The Finish Line is in Sight, Young Man!

The pink-haired girl chuckled even more when she noticed Hiro's troubled expression.

She rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone as she said, "Well, since you've allowed this lady to take advantage of you this one time, I'll give you enough money to book a nearby hotel for the rest of the week. Let me scan your bank card."

Masaka! Hiro was excited as he stuttered uncontrollably, "A-are you the legendary… Sugar Mommy?!"

The pink-haired girl was stunned as she blinked in response. "Erm? Legendary what?"

Hiro woke up and quickly shook his head.

What am I thinking?! Only a sissy boy without a shred of dignity would feel excited about the prospects of a sugar mommy and unlimited money, food, spoiling, and…

Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!

Hiro slapped himself four times and jumped off the bed, quickly handing his card over to the pink-haired girl with a silly smile.

"Thanks a lot!" Hiro quickly stabilized his emotions and handed his bank card over while asking for the girl's name.

Then, he learned that her name was Bella, and after telling her his name, Hiro heard the sweet bell chime followed by the familiar pop-up window.

[Notice: You've unlocked the "Friends List" feature!]

[Notice: Bella has been added to your friends list!]

[Notice: You've acquired +5 AP for making a new friend!]

…

By the time Hiro digested the new information from the system, his phone vibrated to notify him of a new text message.

Hiro quickly checked it out. As expected, it was a message from the Nexus Bank.

10,000 credits had been deposited into his account, shocking Hiro so much he almost fumbled over.

The startup funds from the orphanage were 4,400 nexus credits; as each child in the orphanage starts earning a yearly fund of 1,100 nexus credits annually from when they turn 12.

If the worst case scenario were to occur and they hit 16 years old without getting adopted, then an allowance of 4,200 nexus credits, the minimum wage of an adult, would be more than enough to assist them during this shaky period of life.

4,200 nexus credits is indeed a lot of money for a 16-year-old, and it proved a lot of help to Hiro—never in his dreams did he think that he would earn his first pot of gold this way.

Should I reconsider the sugar mo- no, no, no, no… Dignity is worth more than gold! Dignity, Hiro! Dignity!

Bella smiled at the dazed expression on Hiro's face, chuckled, and turned her back to leave the room.

"I guess the coast is clear outside for now," she said in her lovely voice. "Even though you're cute, I can't afford to be seen walking out from a love hotel in the morning, especially with the company of a man. It's been nice meeting you, silly Hiro."

She didn't give him a chance to talk back, quickly slipping out of the room and letting the door swing back on its own.

Since they've already paid for the room, no one can evict him for the night. Hiro truly appreciated this kind of a win-win situation, jumping on the bed to sleep with a bright smile on his face.

"My dignity won't let me take in a sugar mommy," he said with a sigh. "Just wait though, once I'm rich and handsome, I'll consider becoming your sugar daddy."

Hiro quickly drifted to sleep with a silly smile on his fat face.

…

Time flowed like usual, and the world waited for no man. You can always stand stagnant in the river of time, but the current won't stop moving forward, washing away at everything in range.

Hiro led a static, repetitive life as the masochistic protagonist of a sadistic novel.

The cycle of eating, getting tortured, sleeping, and repeating became the norm. With a 3-star hotel to back him up, Hiro easily maintained a balance between nutritional food and exhaustive exercise.

Hiro also discovered that the mysterious energy from the system did more than just force him through the grueling, hell-like training experience; the energy also optimized his body in fascinating ways.

The workers in the gym witnessed a living miracle, watching as Hiro shaved away layers and layers of fat from his body day in and day out.

The manager of the gym wanted to use Hiro's experience as an advertisement for their gym, but the latter adamantly refused!

No crap! As if I'd leave evidence of my sad, bleak, cold, and ugly past self behind!

Hiro was so scared they'd secretly film or take videos of him training, that he almost gave up on coming back to the gym altogether.

Luckily, people take the law seriously in this world, and no one would take pictures without permission in a public space, let alone post them on public platforms.

Soon, it was the last day of the seven-day streak, and Hiro felt like an entirely different person.

Handsome wouldn't cut the guy justice!

His lithe frame, long crimson hair, deep blue eyes, and soft white skin with a touch of healthy pink. He wore a tight white tank top, nylon pants, and sports shoes.

If someone asked him for a picture today, he would surely agree.

Hiro swept his cold gaze around the numerous torture machines in the gym, their daunting blue halos challenging him.

He bravely stepped forward and prep-talked himself up, "I can see the finish line! I'm almost there!"

And so, with surprising ease, Hiro finished the unexpected daily task quite early as the system scheduled no more than four hours of training for the last day.

He ignored the chime of his system and the notifications, focusing on how much achievement points he earned from crossing off this daily task.

With the daily 10 AP, his accumulated points now reached 75 AP. It should have been 70 AP, but Hiro earned 5 additional points for befriending Bella.

Again, Hiro ignored the persuasion from the gym manager, paid his membership fees for the day, and closed his membership program before leaving.

His next destination was a clothing store to complete his next task on the "Grinding" to-do list.

…

"Hello, can I be of help, Sir?"

"You look so handsome in ordinary clothes, Sir, you'd definitely look better in our new batch of fashion season products!"

"Hey, I have a better eye for fashion~ you girls should move back and let me handle this gentleman instead, hehe~"

The moment Hiro stepped into the clothing store, many pretty ladies with name tags surrounded him. He felt proud, thinking that this was the type of treatment a transmigrator protagonist was ought to have.

Ah, I'm so embarrassed… What should I do in this situation? I can't play favorites here!

Hiro schooled his expression and smiled at the enthusiastic ladies. "I don't know anything about fashion, so how about each of you pick a suitable outfit for me to try out? I'll buy them all!"

Hiro thought that five sets of clothes wouldn't be too expensive, as he had made sure to check the shop on the internet and made sure that their prices weren't sky-high.

Although he might bleed a little from this because the women were just too adorable to resist, he mentally prepared himself.

Hm? Should I also work as a clerk in a clothing shop? I'm quite handsome, I can easily swindle—ahem, convince a few pretty ladies to buy a lot of colorful clothes with my handsome looks! This sounds quite feasible…

Hiro immediately grew excited and decided to look for a suitable opportunity, a good high-end fashion store, and apply to work as a part-time clerk there.

If all went too well, he might finish his "Grinding" to-do list today, and he would receive his first ever mission reward.

Just what could the reward be?! Young man, keep pushing forward!