Max cleared the first obstacle, the rolling log, in just two steps. He leaped to the middle of the log and jumped again before it could even spin with pure speed.
Collective gasps could be heard from the spectators, and his viewers also didn't believe what they had just seen.
— Duck walk vs jump, which one is faster? No one needs to ask
— This man destroyed our common sense many times. What's next?
— I thought clearing the course of the day in under a minute was impossible. But... Look at that. 5 seconds only to clear the first obstacle.
— Now comes the second obstacle that took a lot of time, throttle pegs. Will he be able to clear it at a fast speed?
Indeed. Unlike the rolling log, throttle pegs needed grip strength and carefulness. If one was too fast, they could slip before inserting the peg into the hole. And unlike the first obstacle, the second obstacle needed to be cleared according to the rules.
Creating a shortcut was also impossible, as the safe zone was separated by more than 10 meters. The low ceiling made it impossible to clear it by jumping across.
Of course, Max chose the usual way. He took two pegs and began to insert them into the hole. However, he inserted them by skipping one hole each time, making his speed faster. And when there were only 3 holes left, he stopped and began to accumulate the momentum to reach the safe zone.
"Hmph!"
A snort escaped his nostril as he threw himself forward. He managed to land safely and spent no time lying around. His feet moved toward the third obstacle—log transfer. Without even stopping for a second, he cleared the third obstacle.
Following that, he jumped to the rope swing and transferred to ring fly. All movement was smooth and captivating. But Max stopped when he grabbed the ring. His hand began hurting, and he winched slightly.
"Crazy!"
"Who is that guy?"
Many spectators expressed their wonder. A handsome face and a skillful movement. Two combinations that attracted attention caused a crowd to form around the course of the day.
— The spectators were surprised lol
— Still, the fourth obstacle took his time. He hasn't moved for 2 seconds now.
— Breeze is slightly exhausted. This is intense!
Indeed. Max felt his breathing become heavier. Adrenaline was pumping in his blood. He could feel the intense moment with his heightened senses. The tension made his hair rise and his lips curled up.
'It's fun.'
It was as if he was back at that time where he enjoyed the attention the most. Not a virtual attention, but an IRL one. He seldom showed his skill in reality besides some parkour footage where he had no proper equipment.
Anyway, after stopping for roughly 4 seconds because he felt that he would fall if he forced himself, he moved again to the second ring. He didn't try to jump but transferred his hand by swinging his body. It was the safest option.
'My body is still weaker than Flexy, but I can do this.'
Stopping briefly on the third ring, Max moved back and forth to build momentum before throwing himself to the safe zone. He landed and rolled his body, laughing as he stood up and put more chalk into his hands.
"Hahaha, the last one."
[Stream Mission #3 Failed!]
— Ah...
— There went 10 grand. So sad. It seems a minute is indeed impossible
— That's why it's called mission impossible. Flexy only did that to tease him
— Freaking Flexy need to be educated
"Me too. I want to challenge myself."
"Count me in."
The spectators surrounded the course of the day and approached Max as he walked down the stairs. They praised him and asked how he trained and stuff.
Facing them, Max only smiled wryly and said that he trained like usual while trying his best to reunite with Flexy again. But that was useless. He was kept within the crowd for a while.
"A minute 17 seconds."
Amidst the commotion, Flexy announced the time with a surprised expression. His hand that touched the money transfer confirmation on the screen stayed still in the air. "Holy shit. He became better with each passing day." He muttered.
Losing 5 grand in such a bet would usually make one angry, frustrated, or disappointed. However, Flexy had a different thought. He looked at his friend, who was now surrounded by many people. The gaze directed at him indicated that he needed help to escape the situation.
The crowd's excitement and their desire to know Max's training program got him an idea.
'I smell money and fame.' He smiled widely as he moved toward them.
As the orange-haired streamer got closer, he could hear their question was still centered on how to clear the obstacle fast or how Max trained. Flexy inserted himself between the crowd and patted Max's shoulder.
"Hahaha, my buddy, Breeze. I lost!" He said in a voice louder than everyone combined, "As promised, I have transferred the 5 grand. I will be waiting for your training and tutorial videos on Punchtube. If you need any kind of help, just tell me right now. Naturally, I, Flexy, will help you to create it!"
Hearing that, Max was caught off guard.
'What training and tutorial video?! I never planned to make those things yet.' He screamed in his mind. Flexy was too selfish and decided everything by himself. He glared at his friend, but the orange-haired streamer only gestured for him to look around.
The spectators began to murmur among themselves.
"Videos? Ah, he's a streamer."
"It seems the orange-haired guy calls him Breeze. I will remember their names."
"So he will upload his training and tutorial videos on Punchtube. I will subscribe to him and wait for his videos."
"We shouldn't bother them if they are still streaming."
That was enough of a hint. Max wasn't stupid to miss such an obvious thing. Once again, Flexy showed him the way to stream and promote himself.
"Thanks, buddy." He said to Flexy. "I will make the videos soon and upload them on my Punchtube."
"No worries," Flexy said and turned to the crowd, who began to leave one by one. "Please don't worry! We will cover everything in the video, so stay tuned to Breeze's channel! I also have my own tutorial focused on core strength on Flexy's channel. Feel free to visit and subscribe!"
— Look at the shameless promotion lol
— Flexy slowly teach Breeze the way like a good senior kekeke
— How shameless! I love it. I want to be there and meet them
— I like how Flexy handles things. He don't cause a lot of commotion and satisfy everyone
— Does this mean we can look forward to more Breeze's tutorial? Good Flexy, I love you!
Everyone got excited, even when Flexy only promoted his channel. The smaller crowd still asked something, but it wasn't as unbearable as before. Most of them who stayed were those who knew Max and Flexy already and wanted to chat a little.
As part of the service, Max and Flexy decided to answer their questions before continuing with other sports in THE Lodge, such as wall climbing and recreational sports such as bungee jumping.
They sometimes competed with each other until they were satisfied. They did it without any bet because Flexy didn't want to lose more money, and Max used this chance to mock him as a coward.
Time flew past without them noticing. Once they realized it, their clothes were already drenched in sweat and the clock had showed 4 PM.
It was time to rest and move to another place to meet Ferin and Atlas for the 'big' announcement.