42 Strength Testing (I)

The meal that Randolph had eaten was a light one, mostly consisting of fruits and oats. He was still quite hungry, but he couldn't indulge if he was to test his current capabilities.

The fitness center that Archibald led Randolph to was, contrary to expectations, kind of dull. It wasn't nearly as grandiose or opulent as the other aspects of the Hotel.

It was fairly rough and dull. There were many pieces of high-end equipment that suited all sorts of purposes in it. There were treadmills, pullups bars, weight benches, cable machines, and there was even a section of the gym filled with yoga mats, though they remained largely unused.

Everything was lined up in rows in a rather rough fashion, and while the equipment was high-end and meticulously cared for, there were still many signs of overuse.

As Randolph entered the room, he noticed that there was quite the crowd already present in the center, despite it being just before the afternoon. There was at least two dozen people, and possibly even more where he couldn't see them. They were all either talking or laughing with each other. Only the ones who appeared to be regular attendees were exercising diligently.

It appeared like Archibald's words had been correct. Since the Hotel wasn't one that people would usually stay in for the long-term, visitors seemed to use it as a spot to mingle with each other.

Why they had chosen the Hotel's gym to do such a thing, Randolph couldn't say for certain. Perhaps it was because fitness was a sign of popularity and charisma in their eyes. Or maybe they wanted to show off.

"There's a lot more people than I had expected…"

"The gym is located in the central downtown area of Ontario's economic capital, my Lord. Just the number of guests hosted by the Hotel on a daily basis can be considered absurd, likely as they are here for entertainment."

The vast majority of those present were young men, all clean-looking without exception. They were mostly dressed in athletic clothing made specifically for exercising, loose-fitting and easy to move in. Though there was the occasional odd one out, a man or lady who seemed to just be checking out the gym, probably on recommendation by their friends.

Randolph would be lying if he said he didn't feel uncomfortable. The cheerful and boisterous1 atmosphere didn't suit him at all, and he had never experienced anything like it before. He had purposefully worn comfortable clothing for the situation, but his dress still stood out, especially with Archibald beside him.

More than a few gazes turned their way upon their entry. They would usually quickly turn away afterwards, but their gazes seemed to stick on the two men.

Archibald has quite the presence. 

The thought popped up in Randolph's head as he shot the butler a glance.

The old man seemed completely unperturbed by the attention. His face was still emotionless as he quietly followed behind Randolph.

A large part of the attention, as the young man observed, was probably due to there being no other individuals that could looked to be considered personal assistants in the gym. There were some servicemen standing outside, but none of them were comparable to Archibald in both appearance and manner of dress.

Well, that's fine too.

While he had come here to test the changes to his body, that was only a secondary objective. The main objective of his visit today was to attract attention, and this was a good way to do it.

A gigantic mirror was attached to the back wall of the gym, allowing people to watch themselves exercise. Along with the mirror was a large array of free weights that anybody could handle.

Randolph had approached this section first because, quite frankly, he didn't know how to use any of the other equipment in the gym. It was also the most straightforward way to test his strength that he knew of.

The weights that were lined across the wall in shelves varied in size. There were many weight plates and dumbbells of different classes, neatly lined up by the hotel management. Barbells had been set further down, arranged on racks by weight.

The newspaper boxes I used to lift were probably around ten pounds2… My strength hasn't risen since then, but if I were to include the fact that I took Arnold's strength, then I should be able to lift more than that.

With that thought, his gaze turned towards the intermediate section of the dumbbells.

Of course 10 pounds wouldn't be his limit even just generally, but it was better to take things slow at first.

Archibald stood patiently at the side as Randolph walked up to the rack.

Reaching down with his right arm, he gripped onto a large metal dumbbell that had a thick '30 LBS3' imprinted into its top.

"Heave… ho!"

Following his general knowledge, the young man sucked in a quick breath, straightened his back, clenched the muscles in his arms, and lifted heavily.

…

"…Hm?"

But after doing so, he was left slightly dumbfounded.

The pure metal dumbbell in his hand, bulky, thick, and what should have been incredibly heavy, gave what felt to be no resistance to his arm.

"What the heck?" Randolph's tone was slightly startled.

The dumbbell definitely wasn't weightless, but it gave basically nothing in terms of resistance compared to what he was expecting. If he had to put it into words, it felt like a child was half-heartedly tugging on his sleeve.

His brows furrowed, he lifted the dumbbell several more times before placing it back down on the rack.

Then, he turned to the next set of dumbbells at the side of the intermediate section.

This was the advanced section, and it was clearly much more unused than the previous sections. He had to advance here because 30 pounds was the limit of the intermediate section.

Based on his body's previous performance, the young man took a leap. Reaching down, he grabbed onto one of the '50 LBS4' dumbbells, repeating the earlier motion before hoisting it into the air.

Though it was arguably only twenty pounds above thirty, this one gave Randolph much more of a fight. But still, just like the one earlier, it was not worth his absolute attention.

His breathing remained calm as he repeatedly lifted the weight, his movements continuous without hesitation.

I could probably do a massive number of these.

The thought was slightly off-putting, but not morbidly so.

This power…

After lifting a few more times, he set the weight down, turning his gaze to the advanced rack.