Chapter 234
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: Kukuru Island and the Special Training Survival (1)
The sea before me shimmered a brilliant green.
It was a scene straight out of a dream, as if emeralds had been melted down and poured into the ocean.
I’d never seen a sea like this with my own two eyes, not even in my past life… It was beautiful.
Feeling the sea breeze rustle my hair, I marveled at its beauty.
I couldn't just stand here and watch.
I immediately kicked off my shoes and dashed toward the water.
A distinct, tingling chill shot up from my feet to the crown of my head.
“Mmm…”
*Trickle.*
Savoring the cool sensation, I carefully scooped up some of the emerald water with the top of my foot.
But the seawater simply traced a clear stream down my thin, pale ankle and returned to the ocean.
Though its color was as radiant as a jewel, it felt no different from ordinary seawater.
Then again, the ocean only reflected the sky; the water itself was clear.
Realizing it wasn't as special up close, I kicked at the water, sending a spray flying into the distance.
But maybe because I was standing all alone on this vast shore, I felt a pang of loneliness.
“Yuria! The meat’s grilled! Come and eat!”
“…Okay!”
I’m not sure how long I’d been splashing around by myself.
Suddenly, I heard Alice’s voice calling me from behind.
She’d sent me off to the beach earlier, saying she’d prepare the barbecue.
It seemed she’d finished while I was playing alone by the shore.
I was starting to get hungry, so I figured it was time to head back.
I used my psychokinesis to shake the sand and seawater from the soles of my feet.
Then, slipping my shoes back on, I trotted toward the rest of the Fixer crew.
*‘Feels like we're on a camping trip. Well, not that our situation is that peaceful.’*
Kukuru Island, a half-day’s flight from Nighthaven.
With not a single trace of civilization, it was a truly deserted island, untouched by human hands.
How did the Fixers and I end up in a place like this?
To understand why, we have to go back in time a little.
To the moment Zelin proposed special training to Alice and David.
*
Zelin had bluntly told them they were still weak.
But neither Alice nor David could argue with her assessment.
Alice, an oni who couldn’t wield magic, and David, who used clumsy magic of his own invention.
No matter how hard they struggled, the truth was they were no match for the powerful enemies threatening the world.
Which was why her next words threw them into even greater confusion.
She wanted to oversee their special training. The proposal was completely out of the blue.
“W-Wait a minute…! What do you mean, special training?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. We have three weeks left. During that time, I want you both to draw out your full potential.”
“Our potential…?”
Special training to unlock their potential.
Sure, getting stronger was important in a situation like this.
But could they really make any meaningful progress with only three weeks of training?
Alice and David looked at each other, unsure how to react.
As the two of them hesitated, Raven, who had been listening silently, stepped in to clear things up, addressing Zelin.
“Mind if I ask something? Whose idea was it to train these two? It doesn't seem like it was yours.”
“It was a decision made by the Association President and Lord Tempest. It appears they hold your potential in high regard.”
“Hmm, is that so.”
“Heeeh…”
“Lord Tempest…?”
Alice and David’s ears perked up at the mention of the big name.
Tempest had planned this training, and he even thought highly of them?
They tried to act nonchalant, but they both looked quite pleased.
Honestly, if I were in their shoes, I’d probably be grinning from ear to ear, too.
Who doesn’t like being praised? Especially by someone so incredible.
Raven, however, seemed to have expected as much.
He nodded, unimpressed, and asked another question.
“That old man has a good eye for people. …This offer wasn’t just made to us, was it?”
“No. The proposal was made to anyone who could show efficient results in a short amount of time, depending on their circumstances.”
“Good. In that case, we’ll do it. Let them have their special training.”
“J-Jin?!”
“Oof.”
Alice, who had been watching the situation unfold with wide eyes, shot up from her seat in surprise at Raven’s unilateral decision.
Since I was in her arms, I let out a strange noise as I was lurched upwards.
But Alice was too flustered to notice, burying my face in her chest as she panicked.
“S-Special training, just like that…? There’s no way we’d see any major results in just three weeks…”
“Probably not. I’m not expecting much, either. But this could be a chance to find a clue to getting stronger. Same for you, David.”
“Hmm… Come to think of it, three weeks is quite short, yet also quite long. If we stop working for a bit and focus solely on getting stronger, we might see some decent results.”
“Eh, ehh… You think so…?”
Perhaps because David’s words were spoken with genuine seriousness, not a hint of jest.
Alice’s skepticism about the training gradually began to fade.
After all, she was someone who already dedicated time every day to her own training.
If she recognized that her growth had stagnated, she wouldn’t be entirely against the idea.
Finally, Alice dropped her objections and agreed to the training.
And so, it was decided that all of us, myself included, would accept the Association’s proposal.
We still didn’t know what the training would entail.
But we trusted that Tempest would have devised an exceptionally effective method.
Seeing that everyone had agreed, Zelin surveyed the room, then nodded calmly and spoke.
“Then, though it is late, we will depart by plane immediately. I apologize, but I must ask you to get your sleep on the plane.”
“A… a plane?”
“Don’t tell me we have to go abroad or something.”
Did he not like the idea of going overseas?
Raven’s eye twitched as if it were a massive hassle.
Then again, he probably had many acquaintances and clients here.
Maybe he just wasn’t keen on being away from Nighthaven for three whole weeks.
But Zelin seemed to have anticipated this reaction.
She replied with an unruffled, matter-of-fact tone.
“You could say it’s abroad, but more accurately, it’s an uncharted island across the sea. You won’t need a passport. In any case, we won’t be departing from or arriving at an airport, so there will be no one to check.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about…”
As if to help explain, Zelin reactivated the hologram she had turned off earlier.
She projected a large globe in the air, stopping on a section of the Pacific Ocean and zooming in on the water.
What finally came into view was a translucent island.
With nothing to compare it to, I couldn’t tell its exact size, but it was definitely small.
No, don’t tell me we’re going there…
As if to betray our hopes, Zelin pointed a finger at the island and said.
“This is the site of your special training, Kukuru Island. Within three weeks, your task is to find the Moonlit Mirror, an artifact that awakens latent abilities.”
The Moonlit Mirror, an artifact that awakens latent abilities?
Even Raven seemed at a loss for words at the mention of an object he’d never even heard of.
He didn’t look like he would back out, but having to search for an artifact on a tiny island in the Pacific…
Just imagining it was exhausting.
*‘I knew it, it was Kukuru Island!’*
But I, who knew from the original story that it was real, felt my eyes sparkle.
Of course, since I was still being held by Alice, no one seemed to notice my excitement.
Nothing much happened after that.
Under Zelin’s guidance, our group boarded a plane and left Nighthaven.
After flying over the ocean for several hours, we arrived safely at Kukuru Island, in the middle of the Pacific.
“So this is… Kukuru Island?”
“It’s a completely tropical climate. I hope there are no unusual viruses.”
“Well, they sent experts like doctors with us, so we should be fine.”
This was a completely deserted island, where nature had been left to its own devices, let alone people.
The food and water we’d brought on the plane would only last a few days for big eaters like us.
So after setting up a base camp, we spent the next half a day securing food and water for our three-week stay.
The special training to prepare for what was to come in three weeks was important.
But since we’d be stuck here for that long, thorough preparation was essential.
And finally, during this process, I demonstrated my psychic powers in front of Alice and David for the first time.
There was nothing better than psychokinesis for cutting down trees and stacking them neatly.
“Whoa! Yuria, you’re amazing! You built this in just a few minutes?!”
“At this rate, we don’t even need a crane. It’s like having dozens of Alices working at once.”
“See? I told you not to worry about her. This kid acts all innocent, but she’s ridiculously skilled.”
“Hee hee.”
Hey, you’re making me blush with all this sudden praise.
As a smile crept onto my face, I reflexively balled my fist and punched Raven in the side out of embarrassment.
It wouldn’t hurt him, anyway. It was just a light tap, the way I always did it.
“Gah!”
“J-Jin!”
But perhaps because I’d been in the middle of building a house with psychokinesis…
An unusual amount of psychic power had unconsciously gathered at the tip of my fist…
Raven, caught off guard by the powerful blow, was sent flying into the distance.
Oops, I got a little carried away. I rushed over to him where he lay on the ground.
But he must have already recovered. With a fearsome look on his face, Raven started squeezing my head as if giving it a massage.
“Hgyak, hgyagyagyak!”
“This kid… I praise you and this is what I get, huh?!”
“U-Umm… This time, I think you were in the wrong, Yuria…”
“I’ve never seen Jin get sent flying like that before.”
Well, anyway, that was how we started our life on Kukuru Island.
But this was, first and foremost, an island for training and cultivation. The real training was just about to begin.