[Number of Potions Consumed: Blue x3]
[Congratulations! Under the effect of the potion, your Mental Quality has increased by 60% across the board! Current Cumulative Bonus: 100%! Keep up the good work!]
[Important Notice: Under the effect of the potion, your Mental Quality has surpassed the theoretical human limit, causing a fundamental change in your body!]
[Your lifespan has increased by 50%!]
[From now on, the conventional mental quality boost (such as perception, reaction, memory, etc.) you receive from consuming Blue Potions will be reduced by 50%. However, in exchange, your mind will undergo an extraordinary transformation!]
"Holy shit…"
Seeing this series of prompts, which were completely different from before, even Chuck, fresh from a mental enhancement, couldn't help but feel shaken.
Increased lifespan?!
And an extraordinary transformation…
Could I really get superpowers?!
This overly shocking news took Chuck a good while to calm down.
Then, he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
If the Blue Potion did this, would pushing his Physical Quality bonus to 100% by consuming more Red Potions also trigger this limit-breaking prompt?
The thought sparked excitement in Chuck's heart.
It was just as he had suspected: the transformation brought by the potions truly increased his lifespan and allowed his body to reach a supernatural state.
He just wondered what this "extraordinary transformation" mentioned in the prompt would actually be.
To find the answer, he would probably have to search for new Higanbanas.
Five minutes later, under the increasingly gloomy sky, Chuck finally returned to the wooden cabin on the stone slope platform.
As he stepped inside, Julia came up to him and grabbed his hand.
She didn't give her usual passionate hug or say, "Welcome back." Instead, her delicate face looked rather awful.
She looked at Chuck and spoke tremulously.
"Darling… this is bad. The situation is really bad."
Chuck looked towards the bed.
He saw Kanae, who had looked fine just two hours ago, now almost completely drained of color. Her lips were blue, her eyes were closed, and her forehead was covered in sweat.
The calf, which had been treated with herbs, was now swollen into a noticeable mound, and the surrounding skin was unnaturally red.
He immediately frowned.
How could it worsen so quickly?
He had initially thought that since Kanae had just been bitten, he could take his time to process the wolf carcasses and synthesize the potions, believing there was no need to rush.
But now it seemed that not only were the wild beasts on this deserted island fierce, but the bacteria were also extraordinarily potent.
Thankfully, the potions were now in his hands.
Otherwise, he would have to race against time to save a life again, just like when Gu Mòmo got sick.
"Don't be nervous, she will be fine."
Seeing the worried expression on Julia's face, Chuck offered a reassuring smile and then raised his hand to gently stroke her soft blonde hair.
She looked up at Chuck, and seeing his steady and calm expression, she felt relieved. She nodded and moved aside.
By the bed, Gu Yitong was sitting next to Kanae, her brows tightly furrowed. Her beautiful face was full of anxiety as she gently replaced the now-scalding cloth on Kanae's forehead with a fiber cloth dampened in cool water.
Seeing Chuck appear, Gu Yitong quickly stood up, looking up at him and speaking softly.
"I tried my best to physically cool her down, but it didn't help. The fever is getting worse…"
As Gu Yitong spoke, her beautiful eyes glanced at Kanae, filled with apology and sadness.
Such a young girl, who looked about the same age as Mòmo, was now in a life-or-death situation, and she was completely helpless.
This feeling of powerlessness was truly agonizing.
Chuck nodded and stood by the bed.
Kanae was currently grimacing, her eyes tightly closed, clearly in great pain.
He tentatively placed his hand on her forehead; it was scalding hot, as expected.
But he hadn't expected that as soon as Chuck withdrew his hand, her tightly closed eyes slowly opened.
Kanae looked at Chuck with her dark pupils. Several complex emotions flashed in her eyes for a moment, but they all ultimately turned into sadness.
"Mr. Chuck… am I… going to die?"
At this question, Chuck froze. Gu Yitong next to him couldn't hold back anymore. She immediately covered her face, turned away, and silently wiped away her tears.
Chuck gently wiped Kanae's forehead with his hand, then smiled and softly stroked her hot cheek.
"No, you have a very long time left to live."
Chuck finished, then looked up and around, frowning slightly.
"Where's Mòmo?"
Gu Mòmo was nowhere to be seen in the cabin.
Gu Yitong lowered her head and sighed softly.
"She said she couldn't help and couldn't bear to watch, so she went to the beach alone for a while."
Chuck nodded understandingly, then thought for a moment, and reached out to pat Gu Yitong's ass.
"Ah."
With a sharp smack, Gu Yitong instinctively let out a soft moan, covering her voluptuous rear end with her hand. A blush suddenly rose on her beautiful face, and she looked at Chuck with embarrassment.
"Don't, don't do that…"
The girl lying on the bed next to them was at death's door. She truly wasn't in the mood for this, but she didn't dare defy Chuck, so she could only make this small protest.
Chuck chuckled wryly at her words, wondering what kind of human-shaped Teddy Bear impression he had left on Gu Yitong.
"The sky outside looks bad; it's probably going to rain soon. Go bring your daughter back."
He thought for a moment and then added with a smile.
"Tell her I promise that everything will be fine when she returns."
Heat.
Pain.
Fear.
In her daze, Kanae seemed to be back a year ago, during the hot summer training camp after being eliminated in the Inter-High Preliminary finals at the Tochigi Prefecture volleyball gym.
The unwillingness to accept failure, the difficulty and pain of the training, and the confusion about the future were all contained in that small volleyball gym.
Kanae sat on the cold floor, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a towel over her shoulder, staring silently at her own shadow.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in her ear.
"Aren't you playing a practice match against Utsunomiya Girls' High? Why aren't you on the court?"
Kanae was startled. She turned around and saw a familiar figure waving and walking over, tossing a bottle of ice-cold mineral water into her lap.
"Sawano-Buchou (Club President)?!"
"Yo."
Kanae looked surprised at the person, who was the former club president of the Girls' Volleyball Club, who had retired just a few months ago, and the team's former ace spiker.
"Why are you here? Are you okay with your entrance exam preparation?"
"Come on, even prep students get a summer vacation—"
Sawano-Buchou squatted next to her and raised her hand to pat Kanae's shoulder.
"Speaking of which, do you remember the day before INHIGH last year when you asked me to practice receiving with you?"
"Uh… Of course I do?"
"Back then, you asked me why I decided to give you the starting setter position. Do you remember?"
"…"
Kanae blinked and fell silent.
She remembered, of course.
But at the time, the president hadn't answered her.
"If you still want to know, I can tell you the answer now."
Although she didn't know why Sawano-Buchou suddenly brought this up, truthfully, this question had been buried in Kanae's heart for a long time.
Seeing her expression, Sawano-Buchou smiled, then looked forward and spoke slowly.
"Your biggest weapon is that your observation and reaction speed are stronger than the average player. You always seize the moment to give the team a chance to win. I'm sure you know this yourself."
But Sawano-Buchou suddenly changed the subject.
"But at the time, I hadn't even thought about that level."
Kanae was taken aback.
"In fact, what I saw wasn't even your athletic talent."
As Sawano-Buchou spoke, she raised her hand and patted her shoulder again.
"Your biggest advantage is your clear mind."
"Knowing which attackers on the team are doing poorly, which are doing well, who should be attacking, and who needs time to adjust. Not getting discouraged if you lose to a weaker opponent, and not doubting yourself. And not getting conceited if you beat a stronger opponent."
"Listen, Kanae."
"Being able to accept the weakness and strength of others, and also being able to accept your own weakness and strength—that is your true advantage, and the most precious quality in a setter."
The hot summer sun shone through the windows on the second floor of the volleyball gym. The sound of cicadas behind her was particularly harsh.
The sound of hitting the ball, shouts, and the referee's scoring echoed in her ears.
When Kanae heard Sawano-Buchou's words, her vision suddenly blurred for no reason.
Noticing the tears falling down her cheeks, she quickly raised her hand to wipe them away.
"Alright, why are you crying?"
Sawano-Buchou scratched her neck, smiled, and ruffled her hair. Then she stood up, bent down, and offered her hand to Kanae.
"The coach just told me you're up for the next set. Get up and warm up."
Sawano-Buchou's smile was slightly blurred in the sunlight. Kanae looked up, and the gloom in her heart truly lifted a great deal.
She smiled and nodded, then raised her hand…
But for some reason, she grasped only air.
Kanae was startled and raised her hand again.
She still couldn't grasp it.
The next moment, the gymnasium in her sight, the cicadas, and the hitting sounds in her ears became increasingly blurred.
Just as she felt a surge of inexplicable panic, a warm, large hand finally met hers.
"Kanae?"
"…"
That deep voice was not the same as Sawano-Buchou's.
But for some reason, it made her feel safe.
She opened her eyes, and a familiar figure appeared before her, gradually becoming clearer.
"Kanae?"
"Mr. Chuck…"
"Yes, it's me."
Looking down at Kanae's still-pale face and blue lips, Chuck smiled and nodded. Then he offered a clay bowl, gently placing it near Kanae's mouth.
"Feeling better? Have some water."
"…Mm."
With Chuck's help, Kanae's upper body was slightly propped up, and she managed to drink all the "water" in the clay bowl.
But for some reason, the moment the "water" entered her mouth, Kanae felt a warmth slowly flow down her throat from her lips and teeth.
Followed by a sweet fragrance that lingered in her nasal cavity.
The sensation was like the feeling of safety she used to have as a child, deeply asleep in her mother's gentle embrace.
It tasted good.
It's only water, so why is it so delicious?
Lying back down, a trace of confusion appeared in Kanae's eyes.
Her left calf, which had been painfully swollen like it was on fire, now felt inexplicably cool, and the original throbbing pain had turned into a strange itchiness.
Kanae's mind gradually cleared. She tilted her head again, her blurry gaze fixed on Chuck, and she spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.
"Mr. Chuck? Am I…"
"You're fine now."
Chuck used his finger to wipe the milky white liquid from the corner of Kanae's lips. He smiled gently at her, then raised his hand to stroke the girl's forehead.
"Your injury will heal soon, so your task now is to close your eyes and rest well, understood?"
"…Mm."
She didn't know why the injury, which had been excruciatingly painful moments ago, had stabilized after a short sleep.
But Chuck's voice, as she listened to it, was like a tranquilizer, completely driving away the gloom and fear that had enveloped her heart.
To be able to accept the weakness and strength of others, and also to accept my own weakness and strength?
Now that I am on a deserted island and so weak, it seems I can only rely on others to protect myself and to protect Kaoru.
So is it okay for me to do this… Sawano-Buchou?
The girl repeatedly asked the friend she was destined never to see again in her mind. Exhaustion then swept over her, and she fell deeply asleep once more.
As a result, throughout the entire process, she completely failed to notice the blurry, voluptuous figure beneath Chuck…
Moving back and forth slowly.
Gulp, gurgle.
At the same time, a pair of pale, soft arms gently wrapped around Chuck's chest from behind.
The foreign bombshell's soft tongue lightly licked his earlobe, and she whispered with a low laugh.
"Darling… when do you plan to make a move on this girl?"