Chapter 44: Progressing Slowly.

“Date? I have a girlfriend.”

Max stopped for a second, then looked at Josefina, who was completely serious, and told her he had a girlfriend. Josefina wasn’t disappointed at all. She just accepted it naturally.

“I see. We can be friends, right?”

“Yeah, certainly. I’ll take a shower, then go for some food. You can join me.”

“In the shower?”

“N… No, I mean for the food.”

“Ahaha, yeah, alright. I will wash myself as well and take you up on your food offer.”

Josefina left, while Max smiled and entered the shower. He was sweaty and hungry, but the satisfaction after training felt very nice.

Show me the progress bar of the heavyweight imprint skill.

[Updated]

[Heavyweight imprint (Level 1): Tom Aspinall’s combat experience and movement memory. (Slot: 1/1) (Progress: 32%)]

Nice. If I continue this class regularly, I might soon reach Tom Aspinall’s level.

Max took a cold shower. Although he had every memory of Tom’s fights and training like he had lived them himself, he still needed to train to use them properly. After the shower, Max noticed a weighing scale.

It’s been a while since I last measured my weight. I used to be 176 lbs (80 KG).

Wearing just his underwear, Max stepped onto the scale. After the last system modification to his body, he was certain his weight had increased a lot, but by how much, he wasn’t sure.

Hmm? 260 lbs? That’s almost 118 KG. Damn, almost a hundred pounds more, yet I am not bulky at all.

*GROWL*

Shaking his head to stop overthinking as his hunger intensified, Max put on his pants and the T-shirt he came in with, then walked out of the shower section. The gym had many shower sections, and all of them were gender-neutral. Max chose this simpler bathroom since, at this time, many women were using the more advanced ones.

Max walked to the reception and sat on a bench on the side. He planned to wait for Josefina, then eat the steak he had last time he was here. He had loved it, and the atmosphere inside felt nice, even better than the Michelin-star restaurant he had visited a few days ago.

System, show me the progress on my workout cumulative hours.

[Updated]

[Workout for 50 cumulative hours: 6 hours, 12 minutes]

Alright, so it also counts the morning jog. That’s going to make it easy.

*RING-RING*

Max’s phone rang. Seeing it was Jennifer, he smiled and answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hi, so I’ve just talked with Bronte.”

“Oh? Tell me what he said.”

“He agreed to take the blame for the drugs or mostly push someone else under the bus and free my sister from jail, if we can give him 850,000€ in a week. And he also told me he prefers cash.”

“Alright, don’t worry about the money. Now focus on your day. I got this.”

“Max, babe, it’s too much money. I don’t want to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble. I can manage this much. Take care of yourself.”

“Of course. You too. I love you.”

“Love you more.”

Ending the call, Max looked up and saw Josefina coming out, wearing a short leather jacket, baggy blue jeans, and sunglasses. Her figure was well hidden inside the clothes. She didn’t look like a killer anymore. Her warm-toned skin still made her quietly eye-catching.

“You look good in those jeans.”

“Thank you. So where are you taking me?”

“There’s a quiet steakhouse nearby. It’s very good. Let’s go.”

“Eh? But I am vegan.”

Max was a bit shocked hearing Josefina was vegan. You have to know, they need lots of protein to maintain their body shape, and Josefina was a pro. Although it was possible to be vegan, it was kind of rare.

“Ahahaha, I am joking with you. Let’s go.”

Josefina laughed out loud when she saw how serious Max had become. She then locked her arm with his and almost dragged him outside.

For a second, Max thought about changing the place and where to take her, but seeing her laugh and how friendly she was, he just shook his head. Jennifer and Danica were more serious, older-woman types, while Blanka was his age, so he understood she could be a bit naughty. But Josefina was older than him and still playful.

Max walked ahead toward ’Eisen & Stein Steaks’. Last time, he had barely managed to get a table, and he wasn’t certain he would get one again today. From the outside, the place looked almost unpopular, quiet, like no one bothered to come here. But he already knew the truth.

Inside, it was always full. The restaurant didn’t try to attract crowds or loud guests. It felt intentional, like they preferred returning customers who understood the silence and didn’t cause trouble. If you didn’t like calm and peace, they simply didn’t care.

The streets around them changed. Josefina noticed they were clean and orderly, with no neon signs or flashy boards calling for attention. A dark iron sign, simple and heavy, hung near the corner like it had been there for decades.

As Max turned the corner, Josefina’s nose perked up. She caught something warm and rich. A faint smell of roasted meat drifted through the air.

She nodded when she saw the small restaurant tucked into the corner of the street. If Max hadn’t brought her here, she would’ve never found this place on her own.

Max stepped forward and held the door open for her. Soft lights glowed against white walls, and well-dressed guests talked in low voices inside. No noise, no chaos, just quiet class. The kind of place that didn’t advertise itself, because the right people always found their way back.

“This is a nice place.”

“I know. You’ll love the food more.”

“Hello, sir—eh? Welcome back. Table for two this time?”

A waitress hurried over to greet them. Coincidentally, she was the same one who had served Max last time. Seeing him return, a smile appeared on her face. He had tipped her 14€ even though service was already included.

“Yes, for two, please.”

“Follow me.”

Max and Josefina walked together. Although the restaurant was quiet and people were talking softly, no one seemed bothered by their presence. There were only a few curious glances, nothing more. Josefina nodded in quiet satisfaction. Usually, people would stare or ogle at her.

“Here is the best table, in my opinion, sir.”

The waitress smiled as she presented a table with four chairs. It was near a window. Although a little toward the middle, it felt more private, even with other people around.

“Thank you, Miss O’Shea.”

“You are welcome. Please sit down while I bring something special and complimentary for you.”

When Max read her nameplate, the waitress smiled a little. He hadn’t asked for her name. Max pulled a chair out for Josefina first, then sat across from her.

“She has a crush on you.”

“The waitress?”

“Yeah. She blushed when you called her name.”

“Nah… she was just being nice.”

*Ring-Ring*

Max’s phone buzzed as Josefina teased him lightly. He silenced it by pressing the side button, then looked at the screen. ’Finn.’ Seeing it was his new friend, who could help him complete two side missions, Max politely gestured to Josefina that he was going to take it. Josefina nodded.

“Hello?”

“Max, buddy, I thought you would call me. I have already spoken about you with my dad. He’s looking forward to meeting you and selling you a bike.”

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