Three days of a nice, peaceful routine left Oliver feeling happy... if a bit restless. While a part of him craved getting back to doing something exciting, he was definitely enjoying the quiet. Wake up, have breakfast with Poli, then some time relaxing until his friends had everything together for the Commissions, and follow it all up with a nice dinner at home.

  Of course, the routine was quickly broke... by a surprising source.

  “You know, when you said it was important, this was not what I expected.” Oliver said with an amused smirk as he finished his stretches. Glancing at Polina's tight fitting athletic clothes- quite a contrast to his loose gym shorts and t-shirt, he grinned broadly. “Not that I'm complaining T; I'm just wondering why a workout would be classified as important.”

  “We all know you've got a hot, kick-ass girlfriend, Oli. Now stop leering at her and focus up.” Tyrone answered, rolling his eyes at his friend's mischievous side- not that it bothered him, just that he hadn't expected that out of Oliver of all people. “You said before that you haven't really tested your attributes and what they really mean, so that's what we are going to do today.”

  “And no, running around fighting aliens like a maniac doesn't count. There's no way for us to actually measure anything from a story, and I doubt you were consciously calculating exactly what you were doing.”

  With a gesture sweeping across the empty gym they stood in, Tyrone laid out his plan. “So, we're going to test your limits here... And don't worry about anyone watching us; I know the guy that owns the place and he hooked us up with an uninterrupted hours, all to ourselves. No other customers, no employees, and no security cameras.”

  “Of course, it didn't hurt that I scheduled it in the middle of the day, which is usually a dead time slot for them anyway... And I sold him on the 'eccentric millionaire that I work for' line as well.”

  “Now!” Tyrone exclaimed, patting Oliver on the back as he led him over to the first test. “You remember when you worked out with me before, right? Good! We're starting with the dead-lift, so get over there and do it bro!”

  Oliver eyed the incredible number of plates on the bar with a bit of skepticism. “I'm not trying to doubt you or anything T, but how much weight is that?”

  Tyrone, looking amused, chuckled as he responded. “Hey, it's not that much. This is what I lift every week! And don't forget your form: feet shoulder width apart, take a good grip... You know the drill, bro!”

  For a second, Oliver considered counting the weight himself... But he trusted Tyrone, and knew his friend wouldn't mess around. Especially when there was a chance someone could get hurt.

  Focused on his form and posture(and remembering to breath, as he didn't want to pass out like an idiot), Oliver didn't think twice about it as he settled his feet and took a firm grip on the bar. With a strained grunt, the bar steel rose from the ground... and flexed under the amount of weight hung on it.

  “Excellent form, bro!”Tyrone exclaimed after Oliver set down the weights. “That's what I'm talking about!”

  “Now, how do you feel? And do you think you could do it again if we added a little more weight?”

  Shaking out his arms and legs for a second, Oliver considered the questions. While he could feel the burn in his muscles, it was intense, but not as bad as he expected. “Honestly, I feel fine. And, honestly... I'm not sure. I mean, I could probably lift it again, or lift more weight next time, but adding more weight and trying the lift again? That might be pushing it...”

  “Ok, that's good- great, really.” Tyrone said, with a slightly distracted- and stunned- look of contemplation on his face. Breaking out of his thoughts to find a look of confusion on Oliver's face, he smiled sheepishly. “Do you know what the world record for dead-lift is?”

  “What does that-” Oliver broke of his sentence, a look of consternation crossing his face. “T... you didn't just have me attempt a world record, did you? Without any sort of warning or prep?”

  “Oh, no. Of course not!” Tyrone answered quickly, waving his hands defensively. “The record is over a thousand pounds! This is the best bar in this gym, but it couldn't handle that much...”

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  “T... you still haven't said how much weight I just lifted. Or should I do the math myself?”

  Tyrone sighed, but couldn't hide his grin. “Well... if we actually did add more weight to it, you would definitely break the record. That was about 950lbs, bro...”

  Tyrone laughed loudly at Oliver's gobsmacked expression. “Just to put a frame of reference for you, that's a couple hundred pounds more than anyone on the team lifts- even me...”

  “Which doesn't make sense...” Polina added thoughtfully from the side. “Or, I guess it wouldn't if we didn't know the whole story.”

  Both men turned to her as she spoke, their curiosity peaked.

  “Well, it's obviously magic.” She added at their look. When the two of them just chuckled, she shook her head- even if she found the answer amusing as well. “No, seriously. Think about it, guys. The kind of people that set world records for weight lifting are usually huge! Like, six and a half feet tall, four hundred pounds of muscle...”

  “I mean, no offense Oli- I actually love your lean figure, and the muscle tone you have- but those guys are basically muscles packed on top of muscles.”

  “No offense taken, hon; I'm actually quite happy not being a beefcake.”

  “She's got a point though, Oli.” Tyrone muttered as he really thought about it. “As much as no guy ever wants to hear these words, size really does matter. I mean, sure, a smaller person can push themselves and lift some impressive weight... But, yeah... You just don't have the muscle mass for it to make sense... Or just the mass in general; you're less than half the weight of the record holder...”

  “Ok, I get it!” Oliver chuckled. “And... I think I have a theory on how it works...”

  Seeing he had their undivided attention, Oliver smirked at them. “It's magic, obviously.”

  Polina couldn't help but roll her eyes at his answer. “I just said that, Oli.”

  “But seriously...” Oliver said, having had his laugh already. “My actual theory is that the System is using magic or mana or something to augment my muscles... Or maybe it unlocked the ability for me to do so passively? I don't know exactly, but I think it's something like that.”

  “Though-” He added, glancing at his Attributes page quickly. “If that's the case, it's not using my mana. Or Psi, for that matter. Neither of them have been affected. And I didn't really feel any mana moving or being used... Though I don't really have a lot of experience with that, anyway.”

  He shrugged slightly. “Honestly, 'magic' is the best answer I've got right now... Or just some sort of System fuckery. As long as it works, and doesn't cause me any issues... That's probably good enough for now.”

  Shaking his head, Tyrone just waved for them to follow. “Ok, we're not going to get any answers by just standing around and talking about it. Let's get back to the tests...”

  “So, how is it all looking?” Oliver gasped as the hour drew to an end. After the continuous, and extreme, exercise he had just gone through, he was feeling worn down- even with his increased Vitality. Having already discarded his shirt, which Polina seemed to appreciate greatly even as she got her own exercises in, he slowly wiped the sweat from his body.

  “Well...” Tyrone said slowly as he scanned the notes he had taken. “If we had an adjudicator here, you would have probably broken several records... Though only by a bit. It's hard to be exact, especially with stuff like the hundred meter dash, since we're only using basic equipment...”

  “Yeah... That whole 'exceeding human limits' thing wasn't a joke. I don't think the difference is enough for most people to really notice, other than to comment that you're freakishly strong or fast-”

  “Not sure I like being referred to as freakish...” Oliver muttered.

  “I didn't mean anything by it, bro.” Tyrone added, before finishing his thoughts on the tests. “But, seeing all of it right in front of me, it's pretty obvious. Hell, it's pretty impressive that you're still standing. I don't think anyone else I know could be pushed that hard and still stay upright.”

  “Yeah, I wouldn't quite describe it as 'superhero' level, but seeing it all together... it's clearly moving in that direction.” Poli added with a soft sigh.

  Hearing the note of worry in her voice stopped any response from Oliver. With a glance, he could already guess what was going through her mind- her slightly nervous fidgeting, the way she was biting her lip...

  “You're still going with me. Regardless of how strong or fast I am, you're still a more skilled fighter... And a better shot. Plus, like you said, it's a good idea for me to have someone to watch my back.”

  “And I want you with me.”

  “Thanks, Oli. I would hug you if you weren't so sweaty... You really need a shower.” Polina blushed softly, his words reassuring her slightly. “I just worry that I won't be able to keep up with you. And the more you raise your Attributes, the harder it will be...”

  Planting a swift kiss on her nose, Oliver grinned broadly at her. “Oh, Marty and I have already theorized a solution to that! I'll tell you all about it... After I shower.”

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