Elsie had never been happier to simply crash onto her bed, letting the soft mattress cushion her body as another kind of mental fatigue settled in her mind.

“Shit, did not expect that at all…” Thought Elsie as she stared up at the ceiling, “I really hope I don’t get into trouble if my powers are revealed.”

As if to answer her statement, another pop-up appeared, this time a message of sorts.

You cannot and can never, under any circumstance, reveal your powers to anyone. If you do, it’s certain death for you.

The fuck..? Thought Elsie, This is different, and what’s with the death threat?

You don’t get it? Oh well, allow me to explain: I am Gaia, the magnanimous Goddess that governs the laws of the mundane world and the Abyss, and I am the one who gave you your powers.

Of course, it’s a goddess. Really standard isekai trope, Thought Elsie, And seeing as she’s clearly talking to me… Gaia, why give me of all people powers?

The why is not important, Elsie. What’s important is that you cannot reveal your powers to anyone not affiliated with the Abyss. In simple terms, it is the secret world of magic users and fantasy stuff, and it exists separately from the mundane world for a reason.

Thinking long and hard, it was not hard to see why, and the potential chaos that would follow. Perhaps it was best to not think of what happened to those who broke this cardinal rule.

Can I expect anything in the Abyss? Just so that I’m more well-prepared?

You can find allies willing to help, but you must also watch out for slavers out to take you to a mana factory – they’ll suck you dry of mana, and you have to of course be prepared to fight monsters that spawn in your path. If you die, well… that means it was a waste of your powers and my time.

Elsie shuddered at the thought of dying, and though she wished Gaia did not show such a snarky attitude, neither was she willing to take the chance of somehow unknowingly angering her.

Is that all you have for me?

Indeed. If you don’t mind, I’ll be watching your life like a soap opera.

That elicited a long, suffering sigh from Elsie.

Elsie Wright

Age: 17

Title: The Gamer

Level: 3

EXP: 0/600

HP: 75/75

MP: 90/90

Strength: 17

Agility: 18

Endurance: 18

Intellect: 32

Wisdom: 17

Charisma: 5

Libido: 10

Skills:

Gamer’s Body: Allows the user to live the world like a real game; prevents mortal wounds as attacks drain HP instead.

Gamer’s Mind: Allows for the user to calmly and logically think things through, grants a peaceful state of mind and immunity to psychological status effects.

Observe Lvl Max: Tells the target’s information, HP and MP and additional information, such as background, motives, emotions felt, etc, and a relationship score depending on how target views you. -200 is the lowest, whilst +200 is the highest.

Soul Trance: Enter a state of rest to recover. Nothing else can be done whilst this skill is active.

(Gain:

HP regen x2

MP regen x3

Increased chances of discovering new magical skills.)