Days soon came to pass.
Although nothing troublesome had happened so far, my suspicions from before were starting to get more accurate and closer to becoming a reality.
One obvious problem had been occurring so far, a problem that was deliberately set up by those who were keeping us captive, but I was also most prepared for it.
Throughout the days, the amount of food we received was starting to linger. Not only that but once every two days we would be eating leftovers from above instead of the good soup with fresh ingredients.
It's been almost two weeks now that I've been observing the clues of the actions of those who were keeping us in the barren town. From my observation, I've come to the conclusion that they wanted me and others to start some sort of civil war.
A fight between ourselves, in which the element of friction is food. A lack of good food to be more specific, which is our greatest weakness considering the abnormal kind of hunger that we, our kind, have to bear with.
'They're really using our weaknesses to their advantage, huh!… But what are they trying to achieve with this? Are they trying to control us, or are they trying to lower our numbers?...'
I was in deep thought as I lay on the cold ground, staring at the night sky.
Not too long ago, like usual, I and the others had our share of a meal. Now, most of us were already asleep or about to sleep. It had been a long day so far, just like the many previous days, as we had to undergo the preparation and training necessary to fend off against the enemies that might soon arrive.
So far, we never once skipped leg day. Most of the type of training that I made everyone go through utilized their legs. As for the reason why I decided to train myself and the others in such a manner, that's because leg exercises looked the weirdest and because it is the best muscle area to focus on when one aims to initiate an offense or to run away in the case of a dangerous fight.
On days when the leg muscles would be too sore to work out, that's when I let everyone train their other muscles, like their core and back muscles. Training those muscles would be useful for the body to be able to do parkour.
Parkour, which is a bonus skill to have when running away from an enemy to either escape them or to have the advantage when fighting in an area that is full of leverages and buildings.
Everything I have done so far was to gain an advantage against an enemy whose manpower and equipment are unknown. To be able to run away or to put up a desperate fight!
'I hope they reveal their plot soon, so I can resist and find more clues to escape this place. Then again, am I well prepared to go against them?'
It's been many days that I and my followers have been going through arduous training. Although a week and a half is typically far from enough time for someone to see somewhat of a result from training, I believe that with the method I have developed, it is.
Similar to abusing drugs like steroids or a collection of certain hormones, the genetics of my kind made it possible for muscles to heal and develop faster. This I figured out after implementing the "eat to heal" method on myself whenever I felt sore to the point of my body trembling and being stiff.
At that time I couldn't help but wonder, 'Does my kind age faster, or do the cells and whatever inside my body just move faster with food as fuel? Either way, won't I age faster, since more and more cells get damaged and replaced in a shorter period whenever I heal? Or does it not?'
The abilities and the way my body functioned were a complete mystery to me. I did not know what exactly I would have to pay in return for my rapid recovery, but no matter the cost, if there is one, I would pay it if it allowed me to grow stronger fast; strong enough to escape from the bindings of my enemies who keep me in a dark and desolate hole deep underground!
And so, with this determination, and knowing that my followers are determined to be free as well, I used the fast recovery ability to my advantage and quickly passed on this knowledge for my followers to make use of as well. That's how the days of non-stop grinding began… Well, we did rest now and then, due to the limited food we had, and because I didn't want us to stand out.
The most times we could have the extra meals that consisted of insects was three times. I only allowed the amount to be this many, as I was considerate about the amount of insects that I had spread out in the town. If we were to ever run out of insects to eat, I couldn't go back to gather more through the teleportation circle, because me and my followers were already being watched. I could feel it.
At the moment, like every other night after finishing a meal, all of us are exhausted to the point of needing to sleep as soon as possible. That's why I and the others were already lying asleep, however, me being the exception, and perhaps a few with thoughts on their mind like me too. It's all because of our limited food intake, that our growth is limited, and that we are extremely fatigued at the moment.
'Hmm… I wonder. Is it because we needed to heal that we didn't grow older at all after eating so many times for so many days? Like, was the fuel from the food used as a healing aid instead of a growing aid, just like the times I was dying? Just how does this ability of my kind work?!...'
Such was my final thought before I fell asleep…