How Did She Even Do That?

Leonar left the gym with slow, heavy steps, dragging his feet as his body protested every movement. 

It felt like every muscle in his body was on fire, cruelly reminding him of the strange and grueling workout his body had been subjected to. 

In his hands, he held two sheets of paper. One was an informational pamphlet detailing his gym membership, full of tips on maximizing performance, improving diet, and other advice that felt completely useless to him at that moment. 

The other sheet, however, was an official fine that seemed to mock him with every printed word. 

"Damage to private property, defiance of authority, and resisting arrest…" Leonar read aloud, frowning. 

The number at the bottom of the document made his jaw clench: 

$3,749. 

"Eleonora!" he shouted, raising his voice a little. 

Silence was his only response. 

Frustrated, he tried again. 

"Eleonora, answer me already!" 

Nothing. 

Leonar clicked his tongue and crumpled the fine slightly in his hand. 

It was clear she wasn't listening. 

With a long sigh, Leonar tried to rationalize the situation as he kept walking, though every step felt like torture. 

'She must be asleep,' he thought, feeling his back ache with even the smallest movement. 'After all the effort she probably put in… but what the hell did she do exactly?' 

The mere thought of it made him frown. 

The pieces didn't add up. 

Eleonora had agreed to handle the monsters, but… how had that ended with him in a gym? 

And most importantly… 

"How did I end up defying authority?" Leonar muttered as his steps carried him down a quieter street. "What part of 'cooperate with the hunters' did she interpret as 'cause chaos and get me a fine for nearly four grand'?" 

Unconsciously, his hand holding the pamphlet shook with frustration. Even though he was utterly exhausted, his mind refused to slow down. 

'This is pointless,' Leonar finally thought, letting out a long, resigned sigh. 'It's no use trying to make sense of this if the guilty party is asleep.' 

As he muttered to himself, metallic voices from loudspeakers began to echo throughout the city. 

"Attention: The portal threat and any related anomalies have been neutralized. Shelters are now officially deactivated. You may resume your usual activities." 

Leonar stopped for a moment and looked around. The streets began to fill with people rushing out of shelters. 

Some hurried toward their workplaces, others spoke frantically on their phones, probably explaining to their bosses or families that they were safe. 

"This city is full of lunatics," Leonar whispered, watching the crowd scatter as if nothing had happened. 

Looking for a moment of peace, he spotted an empty bench in a nearby park. He slumped onto it with a groan, running a hand over his forehead as he tried to relax. 

"Everything hurts…" Leonar muttered, letting the papers fall onto his lap. 

For a moment, he just sat there, staring at the sky, trying to calm his mind. But an idea started to buzz in his head, prompting him to open his status window. 

[Status Window] 

Name: Leonar Hart 

Level: 14 

Class: None 

HP: 328/328 

MP: 75/75 

[Attributes] 

Strength: 30 (+4) 

Endurance: 36 (+2) 

Agility: 26 (-6) 

Intelligence: 20 

Perception: 23 

[Skills] 

Soul's Eye Lv. 9 (90%) 

Regeneration Lv. 1 (33%) 

Water Control Lv. 1 (95%) 

Soul Link with Eleonora Lv. 3 (94%) 

Leonar examined the data carefully, noting several things that caught his attention. 

"Level 14?" he murmured, raising an eyebrow. "I was level 11 before…" 

Next, he noticed the increase in his strength and endurance attributes. The (+4) and (+2) next to them seemed to indicate a boost, probably from the recent workout. But what really concerned him was the drop in his agility. 

"-6? What the hell happened there?" 

Leonar ran a hand through his hair, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. 

However, what really made him uncomfortable was the speed at which the Soul Link with Eleonora was progressing. 

"94%…" Leonar murmured, swallowing hard. "This is climbing way too fast." 

His gaze shifted to the percentages for Regeneration and Water Control. Though those had also advanced significantly, he couldn't help but worry more about the Soul Link. 

'I still think this skill is more of a double-edged sword,' Leonar reflected, closing the status window with a tired gesture. 'Letting her use my body as she pleases sounds good in theory… but is it really worth it if this keeps growing at this pace?' 

As he weighed his options, he let out a heavy sigh. 

"If only I didn't have so many debts…" 

At that moment, as if struck by lightning, he remembered something crucial. 

"The fine!" Leonar exclaimed loudly, startling an elderly woman passing by. 

Leonar let his arms fall in resignation and leaned back on the bench, staring at the sky. 

In theory, he was now a "chosen one" tasked with training to save the world he lived in, but… 

The idea of enduring all that sacrifice without any reward didn't sound appealing to Leonar. 

"Seriously…" Leonar whispered as he stood up to stretch. "I guess I'll have to find another hotel to shower and grab some food…"