After about forty minutes of walking, Mike and his group finally arrived at an area of the forest that looked more gloomy and a bit dark. The expanse of tall, lush trees was everywhere. It was definitely like a sea of trees when viewed from above.
"Hmm, we've arrived." Alfred announced as he stopped his steps.
"So that's why we-, e-eh?" Minako was stunned when she was engrossed in exchanging words with Mike. She looked left and right, but she was still in the forest and didn't know much difference from the previous one.
"Your legs don't feel sore anymore, do you, Minako-sama? You've fought well and now we've arrived." Mike smiled faintly.
"Hm? You planned this, didn't you? Oow, my feet are sore now, but let it be." Minako pursed her lips because she just realized Mike's trick was working on her. Although, she didn't understand it before and just put it aside.
"Hehe, I already told you that." Mike chuckled and went closer to Alfred.
He looked once more at the forest in front of him. It was said a haunted forest for many reasons, but sometimes some tourists dare to come to this place.
He wasn't a coward, but he didn't know what he would do if he met a ghost.
'Do ghosts really exist? It really exists, right? My side quest will start from here...' Mike gulped his saliva.
Alfred looked up then around to determine the direction. "Well Mike-sama, this forest is only thirty-five square kilometers. Our destination is not one that people might normally visit, but one of the deepest places for you to practice."
"Thirty, thirty five kilometers!? We're going to go that far on foot?" Minako widened her eyes in disbelief. She wasn't sure if she could feel her legs again if she needed to walk that far.
"Ah, we won't go that far. If you feel too tired, then you can rest here, Minako-sama. Let me and Mike-sama go first. You and your confidant can catch up with Yukiko." Alfred offered the best solution for the current situation.
"Uh, alright then. We'll catch up with you later. Uuu, my poor feet. Look, they're already reddish..." Minako sat on a large root and took off her shoes to examine her delicate feet.
Alfred then gave Yukiko an eye signal, and the latter nodded in understanding. "Alright, let's go, Mike-sama."
"Understood." Mike followed Alfred to go deeper into Aokigahara Forest.
The two of them walked in silence and silence for a few minutes. Mike glanced left and right with vigilance because he felt like he was being watched for some unknown reason.
"We will take the fastest path, but also the most extreme. I presume you can follow me easily because of your superb speed and agility. Are you ready, Mike-sama?" Alfred looked back as he kept walking.
"If the extreme path in question is what humans can go through, then fine. Let's start this first training mission." Mike squeezed his hands into fists with a confident glint in his eyes.
"Hoho, that's the spirit. Well then, please follow me." Alfred then started running at a light pace, and Mike immediately followed behind him.
They run through extreme terrain, climb trees, pass through valleys, and even jump from branch to branch like a ninja. Mike met Alfred's expectations perfectly with just a little extra effort, thanks to his trained legs.
Fifteen minutes was the time it took for them before they finally stopped.
*Tap*
Mike landed on a tree branch next to Alfred. He looked down at a small river below with a bit of confusion. "Is this our first destination?"
"Yes, we have arrived at the first destination, Mike-sama. I have no doubts about your speed because that is your forte, but you are very lacking in the defense and attack departments. We will train both of them for three days and two nights from now on." Alfred confirmed and jumped down from the tall tree.
"..." Mike looked down. That old man managed to land casually despite jumping from a tree with a height of more than ten meters.
However, he did not dare to take the risk because he knew his limits. His leg bones could be crushed if he tried to imitate that old man's performance. For that reason, he chose to descend through the tree trunk like an agile monkey.
"First of all, you will train your defense. It may not increase your defense to an impressive level, but you can feel the difference after doing this first stage of training. Now, please take off your bag and clothes, Mike-sama." Alfred looked toward the small river, more precisely at a mini waterfall.
"Wh-what? What are you planning to do with me?" Mike crossed his arms over his chest and took some distance.
"Hm? I don't know what you have in mind, but you need to get into this river and hold on as long as you can. You'll feel a tremendous improvement if you manage to last more than an hour in your first practice." Alfred looked at Mike in confusion. He then pointed his finger toward the mini waterfall.
"O-oh, ha-haha, so it's like that. Alright." Mike rubbed the back of his head and laughed blandly.
He then put his bag on the ground and took off his clothes as requested.
Mike, who was only wrapped in training boxer shorts, entered the small river. Surprisingly, it was deeper than he thought. Even though it looked to be only twenty centimeters deep, it actually submerged half of his body... An optical illusion of clear river water.
"Before you begin, I need to remind you of this. What you will do in training from now onwards, including all the details, will remain as a secret to our clan. Do you understand what I mean, Mike-sama?" Alfred looked Mike straight in the eye.
"I totally understand." Mike nodded in understanding.
"Okay, now go to the mini waterfall. You will find a sunken rock spot hidden behind the water flow. Please sit there cross-legged and start meditating with your eyes closed. You will feel the great natural pressure there." Alfred gave his instructions.
Mike did not doubt Alfred and immediately went to the indicated spot. There was nothing special about that spot when he found it. Thus he immediately sat cross-legged there and felt the water current crashing against his body.
Yet, an abnormality occurred after he meditated for thirty seconds there. A tremendous pressure came from nowhere and pressed his body firmly to the earth.
It was already difficult to control his breathing between the streams of water. Yet, now it has become even more difficult due to the mysterious nature pressure. Not to mention, his body felt like it was being pressed and squeezed from within.
Even so, he still struggled with determination considering he needed to endure for an hour or so.
Seeing Mike's not budging for a minute, Alfred took out some crystals and sticks from his bag. He stuck it around the mini waterfall to create a unique formation for Mike.
When he was done, he put his hands together to trigger the formation to activate.
*Bzzt*
All the sticks and crystals glowed with blue light. An electric line connected all the elements to form a connected formation, with Mike right in the middle. The formation path then disappeared, and the blue light dimmed, but the effect was still there, which only Mike could feel.
A flash of shadow suddenly passed behind Alfred in the blink of an eye. He just folded his arms and spoke with a solemn intonation. "We have not come to harm nature or disturb anyone. Please return to where you came."
*Swoosh*
A gust of wind blew, and silence once again fell. Only the sound of running water could be heard.