Mom Instinct

They walked into the parking lot, which was filled with lots of floating vehicles. She led him to a velvet coloured vehicle, one that was much more sophisticated than every other car in the park.

"So, where you headed?" Pen asked as the door to the car slid open

"I guess I should return back to the school, the day's almost over anyway," Jayden thought

"But I can tell that you weren't planning on coming to the restaurant at all. It was a coincidence, wasn't it?" she continued

Jayden furrowed his eyebrows. "How did she know?" he pondered, looking into her eyes. "Who is she, really?"

"Yes, you're right. I came here thinking I would meet a gym, but I didn't know this place wasn't a gym anymore," he voiced out

"Oh, I didn't think, kids your age would care about things like working out," Pen chuckled

Jayden scoffed. "I'm not a kid," he said sharply

"Clearly," Pen smiled seductively. "I don't know why, but your demeanour seems more mature than that of a 17 year old," she stated with a look of curiosity, but Jayden merely smiled. He wasn't even surprised that she knew his actual age. At this point, it was clear that she was not an ordinary person.

"What level is she at?" he thought

"Alright, come on in. I drive you back to the school, or maybe another gym. If you want," she urged him to enter the car

"Um, a gym would be better. Thank you," Jayden replied. He had thought about returning back to the school earlier, because he simply didn't know his way to another gym. But now, he could get a free ride to one.

Pen clapped happily. "Good, I know one that's close to the school. Let's go," she muttered and got into the vehicle with Jayden. She started the engines and flew off into the sky express.

They soared through the sky, flying almost at the height of skyscrapers. And after several minutes, they arrived at their destination.

As they approached the gym, Pen gestured to a sleek, modern building. "We're here," she said, her voice smooth.

Jayden nodded, feeling a bit of gratitude that the ride wasn't long. "Thanks for the lift," he said, trying to sound casual.

Pen smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Just returning a good deed," she said, her voice husky. "Try and have fun,"

With that, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, her lips sending a shiver down his spine. Jayden's eyes widened in surprise as he looked into her eyes, but he didn't say a word.

"Sorry, mom instinct. I kiss my daughter's cheek anytime I drop her off," Pen said with a sly smile.

Jayden simply returned the smile and nodded, so as not to make the situation get even more weird. He alighted from the vehicle and stared at the woman one last time.

"See you around, Jayden," Pen muttered with a wink and flew off.

Jayden heaved a sigh of relief as he watched her fly away, feeling like he was in a daze. His mind replayed the moments just before he got down from the car and his cheeks turned red. But he quickly threw the thoughts at the back of his mind and began walking towards the entrance of the building.

[So it's milfs like her you prefer, huh? Hmm, not bad, I like your taste] Luna chuckled in his head

"Shut up, Luna," Jayden retorted and entered the gym.

Meanwhile, Pen was now flying across the city, lost in her own thoughts. "Hmm... That boy, he reminds me so much of.. Him," she muttered to herself, and shook her head. "What are you saying, Penny? Get a hold of yourself, he's just a boy. But still, there's something about him that feels... different. I need to know more about him and his abilities..." Pen suddenly paused, her eyes widening in realisation

"Crap! I forgot to get his contact info," she sighed. But then a wide smirk grew on her face. "Hm, something tells me I'll see him again, soon. It's only a matter of patience."

.....

Jayden was already standing above a barbell which was placed on one of the support racks. He was staring at the weight curiously. "Do I have to lift a total of two hundred kilograms in one go?" he asked, directing his question at a particular somebody.

[Why don't you find out] Luna replied with a mischievous giggle

Jayden sighed. "So much for being my guide," he muttered, before reaching out to lift the barbell, one that weighed fifty kilograms. A normal human could lift about 25kg but the Evolved could lift way higher than that, and for that reason most gyms had barbells that had a starting point of fifty kilograms.

He grasped the iron bar of the barbell, wrapping his hands around it with a firm grip. He didn't know if he'd be able to lift it at all but he knew for one that he wasn't human anymore.

Jayden took a deep breath and slowly lifted barbell, expecting it's weight and bulk pressure to kick in and strain his muscles. But it never came, his face wasn't contorted with effort, but rather with confusion. The barbell felt light in his hands, almost weightless. He wanted to say something but a notification appeared in his face before he could speak.

[Lift a total of 200kg] (50/200)

Jayden's lips curled into a wide smile as the system notified him of his progress. Not only was he now stronger than an average human, but also on the level of an average evolved. The evolved humans were indeed strong in physical terms, but their strength were still limited to levels and abilities. Which meant that an evolved with strength abilities would be stronger than an evolved with another kind of ability. And that also applies for level, as the strength of a person in level ten couldn't be compared with that of a person just in level one.

"So this means that the system counts the status of how much work as been done, gradually. It doesn't have to be in one go," Jayden muttered in realization

[Good, you figured it out] Luna said

"So I can keep lifting anythinng that weighs about one kilogram, two hundred times for me to complete the task?" he asked

[Correct]

Jayden's smile broadened. "Alright, let's get this over with," he said and proceeded with his task. He drop the barbell and lifted it again, picking it up as if it were a light pillow

Jayden dropped and lifted it two more times before stopping, he dropped the barbell on the support rack and check his latest notification.

Daily Quest completed (1/3):

[Lift a total of 200kg] (Complete)

Jayden furrowed his eyebrows as he read the last sentence. "Hmm, looks like the system counted my run from the school," he muttered

[Yes, you have only 9 kilometres left] Luna stated

"Thanks for pointing that out, Luna. What would I ever do without you?" Jayden muttered in a sarcastic tone. "But still, why does the distance have to be so long? It's not like I'm training for a marathon or something,"

[Well, I can't answer that. But don't you worry, the distance would be decreasing over time] Luna explained

Jayden chuckled. "I hope so, cause if it doesn't, I'm going to start questioning the system's true functions. Maybe it's some kind of system meant for a speedster," he muttered and began walking out of the gym. His business there was finished and he probably won't be going back there anytime soon. Now that he knew he didn't have to lift an object in one go.

[Hm, speedster huh? I doubt that] Luna replied in a serious and nostalgic tone

Jayden paused in his tracks, he was already out of the building. "Why? You sound so certain about it, care to share?" he snickered, hoping to get some answers out of the mysterious Ai imbued in his head.

But Luna quickly returned to her jovial, annoying self. [Oh, it's nothing, just a little reminiscence from the time I was being created. Forget it] she stated with a chuckle

"Okay, whatever. I should head back to the school," Jayden muttered and began making his way back to the school premises.