29 Aftermath

When Dalvin woke up, it was early morning already. He scratched his head and yawned tiredly before pushing himself up and habitually checking for his phone. He remembered that he put it in his storage pouch and took it out straight away.

Checking the screen - which was too bright for his eyes - he found that he had a slew of notifications from different apps and people. His family, friends, and a few missed calls from… Selinam?

Hmm, right, the gym.

Dalvin rubbed his head and put his phone away without responding to anyone and moved to go and take a shower. As for the gym issue and his social life, it would have to die for a while, probably a month or two.

From the moment he made his first breakthrough and slimmed down considerably, he knew he could not appear before people who knew him personally because how would he explain his sudden physiological change?

For his parents and siblings, it had been a few weeks since they met up so it might be fine, but Selinam and the people at his gym literally saw him just two days before, pudgy and round in places.

This was why he went to that damned cement factory instead of his own gym to practice his martial arts.

Dalvin went to clean himself up and returned to his bedroom, but not before his stomach began to rumble crazily. He rubbed his flat stomach that was now streamlined into tight abs and wondered how he had gone on for so long without food.

He decided not to leave the house just yet after yesternight's debacle and would cook what he had left. It was only when he started up a pan of scrambled eggs that he realized that he poured about 15 eggs in…

Speechless, he also found himself frying all the sticks of bacon he had left. He didn't have the patience to make any fluffy pancakes, so he just sat down and wolfed everything down in seconds.

Obviously, he was not satisfied. Dalvin slapped his forehead with worry, having just consumed over $200 worth of groceries in one sitting without feeling full. He knew that he would now have to rely on the old trick of eating at buffets to maximize his savings.

In the end, he could only reluctantly wear some casual clothing and check the map for a nearby diner. After getting there, he ordered two sets of fully loaded breakfast and devoured it all, slowly and carefully, not rushing so that people would stare.

Many still did, but it was more of pleasant amazement than shock because it looked like Dalvin was managing his food rather than just devouring like a hungry ghost. After eating, he paid the bill and left, feeling much better now.

He went home and turned on his computer to find that many of his commissions had been accepted by the buyers, most of them giving him a five-star rating as well as heaping hefty praise on him for his meticulous work.

The cash flow also entered his account, filling up his balance to almost double what it had been before. He felt slightly more financially secure, but he also knew that now that he verified the effectiveness of protein shake, he would have to try other medications to ascertain what else could assist him in his practice.

Not to mention with the increase in his appetite, it would only get worse the stronger he got as a martial artist, so he would need funds to secure his food.

Dalvin leaned into his gaming chair and smiled slightly.

This all led back to the thoughts he was having earlier on how to raise money quickly in order to make his goals easier to achieve. The methods he had in mind were both legal and illegal, but he was still contemplating which one would be the best overall option for him to undertake.

But first things first, he would have to return to Tianzi in order to carry out his other plans. Dalvin almost felt amused at the thought of looking forward to return to that hellhole, but given the promise of power and the undeniable excitement from taking martial risks, it was understandable that the usually dull him would feel invigorated.

Dalvin checked the time and saw that it was 9 am in the morning. He left his apartment and went to the mall once more, this time purchasing many things.

He bought more protein shake, some cheap steroids, a broom, a mop, and a scrubbing brush. He then bought detergent, bleach, and even diluted acid. Along with that were purchases of camping gear without the tent, especially the sleeping bag and a portable toilet.

After doing all this, Dalvin lost half of his recently gained funds. He scratched his head and could only roll his eyes, intending to sort this issue out later.

For now, he returned home once more and browsed the internet for competent martial arts training programs, but he found many quacks with bad reviews who taught flashy moves without any substance.

Eventually, he found one that was headed by a member of the Special Forces, with over 300 confirmed kills using his hands and feet alone. His reviews were a mixed bag, with many saying he was great and others saying he was great, but too serious and brutal.

After all, not everyone learned to fight to kill. Many were just there for self-defense, but this particular trainer seemed to believe that if one wanted to learn how to battle, it must be to take the life of a foe.

Naturally, this was exactly what Dalvin wanted.

He checked the prices and almost fell out of his seat. Even the most basic package was $1200 per month! If he was to pay for that, he would have to either do something drastic to raise funds or really consider taking commissions up, but performing more risque ones in the NSFW section.

He hesitated greatly and decided to browse other options first. After all, no one was forcing him to use this particular guy and it wasn't like he was Dalvin's only option in the world, just one of many.

In the end though, Dalvin had to quietly and shamefully circle back because the others were even more outrageous. While promising arguably 'better' treatment, once again Dalvin was here to learn how to fight to inflict mortal wounds, not defend from street fights or the like.

As such, he signed up for the basic package for now. He had to fill in a short form and submit for verification that would take up to 24 hours, so he began to check and organize his inventory.

When it was around midday, he finally packed and unpacked everything he bought and arranged them carefully in his room. Naturally, the storage pouch could not hold anything but the most valuable, so he put his phone, the medications, and some smaller things within, like snacks and energy bars.

The rest of the things like the mini generator, the various camping equipment, toiletries, supplies, and tools were carefully arranged in a way that Dalvin could carry them along physically when he was sucked into the portal.

"Right, now that everything is set, let's game a bit before the moment of truth." He said as he sat behind his computer and booted up his favorite battle royale game.