The morning sun had barely risen.
Kai stepped out of the training hall and stretched.
His entire body still ached from Taai's "gentle" training.
"...Everything hurts."
A nearby soldier overheard him.
"Good."
"It means you're improving."
Kai wasn't sure if that was comforting.
Probably not.
Today, however—
He had somewhere to be.
The residential district.
Or more specifically...
The district where Dr. Z's hideout was located.
Not the hideout itself.
Just the area.
Kai adjusted his jacket and started walking.
---
Unlike Asphyxia—
Muscle City woke up differently.
There were no elegant cafés.
No scholars discussing research.
No merchants loudly advertising magical artifacts.
Instead—
Everywhere Kai looked...
People were moving.
Running.
Training.
A father jogged while carrying two children on his shoulders.
An old grandmother casually dragged a giant log behind her house.
A butcher sharpened his cleaver using one hand while curling a dumbbell with the other.
Kai blinked.
"...Do these people ever rest?"
Nearby—
Two elderly men played chess.
Except every time someone lost a piece—
They had to do push-ups.
The loser was already nearing a hundred.
He looked perfectly fine.
Kai slowly walked away.
"...Never mind."
---
Further ahead—
A public training square came into view.
Children were gathered around an instructor.
The man clapped his hands.
"Again!"
The children immediately dropped for push-ups.
One little girl looked exhausted.
"I can't..."