After the morning training session, everyone gathered in small groups and headed toward the cafeteria.
Covered in sweat, Jay insisted on doing another 200 push-ups before finally grabbing a towel to wipe himself down and preparing to eat.
His unique and independent personality was no secret within the base.
Some sneered at him, others waited for him to make a fool of himself, and some outright despised him.
Clearly, no one believed that pushing himself this hard would make any real difference.
Why not just take it easy like everyone else and go with the flow?
Why work so hard?
Who was he trying to impress?
Did having connections really make him think he was special?
Everyone knew that Colonel Hammond didn't actually care about him.
But Jay didn't care what these people thought. A frog at the bottom of a well would never understand how vast and dangerous the outside world truly was.
Upon arriving at the cafeteria, Jay walked straight up to one of the chefs.
"Is it ready?"
"It's all here. Just as you requested, I made a hundred to start."
Jay picked up a sakura mochi and tossed it into his mouth, though his real focus was on the system panel.
Seeing the progress bar move slightly, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Thanks. Just keep making the same amount for lunch and dinner every day."
"No need to thank me. You pay, I cook. It's a fair deal."
Jay didn't waste any more words. He grabbed a large iron tray, found an empty table, and started eating.
Meeting the activation condition of "Eating 170 sakura mochi every day for 38 consecutive days" was not as easy as it sounded.
Sakura mochi was a small confection made of pink-colored glutinous rice wrapped around a sweet bean paste filling, with a cherry blossom leaf encasing the outside.
It looked cute, with colors resembling cherry blossoms, and the leaf added a unique floral fragrance, giving it a refreshing taste.
But eating too many could easily become overwhelming, too sweet, too cloying, and hard to swallow.
Each sakura mochi weighed around 60 grams. A hundred of them meant 6 kilograms, over 12 pounds of food!
Still, to become stronger, this small challenge had to be overcome.
If he started choking, he drank water. If he felt too full, he forced more into his mouth and washed it down.
Somehow, he managed to stuff all 100 sakura mochi into his stomach.
Jay was slightly relieved, if not for the "Blood of Hanma" ability constantly enhancing his body, there was no way he could have eaten this much.
But then he remembered… he still had to eat at least 70 more for dinner.
And keep this up for 38 days.
Suddenly, nausea hit him, and he felt the urge to vomit.
"I need to burn more calories."
With that thought, Jay quickly scanned the cafeteria and found Buck, who was smoking and bragging to some of the others.
"Extra training this afternoon. Same place."
Leaving those words behind, Jay didn't wait for a response and walked off.
At a secluded corner of the training grounds.
Jay didn't have to wait long. Buck arrived in a hurry after finishing his meal.
"Let's begin."
Without any unnecessary words, Jay took off his shirt, revealing his lean and muscular upper body.
Buck swallowed whatever he had been about to say, picked up a wooden stick nearby, and swung it down hard on Jay's back.
A red welt instantly appeared.
Then, SMACK!, another blow landed.
It looked like Buck was taking out some deep-seated grudge on Jay, showing no mercy.
But this was exactly what Jay wanted!
As Jay's body started to sustain injuries, the powerful regenerative ability of "Hanma's Blood" kicked in, accelerating his stomach's peristalsis to rapidly digest food and provide energy to his body.
It wasn't until Buck's arms were sore from swinging the wooden stick that he finally threw it aside, marking the temporary end of their special midday training session.
"Starting today, special training will increase from twice a day to three times, morning, noon, and night."
"What? Three times a day? No way, no way! I'd rather go back and wash your underwear!"
Having vented his frustrations, Buck shook his head furiously.
Twice a day was already exhausting, if they increased it to three times, how was he supposed to lift his arms?
Did Jay think beating someone wasn't tiring?!
Jay, however, remained unfazed. He simply stated calmly:
"In less than a month, I went from a fresh recruit to a First-Class Seaman."
"Soon, I'll be promoted to an officer, moving from Corporal to Sergeant, then to Chief."
"I am destined to become the kind of man you'll spend your entire life looking up to."
"Right now, you should consider yourself lucky. With just a little bit of effort, you could open a new path for your future, one that could change your destiny forever."
"But it's a pity… you, as dumb as a pig, have chosen to give up."
As Jay walked past him, he didn't even spare Buck another glance.
Buck, on the other hand, stood frozen in place as if a spell had been cast on him, his mind utterly blank.
That afternoon, Jay skipped training.
He had a different task, escorting "prisoners" and "evidence" to the Kingdom of Roses to officially close the case of the annihilated Sori Family.
One detail worth mentioning: Every single corpse Jay brought with him had one thing in common, they were missing both hands.
As far as Jay was concerned, he was simply making the best use of waste.
When he presented the "prisoners" and "evidence" to the king of the Kingdom of Roses, the ruler merely covered his nose with a handkerchief, took a quick glance, and waved dismissively in disgust.
With the Sori Family completely wiped out, no one was foolish enough to insist on uncovering the truth, it wouldn't earn them any favors and would only make enemies.
Even the king himself was merely putting on a show for the people.
Thus, the case was closed with minimal effort.
The nobles of the Kingdom of Roses were already eyeing the Sori Family's remaining real estate and assets, eager to claim their share.
Colonel Hammond, on the other hand, reaped the military merits and rewards from exterminating the pirates.
Everyone was satisfied.
As for the victims?
Nobody cared.
After all, when the Sori Family had once plundered and oppressed others, they hadn't cared about the lives of people like Jay either.
That night, after returning to the base…
Jay headed straight to the cafeteria and devoured another massive pile of sakura mochi, completing his "daily task."
Just as he was about to return to his dorm, he unexpectedly found Buck waiting for him.
"I might actually be insane… but I want to take a gamble on you."
"This is all my savings. From now on, whatever you tell me to do, I'll do it, whether it's washing your underwear or beating you with a stick like a thug every day…"
"I don't care. I want to follow you. I want… to change my fate."
Jay's words from earlier that day had left an overwhelming impact on him. They had echoed in his mind all afternoon, sparking an internal struggle, one that led him to this decision.
He didn't know if he was making the right choice.
But just as Jay had said, this might be the only chance he'd ever get to change his fate.
If he didn't take it, he might regret it for the rest of his life.
And at worst, he'd simply remain where he was, wasting away, drifting through life with no purpose.
But if he won this gamble…