Chapter 15: Facility Room

Asher reached the doorway of the training facility. He spotted Maya standing waiting patiently for him.

Maya, all perky enthusiasm and a smile that could light up a morgue, jumped towards him.

"Good morning, Master Asher," Maya greeted with a respectful bow, her smile brighter than a sunrise over a battlefield. "Congratulations on your Awakening ceremony,"

"Thank you," he mumbled in reply, his gaze already on the entrance.

"Please follow me," Maya continued, gesturing towards the facility door that slide open with a slow hiss, like a coffin than a welcoming door.

"Madam said to give you a brief tour and explain the functions of each room." A wave of cool air washed over them as they stepped inside, Asher swept his gaze across the empty hallway with the various doors visible from the entrance.

"Aren't you excited?" Maya asked, glancing at him with a smile, He gave a tight smile. Asher had seen that spark in her eyes before, the excitement of a puppy presented with a chew toy.

"I bet you can't wait to try out all the amazing equipment! Each room is packed with specialized equipment and training programs for specific skills."

Excitement? Asher scoffed internally. Predictable training programs wouldn't unlock the true potential. Still, he allowed Maya to finish her tour, nodding occasionally and feigning interest.

"You're gonna love messing around with them all, trust me! And let me tell you one more thing, some of them are seriously cool. You'll be amazed by what you can do once you get the hang of them, young master!"

"Like that fancy combat simulation room over there," she continued, pointing enthusiastically.

"It's like playing a video game, but way cooler And then there's the weight training area," Maya continued, her smile faltering slightly.

"Personally, I wouldn't touch those things with a ten-foot pole, but Stella's always trying to get me to bulk up. Says it's for my own good. Can you believe it?"

"There's also a meditation chamber," Maya added, her voice dropping to a slow whisper.

"It's supposed to be super relaxing and help you connect with your Anima. But honestly, it just makes me fall asleep. Some maids snores like a bear in there." Maya explained, pointing to different sections, continuing her enthusiastic tour, Asher tuned out most of her words.

"Oh, and there are a few restricted areas," Maya continued, her voice regaining its professional tone.

"There are a few restricted areas, of course, mostly Madam Scarlett's stuff. Top secret and all that jazz. But hey, maybe with your new power, you can convince her to let you peek inside sometime, right?" she winked, her eyes filled with a hint of mischief and curiosity. Also she was enjoying the moment.

Maya, bless her naive heart, had just handed him his first mission objective.

'Restricted areas, huh? Probably where Scarlett kept the good stuff…' His gaze lingered on the biohazard symbol, a curiosity piqued.

'Monster remains and salvaged items? 'Now that sounded interesting.' A slow, and small grin stretched across Asher's face.

"This section is used for the storage and processing of monster remains and salvaged items." She then pointed to another area, its entrance marked with a bio-hazard symbol.

…

Finally, Maya stopped before a specific door, her tone regaining some of its professionalism.

"This room is specifically designated for your use, young master," she explained.

"It's equipped with the latest technology and an AI system that can cater to your specific training needs."

A flicker of interest sparked in Asher's eyes, as he nodded, his gaze on the door.

He knew the capabilities of AI systems like these – efficient, and helpful. But It wouldn't understand the way a real opponent could adapt, could fight dirty, could scream in genuine pain.

Nevertheless, it would serve its purpose. As for the restricted areas… well, those would be his next challenge.

"Well, then I will go now." Maya bowed, sadness within her eyes.

"I see," he said, a hint of curiosity lacing his voice. "Thank you for the tour, Maya."

Maya bowed once again. "It's my pleasure, young master. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask."

With a small nod, Asher entered his training room. The door shut behind him with a soft click, leaving him alone.

A grin stretched across Asher's face, wide like a clown on the verge of a psychotic breakdown.

[Welcome, Master Asher]

A mechanical voice came from the surroundings. It was devoid of the sentimentality humans were so much fond of. And Perfect for Asher.

He needs efficiency, not small talk. Besides, the total lack of personality made the whole thing feel like a real test, not some pre-programmed participation trophy routine.

The room itself was a minimalist nightmare. White walls stretched across the room, without any decoration or even the illusion of windows.

A flat, two-dimensional hexagon was embedded in the floor, creating an illusion of depth despite the room's flatness. Seriously, who designed this place? A minimalist with a serious case of the Mondays?

"Set the room to test basic physical capabilities." But Asher didn't waste the time, his voice calm, yet a bit excited.

The AI reacted with commendable speed. The previously depressing white box morphed like a shape-shifting robot, transforming with breathtaking speed into a state-of-the-art gym.

Yes, that was the word. Walls expanded pushing the space to the size of a small football field, and an arsenal of exercise equipment materialized before his eyes.

Asher rubbed his hands together, his grin splitting his face wider.

"Alright, let's see what this bad boy can do." He murmured to himself, swaggering towards a set of weights displaying a measly 135 pounds (60-61 kg).

A weight that, for the average and untrained man, would be a decent starting point.

"Hup…" He hefted the weight with one hand, expecting a slight challenge, maybe a bicep twitch.

'It's quite light…' Instead, the weight felt lighter than a party balloon. It practically floated in his hand, Asher raised an eyebrow, surprised.

'Goods.' he mused, tilting his head in amusement, with the weight not being a weight.

He went through the motions of a few squats anyway, adding weight each time like a bored child stacking blocks. 225 pounds, a shrug. 315, a minor inconvenience.

"Heh~ so far, it was alright." It wasn't until he reached 584 pounds that he felt a real challenge, a pleasant burn creeping into his muscles.

Satisfied that the warm-up was over, Asher moved on to the bench press, layed down on the platform.