The day before the meeting, I decided to hit the gym and see how much faster I’d gotten. If things got physical tomorrow, I wanted to know exactly what my body could do instead of finding out in the middle of a fight.
I started on the treadmill at a low speed, but within a few seconds, I could already feel the difference.
Running used to feel like I was dragging extra weight with every step.
Now my legs moved more easily, and even after increasing the pace, my breathing was normal.
What I still lacked was the same explosiveness, probably because my Strength was lagging behind. With that in mind, I moved over to the weights and did a few sets.
Once I finished, I noticed an open space lined with large mirrors and decided to practice a few movements I used to do in my past life, spending the next hour or so correcting my stance.
’Time to head out.’
I took one last drink of water, grabbed my things, and headed for the locker room.
After showering and changing, I left the gym and made my way to the nearest mall. I still needed something decent to wear for tomorrow’s meeting.
With so many people around, I expected another candidate notification to pop up sooner or later.
None came.
’Does it have some kind of criteria? Maybe the Doctrine will explain it.’
[First Doctrine: 6 Hours Remaining]
’Six more hours, huh?’
I’d been waiting for this thing ever since day one.
The name alone sounded important. After all, what kind of cult didn’t have a doctrine?
But what exactly was I supposed to do with it?
Would it teach me how to recruit people? Give me some kind of ability? Or was it just going to dump a bunch of religious nonsense into my head and expect me to figure everything out?
Knowing my luck, probably the last one.
"Sir, would you like some help?" a saleswoman asked, jolting me out of my thoughts.
"No need."
My old lifestyle taught me a few useful skills. Knowing how to dress was one of them.
It took me less than twenty minutes to find the right casual clothes and my formal outfit for tomorrow’s meeting: a fitted black suit, a white shirt, and a pair of black shoes.
People judged before you even opened your mouth. Might as well give them something good to look at.
With some time to kill, I stopped by a cafe and ordered a black coffee.
Thankfully, coffee tasted exactly the same in this world. At least that was one thing I didn’t need to get used to.
’What’s she doing right now?’
I checked my phone. Still nothing from Lea.
Strangely enough, I was starting to miss having her around. She was fun to talk to, easy on the eyes, and somehow always kept things interesting.
Then I remembered how unpredictable she could be.
Yeah. Maybe a little distance wasn’t so bad.
Still, she was cute as hell. I should’ve at least kissed her when I had the chance.
What a dilemma.
Back in my old life, getting action was practically part of my nightly routine.
Now I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d gotten laid, and my body was starting to complain.
’I should’ve kissed her.’
My eyes landed on three young women sitting at a nearby table. They weren’t as cute as Lea, but they were still pretty enough to catch my attention.
One of them noticed me and smiled.
See? Proper clothes really did make a difference.
’Alright, time to get myself some company to kill time—’
’Stop. Focus, you horny dog.’
Taking three deep breaths helped me calm down, and I turned my attention back to Lea.
She was my only member, and improving my relationship with her meant higher Loyalty and a stronger Synergy.
I recalled our last conversation. She apologized afterward for disappearing and said family matters were keeping her busy.
What exactly was going on with her family?
There was no point overthinking something I couldn’t answer.
Speaking of family, I still had no idea how long I’d have the house to myself, so I sent Celine a quick message to find out.
She said she’d be back sometime next week, while my uncle would be away for another week or two.
’She’s away while he’s out of town too?’
I couldn’t help thinking back to their argument.
’Was Dex actually onto something? Or am I just overthinking this?’
Either way, their marriage wasn’t my problem.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Lea’s name appeared on the screen.
I answered. "Hey."
For a few seconds, all I heard was her breathing.
Then her voice finally came through, much quieter than usual.
"Raven... can you come to my house tonight?"