“Alonso!!!”

Alonso's body was faltering, his breath ragged and uneven as waves of heat radiated from his skin. His muscles were trembling uncontrollably, drenched in sweat.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, each beat like a hammer. His senses were still heightened—the world around him sharp and clear. Every sound, every flicker of movement, every shift in the air seemed to slice through his awareness, but it was too much. His head was spinning.

He couldn’t think straight. His vision blurred at the edges, dark spots creeping into his sight, threatening to swallow him whole. He could hear Houston's voice guiding him, steady, but it felt distant now, like a fading echo.

Food... his body screamed. He needed food, something, anything. His stomach twisted painfully, as if trying to claw at itself. He was running on empty, drained of every bit of energy he'd had. The adrenaline coursing through him had burned through his reserves like wildfire, and now the consequences were catching up with him.

His legs buckled. His limbs felt like lead, too heavy to lift.

He stumbled, collapsing to his knees as a surge of dizziness overtook him. His hands hit the smooth wooden floor, the cool surface barely registering through his fading senses—his body was betraying him.

"Fuck!" Houston’s voice sounded more urgent now. "We messed up. Dammit! Stay together—I’ll handle this."

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Ayu was calmly meditating near her cottage. It had been nearly two hours since Alonso had started training, but he seemed to be intentionally cloaking himself from perception. Not that she wanted to spy on him, of course.

As she visualized the waves, just as Chiara had taught her, trying to merge them more smoothly together, she suddenly received an image—startling her out of her meditation.

The image was partly red, flashing with huge exclamation marks—an emergency? It showed some meat, as if he needed it urgently. Wait... what?

First he takes over my cottage, and now I’m his maid? He's got some nerve. But before she could dismiss it, the signal came again, more urgent, and this time it showed... a skull. What?!

She stood up quickly and rushed to her cottage. Opening the door, she nearly jumped in shock.

Alonso was sprawled on the ground, nearly unconscious. He looked terrible—drenched in sweat, his body visibly thinner, his breathing irregular. He didn’t even seem to notice her entering the room.

What the hell happened?! she thought, her mind racing. What kind of training is this?

But despite his state, she wondered—how did he send that image?

She shook her head, pushing the thought aside. It didn’t matter right now. What mattered was keeping him alive. She hurried over to her small cabinet, grabbed some cooked shark meat, and came closer to him.

She placed the meat in front of him, but Alonso didn’t react. His eyes were unfocused, and his body radiated heat like a furnace. It felt like stepping into a sauna the closer she got.

Seriously, what had he been doing? What kind of training pushes someone to the brink of death in just two hours?

Suddenly, Alonso’s hand twitched. Then, slowly, he lifted his head, his eyes hazy but locking onto the meat. He dragged himself forward, and without a word, he grabbed the meat, shoving it into his mouth. There were no manners, no hesitation—just raw hunger. He tore into the meat, chewing and swallowing with a desperation that made Ayu take a step back.

He ate like a beast, devouring the food in seconds. His body seemed to move on instinct, driven solely by the need to replenish what he had lost. Before Ayu could even register what had just happened, the meat was gone. Alonso’s eyes darted up, searching for more.

Ayu blinked, still processing his ravenous behavior. He ate it all already? She hesitated for a moment, but then quickly rushed back to her cabinet. She grabbed everything she had—all the meat she could find, including an absurd amount she had stored for later.

She placed it in front of him, and Alonso wasted no time. He devoured the meat just as quickly as before, his body acting like a machine, stuffing himself with every last piece. She watched in disbelief as he demolished everything—nearly 10 kilos of meat gone in one sitting.

Ayu stood there, dumbfounded. “You’ve got to be kidding me…” she muttered to herself.

His breathing slowed, his body less tense now, but still radiating heat. She could see the faint color returning to his cheeks, but how he had eaten that much was beyond her. Alonso leaned back, visibly exhausted but no longer on the verge of collapse.

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Ayu couldn’t help but stare at him. She then felt a sudden image being sent her way. It was of Alonso bowing down deeply, his head low in a gesture of sincere gratitude. There was a feeling in the image that words couldn’t quite capture—a profound indebtedness, a promise that he would repay her kindness. It was strange, but somehow she knew he meant it.

The image shifted—Alonso standing tall, his gaze resolute, silently promising he wouldn’t die tomorrow. The conviction in his eyes was almost unsettling.

She smirked and sent an image back to him—a finger pointing at him, then a stack of gold coins, followed by a playful skull, as if saying: You better not die, because you still owe me.

Alonso smiled, though weakly, and Ayu let out a small chuckle. It was strange—this guy, nearly at death’s door a moment ago, was now reassuring her he’d make it through tomorrow. Still, something about that made her feel… lighter.

She gazed at him for a moment longer, then sent an image—of him lying down peacefully, the cottage around him, and herself standing just outside, a subtle message that he could rest there and she would be nearby if he needed anything.

Before stepping out, she paused and sent one last playful image: a shark and a spear, followed by a small pile of meat. The message was clear—if you want more meat, you’ll have to hunt the sharks yourself.

With a small grin, she left the cottage, the cool air hitting her as she stepped outside, shaking her head in amusement.

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Alonso steadied his breathing. He was utterly exhausted and had a throbbing headache.

"How did it go?"

“Well… I’m not sure if we should’ve pushed that far, but… yeah, I got it," Houston replied.

Alonso grinned. "Then the risk was worth it. I just don’t know how we forgot about the energy requirements."

"Yep, we messed up on that," Houston admitted. "Anyway, let’s rest. We can go shark hunting after you wake up and then move on to the second stage."

Alonso stared at the ceiling of the cottage. "You think she’ll agree to help again? I feel like the favors just keep stacking up."

"After seeing you like this? Yeah, I think she’ll agree."

Alonso suddenly frowned. "Wait a second, Houston… did you actually forget about the meat?"

"Hey, what are you insinuating, brat?"

Alonso smiled. He leaned against the wooden wall, and exhaustion took over. Within moments, he was fast asleep.

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Alonso slowly opened his eyes. He had been treating his body poorly these last few days, and it was definitely not happy about it. Well, bud, stay strong. Someone has to carry the boats and the logs.

He pushed himself up.

"You slept for only 2 hours and 24 minutes, if you're wondering," Houston chimed in.

"Glad to know," Alonso muttered as he picked up his sword and walked calmly out of the cabin, not before noticing a very strange smell—and a sudden, urgent need to go to the toilet.

"Oh shit, not now," he glanced down at himself, his body covered in dried sweat, but most disturbing of all was the gray ooze, now nearly black, coating him.

"Well, we should’ve expected it," Houston noted. "With all that stage progress, plus a big meal and some rest."

Alonso looked at the spot where he'd been sleeping and saw it stained with the same ooze. Embarrassment crept onto his face.

"Now how do I explain this to Ayu?"

He heard laughter in his head as Houston added, "Well, good luck with that."

Stepping outside, Alonso found Ayu meditating not far from the cottage. He hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as he approached her.

Ayu opened her eyes, instantly noticing the state he was in—covered in blackened ooze, his clothes stained, and the smell… well, unmistakable.

Before Alonso could even attempt to explain, Ayu burst into silent laughter. She sent him an image of herself holding her nose and dramatically leaning back as if the smell was unbearable. Her laughter was so strong that, in the image, she nearly fell over.

Alonso couldn’t help but blush even more, scratching his head in embarrassment as she continued to laugh. She sent another image, this time with stacks of coins piling up higher than before—his debt growing larger.

You owe me big time, the image said without words.

Sighing, Alonso sent her an image of him bowing deeply, expressing his gratitude, but this time with a pleading look, silently begging for mercy. Ayu smirked and waved her hand dismissively.

Shifting awkwardly, Alonso then sent her an image of a confused face and a small structure—Where’s the toilet?

Ayu, still grinning, sent him an image of the small wooden stand off in the distance and pointed toward it in real life, as if confirming its location.

Alonso nodded and hurried off, his need becoming more urgent with each step. As he neared the small stand, he opened the door to find a simple, deep hole in the ground. It instantly reminded him of the camping ground toilets back on Earth—basic, but functional.

At least it’s something, he thought with a sigh of relief before quickly stepping inside.