chsdbacks Chapter 4: I lifted weights until I vomited, and Taoka thought I was crazy.
Chapter 4: I lifted weights until I vomited, and Taoka thought I was crazy.
It was 5:30 in the morning, and it was still dark.
Sendoh groped his way into the training room next to the gymnasium and turned on the lights. The fluorescent light flickered twice before coming on, and his destination was a row of dusty fitness equipment in the corner: dumbbells, barbells, and a squat rack. There were also a few old tires piled up in the corner, their age unknown.
He has been in this house for three years since he came here, and he can count the number of times he has entered this house on one hand.
This is the fourth time.
The Power C+ on the system panel felt like a thorn stuck in my retina.
Before facing Maki Shinichi, you have to get to B-. Fukuda's one-on-one fight already proved that; that guy hadn't even exerted his full strength before Fukuda was knocked off his feet.
Maki Shinichi was a size bigger than Fukuda, weighed ten kilograms more, and had two levels of core strength. If he were run over by a tank like that, forget about defending; he'd be lucky not to be knocked flying.
Sendoh squatted down and flipped through the dumbbell rack, finding a 15-kilogram dumbbell and placing it on his shoulders to do squats.
The first ten were alright.
On the second ten, my legs started to shake.
The third ten, and my vision went black.
He threw down the dumbbells, bracing himself on his knees as he panted. Sweat dripped into the cracks in the floor, pooling into a puddle. The gym was stuffy, with only an exhaust fan overhead spinning, its buzzing sound like flies.
Strength training complete, PP+1
Only a little.
At this rate, I'll have to practice until tomorrow to accumulate enough points for the next upgrade.
Sendoh stood up and changed into a 20-kilogram one.
He couldn't manage five this time; the barbell almost made him kneel on the ground.
"Hold."
He cursed, the sound echoing in the empty room.
Let's start over.
20 kg, squats, three sets of five.
Bench press, 15 kg, 3 sets, 8 reps per set.
Deadlifts, 20 kg, two sets, five reps per set.
After finishing, Sendoh lay on the mat, staring at the ceiling. He greedily inhaled the fresh air. His arms were still trembling, a physiological reaction to the tearing of muscle fibers.
The system skipped three times.
【PP+1】【PP+1】【PP+1】
Balance: 9.
[Strength C+, training results are significant, expected to break through to B- after two additional training sessions]
Two additional points are needed, totaling eight points.
It's nine o'clock now, enough for one time.
Sendoh wasn't in a hurry to add points; he wanted to deal with it all after training. System-added points weren't a panacea; the body needed time to adapt. He'd experienced this with his stamina before; it did make his movements smoother, but if his foundation wasn't strong enough, the effect would be diminished.
He lay there for five minutes, and the mat was almost soaked with sweat.
Footsteps could be heard outside.
When Coach Taoka pushed the door open, Sendoh was doing his third round of bench presses.
The barbell pressed against his chest, and he gritted his teeth as he pushed it upwards, his face turning a deep purplish-red.
Taoka stood frozen at the doorway.
The old coach held a cup of coffee in his hand, steam rising from it, his glasses fogged up. He took off his glasses, wiped them, put them back on, and made sure he wasn't seeing things.
"Immortal Path?"
"Um...yes..."
The barbell got stuck halfway down, and Sendoh's arm was trembling, his joints making a slight creaking sound.
Taoka quickly walked over and helped him out.
The barbell rack went up, and the metallic clanging sound was crisp.
Sendoh lay there, panting heavily, his chest heaving.
"What time did you arrive?" Taoka asked.
"5:30."
"What are you practicing?"
"strength."
Taoka glanced down at the weight plates on the bench press rack. Twenty kilograms wasn't heavy, but it was enough for a high school student who had never seriously trained in strength.
Why do you suddenly want to train your strength?
Sendoh sat up, draped a towel around his neck, and wiped the sweat from his face.
"Because I didn't want to be knocked away by Maki Shinichi."
Taoka remained silent for a few seconds.
Then she smiled faintly, just a slight movement of her lips, so subtle that you wouldn't notice unless you were staring at her.
Do you know how long I've waited for you to say that?
Xian Dao didn't reply.
Taoka stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't overdo it. We have training again tomorrow. It's not worth straining your muscles."
"Um."
Taoka walked out of the gym and paused at the door.
"The Path of Immortality".
"Um."
"I've noticed the changes in you these past few days. Whatever the reason, don't stop."
The door closed.
Sendoh stared at the door for two seconds.
Don't stop!
He won't stop.
7:30 a.m., at the gymnasium.
Hiroaki was stretching when he saw Sendoh walk in, and he almost tore his hamstring.
Sendoh's walking posture was off; it was stiff, and his legs didn't bend much, as if he had just been beaten up.
"What's wrong with you?"
"fine."
"You walk like a penguin."
"Shut up."
Fukuda leaned against the wall, looking Sendoh up and down, and that ambiguous smile reappeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Have you been doing strength training?"
"Um."
"How many kilograms?"
"twenty."
Fukuda didn't say anything, but his expression clearly said, "You have the nerve to say that you only weigh 20 kilograms."
Sendoh ignored him, changed his shoes, and walked into the arena.
Taoka clapped his hands. "Gather together."
Everyone gathered around.
"Today's training session is a tactical drill against Hainan." Taoka held up the tactical board, which was covered with lines. "Shinichi Maki is a power point guard who excels at driving and passing. What we need to do is cut off his connection with the shooters."
Sendoh stared at the lines on the tactics board.
He knew those lines all too well. In his previous life, he had watched countless recordings of Hainan's games. He could recite Maki Shinichi's passing routes, dribbling habits, and passing timings with his eyes closed.
But Taoka didn't know that.
Taoka was still drawing, talking non-stop, "Sendoh, you're up against Maki Shinichi. Remember, don't try to outmuscle him with strength, use your speed..."
"coach."
Taoka stopped.
"Maki Shinichi's breakthrough on the left is slower than on the right. If you force him to go to the left, his passing success rate will drop by 30%."
The entire stadium fell silent.
Taoka's hand, holding the pen, hovered in mid-air.
The off-road vehicle stared wide-eyed.
The grass stared wide-eyed.
Even Fukuda turned to look at him.
Taoka paused for two seconds, then asked, "How...how did you know?"
Sendoh blinked. "I watched the recording."
Actually not.
He had read the original work and knew Maki Shinichi's breakthrough habits. He even knew when Maki Shinichi would choose to shoot himself and when he would pass the ball. This information was worthless in his previous life, but in this world, at a time when no one had systematically analyzed Maki Shinichi's playing style, it was a strategic weapon.
Taoka stared at him for several seconds without asking any further questions.
"Go on."
Sendoh walked to the tactics board and picked up a pen.
"If we play a 2-3 zone defense, Maki will break through from the top of the key, draw a double team, and then pass to the shooter in the corner. But if we pack three players on the strong side, forcing him to go down the left wing, his passing angles will be compressed..."
He began to draw.
Lines, arrows, and positions.
Yueye couldn't understand it, but he saw Taoka's expression change, from doubt to seriousness, from seriousness to surprise, and from surprise to silence.
Five minutes later, Sendoh put down his pen.
Taoka looked at the dense markings on the tactics board and took a deep breath.
"When did you come up with this tactic?"
"last night."
"Was this thought by one person?"
"Um."
Taoka fell silent again.
This time the silence lasted even longer.
"Give it a try," the old coach finally spoke. "Yechu, you'll play Maki Shinichi's role. Sendoh, you play as you said."
Training begins.
He dribbles the ball off-road, mimicking Shinichi Maki's breakthrough.
Sendoh defended, keeping his center of gravity low, forcing Koshino to move to the left.
When Yueye drove to the left, it was indeed awkward. He's not left-handed, and his left-hand dribbling rhythm was off. When he got to the free-throw line, he didn't know whether to pass or shoot.
Sendoh reached out and stole the ball, then scored on a fast break layup.
Taoka blew his whistle.
"Again."
The second time, the off-road vehicle was again forced to the left.
This time he forced a pass, but Fukuda intercepted the ball.
The third time, the fourth time, and the fifth time.
The off-road vehicle is about to break down.
"There's no way to break through! Sendoh, you're just standing there, blocking my way no matter where I go!"
Sendoh shrugged. "Because you can only use your right hand."
Yueye wanted to argue, but after opening his mouth, he realized that Sendoh was right.
Taoka was taking notes on the sidelines, his pen tip poking a hole in his notebook.
When training ended, it was already dark.
Immortal Path was the last to leave, as is the old rule.
He stood at the free-throw line and opened the system panel.
PP Balance: 15
Today I did strength training, tactics practice, and sparring. I have 3 PM left, enough for two more strength training sessions with some left over.
He silently chanted in his mind: Add some power.
[Strength: C+ → B-]
PP Consumption: 4
[Remaining PP: 11]
Again.
[Strength: B → B]
PP Consumption: 5
[Remaining PP: 6]
Two points were added.
The strength jumps from C+ to B.
The feeling was much more pronounced than during the endurance test; his arms felt heavier, not sore, but a heavy, "material" weight. He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. The muscles in his chest and shoulders were taut under the light, like they were wound up.
Sendoh walked to the bench press rack and lay down.
Twenty kilograms.
Push it up.
Before, when I did this weight, my legs would start to shake after the third one. Now I can do eight in one go without even getting my breathing wrong.
Exchange for 30 kilograms.
A weight I've never tried before.
With the barbell pressing against his chest, he took a deep breath and pushed it upwards.
The muscles were screaming, the joints were cracking, but it still managed to push.
Once, twice, three times.
The fourth one got stuck halfway up; we just couldn't push it any further.
But that's enough.
With B-rank strength, he might still be at a disadvantage against Maki Shinichi, but he wouldn't be knocked away.
Sendoh sat up, resting his hands on his knees as he panted.