After relaxing on the balcony for a couple hours and breathing in the fresh sea breeze, Alex saw it was about 1:45pm. The shift change would be happening at 2pm so he packed up his things and headed downstairs and into the gym.
A quick scan of the gym showed that Jensen had everything well in hand. Some customers were browsing the products for sale at the front of the store. Jensen was helping customers answer questions behind the reception desk. Others were busy working out with various equipment, either chatting with each other or into their bluetooth headphones to interact with Richard, the AI Fitness Instructor. Members of the Richard fan club were surrounding the AI and chatting about various topics and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Finally, the VR Simulators were in full use with 4 lucky customers performing repetitions of various martial arts moves.
Alex made his way up to the reception desk and talked with Jensen once he was free. Jensen reported to Alex about various things that happened during the morning and also noted that the capacity of the equipment seemed to be enough for now but soon he would need to purchase more cardio machines like treadmills, bikes, and elliptical machines.
As 2pm came about, Jensen took off and Sydney arrived and greeted Alex. A couple minutes after Sydney arrived, Rose also arrived and Alex introduced the two.
“Sydney,” Alex said, “This is Rose, she’s one of the new people I hired as General Managers for the gym. She will mainly be working night shifts so you two will be working together a lot in the future. Rose will also be teaching yoga classes starting next week.”
“Rose,” Alex continued. “This is Sydney, whom I hired as a new receptionist. It just so happens to be the second day of work for both of you today. Both of you are passionate about fitness so I’m sure you’ll get along great. Both of you will also primarily be working night shifts in the future so you’ll have plenty of time together.”
Thinking about how to give them a chance to bond a bit, Alex spoke up. “Rose, why don’t you take Sydney around and show her all of the new products available for purchase as well as their prices. You can also introduce her to the VR simulator and reservation system. I’ll man the reception desk while you two get familiarized.”
“Sounds good, boss,” replied Rose, clearly happy to have another female co-worker. “Let’s go Sydney, I’ll introduce you to the new products.”
“Okay, I’ll thank you in advance,” Sydney responded and the two girls walked off to talk about the various store items and fitness.
Alex spent the next 20 minutes or so at the front desk talking with customers, helping answer their questions, and chatting about their lives. When he asked them about their experiences at FitTech to get their feedback he was happy to hear that their experiences were generally positive. They liked that the space didn’t seem cramped, that the equipment was clean, and the gym lacked the smell that many gyms tended to have.
Alex was glad to hear their thoughts and that the things he paid attention to like use of space and the air purifier were being appreciated by customers. At this point, Rose and Sydney returned from their store tour and they seemed to have bonded over this time and were happily chatting with each other about yoga.
“Feeling like you’ve got a handle on the new products?” Alex asked, mainly for Sydney since Rose(Jensen) was already aware of the new products.
“I’ve got it, boss,” Sydney replied. “Rose showed me all of the new things and their prices. They’re also on the POS(point-of-sales) software here at reception so I’ll be fine.”
“Excellent,” Alex responded. “I’ll leave the gym to the two of you then. Call me if you need me otherwise I’m going to get my workout started. I have a 3pm appointment with the VR simulator.” Alex said happily. “I’ve started to learn boxing and I can’t wait to see what I’ll learn next”
Both Rose and Sydney could see that Alex seemed extra chipper when he talked about learning boxing and they waved him off with assurances that they had everything well in hand.
Alex changed into his new FitTech workout clothes that would add extra stats to his workouts. He put in his earbuds and loaded up the FitTech app to have Richard start him off with some stretching and cardio.
At 3pm Alex put on the VR Goggles and loaded himself into the cultivation paradise arena as he decided to call it. He decided to continue learning boxing today and the software had him start off by reviewing what he’d worked on in his previous session. During his practice session today, the simulator had him focus on footwork and defense, blocking and dodging punches from simulated opponents. As he became more comfortable with the movements, the simulator would raise the ability of his opponents to constantly keep him on his toes.
Alex got himself well and truly beat up by the time his hour-long session concluded and he was expecting to see himself with a bruised body once he took off the goggles. He was surprised once he took off the goggles to see that his body was fine. ‘It’s incredible how the simulator can make the pain seem so realistic,’ he thought to himself. He found out that the pain setting was adjustable and he worked out with the pain setting at about 25%. He shivered for a moment thinking about what it would be like to have it set to 100%, or god-forbid, even higher…
Once he came out of the VR world, he continued to work out with weights and the various equipment before wrapping up with some stretches and using the foam roller. Once he finished working out, he waved off Rose and Sydney, telling them he’d be upstairs if they needed him and then went up to take a shower.
After cleaning up and changing into regular clothes he pulled up the FitTech app to look at his workout progress for today:
Strength: +42%
Dexterity: +43%
Constitution: +48%
Intelligence: +10%
It seemed that the sports clothing really did have a solid impact on his workout sessions, raising his gains by a solid amount. Alex then thought ‘Status Screen’ in his mind and took a look at his updated ability scores post-workout.
[Status Screen]Name: Alex
Race: Human
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Occupation: Interdimensional Store Owner
Store Level: 2(10/200 experience)
Personal Funds: $7,860.85
Company Funds: $69.25
Unlocked Product Lines: Fitness and Sports
[Ability Score]Strength: 4(5) (94% + 42% = Level up! 36%) [Measuring physical power]
Dexterity: 4 (25% + 43% = 68%) [Measuring agility]
Constitution: 5 (20% + 48% = 68%) [Measuring endurance and health]
Intelligence: 5 (21% + 10% = 31%) [Measuring reasoning and memory]
Wisdom: 4 (26%) [Measuring perception and insight]
Charisma: 5 (82%) [Measuring force of personality]
Alex felt conflicting emotions at this moment. On the one hand he was happy that his strength had leveled up… On the other hand, he could only now be considered to have average human strength… He decided he’d be a glass half full kind of guy and did a quick celebration dance for the achievement although he was still pretty sore from his workout so it was a very toned down celebration dance.
For the remaining couple hours before dinner time, he relaxed in the living room. He read new chapters of his favorite webnovels, watched some television, and checked on the FitTech social media accounts which were taking off at this point. It seemed like Rose and Sydney were developing fans of their own as there were plenty of pictures posted by the netizens with the two ladies in their FitTech ensembles posing with customers in the gym.
Alex had dinner with his mother and she took mercy upon him and decided to do the cooking this evening. She told him about her day and seemed to be in a great mood after her yoga discussion with Jensen. It seems that she would be signing up for many of the yoga classes that were starting next week. Alex was happy that his mom was happy and assured her it would be no problem to sign up for as many classes as she wanted.
Alex told her about his day and how he had been able to relax a lot more the last couple days now that he had hired new employees. He excitedly told her about the VR simulator and how he had been learning boxing.
Mary knew her son better than anyone. He had grown up on fantasy stories and martial artists so she was happy for him to be able to do something that he was truly interested in.
After dinner, Alex went back to the living room to relax and it dawned on him after a while that he’d forgotten to check the quest system recently. He wasn’t in a hurry or anything so he didn’t take the loss of a few days of quests too seriously. Alex noticed that now that he had reached Store Level: 2 the number of quests available had increased from 5 to 6.
He took a few minutes to read through the various quests and really did find one that he was drawn to.
[Quest: VR Boxing Training]Stipulations: Use the [VR Martial Arts Simulator – Rare] to train the boxing skill. Follow the systematic teaching of the simulator and reach the novice level in the boxing skill to complete this quest.
Time Limit: 7 days
Experience Gained: 50 points
Ability Score Improved: Strength (25%) Dexterity (25%) Constitution (25%)
Reward: Unlock System Feature: Skill System
‘A new system feature?’ Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise. So far new features had only unlocked when he leveled up the system. This would be the first instance of gaining a feature through questing. It seemed he would need to pay more attention to quests in the future to make sure he didn’t mean any new features by mistake. ‘Zara, what can you tell me about the Skill System?’ he asked the AI mentally.
[I cannot give any information about the Skill System before it has been unlocked,] Zara responded mechanically. [I can tell you however that the Skill System will be greatly helpful to you in the future so do not miss this opportunity.]‘I suppose surprises can be good too,’ Alex thought to himself. ‘I understand, thanks anyways Zara.’
Alex had already fallen in love with the VR simulator at this point. He had already intended to make using it a daily routine at this point and this quest was just icing on the cake for him. The fact that it would add a new feature to the system just continued to reinforce the feeling that this was something he needed to do.
Alex also decided that when he was purchasing more simulators tonight, he would purchase one for himself and hide it away in the 2nd, currently unused, classroom in the back of the gym. That way he could use it as much as he wanted without disturbing other customers. With a plan of action all thought out, Alex accepted the quest and saw there was still a few hours before the gym closed for the night.
After accepting the quest, Alex continued relaxing for a while. He spent some time watching TV and browsing the internet and playing idle games on his laptop, catching up on some news and social media updates. As the time ticked by, he realized it was time to head back downstairs to the gym and check on Rose and Sydney.
When he got downstairs, he saw that both Rose and Sydney were busy attending to customers, answering questions and guiding them through workouts. Alex smiled as he watched them work, impressed by their dedication and passion for their jobs.
Alex approached Rose and asked how her shift was going. She replied that everything was going smoothly and that she had signed up quite a few new customers. Alex was pleased to hear this and congratulated her on a job well done. Alex decided to check on Sydney as well. This was only her second shift at FitTech.
Alex walked up to Sydney who was behind the reception desk, typing on the computer.
“Hey Sydney, how’s your second shift going?” Alex asked.
Sydney looked up and smiled. “It’s going well. I’m getting the hang of things, and Rose has been really helpful in showing me the ropes.”
“That’s great to hear,” Alex said. “How are the customers treating you?”
Sydney paused for a moment as if she was hesitant to say something. She looked at Rose who nodded at her before responding to Alex. “Most of them are friendly and just come in to work out, but there was one guy who kept hitting on me. I didn’t know how to handle it at first, but Rose stepped in and shut him down. She’s really good at dealing with difficult customers.”
Alex frowned when he heard this news. “That’s good to know,” Alex said. “It’s important to make sure our employees feel safe and comfortable at work. If anyone is making you feel uncomfortable, please don’t hesitate let me or Rose know right away. We won’t allow anyone to harass you.”
Sydney looked like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and nodded. “Thanks, Alex. I feel better knowing you guys have my back.”
“Of course,” Alex said. “That’s what we’re here for. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?”
Sydney smiled. “Will do. Thanks, Alex.”
It was just about 10pm at this point so Alex and his employee’s rounded up the last few stragglers who were wrapping up their workouts and escorted them outside. Alex and Rose walked Sydney to her car to make sure no one bothered her and waved her off as she left. After she left, Alex and Rose walked back into the gym and locked the doors. They both shared the labor of turning off all the electronic equipment and the lights and then Rose went off to the back room to do whatever it is that AI’s do when they’re off work.
Alex decided to check the revenue for the day and was shocked at the numbers he was seeing on the computer.
[Membership Revenue(plus classes) = $14,640.00] [Supplements Revenue = $975.00] [Sports Clothing Revenue = $1,215.00] [Fitness Accessories Revenue = $630.00] [Total Revenue = $17,460.00] [Personal Funds: $7,860.85 + $2,619.00(15%) = $10,479.85] [Company Funds: $69.25 + $14, 841.00(85%) = $14,910.25]Looking at the company funds that he had available, Alex decided to purchase 4 more [VR Martial Arts Simulator – Rare] for $10,000. He hid one of them in the 2nd classroom hidden from public view and put the other 3 in the functional area, bringing the total to 7 sets being made available to customers. He had Zara update the reservation slots for each hour so that they increased from 4 to 7 and quickly updated the netizens on the FitTech social media accounts.
Jensen had reminded him early that he would need more Treadmills, exercise bikes, and elliptical machines soon so he purchased 5 more of each, which doubled the total number of available machines up to 10 total for all three types. After this wave of spending he was left with a grand total of $825.25 in company funds but he had addressed the immediate concern of not having enough basic equipment to serve the increasing amount of customers in the gym. From now on, he would be keeping at least $5,000 in the company funds to handle these types of issues in the future.
With all the important business taken care of, Alex headed upstairs to his bedroom and relaxed for a bit. He was excited to have his own personal simulator to use and would be training hard to complete his boxing quest. The main reason was that the inner child in him really wanted to learn how to fight, just like the knights and cultivators in stories. The reason he started with boxing was actually pretty simple, his logic was that since boxing only used your hands, it would be an easier starting point for someone with zero background in fighting than the other martial arts styles. That makes sense right? Maybe? Possibly?
The other reason he was excited about the quest was because he was extremely curious about the Skill System. If Zara was telling him it was an opportunity he shouldn’t miss, then it must be something good. It was with these thoughts that Alex drifted off to sleep, feeling fulfilled, sore, and ready to face the next day.
