The five that brought up getting a raise walked out of Blake’s office in single file.
Their faces showed that they were a bit frustrated, and a little bit angry.
Not far away, another two coaches looked at them as they discussed quietly.
“There’s no need to say anything. From their expressions, Blake definitely rejected their request for a raise.”
“Will they really choose to jump ship?”
“Jump ship? Resign more likely. If another training center really offered them a higher salary, they would’ve already tendered their resignation letter like Jones. I’m guessing that they were hoping to use the stream of recent departures to raise their own salaries.”
“Right now, the training center is lacking manpower. If they resign because they weren’t given a raise, it is definitely a big threat. But Blake seems to have seen through their ploy.”
“Or perhaps Blake doesn’t even care if they leave. It is hard to find a secure job right now. Maybe a lot of people are applying for coaching positions!”
…
Ironman Training Center.
In the conference room, Max was looking at the coaches that he had just headhunted, and he felt that his training center was filled with strong soldiers and sturdy horses. He was in high spirits.
That Chinese Coach Li’s training center. So what if he opened a lot of branches? Coaches are the key. No matter how many branches you open, and no matter how big they are, without coaches, they are just a bunch of empty buildings. But I have to thank you for helping me train so many excellent talents.
As Max thought of that, he coughed lightly and said, “Summer is almost here, that means the lifeguard examinations are about to start again. This is our next important job.”
Max also knew that these short-term training courses were very profitable. From the most prominent national fitness training chains to the smallest average gym, everyone was fighting to get part of the pie.
Max continued to say, “Our new colleague Mr. Jones is very experienced in this regard. He did the same job last year, right?”
As Max spoke, he turned to Jones. Jones nodded his head politely and said, “Yes, last year, when I was at Coach Lee’s physical fitness training center, I was mainly responsible for the beach lifeguard training courses, but we were in a bit of a rush last time, and I only had a month to train. However, of the eight trainees, six passed the beach lifeguard physical fitness test.”
Many people there were in awe. If what Jones said was true, then his coaching talent would command the trust of everyone.
“Then you will still be responsible for the job this year, how’s that?” Max asked.
“Of course that is no problem. There is more time this year, and I will strive to make sure that every one of my students passes the beach lifeguard physical fitness test,” Jones promised straight away.
Max nodded his head happily. Jones knew that since this was his first task after jumping ship, it was an important task. Whether or not he could stay in the Ironman Training Center depended heavily on the results of the beach lifeguard training course.
…
At a cafe next to the beach, a tall bald man who sat opposite Dai Li was endlessly introducing something. “Being a beach lifeguard is a trendy job. Right now a lot of young people want the jobs, so the competition is becoming fiercer and fiercer. The professional and physical requirements are getting higher and higher. Like the beach I am at; this year they’re requiring the beach lifeguards to have first aid certification. They don’t only demand that the lifeguards to know how to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and compressions, they also want the beach lifeguards to know how to operate an automated external defibrillator…”
“There are also places that require beach lifeguards to have a diving certificate and know deep diving, underwater navigation, and night diving. But these are relatively easy. Two days of theory and one day of practical training, around four to five hundred dollars, and they’re valid for life.”
Dai Li, who sat opposite him, interrupted the bald man, and said, “Mickey, let’s stick to things that are related to the beach lifeguard physical fitness test.”
Mickey was about 190cm tall and very muscular, built like a bull. It was hard to imagine he shared the same cute name as Mickey Mouse.
Mickey was a beach lifeguard, and he was also a famous leader of the lifeguards in Los Angeles. At the same time, he was also a hardcore fan of Taylor’s, so Dai Li used a boxing glove signed by Taylor to learn many useful things from Mickey.
Mickey lowered his voice, and said, “Last year, my beach decided to only recruit one beach lifeguard, but over a hundred applicants came, and about eighty of them passed their physical fitness test. The passing rate was too high, and as far as I know, the situation at other beaches was about the same. Many applicants came prepared. So this year, the lifeguard association has decided to raise the standard.”
“What are the contents of this year’s physical fitness test?” Dai Li asked immediately.
“To finish a 36-mile run, 8 kilometers of swimming, and 25 obstacle courses within 24 hours,” Mickie answered with a laugh.
“36 miles is about 58 kilometers,” Dai Li calculated in his head. He found that the part of the test to be a bit familiar.
“Seem familiar?” Mickey asked. “You have probably heard of the 24-hour Frogman Challenge, right?”
“You’re right, a 58-kilometer run, 8 kilometers of swimming, and 25 obstacle courses within 24 hours. Isn’t this the 24-hour Frogman Challenge? Why would you design such a test? This is a test for the Navy SEALs, how can the average human pass this test!” Dai Li couldn’t help but be surprised.
“The people we recruit are never just average people. The job of a beach lifeguard is to protect human life. It’s a sacred job, so of course, we need the best people to accomplish it,” Mickey said while laughing.
The US Navy SEALs were famous amongst the special forces. Part of the Navy SEALs’ assessment was completing a 58-kilometer long distance run, 8 kilometers of swimming, and 25 obstacle courses. Americans who had nothing to do and liked to challenge themselves would sometimes try to pass the assessment test for the Navy SEALs to satisfy their egos, so the Navy SEALs test became a sort of competition. It became the 24-hour Frogman Challenge.
The Navy SEALs is one of the best special forces in the world. The average person definitely couldn’t achieve that level of fitness. The difficulty of the 24-hour Frogman Challenge for the average person was much lower than the Navy SEALs assessment test.
The SEALs had to carry tens of kilograms of weight to complete the test, and the long-distance run would be conducted in a mountainous area with rugged roads. The swimming test would be at a place where the winds and waves were fierce. The difficulty of the 25 obstacles was also much higher. The 24-hour Frogman Challenge for citizens naturally did not require its participants to wear weights, the long-distance run was also done on even surfaces, and the 25 obstacle courses were also less difficult.
Even if the difficulty was much lower than the Navy SEALs test, the competition was still an enormous challenge for the average person. Even if they were an athlete, it would still be challenging to pass this event if they didn’t go through professional training. And for the average person, if they wanted to pass the 24-hour Frogman Challenge, they would need to go through professional fitness training.
…
Blake knocked on the door and walked in. “Li, I have bad news, and I have good news. Which do you want to hear first?”
“What’s the bad news?” Dai Li asked.
“Amongst the students who signed up for the beach lifeguard training course, someone came and asked for a refund,” Blake said.
“That’s within expectation. This year’s beach lifeguard assessment test changed into the 24-hour Frogman Challenge. The difficulty is much higher than the previous years, so some people will choose to give up,” Dai Li replied. “What’s the good news then?”
“The good news is that there are even more people signing up to join our training course,” Blake said while laughing.
“Why? Did you make advertisements for the training course?” Dai Li asked with a puzzled face.
“No.” Blake shook his head. “If the results of this year’s training course are good, I will make an advertisement next year. As for the increased number of applicants, I think it is because the difficulty of this year’s lifeguard assessment test has increased. As you know, if they don’t go through professional training, there is no way they can pass the 24-hour Frogman Challenge. Think about it. If you are a person who regularly plays sports, your fitness level should be decent, so you only need to slightly increase your training in order to pass the 24-hour Frogman Challenge. What would you do?”
“I understand. What you mean is, those that asked for a refund are the ones whose fitness level were average. In the past, it was possible for them to achieve the desired fitness level through training, but this year’s test became more difficult, so it is no longer possible to pass the 24-hour Frogman Challenge assessment test even after training. Those that signed up are those whose fitness levels are better. They would’ve been able to pass the test without having to go through professional training. Now that the difficulty of the physical fitness test increased, they came to apply,” Dai Li analyzed.
“That is correct. But to a fitness training center like us, this is a test. The average gym wouldn’t be able to raise the standard of their fitness training course. Their coaches will also find it difficult to help their students pass the 24-hour Frogman Challenge. So those low-end training courses will naturally be eliminated, and those that survive will be the ones like us.” Blake took a deep breath. “But the higher the training quality, the higher the chance of showing the gap between different training centers, so the competition has become fiercer. If we don’t do well enough this year, we will face difficulty in recruiting new students next year.”
Dai Li smiled as if he didn’t mind it. “I am personally handling this matter, are you not reassured? Although the fitness test has become more difficult, as long as the physical condition of the students is not too bad, I will be able to let them smoothly pass the test.”
At that moment, as Dai Li displayed his confidence, Blake couldn’t help but feel shocked. He instinctively felt a sort of conviction towards Dai Li, as if everything Dai Li said would become a reality.
In the system, the Scepter of Authority sent out a dignified flash of light…