“Ugh.” Ambrose covered his eyes as sunlight entered his room, blinding his eyes. He sat up to sit on the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes.
For a second, he couldn’t remember where he was. But then he heard voices from the street and the sound of horses galloping. He stood up and walked to the window.
A morning had dawned on Amaterasu, and since today was the weekend, players of high school age woke up earlier than usual, planning to take advantage of every minute of the weekend to increase their levels.
“Right, I slept here…” Ambrose yawned and looked at his dojo room with a longing gaze. He planned to put this dojo up for sale today. He planned to make it an auction. The highest bidder gets it. It would increase his chance of earning as much as possible.
“I suppose I should return to that painful reality. Maybe doctors has something to say to me. If I could, I would leave the hospital today.”
Ambrose yawned, opened his interface, and logged out rather carefreely.
…
Upon awakening, Jesse was immediately engulfed by an overwhelming sense of euphoria. It was as if he were immersed in a tranquil golden lake teeming with rejuvenating plants—a sensation he had never experienced before.
‘Just how many drugs did they inject me with?’ Jesse let out a moan of satisfaction and opened his eyes. The golden visor was still in front of him.
As Jesse attempted to flex the fingers of his left hand, he experienced a sudden surge of pain. However, in comparison to the excruciating agony he had endured previously, it now seemed trivial.
Furthermore, the pain in his shoulder had diminished significantly, providing him with a noticeable relief.
Jesse cautiously attempted to move his right arm, finding some degree of success. With care, he removed the headset and gently placed it on the nearby bed.
He suddenly experienced uncomfortable itchiness in his eyes, but after rubbing them with his right hand, the itchiness disappeared and he soon regained a sense of normalcy and comfort.
‘Weird…’ Jesse looked around the hospital room and then felt very uncomfortable when he tried moving around. He dropped his gaze and widened his eyes in shock.
His hospital gown was stained by some black liquid that was dripping from his body.
“The hell?” Jesse flinched and sat up in a hurry. The bed sheets were stained with the same black liquid, and it was dripping down to the floor. It was a complete mess.
“This feels horrible…” Jesse plucked the wires out of his body and tossed them aside. The beeping machine stopped entirely and only showed a straight line, as if the patient’s heart had stopped.
Jesse staggered to the bathroom door and opened it. There was a shower, sink, and toilet nearly arranged within the small space.
Carefully, Jesse peeled off his saturated hospital gown, drenched with the black liquid, and proceeded to activate the shower. Stepping beneath the cascading water, he allowed it to cleanse away the remnants of the mysterious substance from his body.
As the black liquid was rinsed away from his body, Jesse couldn’t help but release a contented sigh. The dark substance flowed down the drain, finding its way through small openings in the floor, eventually disappearing into the depths of the murky sewers.
Having thoroughly washed his hair and body with shampoo, Jesse concluded his shower by shutting off the water, all while keeping his eyes closed. He reached out with his arms, searching for a towel.
Once he found it, he methodically dried his face, then his hair, and finally his body, ensuring that no part remained damp or unattended.
Feeling an overwhelming thirst, Jesse made his way to the bathroom sink and twisted the faucet handle, allowing the water to flow.
With an intense longing for hydration, he brought the cool stream to his lips and eagerly drank from the faucet, quenching his parched throat and alleviating his insatiable thirst.
After sating his thirst, Jesse closed the faucet and briefly caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. A fatigued and ailing countenance stared back at him. However, something peculiar caught his attention, a distinct anomaly that stirred a sense of curiosity within him.
“Huh.”
As Jesse observed his reflection, he noticed that his shoulders appeared broader, lending a more robust and muscular appearance.
Additionally, his facial features seemed to possess a newfound masculinity. While he didn’t consider himself extraordinary, there was no denying that he looked considerably better than before, showcasing a noticeable improvement in his overall appearance.
Upon directing his gaze towards his shoulders for a closer inspection, a sudden and profound stillness overcame Jesse’s entire body. His eyes trembled as his hand traced a path across his torso, his expression marked by a mix of awe and disbelief.
“How… what?”
He had always possessed a slender physique, indicating his lack of involvement in sports throughout his life. However, now he appeared as an entirely transformed individual. His muscles had developed with an astonishing solidity, resembling finely chiseled diamonds.
Additionally, he had miraculously acquired a well-defined six-pack, accompanied by robust-looking legs.
Notably, his stature had undergone a significant change, as he now stood at approximately 1.85 meters, marking a remarkable increase of 15 centimeters. This awe-inspiring and truly unbelievable transformation could only be described as magical.
“This… am I dreaming?” Jesse rubbed his eyes, but when he opened his eyes again, he still looked like a professional swimmer. It was a body type he could only wish to have, but now the dream had become reality.
“What drugs did they give me?” Jesse grabbed the sink with both hands and looked at his shocked reflection in the mirror. His face still couldn’t be considered handsome, as his declining health made his skin sickly pale, causing black marks around his eyes.
Outside the bathroom, the door to the hospital room opened. A sweet-looking nurse arrived with a tray filled with different medicines. She then looked stunned at the sight of the messy bed and saw that the patient was nowhere to be seen.
“What happened?” She placed the tray on the table and approached the bed. She immediately covered her mouth and stepped back. “A terrible stench. What could this be? Is this all from the patient?”
She turned to the bathroom and opened the door. Since she was a nurse, she had grown used to seeing her patients naked and sometimes helped them shower if they were unable to do it themselves. However, this time she was left stunned.
“Huh?” Jesse turned to the door and saw a stunned nurse. He quickly hid his private parts and awkwardly said. “Umm, I might be in need of spare clothes.”
“O-oh.” The nurse smiled with flushed cheeks and nodded. “I-I will… send someone to clean the room. Please wait for a moment.”
The door then closed, and the nurse left to get the spare clothes.
Jesse turned back to the mirror and sighed. “What the hell happened? Hmm, my body has changed, but has my strength?”
He stepped away from the sink and distanced himself from the mirror. Once he was far enough, he looked at his reflection, put his front foot forward, and twisted his waist. He then threw a punch with his broken left hand and punched the empty air.
Even with a broken hand, his punch seemed powerful enough to knock an adult man unconscious. He didn’t know how strong he was, but he felt confidence filling his body. It was the first time he felt confident in himself.
Knock, knock—there was a knock on the door.
“I brought the clothes.” The voice of the nurse came, and the door slowly started to open.
Jesse quickly rushed to the door and stopped it from opening further. He peeked through the gap and smiled. “Thanks.”
He then accepted the clothes that she had brought for him and thanked her with a nod before closing the door.
The nurse pouted and left the hospital room to call for someone to clean the room.
Inside the bathroom, Jesse put the clothes on. Since they were hospital clothes, they were quite loose. He looked at himself in the mirror and looked pleasantly surprised.
“I can’t believe I am saying this, but I look good?” He moved slightly and shrugged his shoulders. He then slightly grimaced and rubbed his right shoulder. Since the pain wasn’t that bad anymore, he sometimes forgot about his broken hand and shoulder.
Jesse then closed the toilet’s lid and sat on top of it. He looked thoughtful. 𝓋xt.𝐂𝑚
“Now, what happened that caused this strange transformation. It definitely can’t be that the hospital injected me with some supersoldier potion.
“It can’t be that right… I finally reached 100 stats on Strength and then had that strange glitched code. Nah, it can’t be. It is just a game, right… Hmm, I wonder if anyone else has reported about their bodies changing…
“I should check any news and forum posts.”