It was past one in the afternoon, the time when the sun was at its fiercest. Although the forest offered shade, the muggy, humid air still made one sweat profusely.
Yet, two figures were currently weaving through this rugged and difficult jungle at astonishing speed.
"Hah... this is what you called... 'fun'?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka followed behind Natsukawa, lightly stepping over a massive piece of rotting wood lying across the ground. Although he was complaining, his breathing was as steady as if he were taking a stroll.
"This is what we call 'cross-country running,' Ayanokoji-kun." Natsukawa Sosuke led the way. His movements were swift and agile, each step precisely landing on solid ground. He used tree trunks and rocks as leverage, leaping through the woods like a parkour expert. "Don't you think this is much more interesting than foolishly gathering firewood back at the camp?"
"I don't find running wildly through a primitive forest filled with small animals particularly interesting either," Ayanokoji deadpanned. "Also, isn't this level of exertion a bit excessive for a normal, average high school student?"
Though he claimed it was excessive, the guy's speed hadn't slowed down in the slightest.
To test the performance of this 'masterpiece,' Natsukawa Sosuke had secretly pushed his speed to the limit of what his current physical condition could handle.
Thanks to two months of stat increases from the system, his strength, stamina, and agility already surpassed those of a normal person. This high-speed dash across complex terrain tested not only physical fitness but also split-second judgment.
But no matter how much he accelerated, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka always hung back leisurely, maintaining a distance of about five meters behind him.
'What a monster.'
Natsukawa Sosuke clicked his tongue inwardly. What made Natsukawa even more speechless was Ayanokoji's reaction.
He could feel a burning sensation starting in his lungs, sweat dripping down his cheeks, and his heart pounding fiercely. Yet, Ayanokoji behind him, aside from a few beads of sweat on his forehead, didn't even have a trace of flush on his poker face.
Yesterday, Ayanokoji had personally witnessed Kōenji Rokusuke swinging through the trees like Tarzan, demonstrating superhuman physical abilities. And today, he saw Natsukawa, this "ordinary student," moving across the mountains as if on flat ground.
This continuous visual impact seemed to cause the genius, who had long lived in the White Room, to develop an extremely severe cognitive bias regarding "high school students from the outside world."
"Do high school students in the city usually commute to school at this speed?" Ayanokoji suddenly asked, his tone carrying a hint of genuine confusion.
"Pretty much," Natsukawa Sosuke gasped for air, making up a story for the sake of entertainment. "This level of sprinting is an essential skill to avoid being late for school every day."
"I see." Ayanokoji nodded thoughtfully. "It seems I need to strengthen my training."
'Strengthen what? If you strengthen any more, you won't be human anymore.'
As they spoke, the two had arrived beneath a hidden rock face.
"We're here."
Natsukawa Sosuke stopped and pointed at the electronic device faintly flickering atop the rock face.
This was an unclaimed base.
Natsukawa wasted no time. After carefully scouting and confirming there were no other movements or traces nearby, he pulled out the key card representing the leader's authority from his pocket.
"Beep—"
With a crisp electronic sound, the status on the base's screen changed to "Class D Occupied."
"Is this why you dragged me out?" Ayanokoji looked at the device. "To capture bases? You could have done this alone."
"I can't do it alone." Natsukawa Sosuke put the card away and leaned against the rock face to catch his breath slightly. "If I run around alone, scan the card at this base, and then scan it again at another base several kilometers away a few dozen minutes later, any other class that sees me moving solo and records the time and location of the base occupation could easily deduce that I am the leader by tracking my movements."
He pointed at Ayanokoji, then at himself.
"But if there are two of us, and we are constantly moving together at high speed, even if we are spotted, they will be confused. That uncertainty is the best camouflage."
"Besides," Natsukawa Sosuke smiled, "running with two people is less boring, and I get to listen to your stale jokes."
"I haven't told any stale jokes," Ayanokoji retorted. "I was merely stating facts."
After the explanation, the two did not linger and immediately set off toward the next target.
Over the next two hours, the jungle bore witness to the sweeping operation carried out by two "ordinary high school students."
Relying on his memory from the island cruise, a simple map attached to the guide, and his observations of the terrain over the past few days, Natsukawa Sosuke precisely located one hidden base after another.
From crevices on the cliff edge, to the side of deep pools at the end of streams, and to hollows in old trees deep within the dense woods.
"Fourth one."
"Fifth one."
As the bases were lit up one by one, Natsukawa Sosuke became increasingly proficient in controlling his body.
Although he was tired, the dopamine generated after the exercise made him feel incredibly pleased.
'Is this what effort feels like?'
Natsukawa Sosuke mused internally while running.
His current physical fitness was built up little by little, relying on months of continuous high-intensity training combined with a little help from the system.
As the saying goes, "99% personal effort, plus 1% system power."
Although the system gave him a high ceiling and a starting advantage, it also cut short the time he needed to put in the effort.
Compared to him, however, the guy behind him who wasn't even breathing hard was the real cheat.
"Natsukawa," Ayanokoji's voice came from behind. "The next base seems to be located quite high up."
Natsukawa looked up. The sixth base was located at the top of a huge cliff, at least seven or eight meters above the ground.
"Can you get up there?" Natsukawa glanced back at him.
"Theoretically, yes." Ayanokoji looked up and assessed the distribution of protrusions and vines on the cliff face. "However, this doesn't seem to fall within the skill set of a normal high school student."
"Let's just pretend we're sports students, then. I heard that sports students from a certain mysterious neighboring country can take down a tiger with a sliding tackle, so mere rock climbing should be no problem at all."
Natsukawa Sosuke chuckled, then used his hands and feet to begin climbing.
Ayanokoji sighed and had no choice but to follow.
By the time the two climbed to the top and successfully captured the sixth base, it was already past four in the afternoon.
The deeper they ventured toward the center of the island, the sparser the bases became, and the terrain grew more complex. The school clearly intended this, increasing the difficulty of scoring points through exploration.
"Let's stop here for today."
Natsukawa Sosuke checked the sky; the sun was already starting to set in the west.
"If we don't go back now, we might miss the evening roll call. If we lose points, Horikita will probably kill us."
"Agreed." Ayanokoji dusted off the dirt clinging to him. "Besides, my stamina is nearing its limit."
'I don't believe a word of it.'
This guy's acting skills could only fool an honest person like Horikita.
"I've memorized the locations of these bases." Natsukawa Sosuke took a bottle of water from his bag and tossed it to Ayanokoji. "For the next few days, we'll come here twice daily, morning and evening. This will be our 'fixed task' for the week."
Ayanokoji caught the bottle securely, unscrewed the cap, and took a drink.
"So, this 'cross-country running' has to continue for six more days?"
"What? You don't like it?"
"No." Ayanokoji looked at the darkening forest. A faint glimmer flashed in his placid eyes. "Getting some exercise once in a while might actually not be so bad."
The two walked back to the camp, one in front of the other. The setting sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on them.
Although physically tired, Natsukawa Sosuke was in an exceptionally good mood.
Today's gains were not just the BP points from these bases. More importantly, through this action, he had further strengthened his relationship with Ayanokoji and confirmed the unfathomable depth of this "masterpiece."
'I still need to train.'
Natsukawa Sosuke clenched his fist, feeling the soreness radiating from his muscles.
'I need to add more stats. I must strive to achieve Ayanokoji's running speed before the Sports Festival, or how else can I show my strength to my future brother-in-law?'
"By the way, Ayanokoji."
"What is it?"
"Once we get back, don't mention what we did. Just say we got lost in the forest and barely managed to find our way back."
"The reason?"
"To maintain an air of mystery," Natsukawa Sosuke casually lied. "Besides, if Ike and the others find out we went off to play such a 'fun' game without them, they'll cause a fuss."
"Understood." Ayanokoji nodded, then added in his usual flat tone, "However, I don't think they'd be envious of this game."
"You never know. A man's desire to win can be strange."
...Accompanied by the pair's intermittent chatter, the wisps of smoke rising from the Class D camp finally appeared at the edge of their vision.