Jog in Devon's body (A surprise awaits back home)

Actual Mana Reserves: 14%

Mana Reserves required to possess another body: 40%

At the end, I decide to be bold, so I'm going to go to the park near my home and maybe run for a while, to see if performing some exercise will truly increase the speed at which my magic pendant absorbs mana.
But before I get there, I plan on going to the shoe shop in order to get some sneakers for this annoying black dude whose body I'm possessing. One: because there's no way I'm using those old smelly shoes he was wearing when I took over. And two: because my own shoes are 2 sizes too small for this body.

1 hour later, I'm finally at the park, with a brand new pair of bright red sneakers while wearing my old white t-shirt and the same baggy tracksuit pants with the cuffs tucked under a recently bought pair of long socks. I scratch the back of my head, awkwardly. Something tells me that if Devon were to see himself wearing such an... culturally unsuitable clothing, he would freak out.
I'm only hoping I won't stumble upon any of his acquaintances.

I take a deep breath and pull my neckline to make sure the magic pendant is in physical contact with my skin. Then, I start jogging.

"...uff... hahh... uff... hahh..."

So far, so good. After a few minutes of light jog, I'm only feeling a slight ache in my lower belly.
Sure, this Devon guy isn't what we call an active sportsman. Yet his thin young physique is still a far cry from my original obese body, who couldn't run for 20 seconds without gasping for air.
But now... I'm so light and nimble, my breath is steady and my whole physique is brimming with vitality. The sensations I'm getting from this crook's body makes me regret neglecting myself all those years.

Though I can't say that everything is roses, since I still have to bear with all the inconveniences of exercising in a body that is clearly not used to it. Which means that after the first 10 minutes, my underbelly is already aching like hell, my leg muscles are straight up burning and I'm drenched in sweat to a degree that, if this was my own body, I would be deeming as uncomfortable. But in my unique case it becomes almost nauseating.

Oh, man... this is hard... And minute after minute, new stuff keeps adding up.

Feet getting itchy due to the brand new shoes. Saliva thickening in my mouth. The ache from my belly now extending through my chest. And of course, the constant wobbling of Devon's oversized genitals making every stride as uncomfortable as possible.

To be honest... having another man's sweaty gonads trapped within my crotch is not grossing me out nearly as much as it used to. Even though it still feels freakishly weird, at least I'm not outright disgusted by it.

Instead... I'm getting a slight sense of... elation, from it.
It's hard to admit. But the sole knowledge of being in possession of such a large tool is enough to lift my mood in a significant way. Men are quite simple creatures after all.

Despite all the aches and inconveniences, I keep running without stopping, determined to press forward with this exercise.

I keep running until I'm about to throw up and I can barely feel my legs. And when I finally stop, my whole body is throbbing, with every inch of my dark brown skin drenched in a thick layer of sticky sweat.

"...hahh! ...haahh! ...huuhh... ugh! Haahh..."

When I take a look at the time, I realize that I've been running for almost 40 minutes!
Gory hell! This is my personal record!

But that's not the only thing.
When I open the Wishing Pendant App, I get a pleasant surprise.

Actual Mana Reserves: 21%

The theory about the mana absorbtion was correct! If we account for the hour I spent shopping, I can see that these 40 minutes of exercise have added a whopping 6% to the Mana Reserves. That's more than 10 times what I get while being idle!

I feel a rush of adrenaline cursing through my veins. This discovery makes me want to keep running, but I can clearly feel how my host's body is already completely exhausted.

"Haahhh.... hahh....... Ugh... L-Looks like even black dudes can't run for shit if they... hahh... neglect themselves."

At the end, I decide to just go home. I've never needed a shower as much as I do right now.

10 minutes later, I'm already in front of my door and taking out the keys. But then, I suddenly hear a violent noise, like someone's hitting a wall with his head.

"Huh?" I stop in my tracks.

The previous noise is immediately followed by a way more disturbing sound: the combination of a man yelling and a girl screaming.

I quickly turn my head to the left, where the ruckus is coming from, and notice that my neighbor's door is wide open. That sets off a series of alarms at the back of my head and, before I even know what I'm doing, I'm already moving forward. I'm walking at first, but the distinct clatter of something heavy crashing onto the floor followed by an even more **** cry from the girl makes me break into a run.

And the moment I enter through the open door, the scene before me is pure chaos.

"You like that, HUH?! You conniving bitch?!" Howls the man in front of me. If I remember correctly, he is Meilyn's new boyfriend, Josh. And he is standing in the middle of her livingroom amidst a clutter of broken glass and overturned furniture.

"...P-Please... stop..." A weak voice begs from the corner of the room. And the owner of that voice is none other than my neighbor, Meilyn. She is curled up between the sofa and the window, shaking like a leaf while covering her head with her thin bruised arms.

"Don't. Fucking." Josh grabs the upper corner of the TV and smashes it over the floor. "...TELL ME. What to do!!"

"NOOOO!!!" Meilyn screams at the broken TV "PLEASE!!"

"Shut up!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" The man furiously shouts at her with veins bulging over his neck. "I've been too nice to you cunt, but that ends RIGHT FUCKING NOW!! I've had ENOUGH of your shit!! ENOUGH of your disrespect!! And ENOUGH of your FUCKING EGO!!!"

Meilyn doesn't say anything this time. Instead, she starts sobbing pathetically.

"You're bored in bed, huh? Like to tell that to all your bitch friends, huh?" her boyfriend asks in a merciless tone. "It's okay, sweetie, I can give ya some fun. Cocksuckers like you need some extra stimulus LIKE THIS!!" Then he proceeds to sink his heavy boot into a standing vitrine filled with ceramic plates, turning it into a wreckage and making the girl's sobs turn into **** wails.

By this point, my fists are clenched so hard that my kluckles feel numb.
I've never been a brave man. But seeing my cute and bright neighbor curled into a corner while this big ape abuses her and wrecks her home out of spite is making me shiver with rage.

"Hey! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, MAN?!" I yell at him without thinking, which makes both of them turn to me in surprise. They hadn't noticed my presence 'til now.

"D-D-Devon...?" Meilyn asks, staring at me in surprise.

"That's my line, you motherfucker." Josh answers in a menacing tone. "Who the fuck are you to be butting your ugly black ass into other people's houses? Did your daddy not teach you to mind your own fucking business, or did he leave too soon for that?"

I don't have any ingenious way to respond, so I muster my last bit of bravery to say:

"Get out of here before I call the police."

However, Josh simply laughs at me.

"The police? You're gonna call the police?!" He asks with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "Try it." He suddenly steps ahead, towards me. "Come on, grab your fucking phone and call the police. I dare you."

He is still 5 steps away and already clenching his fists. He clearly wants to hit me. God, I didn't realize how huge he is.
4 steps now. Holy crap, those tanned biceps look thicker than my legs. This is gonna hurt, isn't it?
3 steps. And I'm paralized in front of him. Move damn it! I don't want to get hit.
2 steps. If I could wish for something...

"I wish I knew how to defend myself!" I quickly mutter in a fit while clenching my chest. And, at the same moment the man in front of me raises his fist, I notice a dim purple glow coming from my neckline.