Chapter 14: Training

“Hey, big bro. I want to sing and play guitar with you again. You’re not going to make the guitar again?” said Cyre, leaning forward, turning her head, and looking straight into Nova’s eyes.

“Later, okay? The fun is over for now. We’ll train seriously. We need to enhance our skills further, at least to the level where we can survive in this strange alien world. We don’t need to train to become one of the Severer, but maybe I can train you until you become one, I guess. After that, we can have fun. Okay?” said Nova, looking back into Cyre’s eyes.

“No. I don’t want to become one either,” replied Cyre, straightening her posture and looking forward.

“But promise we’ll have fun later, okay? I’ll train so I can protect you too. We’ve been fighting easy enemies recently because of the reset stones, but I remember how the creatures keep getting stronger later. So I’ll work hard.”

Nova smiled in response and then patted her head.

…

Nova knew how important it was to train himself before going any further. However, he needed to gain skills first. So, he ventured through almost every early stage using the reset stone, searching for a skill he considered suitable for all kinds of situations—something that could help in daily life, yet be powerful enough to defeat even a boss-level alien. Because of that, he kept changing the skill he chose, sometimes even going back to ones he had previously discarded as he progressed through the stages.

Besides, he could leave messages in his spare time to help others better understand each stage.

However, as time passed, his skills kept improving while the creatures remained the same weak early-level ones. In some cases, he even stayed in a stage just to train his reflexes against fast-moving creatures or to work on his reaction speed by taking on unknown aliens head-on with close-range combat. Because of that, his abilities kept growing, while the creatures stayed stagnant. To keep himself sane through the endless grinding, he spent time having fun with Cyre whenever he got the chance.

As time passed, he eventually gained the skill he had been aiming for. With that, he planned to move to higher stages and train both himself and Cyre more seriously.

For starters, as he and Cyre prepared to enter a higher difficulty stage, Nova focused on expanding his energy capacity and improving the speed and precision of his energy control. Nova experimented with many methods. He tried compressing energy into his core—his heart, overburdening both his pores and heart to strengthen them like muscle, and even forcefully expanding them. Injuries and trickles of blood were unavoidable. But he didn’t worry too much, because ever since becoming alien-like, he seemed to have developed a regenerative ability.

Cyre was told by Nova not to worry about his injuries—they were a part of his training. He also asked her to wait until he could find a safer method for her to use. As proof, Nova had already taught Cyre how to absorb surrounding energy to replenish her skill usage. Although it was a lesser version with a slower absorption rate, it was safe and meant to reassure Cyre, helping her trust Nova and wait patiently while he developed his new technique.

However, Cyre disobeyed Nova's orders and secretly trained on her own, using her energy-enhanced eyes to study the energy's movement. She always practiced behind his back, making sure he never noticed the blood that appeared on her lips every time she trained.

As a result of all the training from the very beginning until now, as they arrived in the high difficulty stage, they were able to put up a remarkable struggle for survival in the alien world.

It was during the swamp stage, where mangrove roots sprawled across the surface like a tangled web. A hidden surprise attack struck—fast and powerful—piercing through a mangrove tree. It arrived just twenty centimeters from Nova’s temple and a meter from Cyre’s chest.

In less than a second, Nova formed armor over his temple to block it. He had become so accustomed to ambushes that his reaction speed had reached an inhuman level. As for Cyre, she puffed her cheeks before unleashing a compressed burst of air from her mouth, sending it hurtling toward the enemy far ahead. The recoil from the blast pushed her into a graceful backward lean, allowing her to dodge the attack with ease.

Multiple Surinam toads then surrounded them, emerging silently from beneath the dark, murky swamp water. There was no way to predict where one might appear next, and neither Nova nor Cyre dared check the water, afraid of the potential illnesses it might carry.

The Surinam toad attacked using the eggs on its back. After the toad was defeated, multiple little toads burst out—ripping through its stomach or back—and attacked everything nearby. On top of that, once the inside of the Surinam toad's body leaked out, it became highly flammable and could explode on contact with fire.

Surrounded by these creatures, their backs nearly touching, Nova and Cyre glanced at each other and grinned.

"I'll take the big one!" shouted Cyre.

"Then I’m small," said Nova.

It wasn’t that there was a size difference between the toads. When Nova and Cyre said that, it was simply a signal they had come up with beforehand to decide their roles in battle.

The Surinam toads then launched their attacks from all directions.

Cyre jumped into the air. Nova ducked low and spun his leg around.

Trailing the movement of Nova’s legs, a wind cutter burst forth, slicing through the air. In an instant, it reached the surinam toads, cleaving the creatures cleanly in half with a horizontal circle slash.

Above, Cyre—still airborne—cast a spherical wave of fire that expanded outward from her body, leaving the underside hollow like a dome. The fire shield flared out just in time, blocking the incoming attacks from other toads.

As the attacks were deflected, small toadlings began bursting from the backs of their fallen mothers, screeching and writhing as they launched themselves into battle.

As Cyre dropped from the air, Nova stepped forward and caught her smoothly in his arms.

Cyre jumped again, twisting mid-air as her arms traced sweeping arcs—each forming a half-circle. Together, they completed a full circle in motion.

From the trails of her hands, she unleashed razor-thin, compressed streams of fire, spiraling outward with precision. The flames cut through the air, aimed squarely at the midsections of the Surinam toads.

The moment the fire made contact with the flammable fluid leaking from the toads’ ruptured bodies, a massive circular explosion erupted. The shockwave engulfed the entire area, vaporizing the swarming toadlings in one devastating blast.

…

There were times when things went smoothly, but there were also times when they found themselves in a pinch.

One such time was in the desert. Their enemy was unlike any they had faced before—its body could shift between liquid, solid, and gas at will, and it could alter its body temperature to whatever suited it.

Whenever Nova attacked with his knife, the enemy would shift into gas, suffocating him in the process. When Nova tried to counter the gas form with his wind skill, the enemy morphed into liquid or solid, retaliating with powerful attacks. Every time Nova attempted to vaporize the liquid with fire, the enemy simply changed back to gas, evading his efforts.

Frustrated and cornered, there was nothing they could do. Realizing their options were exhausted, Nova and Cyre made the decision to retreat—running toward the stairs as the only viable escape.

Cyre attempted to replicate the monster's ability to change forms, but she quickly discovered that her skill also had limitations.

Their next encounter took them to a small, rocky hill room bathed in daylight. The room was about three hundred square meters in size, and it housed a massive snake. Its body was three meters wide—roughly the size of a house—and it stretched an impressive thirty meters in length. Along with the snake, more than twenty people were scattered throughout the room, either hiding or preparing to face the beast.

It felt like a raid boss battle. This type of stage was a first for both Nova and Cyre. However, thanks to their intense training, they felt more prepared than ever. Unlike previous battles, where they had to rely solely on themselves, this time they had a group of people to help divert the snake's attention. With their combined efforts, the battle was bound to end quickly.

…

While the others kept the snake occupied, Nova and Cyre silently compressed their energy, preparing to strike at the snake's head.

Cyre sprinted toward a high vantage point near the snake’s head, positioning herself strategically. Meanwhile, Nova leapt forward, the energy in his hand surging as he enhanced his fist. He closed the distance to the snake’s head in a flash, then jumped atop it, channeling all his power into a single devastating strike. His fist collided with the top of the snake’s head, creating a deep hole from the impact.

Despite the brutal blow, the snake didn’t fall. Its massive body continued to writhe, and its eyes rolled upward, locking onto the source of its pain with a fierce, vengeful glare.

An attack came, aimed directly at the snake’s head—a compressed fire skill unleashed by Cyre, who stood atop a nearby hill.

Nova leapt back, narrowly evading the blazing strike.

Once Nova moved away, Cyre continued to release and maintain the intense stream of compressed fire, locking her aim on the snake’s head.

The fire that Cyre unleashed tore through the snake’s head, spreading rapidly from its skull down the length of its body. The snake's body seemed to glow with the heat, and with a final, deafening roar, it erupted in flames. The fiery explosion caused its blood to splatter and its flesh to scatter across the battlefield like a macabre rain. The snake, now a charred carcass, lay motionless as the fire's rage slowly died down.

The people who had witnessed the battle were in awe, cheering for Nova and Cyre, calling them heroes. Despite the praise and admiration, when the people suggested celebrating with a small party, Nova and Cyre declined. They wanted to keep searching for Nova's family.

But before that, like always, Nova left a message behind to help the people.

The surrounding people witnessed it—the creator of all the messages that had helped them before was standing right in front of them. Because of that, the news would quickly spread.

Nova and Cyre walked toward the stairs after finishing the message.

"Why don’t you try turning into the snake, Cyre?" Nova asked. "Maybe you can get as big as it. After all, it was strong enough to send multiple people flying."

"But it's disgusting. I hate snakes—they look really evil," replied Cyre.

"How about a dinosaur? I’ll take you to the museum later," Nova said with a smile, excited.

"I like dinosaurs! I’ll agree if it’s a dinosaur," Cyre said, hopping with excitement. Her smile stretched wide across her face.