Chapter 28: From Heaven to Hell

I stood in the middle of the street for several seconds with my phone pressed against my chest.

People passing by glanced at the uncontrollable smile on my face, and some increased the distance between us when they noticed me laughing to myself. Normally, I might have cared what they thought, but the two messages on my screen had made everything around me feel unimportant.

My angel had openly admitted that she liked being called that.

On top of that, I had gotten her number, and we had agreed to meet again tomorrow morning. Yesterday, I hadn’t even managed to ask her name before watching her leave. Now, there was a private chat with her waiting on my phone.

I opened the first message again.

[Angel: By the way, I liked it when you called me that.]

The corners of my lips rose a little higher.

I considered taking a screenshot and keeping it forever, but that might have been slightly creepy. Still, having a backup in case the message was accidentally deleted would simply be a sensible precaution.

Just as my fingers moved toward the buttons to take a screenshot, the second message caught my eye.

[Angel: But that doesn’t mean you’re getting out of those 40 pull-ups.]

Part of my smile disappeared.

Once my romantic excitement settled down a little, I finally began thinking about what I had promised. Today, I had used all my strength to complete five pull-ups. When I tried for a sixth, my arms hadn’t managed to lift my body even an inch.

Within a week, I had to do forty in a single set.

That was eight times my current performance.

Worse, I already knew how serious she was about the words "proper pull-ups." She wouldn’t accept any little tricks like swinging my legs, using momentum from my waist, or counting a repetition without getting my chin over the bar.

"I agreed to that a little too easily..."

Still, I had no intention of backing down.

At the end of those forty pull-ups, I would finally learn my angel’s real name. If I succeeded, I might also stop looking like a weak girl who constantly collapsed in front of her.

At least I could fix the weak part.

I would figure out how to deal with her thinking I was a girl later.

As I put my phone away and continued walking home, I opened the System panel in front of me.

[Identity: Noctis Evernight]

[Strength: 11]

[Agility: 12]

[Stamina: 13]

[Current Eclipsie Points: 3]

The numbers looked much better than they had a few days ago. When I woke up in this body, all my stats had been at ten, and completing a single pull-up had required all my strength. Now, despite my Strength increasing by only one point, I had managed five.

Of course, that difference wasn’t entirely due to a single stat point. On my first day of training, I had run for nearly an hour, done push-ups, and exhausted my arms before even reaching the pull-up bar. Today, I had fully recovered thanks to White Snake and had paid more attention to using the correct form.

Even so, my rate of improvement was encouraging.

"System, is it possible for me to reach forty pull-ups in one week?"

[The weather is lovely today, isn’t it?]

"Wanna die!?"

[It is theoretically possible.]

My smile shrank again.

"Why did you add ’theoretically’ afterward?"

[A goal being possible does not mean it has a high probability of being achieved under the current conditions.]

"What are my chances of success?"

The System remained silent for several seconds. The small calculation symbol turning in front of me somehow reminded me of a doctor trying to decide how to deliver bad news.

[Based on your current stats, physical capacity, and remaining time, your probability of success is low.]

"How low?"

[Quite low.]

I clenched my teeth.

"Give me a number."

[To preserve your morale, withholding the exact probability is recommended.]

"You already ruined my morale by telling me it’s that bad!"

A young couple passing beside me turned their heads and stared. To make it look as though I were talking to someone, I pulled out my phone again and raised it to my ear.

"What do you think I should do?" I asked more quietly.

[Regular strength training, sufficient nutrition, and a proper rest schedule are recommended.]

"I could have learned that from the first fitness website I found online."

[Then why did you ask?]

I moved the phone away from my ear and glared at its blank screen. If the System had a physical body, I could use it as a weight while training for those forty pull-ups.

"What if I increase my Strength with Eclipsie Points?"

A new window opened in front of me.

[Strength: 11 → 12]

[Required Eclipsie Points: 1]

[Do you wish to confirm the transaction?]

My finger instinctively rose toward the confirmation button, but I stopped before touching it.

I had three points.

If I spent all of them, I could raise my Strength to fourteen. I didn’t know whether that would be enough for forty pull-ups, but I would certainly become much stronger than I was now.

The problem was that the System had previously advised me to improve my low-level stats through natural methods. Right now, gaining one point only required proper training, while that same improvement might cost dozens of Eclipsie Points in the future.

Besides, I still had seven days.

"Not yet."

[Transaction canceled.]

"First, I’ll see how far I can get naturally. If I’m still not strong enough on the final day, I’ll use the points."

[A reasonable decision.]

"I expected you to sound more surprised."

[It has previously been observed that you are capable of making reasonable decisions on occasion.]

"You didn’t need to add ’on occasion.’"

I closed the System window and continued walking.

Doing forty pull-ups within a week might have been impossible for an ordinary person, but I wasn’t completely ordinary anymore. White Snake increased my regeneration speed by 200%, allowing my muscles to recover from damage that would normally require several days in a much shorter time.

That meant I could train more often than other people during the same period.

My natural development at these early levels was also surprisingly fast. This body had been neglected for years, so the moment I started exercising regularly, it seemed to cross a new threshold during almost every training session.

If I trained twice a day, consumed enough protein, and didn’t neglect rest, I might gain several points in Strength and Stamina. If that still wasn’t enough, I could spend my three Eclipsie Points on the final day.

The corners of my lips rose again.

"I can do it."

I waited for another sarcastic remark from the System, but the panel remained silent.

By the time I reached my apartment building, I had formed a rough training program in my head. I would run and practice pull-ups at the park in the mornings, then do exercises to strengthen my arms and back in the afternoon. Depending on the condition of my muscles, I could add another lighter session in the evening.

The existence of White Snake didn’t mean I should train until I completely destroyed my body. For the ability to accelerate my recovery, I first needed to leave it a body capable of recovering.

After entering the building, I headed for the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. My legs still ached slightly from the morning run, but climbing several floors was already much easier than it had been on my first day.

When I opened the door to my apartment, even the silence greeting me inside couldn’t ruin my mood. I removed my shoes, placed my phone on the small table near the entrance, and touched the plain black bracelet around my left wrist.

Umbrella’s surface trembled faintly beneath my finger.

"You’re going to be useful today too."

The bracelet separated from my wrist and flowed into my palm like black liquid. Within seconds, it returned to its original form, leaving me holding a long black umbrella.

I could transform it into a sword, armor, and even a teacup. Following the same logic, there was no reason it couldn’t become exercise equipment.

I stood beneath the doorway separating the living room from the hallway and carefully studied the width of the frame. Then I pictured a thick pull-up bar with both ends pressed firmly against it.

Umbrella melted and stretched between my hands. Its fabric and ribs blended into a single piece until, several seconds later, I held a solid black metal bar.

"A little longer."

Both ends slowly extended until they fit perfectly against the doorframe. I pushed down on it with my hands to test its stability and nodded in satisfaction when it didn’t move.

Umbrella itself was indestructible, but my doorframe didn’t possess the same quality. Instead of trying to launch myself toward the ceiling on my first attempt, I carefully hung from the bar.

A faint creak came from the frame.

I remained motionless for several seconds.

Nothing broke.

"Good."

I lifted my feet from the floor and fully extended my arms. The fatigue from my morning workout was still there, but I wanted to see how many repetitions I could manage.

Pulling my shoulder blades back, I raised myself.

I completed the first pull-up without too much trouble. The ache in my arms became more noticeable during the second, while getting my chin over the bar for the third took slightly longer.

My shoulders started trembling on the fourth pull-up.

When I attempted the fifth, my body stopped halfway.

"Come on..."

I clenched my teeth and tried to bend my arms a little farther, but the muscles I had completely exhausted that morning didn’t care about my romantic ambitions. After struggling for several seconds, I lowered myself and planted my feet on the floor.

Still gripping the bar, I tried to steady my breathing.

I had managed five repetitions while rested this morning. Completing four despite being tired wasn’t bad, but there was still a terrifying distance between me and my goal.

Forty pull-ups.

After only my first training session, that number was beginning to sound less like something a human could do and more like a monster’s threat level.

"Maybe I should search for her name online instead of asking her."

The moment that thought formed, I shook my head.

"No. No cheating."

My angel had to tell me her name willingly.

After resting my arms, I grabbed the bar again. This time, rather than trying to pull myself up repeatedly, I focused on holding myself at the top and lowering my body as slowly as possible. I remembered from my old life that negative repetitions were useful for building strength.

By the end of the third descent, my arms were trembling uncontrollably.

As my feet touched the floor, a brief vibration came from the small table near the entrance. Someone had sent me a message.

Thinking it was from my angel made me forget my exhaustion, and I hurried toward the phone.

The anticipation on my face vanished the moment I turned on the screen.

The sender wasn’t Angel.

[Eris: Are you sleeping in again today?]

A small line above the message showed that it had been sent two hours ago. Beneath it were dozens of other notifications I hadn’t noticed.

[Eris: Noctis?]

[Eris: I know you’ve seen my messages.]

[Eris: If you’re angry with me, at least tell me why.]

[Eris: You’ve been acting really strange for the past few days.]

The last message completely wiped away my good mood.

Eris was right.

Ever since I had awakened in this body, I had ignored her calls, sent only a few short messages, and failed to keep my promise to call her when I had time.

According to Noctis’s memories, Eris was his closest friend. They spoke almost every day, sent each other random pictures, and sometimes stayed on video calls for hours.

Of course, my suddenly avoiding her had made her suspicious.

The problem wasn’t that I disliked talking to her.

Eris knew Noctis better than anyone, so there was a high chance that she would realize I wasn’t the original owner of this body. Even the smallest difference, from the foods I liked to the way I spoke, could catch her attention.

I scrolled down the screen.

As the messages continued, Eris’s concern gradually gave way to anger.

[Eris: Fine, I’m done playing games.]

[Eris: I’m coming over.]

[Eris: I’m serious.]

Cold sweat ran down my back.

I quickly scrolled to the bottom.

[Eris: I’m on my way.]

That message had been sent forty minutes ago.

The next one had arrived twenty minutes ago.

[Eris: I’ll be there in ten minutes.]

The final message was marked as having arrived only two minutes ago.

[Eris: If you don’t open the door, I won’t stop ringing the bell.]

Ding-dong!

When the doorbell echoed through the apartment, I nearly dropped my phone.

I slowly turned toward the entrance.

Eris was standing on the other side of the door.

For several seconds, I couldn’t move. As my gaze remained fixed on the door, my mind produced dozens of options, from escaping the apartment to pretending I was sick, then rejected each of them just as quickly.

I couldn’t climb out the window because I was several floors up.

I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t home because I had made more than enough noise while doing pull-ups beside the door.

If I let her inside, it would only be a matter of time before she asked about something I should know about Noctis but didn’t.

The bell rang a second time.

Ding-dong!

My phone vibrated immediately afterward.

[Eris: I know you’re in there.]

"How do you know?"

The moment I realized I had read the message aloud, I covered my mouth with one hand.

A young woman’s voice came through the door.

"Noctis! I heard you!"

I closed my eyes and silently cursed myself.

"You heard wrong!" I called back.

"So you are home!"

Damn it.

As I looked around in panic, I noticed that Umbrella was still attached to the doorframe in the shape of a pull-up bar. I quickly removed it and turned it back into a bracelet before checking my hair and clothes.

I was still wearing my sweaty workout clothes, but at least there was nothing suspicious in sight.

A metallic jingle came from the other side of the door.

When Eris spoke again, her voice was much calmer, which somehow made it more frightening than her shouting.

"I’m going to count to three. If you don’t open the door, I’m using the spare key."

My eyes widened completely.

There was nothing in Noctis’s memories about giving Eris a spare key.

"One."

I took two steps toward the door, but my hand didn’t reach for the handle.

"Two."

A faint metallic sound came from the lock.

Eris really did have a spare key.

"Two and a half," she said through the door. "I’m giving you one last chance."

Taking a deep breath, I wrapped my hand around the door handle.

While preparing to do forty pull-ups just to learn an angel’s real name, I had never imagined that my true battle for survival would begin against my red-haired best friend.