It has been two weeks since we received our first punishment from Gun-wo.

  During those two weeks, we experienced fifteen different deaths caused by the spiral demon. Each of us experienced the last man standing effect before dying.

  Each death had a unique mental toll on each of us.

  I noticed that Gabrielle grew attached to us to the point where she asked to exchange contact information and would often break down completely. In some cases, she wouldn’t sleep most nights due to the nightmares she experienced. As a comfort, we made her feel relaxed and even had a sleepover. Eventually, the nightmares did end.

  Ren didn’t take it to heart, knowing it was all fake, he recognized that it served as a prediction of what would happen if we failed a mission, but he wasn't motivated enough to do better.

  As for me, I simply felt motivated to do better.

  In terms of progress, all three of us drastically improved since we all didn't want to experience the punishment anymore.

  I was getting closer to applying the perfect amount of energy for the soulstream, but I often messed up by either overfilling it or not using the right amount. My body is starting to get used to the feeling, to the point where it has begun to adjust on its own.

  Gabrielle was learning a variety of martial arts, which were Karate, Boxing, Swordsmanship, Kyusho Jitsu, Gun-fu, Kickboxing, and Judo. With my assistance, she can spend forty-five minutes on each before passing out from exhaustion.

  Ren on the other hand, actually impressed me with his commitment. I woke him up every day at five in the morning and insisted that he run with me, which kept him motivated during his workout. Despite his whining, I had a lot of fun.

  Today we all walked out of our rooms with messy hair, matching pajamas, and sleep-deprived eyes.

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  After we ate breakfast, we took our shower and dressed in our robes to prepare for today's punishment.

  As we were leaving the house, Gun-wo sat on a plastic chair by our doorstep, holding three slabs of chocolate in his hands, "Good news, everyone! Since you have all improved so wonderfully, I thought it would be fair to send you on a mission. That means no punishment!" He handed each of us a chocolate slab before suddenly placing a sticker on our foreheads.

  We weren't excited, but no punishment was a win in our eyes, "What mission is this going to be?" I asked.

  Without wasting any time, he got up from his chair and tore a rift in the air before suddenly appearing behind us, "It's a surprise. Have fun cuties." he said as he pushed us inside and closed the rift.

  It was odd, he was meant to supervise us, but he wasn't accompanying us.

  I sometimes can't believe that he was actively trying to get us killed, "I can't stand that jerk." Gabrielle said furiously as she removed the sticker from her forehead.

  At this point, I couldn't agree more.

  As we looked around at our surroundings, we realized we were in a tropical rainforest, "Hey Xavier, does this place look familiar to you?" asked Gabrielle.

  I shook my head in response. "No, this feels like some kind of native island, especially since the land still looks like this. Before we search, let's check out our chocolate first, it seems odd that he would give us such a random treat." I said, already unwrapping the chocolate.

  A large part of me just wanted to eat chocolate. Even if there was nothing, I would still be happy with that decision.

  Lo and behold, there was a small note in my wrapping. It said the following, "Make a choice."

  Ren read his one out loud, which said, "Not all monsters are villains, and not all monsters are victims."

  Gabrielle reads the final message out loud, "Every outcome has a positive and negative. It's how you handle it which is important."

  I see.

  We are responsible for everything that happens on this mission. It may be a hunting quest, but we need to consider the impact of what we are hunting on the environment.

  I took a quick bite of the chocolate and asked them, "Do you guys know where we should go-" My instinct went off immediately, prompting me to turn around and see what was emerging from the trees.

  Gabrielle and Ren noticed me being on high alert and together got ourselves ready.

  A woman with green skin emerged, dressed in leaves that primarily covered her breasts and waist. She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear before gripping the whip in her hand.

  No questions were going to be asked, only a fight awaited the three of us.