Chapter 236
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: Special Training on Kukuru Island (3)
Maybe it was because I'd accidentally taken down the giant spider in a single blow.
The tense atmosphere that had filled the air suddenly dissipated, replaced by a sense of anticlimax.
*Did I do something wrong...?* I wondered, breaking into a nervous sweat as I cautiously glanced around.
Raven, who had been quietly observing from the back of the group, approached me.
“Hmm, I think I get the gist of it. Yuria, I have an assignment for you too.”
“Mweh…?”
“From now on, try to control your power to the bare minimum, just enough to lightly restrain the enemy's movements. You can do that, right?”
“Uhm…. Yes.”
It seemed it was best to avoid instantly subduing enemies the moment they appeared, like I just did.
After all, the main focus of this special training was Alice and David, not me.
To be honest, Raven's suggestion wasn't a bad idea for me, either.
If I kept reacting like this every time a large animal showed up, I felt I'd reach my limit pretty quickly.
Even if psychokinesis didn't consume energy like mana.
It still demanded intense concentration each time I used it. It was only natural that I'd get tired from using psychokinesis.
*Come to think of it, I've used my psychokinesis at full power or with moderate control before... but I don't think I've ever tried to minimize its consumption.*
To use running as an analogy, it was like I'd done 100-meter sprints or moderate-intensity jogs.
But I'd never intentionally set out to run a 42-kilometer marathon.
The battle in three weeks could very well be a prolonged one.
So, gaining experience in conserving my strength would definitely be helpful.
Besides, it wasn't like he was asking me to go all out against an enemy until my head felt like it would explode.
He was just asking me to relax and find a level that wouldn't be too taxing. It wasn't that difficult.
With the plan more or less settled, we once again headed toward the center of the island where the Moonlit Mirror was.
As if on cue, all sorts of animals burst from the bushes and charged at us.
“Grrrrrr!”
“Eek, that's a huge lion!”
“Kik, kikikik!”
“A-a praying mantis? I question whether its body can even support itself...”
“Kieeeek!”
“Agh, a worm the size of a log is just plain gross.”
The animals that appeared were a motley crew indeed.
Lions, praying mantises, worms, moles... There was even a bird the size of an airplane swooping down from the sky.
And a massive crocodile the size of a yacht charged at us with its jaws wide open.
Their one commonality, strangely enough, was that they were all the size of a house.
Even for a team of Fixers, facing off against lions and praying mantises the size of elephants was a struggle.
To make matters worse, their attire wasn't sturdy armor but swimsuits that offered no protection whatsoever.
To avoid injury, their battles against these giant animals became drawn-out affairs.
*What in the world is this island, for all these giant animals to be popping out?*
Alice and David, panting from the successive battles, wore expressions of bewilderment.
“Hyaaaah!”
“Yelp!”
“Phew, I think I'm getting used to this island's environment. Ah, Miss Yuria. Thank you for your help.”
“Hah, hah…. Yeah! Yuria, you're the best!”
“Hm? Hehe.”
But perhaps because both of them were fundamentally skilled.
They were able to defeat the beasts, which were merely oversized, without getting hurt.
My holding down their movements with psychokinesis must have been effective, too.
During dangerous moments or when they were about to land a decisive blow, I'd focus a little harder and pin the enemy down.
It made me happy when Alice and David thanked and praised me for my help.
However, maybe because they were sweating so much in this oppressive heat.
They didn't pat my head, as if being considerate of me, who was still relatively dry. It was a little disappointing.
Still, at this slow pace, was it impossible to reach the center of the island in a single day?
As the sun began to set, we had no choice but to return to base camp.
“Ugh, I'm exhausted... My body is all sticky with sweat, it feels gross... D-do we really have to do this for three weeks?”
The base camp felt noticeably cooler now that the sun had set.
Alice lamented as she flopped onto the cold, hard floor, rubbing her cheek against it.
Even for someone as sturdy as her, fighting an endless stream of giant beasts while feeling like she was being boiled alive must have been exhausting.
The thought of having to repeat this for three weeks already seemed to make her dizzy.
David, sitting next to her looking completely drained, didn't say anything, but he seemed to agree.
Perhaps feeling that their worn-out state was pathetic.
Raven, who seemed to have regained his composure at some point, clicked his tongue and offered them some advice.
“Tsk, you still haven't figured it out? This isn't just training to endure with stamina.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Think carefully. You said it yourself earlier. How can trees exist unscathed in this heat?”
“Uh…. I did say that, yes.”
Alice, recalling the memory, sat up and nodded.
Before we headed to the center of the island, she had indeed looked outside and said that.
But what did that have to do with the training on this island?
Seeing her still unable to grasp the point, Raven shook his head.
“This isn't just a brutally hot environment. To be precise, it's an environment mutated by the Moonlit Mirror. You still don't see the difference?”
“Mutated by the Moonlit Mirror means….”
“Are you saying... this heat is also an environment created by the Moonlit Mirror's ability to draw out a user's potential?”
“Exactly, you idiots. When abnormally large beasts started popping out of nowhere, didn't you think something was strange?”
*Now that he mentions it... it did seem strange.*
Alice and David's expressions showed they were thinking the same thing.
Why were there so many animals in an extreme environment that most creatures shouldn't be able to withstand?
Well, to be fair, the secret wasn't that complicated.
Those giant animals were a type of enhanced creature, their potential awakened by the mirror's influence.
In fact, Kukuru Island was an island of survival of the fittest, granting great power to the creatures that adapted.
To figure that out in just one day... Raven's perception was truly something else.
As I was inwardly marveling at how amazing he was, Alice's eyes widened.
“Wait, does that mean…!”
“That's right. Starting tomorrow, try fighting while visualizing your bodies accepting the island's environment. I'm already somewhat used to this heat. It shouldn't take you two long either.”
*Is this the right way to understand it?*
Raven glanced at Jelin, who had been quietly reading the room.
She looked a bit surprised and gave a reluctant nod.
It seemed Jelin had only heard a rough outline from her superiors; today was her first time on the island.
She appeared unaware that Kukuru Island's harsh environment had such a special power.
However, as if acknowledging that there were no contradictions or inconsistencies in his opinion, she adopted an attitude that suggested his interpretation was probably fine.
*Mhm, at this rate, Alice and David will adapt quickly starting tomorrow. Hmmm…. But I kind of want to experience how hot this island is, too. Should I try changing into a swimsuit tomorrow?*
It was a little disappointing that I was the only one not experiencing Kukuru Island's environment, where you could get stronger just by enduring it.
Enduring it by turning into a Tesseract was pointless, since I'd just revert to normal after a while.
*Maybe I should secretly change into a swimsuit.*
As I was fiddling with the hem of my still-cool dress and thinking this.
Raven silently sidled up next to me, placed a hand on top of my head, and spoke.
“You…. you were just thinking about trying on a swimsuit, weren't you.”
“…Nngh.”
“Don't play dumb. It's obvious you saw Alice and David and got curious about how hot it is. Tsk, don't you dare.”
“Ehhh…!”
“What do you mean, 'Ehhh'? A weakling like you would pass out in less than a minute in this heat. So behave yourself before I have to tie you up and drag you around. Got it? Answer me.”
“Mweeeh.”
*Tch, he's so sharp.*
I clicked my tongue inwardly, disappointed that my chance was so bluntly shut down.
Well… to be honest, if even Alice was collapsing from the heat, it was probably a life-threatening environment for me.
It definitely wasn't a level of heat I could endure just by wearing a swimsuit.
In the end, I obediently gave up on experiencing Kukuru Island's environment.
And in preparation for the coming cold, the base camp officially entered a period of rest.
A particularly fortunate thing was the presence of shower facilities.
Everyone was drenched in sweat. I can't imagine how awful it would have been without them... I was truly grateful.
***
After somehow managing dinner and spending the night together in one room.
The Fixer team, having uncovered the secret of Kukuru Island, began to adapt quickly to the environment.
First, we prioritized adapting to the island's environment over blindly pushing toward the center.
As a result, Raven and Alice stopped sweating by the third day, and David by the fifth.
Furthermore, everyone's movements became significantly better than before.
According to Raven's explanation, it seemed they had naturally learned to move efficiently, producing maximum results with minimum stamina consumption.
*So if you don't make unnecessary movements, you don't sweat... It's like they're some kind of warrior race.*
Of course, their raw strength hadn't dramatically increased.
But if before they produced a result of 70 with an expenditure of 100, now they were producing a result of 80 or 90.
With less wasted stamina, their endurance skyrocketed.
And by concentrating their power in a very short moment, they seemed able to exert more force than before.
I was a little worried they might grow in size like the island's animals.
But it seemed there was no chance of their bodies suddenly growing larger in such a short time.
“Yuria, please!”
“Okay!”
And I wasn't without my own gains during this process.
Perhaps thanks to consistently practicing wielding my power in minute increments.
The waste in my psychokinesis disappeared, resulting in a noticeable improvement in efficiency.
Not only could I use my psychokinesis for longer and more frequently in the same amount of time.
The range of my psychokinesis also increased significantly, making it easier to target distant enemies.
I suppose the principle is that as control increases, so does the range you can wield it in.
Being able to target the wing of a bird flying high in the sky like this was a pleasing sign of growth.
“Great job! There's no one like our cute Yuria!”
“Heeheehee.”
On top of that, perhaps because she no longer sweated unless she moved vigorously.
Alice began to hug me tightly in her arms again, just like before we came to Kukuru Island.
It seemed she had also gotten used to the fact that I could use psychokinesis, and I was so grateful that she treated me as she always had.
And especially, the soft texture and warm temperature of her body, felt through her thin swimsuit, were very reassuring.
However, perhaps because our surroundings weren't completely secure yet.
Raven, standing guard with his gun, looked at us with an exasperated expression.
“Hey, Alice, focus. We're getting close to the lake with the Moonlit Mirror. A stronger enemy could attack at any moment.”
“Yes!”
“Okay.”
When our time on Kukuru Island finally reached the one-week mark.
We had finally broken through the forest of giant animals and reached the center of the island where the Moonlit Mirror was located.
A massive lake whose surface shimmered so brightly it stung the eyes to look at.
This was Varaya Lake, where the Moonlit Mirror was sealed.