By the morning of the third day on the deserted island, Eust and Sunny were enjoying their breakfast. Sunny had roasted fish and fish soup, while Eust had smoked fish and fish soup.
Speaking of fish soup, they had to thank the giant clams they found. Their shells were the size of washbasins, making them perfect shallow pots. This discovery allowed Eust to realize his idea of making fish soup.
Eating only roasted or smoked meat, even with fruit as dessert, felt like something was missing. The clamshells became Eust’s new cookware, leading to the introduction of fish soup.
The fish soup contained small pieces of fish, clams for flavor, and some plant roots providing a bit of starch. Inspired by the clamshell pot, Eust also added some plant leaves used for seasoning when roasting fish, making the soup truly enjoyable.
After breakfast, Eust chewed on some fruit while taking a walk, with Sunny perched on his shoulder, also eating fruit.
Eust’s plan was to walk around the island and return to his starting point, then begin his physical training. Along the way, he would keep an eye out for any stranded fish or shellfish on the shore, as that’s how he had found the clamshell pot.
Though not every walk yielded stranded food, Eust didn’t let it bother him. He had explored the island several times over the past two days and hadn’t found any treasure or other significant discoveries, but he remained cheerful. A walk around the island was just that—any extra finds were a bonus.
Upon returning, Eust was about to start his basic physical training when Sunny gave him a heads-up about the Task Fruit’s ability.
“Meow, Eust, I can now activate the Task Fruit’s ability. Want to give it a try and see what kind of task we get? I’ll try to control it towards a training task, meow!”
“Meow, I can also control whether the task is optional or compulsory. What do you think, Eust, meow?”
“Of course, Sunny, the tasks from the Task Fruit are crucial for us to get stronger. Once we can activate the ability, we should be ready for the challenge. Let’s stick to optional tasks unless there’s a special situation.”
“Meow, understood. Here goes, activating the fruit’s ability, meow!”
The task ability activated, and after a brief moment, Sunny described the new task.
“Meow, it’s an optional task, a training task. I’m quite skilled, you see. The specific task requires completing 10 sets of ‘I Want to Get Stronger’ physical training in 48 hours. The reward is a slight increase in recovery ability, and the punishment is muscle fatigue for 48 hours, meow!”
“Sunny, what exactly is ‘I Want to Get Stronger’ physical training?”
“Meow, I’m not sure why it’s named that, but each set of training includes: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run, meow!”
“Got it. So, the reward is a slight increase in recovery ability. What kind of recovery ability are we talking about?”
“Meow, ‘slight’ is just a descriptive term, not a specific numerical increase. You should remember that, Eust. Recovery ability includes but is not limited to fatigue, injuries, poison, and Devil Fruit abilities. It’s a comprehensive reward. Even though ‘slight’ limits the increase, it’s still very valuable, meow!”
“Meow, the rewards for these two tasks have been very generous. I think it’s because of my lucky attribute. You should thank me, Eust, meow!”
“Thanks, Sunny. By the way, muscle fatigue means the muscles will be extremely tired and weak, right?”
“Meow, do you really need to ask such a simple question, Eust? Yes, muscle fatigue means your muscles will be very tired and weak. Is that clear enough?”
“Sunny, I just wanted to be sure. Now we need to complete the task. Smart strategist cat Sunny, do you have a plan for the training schedule?” Eust prompted Sunny.
“Meow, that’s simple. 48 hours means two days, so you’ll need to complete five sets of training each day. Given the island’s climate, the daylight lasts about 13.5 hours. After accounting for finding food, cooking, and eating, let’s assume you have 10 hours left for training. You should complete one set every two hours. How does my plan sound, meow?”
“Wow, impressive, my cat! You’re really smart, Sunny.”
“Meow, something feels off about that compliment. Anyway, Eust, start your training. With your current physical condition, this task won’t be easy. It might be manageable at first, but you’ll need willpower to keep going, meow!”
“Alright, Sunny. Let’s get started!” With that, Eust began his “I Want to Get Stronger” physical training sets.
Eust’s physical condition was decent. Completing the first set wasn’t too difficult. The plan didn’t require continuous training, so with proper rest breaks, the first set wasn’t a problem.
However, during the second set, despite resting between exercises, Eust felt fatigued. His muscles were surely building up lactic acid, causing soreness, a familiar pain to those who have experienced it.
Eust decided to pause and prepare food, adjusting his physical state, while Sunny stopped his peculiar training to follow Eust.
As mentioned before, Eust was skilled at fishing, but that didn’t guarantee catching big fish every time.
This time, Eust caught only a few small fish, not enough to satisfy Sunny. Exhausted, Eust opted to gather shellfish instead, which was less taxing. He slowed down, collecting shellfish by the shore as a food supplement.
After some effort, Eust and Sunny enjoyed a relatively tasty meal. With sufficient rest, Eust recovered some strength and continued his training journey.
After the third set of training, Eust rehydrated, rested, chatted with Sunny, and resumed his physical training.
Initially, Eust could chat with Sunny during training, but by the third set, he was too exhausted to talk, as speaking interfered with his breathing.
Eust pushed through the fourth set and, after replenishing food and resting enough, completed the fifth set by nightfall.
Sunny’s prediction was accurate. The physical training task posed a significant challenge for Eust, requiring sheer determination.
After completing the fifth set, Eust was too tired to wash up. He drank some warm fish soup and fell asleep quickly. His usual playful interactions with Sunny were absent, and Sunny quietly stayed by his side, not making a fuss.
Become a Patron read up to 40 chapter ahead public release ^_^
Please join Discord Server so we can talk ^_^
