"Half a year without business, but one big deal feeds you for half a year! With this month’s KPI rankings across all stations, I should easily make it into the top ten, right?"
The rabbit muscle monster immediately put on a warm and gentle smile.
"Oh, esteemed player, you truly have excellent taste! Please scan the code here. Since you’re the first customer at our gym, we’re offering you a special discount of 10 Survival Coins. Your total comes to just 190!"
It then looked at Qi Xu expectantly, as if afraid she might change her mind.
Qi Xu generously scanned 200 Survival Coins.
"The extra is your tip. If I have any questions later, I hope you can guide me. After all, you look incredibly professional—your muscles are absolutely impressive."
The rabbit muscle monster’s smile grew even more genuine, appearing friendlier than the white-powdered twin-tailed fox from before.
"Don’t worry, no problem! From now on, we’re the best of friends."
[Gym owner Rabbit Muscle Monster’s favorability increased by +30. Current favorability: 35.]
Qi Xu: "……?"
Well, rabbits have always been simple creatures.
Just a few compliments and a 10-coin tip were enough to boost favorability by 30 points. Compared to those two foxes, this was way easier.
"Come, honored guest, let me show you around my gym."
"This is the equipment zone. Training here for one hour increases your Strength stat by 1."
"Here’s the group class area. Completing a one-hour session with the instructor boosts your Agility by 1."
"This row is all treadmills. Running for an hour increases your Stamina by 1."
"And finally, this is our gym’s crown jewel—the Combat Arena!
Have you encountered all sorts of monsters in the survival game? On this arena, you can select any monster type you want. I can also recommend opponents based on your three core stats.
Sparring for three hours will increase all three stats by 1 each, while also potentially improving your resistance and overall combat ability.
However, the Combat Arena requires an additional fee. As our esteemed member, you can simply swipe your card to use it. It’s not expensive at all—just 10 Survival Coins per hour."
Qi Xu nodded. "Got it. I’ll start with an hour on the treadmill, then move to the Combat Arena."
The rabbit muscle monster nodded vigorously, its smile unwavering. "Absolutely! You’re such a disciplined and forward-thinking player! If you have any questions, just call for me. Since you tipped me, I’ll make sure the service is top-notch."
Qi Xu agreed, did a quick warm-up, and stepped onto the treadmill.
Glancing at the time, it was just past 8 AM.
She planned to spend the entire day here—no way her resistance wouldn’t improve. Even a slight boost would be worth it. Money spent shouldn’t go to waste!
As soon as Qi Xu stood on the treadmill, the rabbit muscle monster rushed over to adjust the settings based on her stats.
Qi Xu had assumed that with her current stamina, an hour of running would be a breeze. But once she started, she realized that single point of Stamina wasn’t so easy to earn.
The first 10 minutes were manageable—just a regular pace with no incline, more like a warm-up.
But gradually, the speed increased, and the incline grew steeper. By the middle, Qi Xu was gritting her teeth, pushing through sheer willpower.
She figured the difficulty stemmed from her stats rising too quickly—her body hadn’t fully adapted to her current attributes yet.
When the speed finally stabilized at 20 and the incline stopped changing, she finally caught a break. In the last 10 minutes, both speed and incline slowly decreased.
Qi Xu let out a quiet sigh of relief. By the time the treadmill stopped, her legs felt like jelly.
Just as she was about to sit down, the rabbit muscle monster intervened.
"No sitting right after running! It hinders blood circulation and can cause dizziness. Come, walk with me for a bit, then I’ll guide you through some stretches."
After a short rest, Qi Xu already felt better. She nodded and followed along.
Even exhausted, she didn’t forget to flatter. "You’re... truly a professional. This money was well spent."
Flattery never fails.
[Gym owner Rabbit Muscle Monster’s favorability increased by +5. Current favorability: 40.]
The rabbit muscle monster had always disliked human players, but now it was starting to think they might not be so bad after all.
It dutifully taught Qi Xu proper stretching and daily exercise techniques, even taking a break to make her a banana smoothie.
Qi Xu guessed it had a special effect. Checking her Fatigue stat—currently at 36—she drank the smoothie, and it instantly dropped to 6.
"Damn, that’s a 30-point reduction."
She immediately felt revitalized, her body loose and warm from the workout but free of any lingering strain.
Deciding to seize the momentum, she headed straight for the Combat Arena.
"Esteemed customer, our Combat Arena is incredibly powerful. Every monster in the survival game is recorded here—you can summon any of them at will.
For just 1 extra Survival Coin, you can also review your battle replays. The replay time doesn’t count toward your three-hour session, so you can rest and adjust during it.
Scientific training is more efficient and better for your health! Of course, I’ll cover this 1-coin fee—you’re our VIP, after all."
Qi Xu couldn’t possibly let the rabbit pay, even if it was willing now. Who knew if it’d regret it later, slapping its thigh in the middle of the night?
So she insisted, "No, no, you’ve already done enough. I’ll pay for it myself. I’d feel guilty otherwise—it’d weigh on my conscience."
The rabbit muscle monster tried to argue twice more but ultimately gave in, its smile widening. Though there was no direct favorability notification, Qi Xu was sure it’d come eventually.
For her first opponent, Qi Xu chose a mid-tier Green Fur Monster with stats slightly below hers.
About the height of an adult human, its fighting style was similar, except for its freakish strength.
She’d encountered it a few times in-game before, always relying on her weapon’s advantage to hack it down quickly.
But today on the arena, she didn’t need to rush. She stuck with her Pink Chainsaw—her primary weapon—to improve her proficiency.
She avoided using her pistol, though, since many dungeons restricted firearms.
.........
