Training Against The Expansion Of The Universe

Putting down the stone transmission, he pondered how he should prepare for the day ahead.

Something about the whole situation with Gore felt off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Still, resources were resources. If he wanted a real shot at becoming a celestial body sorcerer and exploring the universe beyond, he would have to take risks and leverage odds that often seemed impossibly stacked against him.

Another 150 stacks of Blue Water, combined with the potential for even greater profits from his Blue Water Mining operation, made the tinges of doubt feel worthwhile.

Steeling himself, he put the transmitter away, walked to the sauna, and retrieved the bucket of lava.

Night had fallen by the time Ged returned to Trevor's home. As he approached, the sound of soft weeping reached his ears.

Inside, Trevor sat slumped on his lounge chair, his eyes clouded in a purple haze, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Ged raised an eyebrow at the pitiful sight.

"I'm back," Ged said flatly, making no effort to acknowledge Trevor's obvious distress.

"Oh, boss, it's terrible," Trevor wailed, refusing to let his tears go unnoticed. "My life is just one endless spiral of misery and suffering."

Ged had no interest in getting involved. He exhaled heavily, brushing off Trevor's melodramatics with a pointed lack of sympathy.

"I had just a tiny amount of stone left after paying rent," Trevor continued, his voice cracking. "I had to choose between eating it or using it to buy drugs. I-I couldn't resist. I'm only human. I just wanted to get high!" His voice rose into a plaintive wail.

"But it wasn't enough," he added, sniffling as he wiped at his eyes. "Even after I used all my stones, my entire supply… I'm still sober."

"Is that really such a terrible thing?" Ged muttered, taking a step toward the Blue Crystal Mine and doing his best to ignore Trevor's dramatics.

"Boss, don't be so heartless!" Trevor pleaded, falling to his knees, his hands clasped in a trembling gesture of supplication. "You're staying at my house. Lend me some stones! I just want to eat a meal tonight. Please!"

Ged frowned, his patience wearing thin. Reaching into his abs, he pulled out three and a half stones. "This is all I've got left," he said gruffly. "I'm broke too. Eat these and replenish yourself. And don't you dare use those for anything else." He thrust the stones into Trevor's hands with reluctant force.

Trevor cradled the stones like sacred offerings, his tear-filled eyes lifting to Ged's face with reverence. "Boss, you are the greatest person ever to walk this earth," he muttered, his voice trembling with gratitude. "To serve you is the highest honor of my miserable life."

Trevor bowed repeatedly as he shuffled back to his lounge chair, the stones clutched tightly in his hands. But Ged's sharp gaze didn't miss a thing.

"You said you were going to eat them. Weren't you hungry? What are you waiting for? Or do you want me to shove them down your throat myself?" Ged demanded, his voice devoid of politeness.

Trevor jumped, startled, and quickly popped the stones into his mouth, chewing them exaggeratedly. "Silly me," he mumbled through a full mouth. "I was so hungry I forgot."

Ged wasn't convinced. His narrowed eyes stayed fixed on Trevor, waiting as finished chewing. Trevor's forehead glistened with sweat, his movements growing more frantic as he obscured his mouth with one hand.

"All done," Trevor finally croaked, forcing a pained stuffed grin.

Ged's expression darkened further.

Without warning, Ged activated a Peg he had prepared earlier and Grappled forward with blinding speed. Trevor barely managed a shocked gasp before Ged was upon him, the sudden movement causing the unchewed stones to lodge in his throat and make him choke.

Ged wasted no time. Without a trace of guilt, he delivered a well-placed sucker punch directly into Trevor's sternum, functioning as a one-armed Heimlich maneuver. The forceful strike dislodged the stones from Trevor's throat, sending them flying out of his mouth and clattering to the floor at blistering speed.

Trevor doubled over, clutching his stomach and gasping for breath.

Ged bent down, scooped up the stones, and crushed them in his hand, grinding them into a fine powder. Then, prying open Trevor's mouth, he poured the powder in.

"Swallow it," Ged commanded coldly.

Trevor obeyed, gulping down the powder with difficulty. Coughing uncontrollably, he collapsed onto the floor, white steam rising from his body as he began digesting the stones.

"Idiot," Ged muttered, his tone a mixture of annoyance and disappointment.

Without another word, he turned his back on Trevor, leaving him on the floor to recover as the steam continued to billow from his body.

The Blue Crystal cave and the Eagle Spawn within were as active as usual, but compared to how Ged had left it in the morning, the scene before him left much to be desired.

A small portion of the Eagle Spawn had started to develop a tolerance to their hellish environment. Some were asleep or lazily sprawled amidst the chaos, while the rest continued tearing relentlessly at the walls of the Planet.

"It seems some of the Eagle Spawn have started to acclimate to their surroundings," Ged said thoughtfully. "But every inch of this wall is already covered in discomforting elements. How can I possibly make this place any more unbearable?"

His thoughts wandered to Vernom from the Blue Company and the strange, cruel methods he had used to torment the gremlin Eagle Spawn.

"It seems I'm still too green when it comes to the art of cave maturation and Eagle Spawn rearing," he muttered to himself. "I wonder if there are any resources at the public library I could study."

Letting out a sigh, Ged decided the issue would have to wait until tomorrow, after his meeting with Gore.

The Eagle Spawn, visibly hungry, began to crowd around him, drawn by his lingering presence and searching for food.

As he observed the scene, his thoughts shifted to Trevor, who was still outside, exhaling waste steam. An idea sparked in his mind.

Without hesitation, he headed back out to retrieve the suffering Trevor.

"What are you doing?" Trevor croaked, his voice barely a whisper from the strain and pain.

"Making you useful," Ged said curtly. Without ceremony, he grabbed Trevor and, with an impolite toss, threw him into the cave. The Eagle Spawn immediately began to swarm over him. Trevor, his throat too sore to scream, froze in terror as the chaotic, hellish room closed in around him. The Eagle Spawn eagerly consumed the white steam that continued to emit from his body.

"Stay here until you've finished digesting your stones," Ged commanded bluntly.

"Wait, no! I've learned my lesson! Please, Boss, don't leave me in here!" Trevor pleaded, his voice reduced to raspy grumbles.

Ged ignored his pleas, shutting the cave door behind him and blocking it completely with his broad frame.

The sound of Trevor's desperate thuds and scratches reverberated through the stone. Inside, the Spawn's guttural screeches grew louder, mingling with Trevor's faint, choked gasps as the unwilling feeder fulfilled his role.

Ged ignored it all. Reaching into his abs, he pulled out the red napkin he had taken from the Cumulus Gang member's corpse.

"A snitch from the Equalizers…" he muttered. He recalled Resh describing the napkin as a cipher translator, but at the time, he had been too immersed in Resh's bizarre world to fully consider the significance of those words.

"What was a snitch from the Cumulus Gang doing attacking me like that?" he wondered aloud, his brow furrowing as he tried to piece together the motivations behind the assault. "And how do the Equalizers fit into all of this?" His mind churned as he attempted to connect the dots, but the pieces didn't align.

He had initially planned to blacklist Barry from the Golden Suns' no-sell list, but now he wasn't so sure. "I need to find out for myself who that bastard is really working for."

Resolving to dig deeper, he made a mental note of Barry's upcoming birthday party. He would be there and would get answers.

Tucking the red napkin away, Ged retrieved the purple workout tablet.

"Resistance Against The Universe's Expansion…" he read the title aloud in a hushed whisper.

Cradling the tablet as though it were a precious artifact, he eagerly began studying its contents, determined to understand the rare routine.

"Incredible," Ged breathed, his eyes darting across the pages, a mixture of shock and delight flashing in his gaze. The workout described intricate poses, specific body positions, and the exact environmental conditions required to perform it effectively.

"Up to 250 kilograms of possible gains per workout!" Ged exclaimed, astonished. Most stone workout routines allowed for only 10 kilograms of mass gain per muscle group. Throughout his life, he had never seen anything more substantial. He had heard of rarer green routines that offered up to 50 kilograms of gains per session, but even if he'd acquired one, he had never been wealthy enough to maximize its potential.

Yet here was a workout 25 times more effective than his current routines. Even more remarkable, it was a full-body workout. Performing it twice a week would be enough to reap its immense benefits.

As he read further, his enthusiasm dimmed, and a frown creased his face. The steep requirements finally made sense.

"This workout can only be done using celestial mass," he said, his voice tinged with disappointment. Reaching into his abs, he pulled out the piece of celestial iron and weighed it in his hand.

"Mad Resh really does spoil me," Ged muttered with a faint smile. He examined the celestial iron carefully, noting its impressive weight of nearly 200 kilograms.

"It seems that tonight, something that would have taken me close to a year will now only take a single night," he chuckled to himself, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes.

Getting up from the doorway, the door slipped open, releasing an exasperated Trevor. Shaking off Eagle Spawn clinging to his body, he appeared utterly traumatized by the ordeal he had endured.

Ged scanned Trevor with a sharp gaze. "Good, you've finished digesting. Thanks for helping me out with that one," he sneered.

Trevor shut the door behind him, heaving with frightened gasps. His fear was not directed at the cave or the Eagle Spawn but at his boss, who had so cruelly thrown him inside.

Terrified that worse might be in store if he didn't comply fully, Trevor stammered, "Boss, I've seen the light. I'll never do drugs again. Your teachings have been engraved into my memory." He trembled as he spoke. "Thank you."

Ged chuckled coldly. "I'm heading out tonight. I'm not sure when I'll return. Do try and get some sleep."

A chill rolled down Trevor's spine. The memory of his experience in the cave left him certain he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink that night.

Ged left Trevor alone once more, darting out the door, determined not to waste any time.

"Find the spot where the surface of the planet meets the center of the universe," he muttered, recalling the instructions from the workout routine.

He knew where the center of the universe was; it appeared every night in the night sky like a bright star, casting a vast amount of starlight on the surface of the Planet.

"A place where the starlight is strongest…"

Scanning the rocky landscape, his eyes locked onto Mount Dumbell in the distance. Its rocky surface shimmered with light, sparkling like a white diamond under the starlight.

"Perfect."

Ged dashed toward the mountain utilizing his greatest speed. He couldn't afford to waste the abundance of starlight cascading over the mountain's surface.

When he reached the peak of Mount Dumbell, the radiant starlight bathed him in an otherworldly glow. Taking out the purple workout tablet, he recounted the poses and movements one final time. Steeling himself, he retrieved 14 stacks of Blue Water.

"I must go all out," he murmured with a confident smile, injecting the 14 stacks into his body.

As the Blue Water coursed through him, his eyes glowed a deep shade of blue. The imagery of falling rain materialized around him, but unlike his prior use of 15 stacks, there was no vision of the Absolute. His mind's shadow remained resolute, absorbing the droplets of Blue Rain not letting a drop hit the ground.

Ged then began consuming the 200 kilograms of celestial mass. Each bite required immense effort, and his jaw ached from the strain. Celestial iron demanded far more exertion to digest than ordinary stones.

A torrent of purple steam rose from his body as the celestial rock was absorbed into his system. He took a deep breath and began the strange movements described in Resistance Against The Universe.

"Hup!"

His body transitioned seamlessly through the motions of a squat, deadlift, and bench press. The forms merged into a single, fluid movement. Around him, the starlight reacted, trembling with energy. Swirling vortexes of light danced in the air, converging into thick, rope-like purple vines that stretched high into the heavens.

"Dark energy ropes…" Ged muttered, a smirk forming on his face.

The ropes hung impossibly in the sky, connecting all the way to the bright center of the universe. He approached one of the ropes and gripped it tightly, summoning every ounce of strength in his body to pull against the force contained within.

"Pull against the expansion of the universe to work out the body," Ged said with a mad laugh. Veins bulged along his muscles as his entire body trembled under the immense strain. His frame tore apart and rebuilt itself repeatedly, the fractures glowing with vibrant blue energy radiating from his core, reshaping his entire physique.

After minutes of struggle, the rope lost its form and dissolved into the air. Ged collapsed onto the rocky surface, clutching his chest and gasping for air.

The results were undeniable. Even after just one pull, Ged's body appeared larger and more muscular than before.

However, purple steam still rose from his skin, signaling that more gains were possible. He couldn't stop now.

Fixing his gaze on the next rope, Ged steeled himself and repeated the process. Each pull felt like his body was being torn apart and meticulously reassembled, but he persevered, his determination unwavering.

By the time he completed his third rope, Ged's body finally gave out. He collapsed onto the mountain, utterly drained and unable to summon the strength to stand.

Purple steam continued to rise from his body as he lay on the ground, staring at the sky with defiance in his eyes.

"No!" he cried. "Damn it, I wasted it. I was too naïve. This workout is far too difficult. In the end, I could only add 100 kilograms of mass to my physique." His voice trembled with a mix of frustration and regret.

Above him, the ropes suspended in the sky began to unravel and fade as his strength ebbed away. Despite his disappointment, the progress was undeniable. He had grown significantly from the experience. His height had increased by nearly a quarter meter, and his muscular frame was visibly fuller and more defined.

But it still wasn't enough.

"Finally, a windfall, and I let half of it slip away," Ged muttered bitterly. "How could I have been so reckless? I should have experimented with smaller increments instead of pushing for the full 200 kilograms."

His body, weighed down by fatigue and exhaustion, refused to move. The vast sky above seemed to taunt him, forcing him to remain flat on the ground.

"Wasting so many kilograms is unacceptable," he growled, trying to will himself to move. "Move, damn it! Move! I have to continue."

But his body refused to respond. His eyes grew heavy as exhaustion overwhelmed him. Despite his best efforts, sleep finally claimed him.

As Ged lay atop the peak of Mount Dumbell, his first attempt at the rare Resistance Against The Universe's Expansion workout ended as a partial success.