A buzz filled the air as an announcement echoed from the school's PA system.
> "Attention all students. The intramurals event will be held one month from now. Registration for all sports is now open. Cash prizes await the top 3 winners."
The class instantly erupted.
Students stood up from their seats, excitement dancing in their eyes.
The words "cash prize" were like fire to dry leaves.
Energy flooded the halls.
Jed's eyes opened slowly.
He had barely slept—again.
But this time, something lit behind those half-closed eyes.
Cash prize.
He sat up straight, brows furrowing.
> "This might be my chance."
---
After school, Jed walked toward the registration area where crowds of students buzzed with excitement.
White boards displayed every event, already half-filled with names:
Track & Field
Basketball
Powerlifting
Arm Wrestling
Chess
…and more.
Jed took a step forward.
He scanned the list quietly, thinking.
Not for fun. Not for recognition.
But survival.
> "If I win even 3rd place, I can cut down my workload and focus more on studies."
He took a deep breath and filled out his name.
He registered for two sports:
Arm Wrestling
Powerlifting
Two events that didn't need fancy skills or long practices.
Just raw strength. Grit. Pain tolerance.
Things he already lived with.
But as he turned in his paper—
His eyes locked onto the others who had signed up.
Men with forearms like tree trunks.
Towering upper bodies.
Confident grins.
And right there—
In bold, unmistakable print—
David Ahn.
Signed up for Powerlifting.
Jed narrowed his eyes.
> "Of course he's in it…"
---
Meanwhile—across campus.
David Ahn leaned against the gym wall, laughing with his friends.
> "So the janitor's entering events?"
"You serious?"
"Bro, the guy looks like he eats instant noodles for protein."
"Maybe he's cutting weight… to join chess."
David just smirked.
But something inside him wasn't laughing.
A small ember lit up—the one he kept buried.
> "Jed."
A name that reminded him of someone who never respected his rank. An old enemy that had kicked his groin.
Someone who stood tall even while having nothing.
That quiet defiance always gnawed at David.
David then asked the registrar what sports did Jed joined.
And found that Jed had signed up for 2 sports, Arm wrestling and Powerlifting.
> "Now you want to compete?"
He took out his phone and messaged his coach.
> "I want to prep for arm wrestling too."
> "Both events?" his coach replied. "You sure? It'll be rough."
> "No problem," David answered, cracking his knuckles. "This time, I'm not just winning. I'm erasing someone."
The next day, David enrolled in a luxury gym in the city.
Top-tier equipment.
Custom meals delivered to his doorstep.
A sports nutritionist to design his macros.
And a private coach for each event.
But it didn't stop there.
He called in a favor.
> "Get me Mark Ben. Yeah, that Mark Ben. The national arm wrestling champ. I want him to train me."
---
And so it began.
Daily updates flooded David's social media: 📸 Gym selfies with protein shakes
📸 Deadlift PRs with bragging captions
📸 Arm wrestling training clips with Mark Ben coaching beside him
> "Crushing 180kg deadlifts like warmups."
"Training to dominate."
"No one stands a chance."
His circle hyped him up.
Teachers praised his "discipline."
Everyone expected him to win.
---
Elsewhere, in the quiet corners of the library—
Reina Salvador moved a chess piece across the board.
Her eyes were calm, yet sharp—calculating several moves ahead.
ELO 2100.
Local champion.
Back-to-back winner of last year's tournament.
She didn't need to prove anything.
She already registered for Chess and everyone knew who would take first.
But something strange caught her eye.
She noticed Jed's name on the board—for Powerlifting and Arm Wrestling.
She blinked.
Raised an eyebrow.
> "Why is he…?"
Her gaze drifted toward the window.
And outside—
Jed was up the stairs alone, drenched in sweat, doing bicep curls with loaded bags.
Not part of any team. No coach. No gear.
Just... training.
It piqued her curiosity.
> "He's serious?"
Then she looked at her phone—David had posted another gym flex.
She smiled faintly. Confident.
> "Well, let's see how this plays out."
---
And Jed?
He had no gym.
No coach.
No budget.
Just his own worn-down body and a mind that refused to quit.
Every night, after finishing his housework at his aunt's place, he returned home, dropped his bags, and trained.
His program wasn't normal.
It was built from trial and error—a hybrid program he'd developed while learning and researching more about the human body and its capabilities.
He trained:
Pull-ups with heavy backpacks
Deadlifts using buckets filled with bricks
Arm isolation using old broom handles and water jugs
Loaded carries with rice sacks
And recovery with eggs, milk, bananas, and vitamins
No one saw his sweat.
No one liked his posts—because he didn't post any.
---
Three weeks passed.
The school buzzed with match-up predictions.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
> "David's going all out this year."
"Reina's already unbeatable in chess."
"Wait, Jed signed up? that janitor?"
Three names stood on different battlegrounds:
David – The favorite. Privileged. Prepared. Respected.
Reina – The queen. Focused. Talented. Untouchable.
Jed – The unknown. Quiet. Loner. The Janitor.
Their paths hadn't crossed just yet—
But the storm was building.