Scouting

"I assume you're not gonna sit?"

"…" The dignified butler only lowered his head in response.

"Well, I guess it doesn't really matter." Randolph took a quick look around to see if anybody was listening. "Anyway, let's get down to business."

"Yes, my Lord. What in specific would you like to hear of? I have observed quite a bit in the past few days."

"The main thing I want to know is, how many people attend the gym here? The second thing I'd like to know is their general wealth. Err- if that's not an intrusion on your hotel policy or anything."

"Yes. I will tell you of the exercise facility first. From what I have observed over the past few days, there is a consistent inflow of patrons daily. At least several dozen attendees on a busy day, it seems. There seems to be a decent amount of new members, both women and men, that are brought in on relation."

"I see… What about their wealth? Are you able to tell me about that?"

"Yes. From my surveillance of the quality of their clothing, accessories, and general look, most of them seem to be fairly well-off1. Many of the attendees do not stay for more than a day, and do not come back, but the regulars have established several groups based on wealth. Their general age is around yours, my Lord."

"Thank you for the information." Pleasantly surprised, Randolph nodded his head in appreciation.

The information was much more in-depth than he had been expecting. It seemed like Archibald had spared no expense in his efforts to gather it. He was very competent at his job.

"Hm…" Randolph rubbed his chin in thought.

The finer aspects of their wealth was what he was most interested in. If they were attending a gym connected to a four-star hotel centered downtown then they were basically guaranteed to already have a certain level of wealth.

The only real question was how much they could spare.

The young man was very tempted to ask, but he decided against to on his better judgement. The information brought in was already more than what was expected, he couldn't ask the butler to go against Hotel policies.

"What time do most people attend the gym?"

"Usually in the morning to the afternoon. Otherwise, late at night."

"Can you take me down there tomorrow morning?"

"You need only say the word." Archibald bowed his head to show his understanding.

"Hm. Yes" Randolph rubbed his chin awkwardly, uncomfortable with the excessive respect shown to him by the butler. "What about the spa?"

"Forgive me, my Lord. I was unable to accumulate much information on the beauty resort as they do not allow men in the same facilities as women, and the vast majority of its patrons are women."

"Err, no, you don't have to apologize for that. I didn't mean to criticize you or anything, you've done more than enough." Randolph waved his hands at the old man's bow.

After doing so, he descended into thought. Seeing this, Archibald tacitly remained silent.

As he thought, he randomly threw the palate cleansers and deserts on the table into his mouth.

Deliciously sweet.

The spa was an important component in the young man's plans, but it was only a backup so he wasn't overly worried about it.

The main focus of his was on the gym – the reason being because he had proven to himself that he could trade in the main currency that he could gleam from there, being strength.

The question now is – who would be willing to trade with me, and who can keep their mouths shut? 

Or rather…

Who can I trick into signing with me…?

But feeling the strong muscles in his body, and remembering its look in the mirror, he wasn't too worried about it. After all, as long as there were humans, there would be pride and envy – and wherever there was pride and envy, there was therefore desire.

"Alright, I'm finished here." Randolph put a hand over his mouth to cover a burp.

Standing up, he glanced at Archibald who lowered his head.

After swiftly stacking the remaining plates, he began guiding the young man back to his suite.

***

The next morning, Randolph observed his body once again as he showered.

Strangely enough, perhaps because of the food or the amount of time that had passed, his body felt slightly better.

The veins were still quite visible, but they had lessened in density and could pass off as regular now. His muscles didn't feel as tight and his body didn't feel as bloated. If his body had felt like a bow strung to its limits before, it now felt slightly loosened.

But a change did happen in his body, which he noticed. Firstly, he was able to control his strength much better than the day before. Secondly, the disturbingly chiseled muscles that had lined his body before were now given more depth, while he felt slightly bulkier.

It was as if his muscles had absorbed a large chunk of his leftover fat along with the nutrients from the meal before. It furthered his guess that he didn't feel the need to excrete waste at all, as it had taken everything.

Simply put, he didn't look as monstrous as the day before.

He could make no mistake though. While his body seemed to have toned down, it was still like a glass cannon, or a mine.

The young man knew that his body couldn't sustain its current strength. If he punched too hard, the marble wall next to him would probably shatter like glass – but so would his fist.

Yeah, this is a problem. I can't do things so rashly next time, I have to trade in moderation… or at least balance out the stats.

While Randolph was extremely tempted due to the power he felt, his cautious nature won out in the end.

If this is how it works for strength, it's probably the same for my other physical stats. I don't think one should be too much higher than the other. Though, what about the stats that aren't physical, like charisma, wisdom, and intelligence? Well, better safe than sorry I suppose. 

No matter what, patience was key. If he could get past his current predicament, he could quite possibly have all the time in the world.

After finishing his shower and throwing on some casual wear, the young man exited his suite to find Archibald waiting in his usual spot outside the door.

"Let's eat first, I'm starving. You can guide me down to the gym after."

"Very well, my Lord."