Going to a Gym

[Amazing… I did not think you would manage to use [Confidence] subconsciously so soon…]

I didn't even know that this technique could be used unconsciously.

Moreover, why are the effects of this technique like this!?

I could feel the gazes of several people on me since I left home. They seemed like they had seen a famous model or something.

The gazes of the women were especially piercing. They appeared as though they wanted to eat me whole.

[Didn't I tell you that this technique would help you to pick up girls?] The demon said with a chuckle.

You did. But I thought it was a joke, okay?

I mean, until now, [Confidence] had only made me look a bit more handsome, and the effect was almost unnoticeable.

But this is completely different.

[Well, you were not using the technique at its full potential before this.]

So is it its full potential? It's crazy.

I understand why the demon told me that this technique is perfect to pick up girls.

However, this is definitively bad.

At this rate, I will be kidnapped by some crazy girl obsessed with me!

[Don't worry, just try to tone down the effects of the technique. You should be able to do it after a few tries.]

I did as the demon said and tried to reduce the effects of the technique. Fortunately, it worked.

Although people still looked at me twice, now their gazes were a bit more normal. At the very least, they did not seem as though they wanted to kidnap me.

However, I still felt uncomfortable with the situation.

Should I turn off this technique completely?

[Don't do that. You would be wasting a gift from the heavens. Confidence is a technique to strengthen and temper the soul. The longer you use it, the better the effects. This is the right way to use the technique.

[It's impressive, though. I thought you would need a few months further before you could reach this level. It looks like your talent for the soul is greater than I estimated. It's a pleasant surprise.]

I felt great hearing the demon compliment me, but when I remembered that the reason was that strange technique, my expression turned complicated.

Sigh, I will just continue using it. This is also a way to become stronger.

Plus, it's not as though this technique harms anyone. According to the demon, the reason people are attracted to me when I use [Confidence] is not that I'm brainwashing them, but the result of projecting my will outwards.

Using [Confidence] makes my will firmer and more 'confident'; and people are instinctively attracted to that confidence, helping me to leave a strong impression on them.

While I was talking to the demon, my sister and I finally arrived at the gym.

"… You are just in time, Jane, Ley. I was about to close the door." A cold-looking man nodded at us when we arrived.

"Coach."

"Good morning, coach."

Ley and I greeted the man respectfully. He was the owner of the gym, a middle-aged man called Michael. I heard that he was a powerful Awakened, but he was forced to retire after receiving an injury in his mana circuits. After that, he opened this gym.

This gym doesn't teach any martial art in particular, but instead, it teaches general self-defense. However, the classes are very good, and the coach knows a wide range of martial arts. The only person I know that surpasses him when it comes to martial arts is the demon.

"Go inside. I'm about to start the class." The coach said, and Ley and I nodded.

When we entered the gym, we saw several familiar people inside.

One of them was my best friend, Andrew. I was about to greet him, but then I noticed the two people beside him.

My ex-girlfriend, Karime, and her little sister, Jessica.

I saw Ley frown beside me. At the same time, Andrew, Karime, and Jessica noticed us, and they put on awkward expressions.

My expression was just as awkward as theirs. But in the end, I calmed my expression and walked towards them.

"Good morning, guys, how are you?"

"Hey, Jane!" Andrew forced out a smile to alleviate the tension. "You are late today, how unusual. Did you oversleep? I bet Ley had to wake you up."

"Hahaha, I guess I forgot about today's class. Fortunately, Ley reminded me in time."

"You should be grateful that I'm your little sister, brother. I even waited for you, risking a scolding from cold-faced Michael."

"… Please, don't let coach hear that nickname." I felt cold sweat on my back and hurriedly looked around to make sure the coach was not nearby.

After all, if he hears us calling him like that, he will make us train until we are half-dead as punishment.

My sister also seemed to notice her slip of the tongue. She hurriedly looked around, and when she realized that the coach was not nearby, she sighed in relief.

"By the way, Jane, you look different today." Andrew suddenly said.

I saw Jessica nodding. In fact, Karime and she had been looking at me strangely since a while ago.

I smiled wryly. It's probably due to [Confidence].

However, when I was thinking about how to explain it, my sister replied first.

"Right? Brother has become more handsome. Obviously, ending his relationship with a certain someone did him good."

She then smirked at Karime provocatively.

… Girl, can you make your dislike less obvious?

Karime's expression became awkward, and the rest of us put on stiff looks.

… Sigh, now I understand why so many people are against two members of a group becoming lovers.

Don't shit where you eat, is it?

Fortunately, coach Michael arrived at that moment and started the lesson, saving us from that awkward atmosphere.

The class started normally while coach Michael explained several moves to us. However, I soon started to find the class boring.

I don't know if it's because I'm already used to the demon's training and h0is wide range of knowledge, but somehow, I felt that coach Michael's lesson felt lacking.

Perhaps noticing that I was distracted, coach Michael looked at me and frowned.

Then, he suddenly spoke up at me.

"By the way, Jane, I heard that you awakened recently."

I was briefly startled, but I quickly replied.

"Yes. I awakened a few days ago, coach."

"Congratulations." The coach nodded. "However, I hope that you don't forget the importance of martial arts now that you awakened. Why don't you have a spar with one of your seniors? I want to see your recent progress."

I was stunned. The hell, did I do a mistake?

Asking me to spar with one of my seniors is the same as asking me to be beaten. After all, our seniors have generally more experience and stronger abilities than us.

Asking us to spar with them is the main method the coach uses to punish students.

Even though I'm pretty skilled among the students in the gym, some of my seniors are definitively more skilled than me; and the coach was asking me to train with them.

Andrew, Ley, and the others looked at me with weird expressions, wondering how I offended the cold-faced coach.

I don't know either! I tried to communicate that with my eyes, making several students giggle.

By the way, most of the ones that giggled were women. Was that an effect of Confidence as well?

Helpless, I could only walk towards the stage in the center of the hall where one of my seniors was waiting with a gloating expression.

I sighed. God, such bad luck.

"Remember, using mana and skill is forbidden. The purpose of this gym is to learn how to use your body to fight instead of learning to use mana or skills."

Both of us nodded. Every student in the gym knew that.

Taking a deep breath, I got ready to start the spar. But just then, the demon's voice appeared in my mind.

[This is a great opportunity, boy. Don't you wanted to understand how much stronger you are now?]

I was startled, but then, my eyes narrowed.

Right, how could I forget about that?

I was complaining that I couldn't show the fruits of the training in my dreams in real life. Is it not the perfect opportunity for that?

Even if I can't use my mana or Lightning Seed, at the very least, I can see how much my martial arts have improved.

Just then, I heard the voice of the coach.

"Start!" He shouted.

And the battle started.